The Cannonvale Cannons Swimming Club hosted a very successful swimming carnival over the weekend with 200 competitors. Club Coaches, Mark Erickson, Ken Crittenden and Shay Wilmot were very impressed with all the Cannons and how they performed.  

According to Ken Crittenden, 49 Cannonvale Cannons swam in 434 events and achieved 271 PBs, 19 Club Records, State and National qualifying times. Congratulations to Eloise, Jy Parkinson, Remy Hedges, Jacob Bell, Don Algie and Jax Clayworth for setting new Club Records. Of course, the swimmers were very excited about their medals, ribbons and prize money from the Skins.  

Top Performers who swam PBs in all their races include: Jacob Bell, Eloise Chegwidden, Harry Chegwidden, Declan Dichiera, Maeve Dichiera, Jack Ganter, Ruby Harland, Billie Jamieson, Lily Maher, Isabella Pisaniello, Max Smith, Molly Smith and Lukas Trevaskis.  

Congratulations to new Cannons who swam extremely well over the weekend:  Miller Eaves, Murphy Jamieson, Alex Trefz, Zach Trefz, Indigo Harland, Dylan Reynolds and Andie Reynolds. Well done to Gracie and Pippa Laguna who did very well swimming in longer distances.  

Special mention to:  Taj Murray swam a massive 51.5 second PB in his 400 metre Freestyle in a time of 5.23.95. One of Matilda Nicholes best swims was her 100 metre Butterfly in a time of 1.54.85 which earnt her a silver medal.  

James Davies swam a super 50 metre Breaststroke in 1.04.73, a 7.86 second PB. Tora Delac won gold medals for her 25 metre, 50 metre Backstroke and 100 metre Backstroke and 100 metre IM.

One of Charlie Doherty’s best swims which earnt him a gold medal was his 200 metre IM in a time of 3.07.91, a 5.29 second PB. Thomas Ganter swam extremely well in his 100 metre Backstroke and 200 metre Freestyle, earning silver medals and big PBs.  

Millie Groom’s best events included her 100 metre and 200 metre Freestyle, with 5 second PBs. Koa Harland, aged 8 years swam a top 50 metre Breaststroke in 1.02.10. Ehsan Helou had a successful meet achieving 6 gold medals and 1 silver medal.  

One of Nelson Malady’s best swims was his 100 metre Butterfly which earnt him a gold medal with a 17.05s PB. Holly Perrin was very happy with her gold medal in the 200 metre Backstroke in a time of 2.32.72.

Congratulations to all the Cannons who participated on the weekend. A big thank you to all the wonderful parents and volunteers who worked so hard on the weekend to make the carnival such a success.

Contributed with thanks to Raylene Rasmussen.

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Cannonvale Cannons Team Photo. Photo Supplied

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Claiming a national sporting title or medal is the ultimate accolade for any aspiring athlete.

For Mackay sprint sensation Mikayla Webb, anchoring the triumphant Queensland 4 x 100m relay sprint team at last month's National All Schools Track and Field Championships in Adelaide proved an "early Christmas present."

The relay gold medal capped a stellar season on the track for the 15 year old St Patrick's College student, who returned home as an Australian champion and with a bronze medal after grabbing third place in the National 100m Girls Final.

Quicksilver Mikayla – who competes for Mackay Athletics Club - used her blistering speed to flash home in a time of 12.12 seconds and secure a thrilling podium finish.

In the major Adelaide meet she was also pipped for a medal in the 200m National final after finishing fourth in a hot field of promising sprinters.

Earlier Mikayla demonstrated her competitive edge by clinching silver medals in the 100m and 200m dash at last year's Queensland Secondary Schools Athletics Championships in Brisbane.

Those stand out performances helped the record-breaking Webb earn recognition as one of the fastest young sprinters in the country after being named the Athletics North Queensland Emerging Athlete of the Year.

Her impressive results can be attributed to months of hard toil under renowned sprint coaches Tina and Luke Morse from ASSET (All Sports Speed Endurance Training) who have added speed and balance to her running technique.

Last year Mikayla smashed two long standing records when she won gold in both the 100m and 200m finals at the Oceania Schools Athletics Championships staged at the Mackay Aquatic and Recreation Centre.

