Oceans 2017 |A team of 16 Titahi Bay Nippers headed to Mount Maunganui for the U14 national championships, aka Oceans'17. We had a great mixture of kids in all age groups, ranging from U11 to U14. Congratulations to all of the team on their results and special mention to the following competitors for making finals - Kaya McMahon (U11 Girls Board Final), Zachary Gilligan (U12 Boys Surf Race Final), Liam McVicar (U14 Boys Board Final).
We got some insight from the Oceans team coach Lizzy as to how she thought the event went. "We had four fantastic days of sunshine, warm water and excellent conditions for Oceans'17. Our team performed incredibly well, showing how much their fitness and skill levels had improved throughout the season. Everyone managed the well known Mount 'shorie' on their boards and swimming events with ease and all challenged themselves in different events throughout the weekend. It was great to see everyone racing hard in their individual and team events, with many people only narrowly missing out on spots in the semi finals and finals. The team work, camaraderie and sportsmanship that was displayed throughout the whole team was certainly a highlight for many".
It was Liam McVicar's last year attending the competition so we caught up with him to find out how it went. "This year was definitely a different Oceans compared to others - the waves weren't as big as usual, however despite the flat water and exhausting heat I managed to make a couple of finals and not come last!!! Everyone got along really well and bonded over the 4 days, overall it was a very chilled out and fun Oceans!"
Nationals | It was then the 'big kids' turn to head off to Nationals, this year in New Brighton, Christchurch. The South Island delivered three days of quality race conditions and a mixed bag when it came to the weather - there were times where the water temp felt warmer than that of the beach! Credit to the officials and organisers who kept the event running efficiently. The team came together every evening to catch up on the events of the day, giving the team a chance to share their results and for our team of supporters to relax together.
Congratulations to those who came away with medals:
Open Men Long Course Surf Boat - GOLD (Jono Boyd, Chris Middleton, Jordan Tyrrell, Kyle Lang, Wil McDowell) Open Men Short Course Surf Boat - SILVER (Jono Boyd, Chris Middleton, Jordan Tyrrell, Kyle Lang, Wil McDowell) U23 Men Long Course Surf Boat - SILVER (Callum Watts-Pointer, Fraser McLaren, Joe Reid, Darryn Stapleton, Sam Findlater, Brett Hamer) U19 Women Long Course Surf Boat - GOLD (Sarah Talbot, Maya Stillwell, Luisa Stillwell, Rosie Darrah, Tim Marsden) U19 Women Short Course Surf Boat - GOLD (Sarah Talbot, Maya Stillwell, Luisa Stillwell, Rosie Darrah, Tim Marsden) Surf Boat Relay - BRONZE (Open Men, Open Women, U19 Women)
Congratulations also to those who made finals over the weekend:
Open Women Long Course Surf Boat Final - 4th U23 Men Short Course Surf Boat Final - 4th U23 Women Short Course Surf Boat Final - 4th Mixed Open Double Ski - 4th (Marty McDowell and Brooklyn Saunders) U16 Beach Relay - 5th (Toby Devine, Jake Devine, Alan McVicar, Liam McVicar) Open Board Race - 6th (Bronagh Ryan) U16 Beach Sprint - 7th (Jake Devine) Open Board Rescue - 9th (Bronagh Ryan and Caitlin Clarke) Open Surf Race - 11th (Bronagh Ryan) U16 Board Relay - 11th (Alan McVicar, Jake Devine, Liam McVicar) Open Womens Taplin - 11th (Bronagh Ryan, Brooklyn Saunders, Caitlin Clarke) Open Ironperson - 11th (Bronagh Ryan)
To cap the weekend off, Titahi Bay won the SLSNZ Surf Boat Club of the Year trophy for the second year in a row!
Thanks to Interislander for their support in getting the Titahi Bay SLSC nationals team to New Brighton, Christchurch this season.
Surf Boat Series | Medals for the New Zealand Surf Boat Series were also presented in New Brighton. Congratulations to our surf boat crews for their results at the Wellington, Whangamata, Waihi and Piha events to earn them the following placings:
Open Men - SECOND
Open Women - THIRD
U23 Men - SECOND
U19 Women - FIRST
Capital Coast Intermediate Lifeguard Camp | Titahi Bay recently hosted this two day event where 26 candidates from around the Capital Coast area came together and were exposed to all sorts of lifesaving activities. Highlights included various lifesaving scenario training, IRB training and rock work. Titahi Bay had 5 candidates attend, plus J'Adoube who assisted as a mentor and Nick as head instructor. Congratulations to Toby Devine who was awarded one of the Top Candidate awards for the weekend.
