St Clair Member in SLSNZ Worlds Team
St Clair member Andrew McMillan will shortly leave as part of the Surf Life Saving New Zealand team to contest the World Titles in October this year in Alexandra, Egypt.
Andrew has provided an update for the club on his own and the teams progress as they head prepare for the event starting on October 6.
With World Rescue 2010 only a month away i thought an update would be of some interest to club members, family and friends to hear about the training progress, vibe in the team and some strengths that will help us bring back the silverware.
After a recent trip to the gold coast, that was designed as a carbon copy rehearsal of the world champs format, there is a great feeling in the team that we are on the verge of something special. The first few days in the pool proved we are still a real force and should get on the dais several times. Huge improvements from like likes of rookies Sam Lee and Rachel Clarke have strengthened the womens team and the experience from Julia Toomey, Steve Kent, myself and our warrior captain Glenn Anderson provide a steady platform to head from the pool to the beach.
At the beach this year we are far stronger with such depth making selections for many events tough pickings for the coaches. Dan Moodie and Kev Morrison have made big gains living on the gold coast training with the superstars of the sport from North Cliffe surf club, while our land crabs Chelsea Maples and Paul Cracroft-Wilson training at Kurrawa surf club looking pretty slick, both knocking up personal bests on the track. Ayla Dunlop-Barrett looks like she should have a good crack at her first individual Worlds title in the surf race and Nikki Cox is in great form looking to add to her healthy collection of golds already.
Two years ago we led the world until the last day of competition where we unfortunately were passed after a rough day of upsets by the ever strong Australians. The mix of some young up and comers and old heads on the team cant help but excite the team. Coaches Scott Bartlett and legendary Cory Hutchins have given us the best opportunities to perform at the level we want to and get the job done.
We fly out on the 27th to Egypt and start competing on the 6th of October. Results and updates will be on the Surf Life Saving New Zealand website and there may even be a Facebook page with photos of the crew getting amongst the local culture, taming a few camels, climbing a couple of pyramids and most importantly drinking the sweet taste of victory from the World Champions Cup!
I hope all is well down at the club and everyone is getting well into their work for the coming season after a couple of successful years for St Clair.
All the best,
Andy Mac