MORE than 1000 junior lifesaver competitors are expected to compete across two state junior nipper carnivals held at Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club this month.
The one-day state Life Saving Victoria (LSV) nipper carnival held on Saturday 13 February is followed by a state-based western regional surf life saving qualifying event held at Ocean Grove the next day.
Ocean Grove SLSC Junior Activities Manager, Scott McNaughton, said the mid-February weekend date was a massive logistical exercise for the club.
“It is certainly a really big logistical effort – we require lots of volunteers, everything from water safety to setting up the courses, to catering, to officials, so it is a very big weekend for the club,” McNaughton told the Voice.
“It is also a good weekend for the community and we will expect 1000 nippers competing across the two days.”
The LSV junior carnival will get underway at 8.30am on Saturday 13 February with clubs from all over the state competing from Lakes Entrance in Victoria’s far east to Portland in the state’s south west.
“There will be a large contingent of nippers and surf life saving clubs competing on the Saturday 13 February,” McNaughton said.
“The second day is what we called the western regional qualifiers, which is essentially all the surf life saving clubs from Point Lonsdale down to far the south west of the state.”
IN other news, promising Ocean Grove SLSC teenager Tom Kingshott won a gold medal in the 1km beach run at the interstate Manly nipper nationals over the Australian day long weekend surf carnival in January.
Ocean Grove SLSC head coach, Sonia Kinsey, said the first placing for 14-year-old Tom Kingshott was a great result in preparation for his assault on the Aussie titles in April.
“We knew (Tom Kingshott) was going to be up there with (the top place-getters), obviously this is going to be his first Australian titles,” Kinsey said.
“Tom does a bit of everything, but primarily he is a runner.”
OTHER standout results from the combined Manly Freshwater interstate based surf life saving event, included Guy Kinsey’s eighth place in the open swim at Freshwater, Lucy Conquit’s third spot in the Under 19 female iron at Manly and Jessie Coulsen’s eighth place in the under 17 male swim at Freshwater.
The Ocean Grove SLSC female trio of Lucy Conquit, Gabby Hannan and Felicity Abfalter came third in the Under 19 female board relay at Freshwater, while Tim Hannan finished third in the Under 13 boys iron nipper challenge held at Cronulla beach in Sydney after the completion of the Manly Freshwater carnival.
