Mermaid Beach ASRL Navy Series (2021) Round 1

Published: December 13, 2021 Last Updated: February 02, 2022

Well, you can’t argue that surf boats are a mundane sport. With three crews competing, the open women, reserve women, and U19 women, and an overnight stay on the Gold Coast, the weekend was part success, part disaster.

The open women (Coolum Beach Thundercrackers) continued to keep the last season's top-ranked crews on their toes, coming back from a third place in the first race, to several wins - including beating the U23 men who were racing in the same rounds due to low numbers in both divisions (note the positions in the table include the U23 men). Their focus was on shifting techniques to see what was most effective, from keeping more upright through the surf, rating higher, turning the can in one stroke, and communicating their position within the boat throughout the race.

To the crew’s absolute devastation, in the final, second bow, Courtney broke her arm in what was nothing but a series of (im)perfect events, she was in the feathered recovery position (which means her arm was bent back) and a small but solid wave hit. Courtney is focused on recovery and rehab, with the support of her team and husband, Alex, who is an S&C Coach. The crew are genuinely flat with the news, it’s not often you get the boat to feel that good with that little effort. Watch this space for an oarsome come back!

Reserve women had an absolute stellar outcome, with one-third, and four wins, notably in the one that counts - the final! Their starts have improved dramatically, and while there is work to do to improve their surf skills, their results speak for themselves. Important to note that when issues arise, the crew keep their cool, and focus on improvement. Attitude and determination, something you can’t train into an athlete easily (as opposed to technique and strength), and are so critical to a successful crew. ‘’I feel excited about what the season has in store! We have a couple of areas of improvement but we were already working on them and felt a noticeable improvement at training on Monday’’ - Rachel

The U19 females (Coolum Beach Megatrons) left the weekend with two firsts, and a fourth, making it into the final. Unfortunately, their inexperience in the surf got the better of them. They are already working on that this week with their first training session back being only in the white water zone. There is huge potential for this crew, we need to get them into their strength sessions over the summer holidays!

There were several comments throughout the day by commentators on how Coolum Beach has had a sudden resurgence in well-performing crews, and it’s only just the beginning! Thanks for all of the support. Most crews will be at Tugun on the 11th, so keep an eye on @CoolumBoaties Instagram for updates.