Zane’s on board
LEGENDARY ironman Zane Holmes has decided to dip his toe into the coaching waters, agreeing to a role with Burleigh Heads-Mowbray Park for next season.
Holmes has signed on as head ski coach in his first coaching role since retiring from the sport.
The former Kellogg’s series champion joins head coach Wes Berg, giving Burleigh an allstar line-up to mentor a strong group of athletes.
The addition of Holmes is a coup for Burleigh. One of the most decorated ironmen in history, Holmes won five Nutri-Grain titles, two world ironman championships, an Australian title and a Coolangatta Gold.
“The timing was right and with a very family oriented club which suits where I am in my life now,” Holmes said.
“Having three kids and completing my family I am looking forward to introducing them into the surf lifesaving community.
“My father introduced me to surf lifesaving at a young age and It was such a positive influence on my life that I am looking forward to passing that down to my children and Bur- leigh, alongside Wes, seemed like a great place to do that.”
NSW product Berg was once a great rival of Queenslander Holmes. But the pair are now great mates, both raising their three children on the Coast and are thrilled to be joining forces.
“Having Zane join the club is a huge asset,” Berg said.
“His achievements speak for themselves. Zane and I are both quite like-minded in our approach to ironman racing and I think our personalities and coaching techniques will be very complementary.
“Zane is known for his composed nature but when the gun goes there is no tougher or stronger competitor in the water and I think the kids at Burleigh will really gain a lot from his mentoring.”
Ty Dowker returns to Burleigh as the head nipper coach for the first time since 2011-12.