Masters State Championships

2026 SLSNSW State Championships are done and dusted…what a fantastic 2 days of competition we had!

We were a depleted bunch with many plagued with injuries, sickness and work commitments but 3 men and 8 women, plus a male and female boat crews, made the trip to Swansea Belmont for beach and water events Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th February with the boats on Friday 27th. Unfortunately, due to lightning and a difficult edge, the Men’s Boat crew (M&Ms) weren’t able to complete their rowing as the whole carnival, including the open events, was cancelled in the middle of their rounds.
 
Incredible racing, camaraderie and lots of bling all round for these Two Blue legends.
 
Our small but determined team came 12th overall with 5 Gold, 12 Silver and 3 Bronze medals. All 12 women managed to get at least one medal. We are so grateful to the whole team, Raul (Flores) would love some men to keep him company, CB (Craig Bennet) was our star handler on the beach and well done Marty (Jucker) for your first state champs. ​

​Below is a breakdown of all our medallists:

Linda Walsh: 7 Medals
Gold: iron & board rescue
Silver: board race, taplin, board relay, & beach relay
Bronze: surf team

Nicola Logan: 6 Medals
Gold: surf race & board rescue
Silver: taplin, board relay, & beach relay
Bronze: surf teams 

Michelle Donoghoe: 2 Medals
Gold: board rescue
Silver: board relay 

Julie Thornton: 3 Medals (first-ever state!)
Gold: board rescue
Silver: beach relay
Bronze: surf teams

Rona Macniven: 2 Medals
Gold: 2km Beach Run
Silver: beach relay

Helen Deas: 3 Medals
Silver: beach sprint, beach relay, & flags

Donna Cox: 3 Medals
Silver: 1km beach run & beach relay
Bronze: beach sprint

Allison Roberts: 2 Medals
Silver:  taplin & board relay 

Martin Jucker: 2 Medals
Silver: beach sprint
Bronze: beach flags 

180 yrs Female Boat Crew: Silver
Coogee Overwavers: Terrena Kolster, Gemma Lumley, Tracey-Lee McCarthy, Katie Vesper, and Rod Colman (sweep).

200 yrs Male Surf Boat Crew: Silver
Coogee M&Ms: Matthew Leary, Gregory Pollard, David Smith, Michael Terry, and Rod Colman (sweep).