Some outstanding individual results and a strong team first culture helped ensure that the Youth Pathway Cup would remain in the hands of NSW for at least another year after a successful competition at Sydney’s Newport Beach on Thursday.
From start to finish the Baby Blues were in outstanding form as they shrugged off the pressure of being inaugural Pathway Cup winners in 2018 to cap off what was an outstanding day of surf sport for the home state after the NSW State Team were also crowned champions.
The Youth Pathway Cup offers an opportunity for some of the most talented athletes across the Under 14 and 15 age groups to test their skills against the best in Australia.
All mainland states were represented this season with Tasmania too crossing the Bass Strait for their first attempt at the event.
NSW fielded an exceptionally strong team with the vast majority of the squad having won state or even national medals, while a handful of the U15 competitors were able to utilise their experience after backing up for a second straight campaign.
In what is sure to have historians reaching for their books this NSW team also named two sets of twins in the one squad from the one club. Newport’s Mitchell and Jake Morris and Katelynn and Kimberley Doyle were all in action in the U14 age group.
It was a successful day for NSW who ended the competition in first place on the overall standings with 214 points ahead of Queensland (197) and South Australia (117).
In fact so impressive was the performance from this talented NSW team they finished in the top three in every single one of the 38 events contested.
The final record will show that NSW competitors achieved 26 first place finishes, 10 second places, and two third placed finishes in what was an outstanding display of consistency.
On the water the team was led by some fantastic individual performances from Kimberley Doyle Doyle, Lily O’Sullivan, Mitchell Morris and captain Joel Piper, while beach counterparts Emelyn Wheeler, Lucy Flanagan, Joshua Gedz and Peter Thoroughgood all powered through their events.
The team then capped off the day with a number of outstanding races in the relay events which were enough to ensure that they would be lifting the trophy by the end of the competition.
Team Manager Monique Williams said it was a fantastic result that reflected the hard work that the athletes had been putting in.
“When they came into camp over the last few days they really put a lot of effort into their training. What was really impressive was the way they put everything aside to focus on putting the team first as we had Mitchell Trim who is the NSW Open Captain and Jemma Smith herself an experienced athlete now come in and give a talk to reinforce just how important it is to be part of a team.
“I am really proud of what everyone achieved throughout the competition and there is so much talent in this team and I believe that they will certainly be making a case to be included in future representative teams,” said Ms Williams.
Head Coach Rachelle King and Williams have been part of the campaign for the past two seasons and are keen to ensure that success in the Youth Pathway Cup for NSW continues into the future.
“Rachelle has done an amazing job first as an assistant coach and now as head coach in her own right. Two from two is a great start and we definitely both will be back and trying our best to help us get that third win,” said Monique Williams.
2019 Youth Pathway Cup NSW Team
U14s – Mia Cracknell (Avoca Beach SLSC), Chelsea Jones (Bulli SLSC), Emelyn Wheeler (Terrigal SLSC), Katelynn Doyle (Newport SLSC), Kimberley Doyle (Newport SLSC), Joshua Gedz (Freshwater SLSC), Charlie Walker (Cooks Hill SLSC), Bailey Clues (Newport SLSC), Jake Morris (Newport SLSC) & Mitchell Morris (Newport SLSC).
U15s – Poppi Lever (Macmasters Beach SLSC), Lily O’Sullivan (Cudgen Headland SLSC), Lucy Flanagan (North Cronulla SLSC), Lily Finati (North Bondi SLSC), Holly Holmesby (Bulli SLSC), Daniel Chisholm (Swansea Belmont SLSC), Ryan Green (Terrigal SLSC), Lucas Ottaway (Bulli SLSC), Peter Thoroughgood (Elouera SLSC), & Joel Piper (Newport SLSC).
Team Management;
Head Coach - Rachelle King (Terrigal SLSC), Team Manager - Monique Williams (Cooks Hill SLSC), Assistant Coaches - Michael Gedz (Queenscliff SLSC) & Thomas Simpson (Shelly Beach SLSC).