Goannas arrive in Torquay

THE Goannas basketball team has arrived in Torquay as part of its rigorous training schedule in the lead-up to the Deaflympics in Brazil in 2022.

The Goannas are the men’s national representative team for deaf basketball in Australia and are made up of elite deaf athletes from around the country.

Residing in multiple states, the Goannas travel once a month to their training base in Melbourne so they can train together for a weekend before resuming their normal representative club duties back home.

The Goannas, who are coached by Surf Coast local Brent Reid, are currently ranked number one in the Asia Pacific region and number eight in the world.

The team won gold at the Asia Pacific Deaf Games in 2015 and achieved their highest ranking of world number five in the same year.

While in town The Goannas caught up with the local junior Chargers squad at Wurdi Baierr Stadium.

Surfcoast Basketball Association president David Scott said it was excellent to have an elite national team in town to show the Chargers how it is done.

“It was a great opportunity for our Surf Coast Chargers to learn from some of the best,” Scott said.

“It was a really good opportunity for both player and personal development.”

The Surfcoast Basketball Association hosts junior competitions throughout the school terms with all games played in stadiums in Torquay.

There are two seasons held each year – Summer Season, which starts in October, and Winter Season, which starts in April.

The Winter 2021 competition got underway on April 19 and there may be more opportunities to collaborate with the Chargers in the future.

“It is the first time the two teams have collaborated but hopefully it is an opportunity we can continue to build on going forward,” Scott said.