With summer officially here, lifesavers across the state are dusting off their competition caps for another busy season of surf sport.


The hard work in training has been done with athletes of all ages and abilities blowing out the cobwebs with a number of club competitions giving them the chance to test their skills both in the water and on the beach.



With these early season hit-outs now complete, competitors can look forward to some of the biggest events on the NSW surf sport calendar.



The representative season gets under way in December with the 2017 Interbranch Championships which will be hosted by Hunter Branch at Stockton Beach.



All 11 branches are expected to field strong teams with defending champions Sydney being among the first to release their squad.



In the New Year athletes from outside the Hunter-Illawarra corridor can look forward to the 2018 Envirobank Country Championships which will again be held at South West Rocks.



Taking place on the first weekend in February, a full program of events from U8s to Masters categories will be held along with the tradition and colour of the March Past.



In history all roads led to Rome and this season those roads will lead to Swansea Belmont  with the pinnacle of the NSW surf sport season, the NSW Surf Life Saving Championships, to be contested on Blacksmiths Beach in March for the second year in a row.



Information regarding the season’s major championship events is available on the SLSNSW website with competitors and clubs urged to check back regularly for updates on things like closing dates for entries and the process for ordering your lycra competition vests.



Those athletes competing at the highest level will have a full schedule leading into 2018.



Terrigal’s Tim Schofield and Umina’s Rachel Wood are hitting the pool after being named in a 10-strong national squad that will contest the German Cup before heading to the Netherlands for the Orange Cup (December 2-3).



As the Central Coast pair take to the pool in the Dutch city of Eindhoven, 18,000 kilometres away at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand at the DHL International Surf Rescue Challenge, their teammates will be doing their best to capture another trophy.



Six NSW athletes were named in that squad in September.



Newport trio Georgia Miller, Jake Lynch, and Blake Drysdale will be joined on tour by Kendrick Louis (Manly), and young-guns Jemma Smith (Umina) and Lizzie Welborn (North Bondi) are all making the trip across the Tasman.



At the forefront of every representative athlete’s mind this season is that every camp, every tour is an opportunity to put their name on the selectors’ radar for the World Lifesaving Championships in Adelaide late next year.



The chance to wear the green and gold on home turf is a powerful motivator for our top NSW athletes.



Surf Sports Manager Rob Pidgeon is excited about the season ahead.



“There is a lot to look forward to for all athletes this season and we strongly encourage more members to get involved in surf sports, no matter your experience or skill level.



“Surf Sports is a great way to keep fit and have fun with your mates. It’s always a pleasure to see the inter-generational aspect of the sport, with parents often training with their kids, and sometimes grand-kids,” he said.



“I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone the very best of luck for the season ahead and we look forward to welcoming you at a local or major sport event.”



 



Thursday 30 November 2017