Junior Success at Pt Leo State Champs
February 27, 2025
Wild, windy Warrnambool was anything but at the Labour Day weekend Victorian Lifesaving Senior Championships. The weather was glorious and the water warm – though the surf was rather lacking.
Our open age competitors made the most of the social opportunities, all bunked in together at the Lady Bay Resort. Joining them on the beach was our sole youth athlete, U14 Ed Barnaby, driving down with dad Dave. Ed targeted the beach events with great success, winning two SILVER medals and a BRONZE on the sand track, revelling in the support and encouragement he received from his older teammates.
Friday afternoon kicked off with the board rescue events, followed by rescue tube rescue, then belt races. The RTRR is a mock rescue scenario race. The first leg saw Mackie Hunter sprint out to the string of nine cans, signalling her arrival with an arm raised high. On seeing the signal, Domi Hart ran down into the water, with her rescue tube and fins. On arrival at the cans, Mackie was strapped into the tube and towed back to the beach, where her retrieval team of Cha Mahon and Nat Hood took over and dragged her across the finish line for a BRONZE medal.
Belt races are one of the oldest of the traditional lifesaving events. Mackie Hunter took SILVER in the U19 Belt Race, and Domi Hart 4th in the Open, again supported by Matt Mahon on the reel, and Cha and Nat of the line.
Social functions included a pizza dinner on Friday night and a return to our favourite venue for team dinners on Saturday night. A booking for twelve was made at Images, followed by a nostalgic photo on the restaurant stairs and ice cream dessert from the gelateria next door.
Back racing, one of the Saturday highlights was our Open Mixed Taplin team, three men and three women, racing around the course on boards, swimming and on skis. Our swimmers put on a show of strength in the Surf Teams races, with our three men Harvey, Xavier and Robbe, joining a Mordialloc swimmer to take GOLD in the Open Men’s race, and Mackie Hunter joining the Mornington girls to take SILVER in the U19 Women’s Surf Teams.
Sunday was finals day, were our swimmers dominated again. In the Open Men’s Surf Race, Harvey Larke, who had flown down from Queensland for the champs, won GOLD, followed by Xavier Purcell taking the SILVER. In the women’s events Mackie won SILVER in the U19 Surf Race, then ten minutes later lined up with the Open Women’s field to take GOLD in a dominant display of her endurance swimming strength. The championships closed with the blue ribbon Taplin events. Our Women’s Team of Mackie Hunter on board, Domi Hart swimming and Cha Mahon on ski, did us proud and finished 11th.
A big thank you to Anthony Purcell for logistics, setup and packup, Matt Mahon for team management and Nat Hood for official and first aid duties. As some of the team headed home on Sunday night, others stayed behind for a quick dinner before joining the after party at the surf club. The weekend was so much fun that the team have already committed to return next year for a weekend of racing and celebrating with friends – we hope more of us will be available to join us.
Results:
U14 Men’s 2km Run: Ed Barnaby SILVER
U14 Men’s 2x1km Run: Ed Barnaby SILVER in a composite team
Youth Mixed Beach Relay: Ed Barnaby BRONZE in a composite team
Open Women’s Rescue Tube Rescue Race: Mackie Hunter, Domi Hart, Cha Mahon, Nat Hood BRONZE
U19 Women’s Belt Race: Mackie Hunter, Domi Hart, Cha Mahon, Matt Mahon, Nat Hood SILVER
Open Men’s Surf Teams: Harvey Larke, Xavier Purcell, Robbe Dilissen GOLD in a composite team
U19 Women’s Surf Teams: Mackie Hunter SILVER in a composite team with Mornington
Open Men’s Surf Race: Harvey Larke GOLD, Xavier Purcell SILVER
U19 Women’s Surf Race: Mackie Hunter SILVER
Open Women’s Surf Race: Mackie Hunter GOLD
