18-21 March 2004, Kurrawa, Queensland
A large City of Perth team travelled once again to Kurrawa for the Australian Championships, returning with the largest medal haul in the club's history.
The girls were the stars, bringing in two gold, two silver and three bronze medals. Alicia Marriott won five medals, and Emma Wynne six - the most medals ever won by a Western Australian competitor at an Australian Championships.
Once the Masters events were over, highlighted by a gold and a silver to Kathy Rourke on the beach, a Champion Patrol team rich with a mix of experience and enthusiasm kicked off the campaign with a fifth placing.
The main carnival began in perfect style, with Jacinta Marriott, Alicia Marriott and Emma Wynne recording the first medal in the first event, a bronze in the Open Women's Board Relay. That was followed up by Alicia, Emma and Alex Stock qualifying for the final of the Under 19 Women's Board Relay, despite Alex adding an extra swim leg to the beach to collect her board. The final itself went a little closer to plan, with the girls again finishing third.
Meanwhile up at Broadbeach, the Champion Lifesaver events were in full swing. A fine all-round performance from Tim Trew left him in fifth place but only two points off the medals, while Emma Richards also placed fifth in the Women's event.
After a busy day of qualifying rounds, we closed Day One with the semi-final of the Lifesaver Relay, an event being held for the first time this year. With Andrew Kelly yet to arrive on the Gold Coast, Claire O'Brien joined Geoff Wilson, Simon Allison, Andy Garswood and Damon Hansen-Knarhoi in the boat, hitting the beach narrowly in second place. Steve Hopkins paddled the ski leg, Jono Stock the board, Chris Timms the swim and Ben Carrick completed the final run leg to win the semi and put us into the final.
Day Two brought the reward for the past few years of work, as City won our first Australian Championship since 1997. Emma Wynne, Alicia Marriott, Alex Stock and Fiona Doney were all back on the beach in the first fourteen to easily win the Under 19 Women's Surf Team. Only a few minutes earlier Emma, Alicia and Alex, along with Jacinta Marriott, had finished a very tight fourth in the Open event - only a couple of points off the silver medal.
The Lifesaver Relay final closed out the day, but despite high hopes our team were unable to repeat their semi-final form and had to be content with sixth place.
The third day of competition dawned with the swell on the rise. Conditions became increasingly difficult as competitors continued to battle their way through to the final rounds.
After last year's fourth placing, the Marriotts went into the Open Board Rescue final determined to finish in the medals. When they pulled onto a big wave gold looked like a real possibility, but in the end they couldn't match their rivals in the run up the beach and had to settle for silver.
The other big Board Rescue hope, Alicia and Emma in the Under 19's, looked to be in trouble in their semi-final when, after turning the buoys first, they struck dead water on the way home while all around them other teams were picking up waves. They eventually made it back to the beach, and into Sunday's final by the barest of margins.
Sunday was big, both in terms of surf and our club. Things didn't get off to the best of starts, with Steve Hopkins hammered out of the Single Ski semi final. The surf also conspired against Jacinta Marriott in her Open Board semi, and pushed Alicia to the back of the field in the Under 19 Board final.
Alicia's luck didn't improve in the Under 19 Ironwoman final, but she recovered from a difficult board leg to come in in sixth place.
Emma Wynne went into the Under 16 Ironwoman final as the favourite. After coming in in the lead group on the board leg, she took the lead in the swim and was a clear first coming back into the surf zone. Unfortunately she couldn't find a wave anywhere, a problem not experienced by one of the girls behind her who rode through to take the gold, with Emma in second. As they say, "That's surf".
Emma's Under 16 Surf Race final was next, and was an unfortunate case of deja vu as she again led to the break and was overtaken by a whole pack on a wave, finishing fifth.
It couldn't happen three times in a row, surely? Emma and Alicia left the cans well in front in their Under 19 Board Rescue final. Well in front at least until the Alex Headland girls picked up a monster from out the back to join them in the lead. This time, however, our girls were not to be denied and won the sprint up the beach to claim City's second Australian Championship of the weekend.
Jacinta and Emma hit the water in the Open Women's Surf Race final, and despite what you may have seen on the television, it was Emma in the lead pack all the way around. Again the waves came into play, before some outstandingly determined wading from Emma saw her into third place - her sixth medal of the Championships.
Before the carnival finished, Jacinta Marriott had one last go at getting absolutely hammered by the waves in the Open Ironwoman final. Repeated trips to the beach to retrieve her ski were met with that unique Marriott style of quiet determination and a promise to exact her revenge on Kurrawa in 2005.
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| I'm working off memory for the above results - if I've missed anybody or made any mistakes, please let me know!! | ||
Carnival Pointscore
| 1 | Northcliffe QLD | 217 |   |
| 2 | Cronulla NSW | 117.5 | |
| 3 | North Burleigh QLD | 107 | |
| 4 | Maroochydore QLD | 106 | |
| 5 | Swansea Belmont NSW | 100 | |
| 6 | Wanda NSW | 91 | |
| 7 | Tugun QLD | 80.5 | |
| 8 | Kawana Waters QLD | 79 | |
| 9 | Mooloolaba QLD | 70 | |
| 10 | Terrigal NSW | 65 | |
| 11 | Surfers Paradise QLD | 63 | |
| 12 | City of Perth WA | 62 | |
| 13 | Alexandra Headland QLD | 61 | |
| 14 | Queenscliff NSW | 59 | |
| 15 | Bulli NSW | 53 |
Video
| Kurrawa 2004
Championship summary |
Open Men's Beach Sprint (heat)
Shane Buchan |
Open Surf Boat (heat)
Geoff Wilson, Simon Allison, Andy Garswood, Damon Hansen-Knarhoi, Andrew Kelly |
| Open Women's Board Rescue
Alicia Marriott, Jacinta Marriott |
Open Women's Surf Race
Emma Wynne |
U/16 Women's Beach Sprint (heat)
Jess Richards |
| U/19 Women's Board Rescue (semi-final)
Alex Stock/Emma Richards, Emma Wynne/Alicia Marriott |
U/19 Women's Board Rescue (final)
Emma Wynne, Alicia Marriott |
U/16 Ironwoman
Emma Wynne |
| Open Women's Beach Relay (semi-final)
Danni Wright, Jess Richards, Amanda England |
Open Women's Beach Relay (final)
Kathy Rourke, Danni Wright, Jess Richards, Amanda England |
U/16 Women's Surf Race
Emma Wynne |
