Macmasters Guns Heading For Final Dominance

Central Coast Herald

Saturday February 1, 2003

By ADAM COUZENS

THE third annual Coast Loans Challenge for junior ironmen and ironwomen will finish today with the running of the sixth and final round at Shelly Beach.

MacMasters Beach competitors have dominated the event, which attracts the best young athletes from the Central Coast and Newcastle.

Nicole Chapman, from MacMasters Beach, has a perfect record in the under-14 girls, as does clubmate Lauren Hall in the under 12s and Umina athlete Marissa Moore in the under 11s.

The under-14 boys event is expected to provide the closest racing when Terrigal's Ben Miller, on 56 points, battles MacMasters Beach's Chad Martin (52) and Swansea rookie Jye Quinlan (45).

Shelly Beach's Courtney Irvine is guaranteed to take home the under-13 girls trophy.

The series decider ensures another hectic weekend of competition on Coast beaches.

There will also be the running of the annual first-aid and champions lifesaver events at Shelly Beach.

Central Coast Surf Lifesaving competition director Paul Quick said the Shelly Beach events will test the traditional and practical skills of surf lifesavers.

Competitors tomorrow will face run, swim and board legs, rescue-tube races and first-aid and resuscitation challenges.

Although the Nutri-Grain ironman and ironwomen events attract greater exposure, Quick said: "These are what thousands of lifesavers do every week on the beaches."

Shelly Beach club member Sean Mitchell has won the past five champions events. He is also the defending state champion.

Avoca's Stuart Harvey, who is the director of local lifesaving, is tipped to threaten Mitchell's dominance.

Elsewhere, the penultimate round of the Peters Surfboat Survival Series will held at Swansea-Belmont this weekend.

© 2003 Central Coast Herald

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