Coolum Beach SLSC Qld Youth State Championships 2024 Wrap Up

Published: March 28, 2024

The Queensland 2024 Youth Champs was a memorable event for many of our nippers competing for the first time at this level.

Arriving on the Gold Coast in the wet on Thursday 28th March had us meeting the team down at the beach where we needed to set up the tents. We managed to find a spot - a bit like a puzzle; but slotted the Coolum tents in amongst all the other clubs. SO MANY CLUBS! 

Originally we were meant to be at Burleigh but the conditions saw the event change to Kirra.

Day one arrived and it was a very long one for us all! We got to the beach at 6:30am and didn't get back to our accommodation until around 7pm that night. Lots of events, lots of delays, lots of new friendships forming and lots of steps accumulated across the huge stretch of beach (the sand events were a mile away)!

Day 2 was epic - we had a few nippers qualify for the quarterfinals; Jad, Mason, Pat and Rico made the Surf Race semi, Maya into the Board semi, Kobe into the Board and Iron semi and Kobe and Noah into the Surf Race FINAL! We also saw Joey nearly make the Sprint final, missing out by half a metre.

Watching the beach relays as the sun was going down on that Saturday night was definitely a highlight for us. There was a great energy and vibe and it was clear our kids were all forming good connections and friendships. The comradery and support from one another really was apparent and it was such a nice feeling to be part of Team Coolum.

On Sunday, we watched Kobe and Noah in their finals - it was so awesome to see them try their best in really difficult conditions.

Overall, the competition was such a vibe. All nippers loved representing Coolum Surf Lifesaving Club - the kids wore their merch with pride and continued to do our club proud.

Thanks again to Laura and Sharleen for officiating, Nicole L for stepping in as Team Manager, Nigel for taking the trailer, Nic for continued coaching support and all our age managers!