She scorched her rivals in the Girls 15yrs 100m event – clocking an impressive 12:12 seconds to eclipse the previous mark of 12:30 seconds in superb style.

The sprint queen backed up that golden performance by also clinching the 200m title with a sizzling record time of 25:65 seconds, bettering the previous best of 25:70 seconds.

Both sprint records had stood for two decades.

By Chris Karas

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Mikayla Webb is one of the fastest teenagers in Australia. Photo credit: Athletics North Queensland

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So, who are the coaches of the Pioneer Swimming Club? Who turns our fish into Dolphins?

Our Club is led by Igor Demin, Russian-born Olympian turned Coach.

Undoubtedly, if you have been to the Pioneer Swim Centre, you will have seen Igor and heard his unique whistle blow!

He tells us his father joined him up for boxing at the age of 7 and after two months, he instructed his father he was becoming a swimmer.

He has swum in many international competitions, swimming in almost all continents around the world – his most memorable moment being medaling at the Universiade in Japan.

Before joining the Pioneer Swimming Club in 2020, he was a member in and trained the National Team in Russia and has since coached in New Zealand and then, eventually, Australia.

Igor’s qualifications include a Master’s Degree in Coaching and Sports Medicine, but perhaps his best asset is his unique humor and spin on swimming.

We are fortunate to have Igor and we hope he never leaves us!

Kylie Smith wears many hats in our club – one being President of the Club, another being a competitive swimmer herself, still competing at State level competitions for our Club, and the last, and definitely not the least, Assistant Coach to Igor.

Kylie’s journey in swimming started when she was 7 years old – swimming a somewhat crooked resemblance of backstroke down the lane at her first school carnival.

She vied to learn to swim straight from that day forth.  

Her career has taken her to the 2000 Olympic Trials in Sydney and the 2006 Commonwealth Trials in Melbourne – believe or not, she made it for backstroke, although, by now, she had mastered swimming straight!

You will see Kylie on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons pacing the pool, assisting our mini-Dolphins with their stroke and focusing on their technique.  

If you are seeking to sign your child up for a squad, how do you get in touch with us?

Email the Club Secretary, Tahnie Malagueno, on secretary@pioneerswimclub.com.au.  

We look forward to meeting you poolside soon!  

Contributed by Tahnie Malagueno

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Pioneer Swimming Club Coach Igor Demin

Assistant Coach Kylie Smith

Local vocal ensemble Tutti is proud to present Summertime and All That... this February at the Conservatorium of Music Mackay.

But who is Tutti?

Tutti is an all-female vocal ensemble under the direction of Jan Whelan OAM. Jan is known around town not only for her work with the Mackay Choral Society and Mackay Musical Comedy Players but also her accompanying work with soloists, school choirs and music ministries. Jan started the ensemble back in 2002 as a small ensemble and trio and quartets. We were very proud when in 2022 Jan was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Awards for services to music as an accompanist.

Over the years many vocalists have graced the stage all over North Queensland under the name Tutti. The ensemble has competed several times in competitions across Queensland and have been described by several leading adjudicators as “spectacular” and “glamorous”.

Current vocalists of the group include some well-known members of the community, performers, teachers and key members of other performing groups.  All the members of the group have some knowledge and expertise in different music styles and the delectable combination of these voices is purely stunning. The program is filled with luscious harmonies and different song genres including swing, ballads and folk.

Summertime and All That... also includes guest artist Belinda Rooney on flute. There is something for everyone.

Tutti is excited and thrilled to present Summertime and All That...  to Mackay audiences on February 4 and 5 at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music Mackay, Building 21, 151 Boundary Road, Ooralea Qld 4740. Tickets can be purchased through trybooking:

www.trybooking.com/969096

Contributed by Isobel Gillman

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Group members in local vocalensemble Tutti:

Top Row: Anne Atkinson,Vanessa Dale, Caroline Galea

2nd Row: Lynn Gallant, Isobel Gillman, Cecilia Hyde,Chantal Kay

3rd Row: Danielle McCully, Lauren Menzies, JeanetteOberg, Annie Pratt

4th Row: Shona Rosser, Caitlyn Schurmann, NicoleThomson, Jan Whelan OAM

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The Cannonvale Cannons are having a great start to 2023 with 40 swimmers participating at Club Night on Wednesday night. The coaches, Ken Crittenden and Mark Erickson were very surprised by the swimmers’ achievements with three new club records, 24 Upgrades and 67 Personal Best times.

