‘A Huge Success’ - Aussies 2007 Verdict March 25, 2007
Surf lifesaving officials and competitors have declared the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships ‘a huge success’ and are looking forward to returning to Scarborough Beach in 2008 and 2009.
Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) Director of Surf Sports, Dave Thompson, said that all performance measures for the event had been met, and officials were particularly pleased with the strong competitor and spectator numbers.
“The Beach Flags finals held in the amphitheatre on Saturday afternoon, in front of a fantastic crowd has added a whole new dimension to the championships, and today’s finals really lifted the roof,” he said.
“No previous Australian championships have had spectator facilities as good as we have here, demonstrating the wisdom of the City of Stirling’s investment in the purpose-built facilities.
“Although the transition from the previous venue has been virtually seamless, there is always room for improvement and we will now go through a full review of every aspect of the championships to ensure that it is even better next year.”
Competitors also gave the venue thumbs up, with defending champion Shannon Eckstein saying the more consistent conditions allowed for “really tough racing”.
This sentiment was echoed by Open Ironwoman Champion, Kristy Harris who said that her win today came down to who was the fittest athlete.
“The last time I won the Ironwoman title in 2004 there was a lot of luck involved, but the conditions here are very fair,” she said.
Carnival Referee, John Brennan praised the facilities, saying they had brought the championships into a new era.
“Although the conditions were mild, Scarborough presented a new challenge for the competitors and officials, especially with the closeness of the results,” he said.
“There is no doubt that Scarborough Beach is a world-class venue and now the challenge is to take it to another level in 2008,” he said
Dave Thompson also today announced that the 2007 Coolangatta Gold will be held on 14 October, and was confident that this event would continue to grow in popularity.
“We have been very encouraged with the support of the entire Gold Coast community for this great event, and we look forward to providing further details in the near future.
For further information:
Sean O’Connell
Surf Life Saving Australia
0407.286.619
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