2024 Surf Boat Interstate Competition goes right down to the wire in Lorne

16 Feb 2024 Surf Boat Interstate Competition goes right down to the wire in Lorne

For the second year in a row, the QLD Cyclones have been crowed the Champions of the SLSA Surf Boat Interstates, held at the ASRL Open in Lorne, Victoria.

In what was a nail-biting finish to the competition, QLD won on a count back procedure that required calculations back to a single fifth place finish by the U19 Female Crew.

Traditional rivals Team NSW had the same amount of first and second place finishes, and as neither team had a third or a fourth-place result, it was a down to their only fifth-place finish to cement the win for the Sunshine State.

Corey Stone, Manager of the QLD State Team, said he did not know his team won, and had informed his crews that they had come second.

“I was trying to do the maths and actually told the team that you’ve done your best efforts, but I think we’ve come second,” he said.

“Then word came back that we won, and it was this euphoric atmosphere of people screaming and cheering and someone chucking me up in the air, it was just unreal.

“This team environment is just something special, it’s really nice to see the joy amongst the team even in the years we lost, and if we are doing this win or lose, we must be doing something right”.

The Interstates competition saw 240 athletes go head-to-head with eight teams per state, representing NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania.

The teams competed in Opens, Reserves, Under 23, and Under 19 categories in what were perfect conditions for surf boat racing.

QLD Team Captain Joe Fraser (Currumbin), says to go back-to-back was an incredible achievement for the state.

“We hadn’t gone back-to-back for so long, it feels amazing. Last year it was an awesome feeling, but to do it again – it is an amazing feeling,” he said.

“It’s an honour, it’s great to be a part of the QLD crew. Every year it’s good to be a part of, and it feels even better to win.

“We didn’t actually know what the final result was until the end, but it’s awesome for it to come our way.”

Tomorrow the Surf Boat action continues with the Trans-Tasman competition putting the Australian Surf Boat team up against their rivals from across the ditch, New Zealand.

Follow along with full results on the Team Navy ASRL App, and watch the full event livestreams on the Surf Life Saving Australia Facebook Page.

Overall Point Score:

QLD, 111
NSW, 111
SA, 85
VIC, 81
WA, 79
TAS, 75

Original article here: https://sls.com.au/2024-surf-boat-interstate-competition-goes-right-down-to-the-wire-in-lorne/