The Tea Gardens Hawks Nest Surf Life Saving Club (TGHN) couldn’t have been a better start to the surfboat competition season.
In December, the first two rounds of the Hunter Central Coast Surf Boat Series were held at our Bennett Beach.
The Tea Gardens Hawks Nest has a crew of three, all coached and swept by Greg Ross.
More than 80 crews competed from Woolgoolga and Coffs Harbor in the north to Ocean Beach and Yumina in the south.
How exciting for the club after all the work that Greg Ross has done for all the rowers, all three crews are leading the series points score and all 1st after the first two rounds became.
The Opens Men’s A Crew of Mitch Baker, Jacob Sinclair, Callan Sheldon and Michael Thomas, joined by new crew members Jacob and Michael this season, won both rounds and took a large lead in series points scoring.
Experienced sweeps from the day commented on how fast the boys were going and how competitive they were for the rest of the surf boat season.
The effort they and Greg put into getting to that level paid off great.
The Open Women’s A Crew of Nat Skelly, Susie Webb, Tess Nolan and Rosie Taylor were also unbeatable, winning both rounds and leading the series by winning three races each.
Last season, stepping up from the Women’s Reserve Crew to compete with the more experienced A Crew, they showed they were just around the corner.
It’s only the second season for Tess and Rosie, but they continue to grow.
What about the U/19 men’s junior crew “Newbees”?
A new crew for the season and a competitive surf carnival for the first time.
It was great to see the smiles on their faces as they won their first race and it reflects the camaraderie and fun of the TGHN team.
They also lead the series points score after taking first place in the second round, not to be outdone by the club’s more experienced open crew.
Congratulations to all the rowers and sweeps and coach ‘Rossie’ for a great start to the series.
It’s certainly a great result for the local Surf Life Saving Club boat crew to lead the series in every division they enter. Especially worth noting is the success of his U19 rookie in the first season.
peter rogers
Tea Gardens Hawks Nest Open Women’s A Crew.
More than 80 crews competed from Woolgoolga and Coffs Harbor in the north to Ocean Beach and Yumina in the south.
The Tea Gardens Hawks Nest has a crew of three, all coached and swept by Greg Ross.
