Another stellar campaign in the surf and pool from Umina’s Jemma Smith has earned this exceptionally talented surf lifesaver the Australian Youth Athlete of the Year Award at the Surf Life Saving Awards of Excellence in Sydney last weekend.
Jemma was presented with her latest sporting gong in front of her peers in the lifesaving movement at a gala ceremony at the Art Gallery of NSW on Saturday evening.
As an athlete, Jemma’s quest to continually improve has seen her performances move into the stratosphere this season, and it’s hard to believe she’s yet to hit the peak of her powers.
Whether it was Branch, State, or National competition the 19-year-old medalled at every competition she entered in 2017/18.
Some of her highlights over the past 12 months included trips to Japan and New Zealand as a capped member of the Australian Lifesaving Team, crowned Female Competitor of the Carnival at The Aussies in Perth, and captaining the Central Coast squad at the Interbranch Championships last December.
Intelligent and articulate the talented Smith is proud of her achievements and wants to inspire other young women to achieve their dreams.
“Umina has been so supportive of me from the under sixes right through. They’re such a family orientated club and have really supported me and my family right the way through. They’ve been the foundation of where I’ve come from and what I’ve achieved today.”
“I always strive to be the best role model I can be especially for females on the Central Coast and in my community. Hopefully I can influence the younger girls to be all that they can be and get involved with their club,” she said.
In addition to her outstanding lifesaving achievements Jemma is also making waves as a national representative in the kayaking world having had the opportunity to travel to Europe and compete at a high level within Australia.R
Tuesday 30 October 2018