Athletes from as far north as Foster SLSC down to Windang SLSC in the Illawarra will make the trip to Mollymook for an action-packed weekend of racing.

Mollymook SLSC president Rodney Austin is proud on behalf his members to host the NSW Championships for the second year and welcome a large number of surf lifesavers and spectators to the South Coast.

“We always love having these events, they bring our club members together and everyone pitches in and has a memorable weekend,” Austin said.

“We enjoy the weekend as much as the competitors do. 

“We’re very much looking forward to it.

“Our organising committee has been working for the last three months preparing for the carnival.”

Coming off a dominant Premiership series victory, Kiama Downs SLSC know next month’s State Championships is a different level of racing. 

“We have to change our mindset and push ourselves a bit harder in the races and we’re honing our skills leading up to the NSW IRB Championships,” Kiama Downs’ team manager Steven Guy said.

The pressure will also be on Caves Beach SLSC which has incredibly won the previous 11 NSW IRB Championships. 

It’s a busy month for Mollymook SLSC and Shoalhaven City Council as they will also be hosting the Australian and Interstate IRB Championships from Friday July 22 to Sunday, July 24. 

Shoalhaven City Council Assistant Deputy Mayor Allan Baptist said the council was proud to be partnering with Mollymook SLSC to host the championships again this year.

“Last year’s NSW IRB Championships event was a huge success, with Mollymook Beach proving to be the ideal location for the event,” Cr Baptist said.

“We are really excited to attract both the NSW IRB Championship and the National IRB Championships to the Shoalhaven in July, as securing events of this kind during winter is extremely valuable for the local economy.

“The championships are an important event in our sports tourism calendar, with the influx of visitors expected to inject an estimated $150,000 into the local economy.

“The Inflatable Rescue Boats racing through the waves also provide a fantastic spectacle and I encourage anyone looking for action and entertainment to head down to Mollymook Beach to check it out.”

Surf Life Saving NSW sports manager Rob Pidgeon said having the three championships on the same beach was great for NSW athletes.

“It’s a big advantage for our surf lifesavers leading into the Australian and Interstate Championships,” Pidgeon said.

“The quality of competition so far this IRB racing season has been of a very high standard and we expect that to continue in Mollymook.

“Mollymook have proved themselves to be great hosts across a number of events in recent years including staging the NSW Country Championships in 2014 and 2015 and we’re confident of another successful event.”

Racing is set to kick off at 8am on Saturday, July 2 at Mollymook Beach.