Drought broken as Currumbin kids rule
CURRUMBIN have ended a two-decade drought to claim the Surf Life Saving Queensland Youth Championships.
The Point Danger branch club upstaged the traditional powerhouses of the Queensland junior ranks at the state titles, which wound up at Alexandra Headland on the Sunshine Coast yesterday.
In a great day for Gold Coast clubs, South Coast branch champions Northcliffe (237) finished second to Currumbin (303).
Sunshine Coast clubs Maroochydore and Alexandra Headland, who have dominated the titles in recent years, were next best.
An emotional Currumbin coach and manager Sam Dick
rated the club’s all-age relay success as the highlight of the championship win, which he believed was the first since the early 1990s.
“To us it is just the pinnacle event of the championships, it tests strength across the club and we have wanted this win for such a long time,” he said.
“The last time we won was when I was an under-13, back in 2009, so we’ve been vying to win it back since then.
“I am just so thrilled and proud; they did an amazing job, their race was well planned and extremely well executed.”
In a poignant moment, sand from Currumbin beach was sprinkled in the club’s lane before the all-age relay as a tribute to club life member and Queensland surf lifesaving stalwart Bonnie Alchin, who died last month.
The winning team in the all-age relay receives the Col and Bonnie Alchin Trophy.
Currumbin finished with a total of 46 medals, with Ava Usher claiming nine podium finishes as part of the goldwinning all-age relay, under-11 surfboard relay, surfboard rescue and surf teams.
She also scored silver in the beach relay and sprint, plus bronze in the ironwoman and board race.
Teammate Milla Jansen walked away with seven medals in the same age group.
Rising star Ellie Beer claimed four gold medals after wins in the under-15 girls sprint, flags, beach relay and all-age relay.
Northcliffe won 34 medals across the weekend.
All results from state titles in Wednesday’s
Bulletin
CURRUMBIN have upstaged heavyweight rivals and snapped a two-decade drought to win the Surf Life Saving Queensland Youth Championships on the Sunshine Coast.
The Point Danger branch club defied the Sunshine Coast’s dominant line-ups Maroochydore and Alexandra Headland to end their long wait.
On a good day for Gold Coast clubs, Northcliffe finished second overall but it was all about Currumbin’s against-the-odds success.