Coach hails 'awesome' effort

GOLDEN GIRLS: Waikanae club members (from left) Edan Wilson, Christy Tate and Georgie Pitkethley who combined to win the under-16 women’s board relay and taplin relay at the Whangamata Classic surf lifesaving carnival. Pitkethley also won the u16 board and diamond races. Picture supplied

A TOUGH winter training programme reaped reward for Waikanae at its first surf lifesaving event of the summer season, the Whangamata Classic.

Delighted Waikanae coach Cory Hutchings described their performance as “awesome” and said all of the team stepped up.

The blue and gold cap was particularly prominent in the beach arena and under-16 and u19 girls’ age groups.

Jamie Gedye made the jump to the open division and completed the double — winning the beach sprint and beach flags.

She also anchored the open women’s relay team to victory.

Waikanae’s sprinters continued their dominance on the sand, with Briana Irving, Brooke Willock, Madeleine Wilson and Christy Tate combining to win the u16 and u19 relays.

Waikanae featured in many finals over the two-day carnival held in two foot choppy and windy conditions.

Georgie Pitkethley dominated in winning the u16 board race and surprised herself with victory in the diamond race.

She teamed with Edan Wilson and Tate to win the u16 board relay and did the board leg in Waikanae’s taplin relay win, with Wilson swimming and Tate on the ski.

Wilson, in her first taste of the u16 arena, shrugged off the nerves and chased Pitkethley up the beach for a second in the diamond race.

In the u19 boys’ age group, Jordan Mclarin came in fresh from his winter kayak training to win the hotly contested ski race.

The Waikanae boys made various finals where they competed strongly against more experienced athletes.

Some of the girls gave the open division a go and produced excellent results, including a win in the open board relay (Christy Tate/Georgia Pitkethley/Lauren Pickett).

The team remained at Whangamata to train.

Five teams from Waikanae will contest the Mount Monster endurance race at Mount Maunganui’s main beach this weekend.