Clout shows more dash so gets the cash

IN a field of 80 competitors, there could only be one winner.

Northcliffe surf club swimmer Riley Clout became one of Summer of Surf’s early winners when he took out the dash for cash swim race yesterday afternoon at Mermaid Beach, pocketing $200 in the process.

The specialist swimmer masterfully navigated the pounding swell and masses of flailing arms and legs to claim the win.

In a field that included Nutri-Grain series athletes like Luke Cuff, fellow swimmers like Hayden Cotter, and even current surf life saving coaches like Northcliffe’s Kevin Morrison, Clout was a step above.

The 19-year-old, who trains alongside Gold Coast Olympian Cam McEvoy, said that his open water swimming experience prepared him perfectly for the sprint to the beach.

“It was like an open water start,” he said. “You had to be ready for the biff.

“It was very tough to see the flag drop.

“I could hardly see and I swear I was the last person to leave but I just had to put my head down, bum up.”

Clout rose first on the shoreline and managed to overcome his biggest weakness to charge towards a memorable win.

“Running isn’t my strong suit but I made it work today,” he said.

“I was hoping ‘please, please’ because you’ve just got to want it and I looked up and saw nobody was with me so I started running.”

The TSS aquatics swim squad member said he would invest his earnings, despite his dad being spotted gripping the cheque tightly shortly after the race.

“He’ll (dad) definitely probably be spending some money out of it because I’ve still got to buy him a present for Christmas,” Clout said.

“It will just go into my savings account and sit there and hopefully grow over the next few year.”

Currumbin’s Emma Dick won the female dash for cash.

With the state swimming championships kicking off next week, Clout won’t be returning to search for more

Summer of Surf success today at the beach when the rest of the carnival program rolls out, concluding with the finals package after midday.

The surf lifesaving action continues tomorrow starting with Round 2 of the Super Surf Teams League, featuring Coast sides the Point Danger Seawolves and South Coast Makos, before the Nutri-Grain series kicks off at 1pm.

The Canecutters currently sit atop the league table after dominating the first round at Bulli beach in NSW, on December 7 with 13 points, followed by the Scarborough Sunsets (12) and Northern Beaches Rays (11).

I SWEAR I WAS THE LAST PERSON TO LEAVE BUT I JUST HAD TO PUT MY HEAD DOWN, BUM UP RILEY CLOUT