The 2011 Victorian Schools Whitewater Championships were held at Warrandyte on 3rd – 4th September. We had a great turn out with 16 schools being represented and 113 paddlers taking part in the two day competition. Once again Canoes Plus, Liquid Life and Dagger sponsored this event, providing many spot prizes for the paddlers.
Saturday saw the running of the DR from Jumping Creek to Warrandyte Bridge. One of the highlights was the strong representation in the 10 years and under age group which had four competitors, the youngest being only 7 years old.
We had a very strong safety contingency on the water and I would like to thank Lewis Wylie, Scott Guinea, Chris Guinea, Al Anderson, Brenden Goss, Eugene Stackpole, Cameron Day, Mark Hammer, Tom Wayte and Ian Mc Cutchan for giving up their time to ensure all paddlers got down the river safely and Chris Wharton who was our Chief Judge for the day.
The afternoon saw the construction of the slalom course, DR presentations and practice runs for the slalom event the following day.
Sunday 4th September, Father’s Day, and what better way to spend the day than to get up early for an 8.30 briefing and spend the rest of the day either judging or just watching your child participate in the Victorian Schools’ Championships.
We had a fantastic day of racing and it was wonderful to see so many paddlers on the water just giving it a go, many of them in their first ever slalom race.
An event like this can only take place with the support of so many volunteers who helped out with judging, boat scrutineering, compiling, start, finish, organising the barbecue and being there to support all the paddlers. Many of our volunteers no longer have children paddling in the Schools’ Competition, yet they still return each year to give back to the sport. I would particularly like to thank our Chief Judge, Peter Grant, Christine Grant an ICF accredited judge, Tony Coulson who provided the timing, and Lewis Wylie, Scott & Chris Guinea who designed the course.
This year saw the inaugural presentation of the Jackie Handley Memorial Champion C1 Female Paddler Award. As most of you would know, Jackie was a stalwart of the paddling community who lost her battle with cancer in 2010. Her family came along to watch the event and daughter, Annie, very proudly presented the trophy.
Award winners were:
Junior Boys’ Overall Champion – Chris Fegan
Junior Girls’ Overall Champion – Sarah Webster
Senior Boys’ Overall Champion – Adam Rajic
Senior Girls’ Overall Champion – Maggie Webster
Jackie Handley Memorial Champion C1 Female – Maggie Webster
Danielle Woodward Award – Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School
Boldiston Trophy – Eltham College
Overall Boys’ Champion School – Ivanhoe Grammar School
Overall Girls’ Champion School – Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School
Overall Champion School – Ivanhoe Grammar School
