OCEAN Grovers Ralph Wright and Terry Poole earned medals at the Australian Canoe Marathon Championships on the Gold Coast last month.
Ralph teamed up with Torquay-based Joanne Davis to win a bronze medal in the Vet 50 TK 2 event while Terry won a silver medal in the over-65 Singles event.
All three paddlers are from Bellarine Paddlers, which bases its training in Ocean Grove. Ralph said that he and Joanne made a good paddling duo.
“We’ve paired up quite a few times and seem to be a good combination,” he said.
“Joanne’s at a slight disadvantge because she is practically deaf, but we’ve paddled for long enough that we get by without having to speak.
“We missed the start by a little bit, but still paddled well. Leading up to it, we were training three times a week.”
Anyone interested in joining Bellarine Paddlers can get to the boat ramp near the golf club at 8.30am on Sundays.
The club caters to absolute beginners to experienced paddlers and is planning a paddle/barbecue on Saturday 23 April, at 12.30pm.
The club will borrow canoes from another group to cater for a good number of people who want to try paddling. All equipment will be provided and the club will meet at the car park midway to Barwon Heads (where the hot potato van sets up in summer).
