Michaela Meade
Williamstown Surfing and Life Saving Club put their skills on show at the Ocean Grove IRB (Inflatable Rescue Boat) Carnival earlier this month.
Coach Scott Ivey said it was “a bit of a surprise” for the team to perform as well as they did; they placed in the top three in four open men’s events, and one open women’s event
The team took out the top spot in the open men’s team rescue as well as the IRB relay on May 23.
“We’re right smack bang in the middle of a rebuild of our women’s team,” Ivey said.
“The vast majority of our girls have [moved on] to other things.
“We were not expecting to win any of the carnival.
“But the new girls are really stepping up… they performed very strong in the IRB arena.
“Still… looking at the numbers we had, I was surprised at our win.
“A usual team has about 16, we had quite a bit less than that.”
Ivey said the winter competitions are a good way of keeping team members connected, especially those quite young.
“It’s giving them something positive to do with their time, as opposed to something negative.
“It’s a sport, it’s something we enjoy, they’re into it.
“It also revolves around giving something constructive and fun.
“We have a good time Willy.”
With 30 years of experience himself, Ivey said he knows his team of men and women are strong.
“We’ve gotten Australia titles twice and brought them home – no other team has done that,” he said.
“Our female team was the strongest out of any club, even with our strong players gone.
“It’s good to see we’re still up and about at the top.
“Seeing new ones jump up and rapidly improve is great.
“You can physically see the new ones develop their skills… in a tangible way, it’s fantastic.”
Ivey said competing in the colder months incited strong feedback.
“Some people think we’re crazy, I tend to agree with them.”
Ivey said a recent state government funding injection of $11.3 million for a “complete rebuild” of the club’s facilities will boost morale even more than the wins at the carnival.
“We are one of the oldest clubs around,” he said.
“It’s a lovely building, but the paint’s probably holding it up at this point.
“[The rebuild] be a great way to attract new members.
“As a club, it’s very exciting.
“It’ll mean we can be around another 100 years.”
