Sport
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Championship Fours decided Focus on safety at freediving at Byron Bay Bowling Club sessions in Mullumbimby
Club Fours Championship finalists: (L-R) Syl Reid, Craig Johnson, Mark Brown, Gavin McPhail, Mark Barry, Paul Clark, Martin Berger and Peter Lofts. Photo supplied Mark Barry, Craig Johnson, Mark Brown and Paul Clark took the honours at the Byron Bay Bowling Club’s Fours Championship last week. It was a tight game with only one shot in it with four ends to play. The final result was 21-15.
Martin Berger, Syl Reid, Peter Lofts and Gavin McPhail were runners up. The competitors in the final of the mixed pairs were also decided after Robyn Knaus and Sam Skehan won their semifinal against Pam Scarborough and Werner Borkhardt.
In the other semi Linda Child and Bulla Burton won through to the final with a win over Julie Higgins and Peter Darby. The doubles will be decided this week ahead of the club’s annual presentation night this Friday 20th of December.
Locals head to the Australian Juniors as Jaws gets big
Billy Kemper took on some of the best waves that Jaws has to offer. Photo Miers/WSL Crystal Cylinders Some of our local junior surfers had the honour of representing NSW at the Australian Junior Surfing Titles held in solid surf at Margaret River Main Break Western Australia. Lennox Head’s Nyxie Ryan performed the best for our locals with a seventh place finish in the U/18 girls, bowing out in a close quarterfinal clash. Rino Lindsay from Lennox Head also made the quarter
finals finishing in ninth place overall in the U/16 boys. Byron Bay’s Touma Cameron made it to round three in the U/16 boys, Lennox Head’s Niamh Sharpe and Juniper Harper made it to round three in the U/14 girls while Harry O’Brien was eliminated in the second round in the U/14 boys.
Meanwhile at Jaws Paige Alms and Billy Kemper have won the Jaws Big Wave Championships in 9 to 15 metre waves at
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the famed Pe’ahi surf break on the North shore of Maui, Hawaii. Both are locals and regularly surf the wave that offers up some of the biggest tube rides in the world. Three times winner Alms said: ‘It’s the ultimate feeling being on a giant wave, it’s when I feel the most alive and so it’s the double-edged sword. You’re putting your body and life on the line to ride these waves but when you successfully ride one, nothing beats it.’
Harry Webber is a qualified freedive instructor who is hoping to promote the sport as well as boost safety skills with his regular how-to sessions held at Mullumbimby pool. Freediving is like advanced snorkelling where holding your breath is a key skill for taking longer and deeper dives. The idea behind the meetings at the pool is to promote safety techniques and facilitate and promote a community of freedivers in the Byron Shire. ‘There hasn’t really been a unified freediving community in the area, so this is a great way to get people together, to create a group, so they can organise dive buddies,’ Harry said. The sessions also provide the basics of breathwork as well as the safety procedures all dive buddies should be aware of. ‘Having a safety aware buddy close at hand can massively reduce any safety issues around freediving,’ Harry said.
Safe diving techniques and breathwork are a key part of the freediving sessions at Mullumbimby Pool. Photo supplied ‘We also teach divers to recognise the signals their bodies are giving them that indicate they are getting dangerously low on oxygen, before their body reacts by blacking out. ‘Even a small change in a diver’s state of being, say extra fatigue, can have a big impact on their performance underwater. ‘Dive buddies also need to be able to recognise these signals as well’, he said. The freediving pool sessions carry a $20 fee for the
first induction and then any following sessions undertaken are by donation. Professional courses can be expensive and time consuming, so the pool sessions are focussed on making the safety know-how of freediving more accessible. The session are on Thursday afternoons at Mullumbimby Pool from 5.00pm. After this Thursday 19th of December, there is a break until they resume on the 9th of January. Contact: freediving@apneaart.com
Byron Bay triathletes keep top place in North Coast series
The Byron Breakers enjoyed their trip to Yamba. Photo supplied The Byron Breakers have kept their position at the top of the ladder of the North Coast Interclub Triathlon Series after some stunning victories at round two, held at Yamba the weekend before last. ‘I am incredibly proud of our team as this time last year most of the crew were attempting a mini triathlon for the first time,’ club member Deb Fuller said. ‘They have come a long way in such a short time. One member was so determined to finish that she rode on a
flat tyre for the last 10km of the cycle. ‘The Byron Breakers absolutely smashed it out there,’ she said.
Individual results: Duncan Andrews first in men’s 20-24 (years); Matthew Tapping first in men’s 16-17; Paivi Hanninen second in the women’s 35-39; Huw Jones fifth in the men’s 55-59; Danny Rossi third in the Men’s 25-29; Daniel Costa first in the women’s 30-35; Deb Fuller first in the women’s
55-59; Jess Schaffer second in women’s 30-34; Robyn Darke second in the women’s 55-59; Claire O’Meara was third in the women’s 55-59; Greg O’Meara was 13th in the men’s (55-59); Dan Van Zuylen was fourth in the women’s (55-59); Giulia Scurria was seventh in the women’s 25-29; Peter Clarke came third in the men’s 70-74 while Nerida Clarke came first in the women’s 65-69. The club’s swim coach Andy Kean and Becky Jones took out second place in the mixed team.
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