Applications are now open for the Northern Region Youth Development Camp which runs from Thursday 27th April - Sunday 30th April. There are two positions available for Central Region members so get your applications in now!
It's not every day you win a GOLD at Aussies! Check out our Sunshine Coast-based clubbie Pheebs who has WON the Champion Lifesaver race at the Aussies Youth competition (equivalent to our Oceans!). Awesome work Phoebe you little star!
Junior Surf Zone
Weather and water conditions were a major disruption to our junior surf programme this season, however every time we were able to get a Sunday Nipper session in it was great to see all of our groups out in colourful force!
We had some awesome results at local carnivals and our coaches have seen huge growth in confidence from many of our competitors. Great to see kids taking what they practice at Titahi Bay and applying it when they're racing.
The final events on our calendar were our annual Junior Club Champs followed by our Junior Prize Giving. Congratulations to all of our winners! A list of our junior trophy recipients can be found on our Junior Prizegiving 2017 page.
With excitement levels on high after Oceans, there is already talk about next season. Winter training for Ocean athletes will start again in school term three - more info will be available closer to the time.
For now if anyone has any questions or looking at giving it a go, feel free to get in touch with our Junior Surf Coordinators.
Coming Up
Aussies 2017 | Good luck to the Open Men who are racing at the Australian National Championships (The Aussies) this weekend!
2017/2018 Lifeguard Training | Sunday 2 April from 11:00am to 3:00pm (approx). Nick will be running this training for anyone wishing to get more involved with lifesaving next season or who just want to learn a few new skills. Conditions permitting there will be some IRB and rock work so bring a full wetsuit plus booties and gloves if you've got them. Lunch included.
Senior Club Prize Giving | Thursday 13 April at the Titahi Bay Surf Club. Come and join us to recognise our members achievements this season! Doors open from 6:30pm and formal prize giving will commence at 7:00pm. Light refreshments will be provided and the bar will be open. Stay on afterwards for further celebrations. Please RSVP by Friday 7 April (email Margaret at aboy@xtra.co.nz or let Georgia know).
THEME: Masquerade. Dress semi-formal but your mask can be as creative as possible. We can't wait to see what you come up with...see below for some ideas...
Capital Coast First Aid Refresher (Level 1, 2 & 3) | Saturday 15th April 2017 at Titahi Bay SLSC from 8.30am to 4.30pm. Cost is full user pays and you'll need to bring lunch, pen/pencil, togs (wet suit), towel and warm clothing. Bring wet weather gear and runners as you will be moving around for scenarios. All participants must have current SLSNZ First Aid level 1,2 or - contact Tania at Pacific Medicare to sign up.
Season Summary
50 Refreshed Lifeguards 11 IRB Crewperson Awards 10 New Lifeguards 6 Level 1 First-Aid (& 3 Refreshed) 5 Intermediate Lifeguard School Candidates, 1 mentor and 1 Instructor 5 Marine VHF Radio Operators 4 Level 3 First-Aid 1 New Patrol Support 1 New Surf Lifeguard Examiner & 1 New Surf Lifeguard Instructor 1 Level 2 Official 1 Qualified IRB Driver 105 Junior Surf 200m Badges
For more information about the sport and lifeguarding pathways that Surf Life Saving New Zealand offer their members head to Lifeguarding Education.
At first glance it may seem the only similarity between high performance athlete Steven Kent and nipper Lochie Wesley-Smith (both pictured above) is they both race under a green and white cap. However, the stories behind these pictures show that despite a considerable difference in height, age and experience, size of heart and commitment could perhaps be matched by the other.
At the 2014 World Lifesaving Champs, Steve dislocated his kneecap entering the water for the Tube Rescue. He completed the race (in great pain no doubt) and the New Zealanders were awarded a bronze medal. Last week at Oceans’17, Lochie injured his knee in an event early in the competition. Determined not to let the team down, he was cheered down the track by crowds of Oceans spectators as he finished off the Grand Cameron relay with a hearty brace strapped to his knee. So awesome to see!
Off the Beach
We're a multi-talented bunch of clubbies at Titahi Bay and it's been awesome this season to see so many of our members excelling in not only lifesaving-related activities but other disciplines too. There's many skills involved and required in surf lifesaving - working in a team, fitness and strength, not to mention the responsibility of providing a top-notch service to the community. It's really rewarding to see just how often these skills can come in handy off the beach. Congratulations to all of our clubbies who have achieved great results in other arenas this season!
Here's some local events over the winter that our clubbies might be interested in trying:
We hope everyone enjoys a relaxing 'off season' doing what they do. We'd love to see what everyone gets up to so if you have anything you'd like to share email it to us or send our Facebook page a message.
