WITH just under two weeks until the 2018 NSW Country Championships begins, the excitement in South West Rocks has kicked into overdrive, following the official launch recently.
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Mollymook Surf Lifesaving Club have confirmed that 56 athletes will attend this year’s championships, held from February 3-4, who include; Cooper Atkinson, Russell Bartlett, Lewis Betts, Darryl Bozicevic, Timothy Burgmann, Eadan Burton, Nash Burton, Paul Burton, Shallan Burton, Ben Crockett, Brett Crockett, Simon Davies, Sebastian Diver, Zachariah Diver, Martin Drysdale, Lesley Gagan, Cheryl Garin, Mia Garin, Eliza Green, Leonie Hicks, Samuel Hicks, Danielle Holt, Tracey Holt, Anthony Ireland, Christian Ireland, Jacob Jones, Karla Jones, Kate Lewis, Steine Lofts, Ed Macartney, Craig Matthews, Arnae McKillop, Thomas Morgera, Monica Mudge, Adam Newey, Paul Newman, Callula Norwood, Eilish Norwood, Keeghan Norwood, Stirling Norwood, Aaron Owers, Daniel Robberds, Andrew Rushton, Chloe Scott, Jamie Scott, Robert Scott, Simone Scott, Brock Scrivener, Archie Skinner, Jack Skinner, Kyla Wall, Kevin Whitford, Susanne Whitford, Satcey Wilesmith, Jack Williams and Sam Zustovich.
Mollymook will be expecting another strong showing on the sand and in the surf, after their recent performances at the branch championships.
In the juniors, Mollymook finished fourth overall on 177 points, before claiming second spot (210 points) in the seniors – to finish fourth overall on 387 points.
Not to be outdone, fellow South Coast club, Nowra-Culburra SLSC, will be sending 17 athletes to the championships, including; Denzel Atkinson, Caleb Cook, Dustin Cook, Fergus Coughlan, Jessica, De Wit, Sophie De Wit, Anna Hill, Claire Hill, Leah Hill, Peter Hill, Rachel Hill, Emma Keane, Eva Lilly, Kate Lilly, Chad Poland, Jalen Rees and Nate Rees.
Of those 17, five athletes will be returning to improve on their results from 2017 – including Leah Hill, who finished first in the under 15s surf board riding.
Rachel Hill (fourth under 17s surf board riding), Peter Hill (second 60+ board race, third 60+ long board riding, first 60+ surf board riding, first open surf board riding), Claire Hill (second under 10s board race) and Caleb Cook (second under 12s 1km beach run) will also be looking to improve on last year’s results.
At the recent branch championships, Nowra-Culburra finished fifth overall (232 points), behind Warilla-Barrack Point (730), Shellharbour (504), Kiama Downs (421) and Mollymook (387) – but ahead of Kiama (144), Gerringong (88) and Shoalhaven Heads (19).
With the event moving to Kingscliff for at the least the next two summers after Cudgen Headland was confirmed as 2019 hosts, South West Rocks club president Rod McDonagh, is confident the club can deliver one final memory for the visiting lifesavers.
"We are really fortunate to have a great bunch of committed volunteers who are vital to making an event of this size happen,” McDonagh said.
“It's a lot of work but we're almost there and very much looking forward to welcoming everyone to our little patch of paradise.”
Kempsey Shire Mayor Liz Campbell said it’s an exciting opportunity for not only the host club, but also the wider region to boast its credentials in the highly competitive sport tourism market.
“I am confident that the 2018 NSW Country Surf Life Saving Championships at South West Rocks will be an experience to remember for everyone, and I encourage all visitors from across NSW to make the most of their time in the Macleay Valley,” Cr Campbell said.