SWELL SISTERS SET TO CLASH

Girls go head to head at titles for first time

SPORTING sisters Kate and Laura Taylor have watched their combined medal display grow over the past few years as the teenagers reap continuous surf lifesaving success in ski, taplin and ironwoman competitions.

The girls attend St Hilda’s School, where Year 11 student Laura is the school swimming champion and Year 12 student Kate is a school prefect and this year’s sports captain.

The girls train with Northcliffe Surf Club under coaches Gavin Hill and Kev Morrison and are preparing for the Surf Life Saving State Championships at Maroochydore later this month and the Australian titles at North Kirra beach from April 11-19.

Laura said they would be competing against each other for the first time.

“We will be in the same age group for the first time,” Laura, 15, said.

“Kate always tries to tell me e not to laugh when we are racing - together but I can’t help it.

“She focuses more on the e surf events and I prefer the e races but we will have some the ee same. We get along really well.

l.She’s a good sister and we encourage each other a lot.”

Laura is a member of the TSS aquatic swim club under coach Liam Dufeu.

Last year, she won three gold medals, a silver and a bronze at the Queensland championships before competing at the Oceans 38 surf series at Tugun and Broadbeach in January, winning the under-17s ironwoman title at both rounds. Kate won the under-17 women’s single ski race and together with Laura, won the under-17 taplin races.

Laura said the girls kept to an intense training schedule, sometimes up to a dozen twohour-long sessions a week.

“I want to continue competing and am hoping to become a professional Nutri-Grain ironwoman,” she said.

“I really look up to Harriet Brown as I know her personally and surf at the same place as her. She’s really inspiring.”

The sisters also enjoy rowing, with Kate in St Hilda’s first eight and Laura a member of the Year 10 first squad. The St Hilda’s team performed above expectations last year at the Brisbane girls schools rowing regattas, finishing a credible third behind the larger Brisbane schools.

The sisters also achieved success in the Queensland school rowing championships in Bundaberg.