NEW IRON MAIDENS
Britton and Cooper keep North Burleigh ironwoman tradition going
THE North Burleigh cap has been a fixture of the NutriGrain ironwoman series and while it will feature again this weekend, it’s the sport’s new breed that will be wearing the white and green on North Cronulla beach.
The retirement of threetime series champion Liz Pluimers and former world ironwoman champion Brodie Moir could have left the club without a representative in the elite series.
But the rise of young guns Allie Britton and Brielle Cooper saw the pair granted wildcards for this weekend’s three-race series at North Cronulla.
Runner-up to Courtney Hancock in the Coolangatta Gold last October, Britton also snared the Summer of Surf endurance round at Torquay, finished just outside the automatic qualifiers from that series.
Given her position, she was the logical choice for the wildcard but that didn’t stop the roller-coaster of emotions before she received confirmation from organisers. “When I got the call I was very, very happy,’’ Tasmanian product Britton said.
“Everyone would love the opportunity to put their toe on the line and ever since you were little you just want to wear the pink togs with your name on the bum.
“When I just missed out on the qualifiers I was disappointed and then I was nervous waiting for the wildcard to be announced.’’
Cooper, who is just 17, is ahead of schedule in her ironwoman career. The Kurrawa product followed coach Dan Carruthers to North Burleigh with a spot in the series in her sights but believed it would take two or three years.
Having initially missed automatic qualification and the wildcard spot, Cooper was resigned to missing out on the Nutri-Grain series but received a call-up last week after Noosa’s Lana Rogers was ruled out with injury.
“This year was kind of my learning year ... (I thought) I’d race the open girls for the first time and have a crack and then I started to get some results,’’ Cooper said.
“I ended up finishing eighth in the Summer of Surf of the people that needed a position (to qualify for the Nutri-Grain series) and the person above me was Allie.
“For her to get the wildcard was so exciting but it meant that I missed out by one. To then get the phone call to say Lana had to pull out, I felt so sorry for her but it was very exciting for me.’’
And while neither believes they are a chance of an outright win, nor are they content just to make up the numbers.
Britton, in particular, will be hoping to make her mark in Friday’s endurance event. “I’m really happy to be starting with the enduro, it might not be as daunting lining up with something I feel so comfortable in,” she said.
Cooper, who juggled training with finishing Year 12 studies at St Stephen’s College at Coomera last year, will be pushed out of her comfort zone, having never raced under the accumulator or eliminator format.
“I’m going to race hard and have a go but just enjoy the experience, learn to race in the series and learn lots,” she said.