Cudgen ramps up training push ahead of NSW Surf Life Saving Championships

CUDGEN has stepped up its training campaign as competitors set their sights on gold medals at the NSW Surf Life Saving Championships at Swansea-Belmont next month.

The club will send a strong representative team across multiple age divisions, with the championships running from February 19 to March 1.

Preparation has been intense, with Cudgen’s main squad training and competing at a range of carnivals throughout the season to fine-tune combinations and build race fitness.

“There is a core group who were training for a couple of hours a day throughout January,” club president Adam Mills said.

“We put them into their teams so they could work on changeovers and transition work as a squad.

“The club works really hard to keep kids on after nippers and into age competition, and we’ve seen some great success there recently.”

Hard work paid off at the recent NSW Country Championships at South West Rocks, where Cudgen dominated the three-day carnival, finishing almost 300 points clear on the overall ladder.

Standout performances came from Scarlett George, Oliver Sharpe, Izzy Arghyros and a number of teams events.

Arghyros won multiple under-17 titles and recently earned selection in the NSW interstate team.

The win was particularly sweet after Cudgen finished runner-up at the same event last year.

“It was nice to get that one back – we were pretty keen to get it this year,” Mills said.

“Our seniors were winning everything. It was really satisfying as a club to take it home again.”

Mills said the club was in a strong position to retain its talented athletes, despite opportunities to compete with larger Queensland clubs.

Cudgen operates employment and fundraising programs that allow competitors to earn credits to help cover carnival costs such as buying new boards and entry fees.

“We’re starting to get a healthy crop of kids who are doing well at state and Australian level,” Mills said.

“Last year we had a really strong under-15 group who are now in their first year of the two-year under-17 bracket and still performing strongly.

“We’re not losing as many of them to bigger clubs in Queensland because they’re competing well here and achieving the same goals as they would if they went over the border.”