Coast juniors keen for revenge
SUNSHINE Coast will be looking to make it five consecutive triumphs at the Interbranch Championships at Sunshine Beach today.
The Coast has dominated the junior event since its relaunch in 2008 - leaving the two Gold Coast teams frustrated and intent on revenge.
Sunshine Coast team manager and selector Craig Law never tires of seeing the Gold Coast vanquished.
He said: "Beating our so-called big brother every year is always a pleasure."
Law put the Sunshine Coast's dominance down to its "outstanding" junior base and "very good" coaches.
He said the Gold Coast assembled strong teams each year, but the Sunshine Coast had a "real nursery of young stars" - and that had always been the case.
"The big thing is we've got some really good junior clubs up here … through that these guys are able to achieve really big levels of success," he said.
"Here under the Sunshine Coast banner, they just seem to thrive."
The championships - which commenced last night with the pool rescue component at Noosa Aquatic Centre - is open to under-13 to under-17 competitors.
The other 49-member branches are Queensland Country, South Coast and Point Danger.
Law said the carnival was a "huge success" and a "breeding ground for tomorrow's superstars".
Several Nutri-Grain Ironwoman Series competitors - past and present - have competed in the championships.
They include the Sunshine Coast's Jordan Mercer, Alyssa Bull and Teisha Jenkins.
Bull is competing in the under-17 section tomorrow ahead of her debut appearance in the Nutri-Grain series later this month.
The Queensland Cyclones team is selected from the championships.
