This year being the 50^th Anniversary of the Marine Surf Lifesaving Club this was a big year for the club I have grown up in and call my second home.

 

The conditions were not idea with strong winds for all 3 days of the champs. This I didn’t mind as it makes racing really fun. Most of my racing came down to the last day with a number of events postponed due to the surf.

I love the exciting nature of l...

I have been back on a board for the last couple weeks to make sure I don’t look like a chop as the last time I raced a mali was over 10 years ago.

Some great shots by Graham Stuart from www.facebook.com/Graham-Topfoto / www.topfoto.net

Racing off in the ski with Mark Mulder. Too close!

Fun doing some different events for a change.

Fun shore break.

Ski race start.<...

Better late than never. I can recall talking to my best mate Russ the day before champs this year and he asked why I still did lifesaving? My immediate answer is because I get to be part of a team.

In an individual sport it’s up to you to get up in the morning to train and do the hard yard. It sometimes has selfishness at the heard of success.

With a hectic throat infection the days before champs I was a doubtful starter. With some magic work ...

The racing was canned before it really got going due to big surf on the weekend but found these photos on facebook by Dennis Walthew of the ski relay we won and the ski heats.

Day 2 of racing consists of a lifesaving style spec ski race. With sprinters galore on the entry list and the Olympic ring tattoo’s everywhere on the start line the racing was nothing but unreal fast.

I got a good start in my heat and semi to cruise through to the final with not expelling too much. The start is not traditional lifesaving style. You start behind your ski and run to the water’s edge, pick up the ski and into the water. Kind of used to...

More of a training day than serious racing. The focus is on the longer form of racing and with a 2h downwind the day before so the prep wasn't ideal. Picked up 5 medals but non gold, luck of the big surf of the day. Super fun racing though!

Pictures by Dennis Walthew.

Finishing third in the ski race after rolling twice going out!

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Thanks to Dennis Walthew for sending me these shot of lifesaving nationals!

Super proud of my yellow and blue clolours of Marine even if the skull cap is a bit corny!

It’s taken me 3 days of pondering over the happenings over last week’s nationals to sit down and write this blog. Such a contrast of positive and negative coming out of the champs I really don’t know where to start.

Lifesaving is in trouble. It is so badly run. Let’s leave it there. I don’t want to one of those doods who just bad mouths things. The problem is people now days are exposed to professionally run events that their (and my) perspectives have changed and we expect so much more.

There are so many positives on the other h...

With intrusions from Julia my amazing physio to rest my shoulder and Surfskischool classes being cancelled due to a buster SW I had the weekend kind of off to go watch the 4 Nations at Pirate. 

Day 1 – Taplin Win!   

A fitting time to put this up with SA Lifesaving this week. One of our Marine Surf Lifesaving Club Members, Wayne Ashford, and good friend to me in recent times has recently found some classic old lifesaving footage for way back in the day. He has spent some long hours converting its format and cutting it into workable videos. Well is hard work has paid off and he has just uploaded it all up onto youtube.

This is where it all started for me as a nipper, watching the legends of the time taking on mountainous surf with grace and humility. I grew up at Marine and am really proud of its...

Short, sharp and fun racing. Natal champs was over the weekend at Pirates which meant surf, even on a small day. I only do the ski races which makes it an easy weeks racing compared to most doing champs.