Congratulations to Eloise Chegwidden and Jy Parkinson for setting new Club Records. Coach Mark Erickson presented Lily Maher and Murphy Jamieson with Upgrade Certificates and Remy Hedges with the Chocolate Award.  

Top performers include: Alex and Zach Trefz swam impressive times. Alex swam a super 12 metre Freestyle in 10.5 seconds. Zach swam massive PBs in his 25 metre Freestyle and 25 metre Backstroke.  

New club members, Owen Schepisi, Dylan and Andie Reynolds swam very well at their first Club Night.

Congratulations to the following swimmers who swam extremely well, achieving 3 or 4 PBs:  Billie Jamieson, Murphy Jamieson, Harris Delac, Tora Delac, Pippa Laguna, Nelson Malady, Evie Doherty, Sophie Fletcher, Ruby Harland, Matilda Nicholes, Celeste Orenshaw, Alex Trefz and Zach Trefz.  

Highlights include: Owen Maher  and Indi Harland both swam terrific Butterfly taking over 4 seconds off their previous best time. Koa Harland, aged 8 years, swam an excellent 100 metre IM in a time of 2.03.86 seconds which was a 10.6 second PB.  

Also swimming top medley times were Millie Groom, Matilda Nicholes, Sophie Fletcher, Ruby Harland and Remy Hedges. Holly Perrin, Matilda Nicholes, Celeste Orenshaw, Harris Delac, Ehsan Helou, Pippa Laguna, Lily Maher, Lukas Trevaskis and Isaac Pisaniello swam fantastic Backstroke.  Tate Harland swam a fabulous 50 metre Butterfly in 50.11 seconds, a 4.14 second PB.

Well done to the following swimmers who also swam PBs: Thomas Ganter, Anisa Helou, Jacob Bell, Tiana Bell, Eloise Chegwidden, James Davies and Abi Maher.  

The Cannons would like to commend all the swimmers who participated and thank all the parents for the support.  

Contributed with thanks to Raylene Rasmussen.

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Eloise with her new Breaststroke record

Murphy with his upgrade certificate

Whitsunday United Football Club took the region by storm last season, winning both the League and the Grand Final, which was a first in the club’s history.

They are now back for another season and, with training due to start next week, looking for more players to join their team as they expand.

For the first time ever, they are putting forward four men’s teams and two for the women’s, making this the biggest side in the club’s history in preparation for another winning season.

Having additional teams means there is more opportunity for a range of skill levels to participate, so whether you want to play a casual, social match or compete against the best, there is something for you at Whitsunday United Football Club.

Vice President, Mike Downing, said that everyone is welcome to come and give it a go.

“You don’t have to pay upfront, just come along to a training session and try it out,” he said.

“If you like it, we can put you in the appropriate bracket – there are plenty of levels so come on down and we’ll see you there!”

Training for the top two men’s teams is every Tuesday and Thursday, and the social teams train on Wednesday.

The women’s teams also train Wednesday.

All training begins at 6.30pm and everyone is invited to hang around afterwards to share a beer and conversation if they want to.

“We have a great social side to the sport,” said Mike.

“The fridge is always full of beer, and we all enjoy a few social nights out over the year.”

Players can expect to play roughly half the games on their home pitch at Whitsunday Sportspark and the other half away at different Mackay clubs.

The team often arrange a mini bus for away games so everyone can travel down together.

For the youngsters, there is also a Youth Team for anyone turning 13 this year or older.

The season begins in March and training for all teams begins next week so if you are interested in getting involved then come on down and give it a go.

“For the first timers, football is a really easy game to learn, it is also less physical than other sports,” said Mike.

“It’s loads of fun and open to everyone!”

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Whitsunday United Premiers won the Grand Final and the League last season

Whitsunday United Women’s Football team

Tuesday Competition

The Tuesday Monthly Medal was won by Len Booroff with a handicap altering 68 nett, proving that those lessons work! Ben Rosenthal closely followed with 69 nett showing that the Proserpine Golf Course is agreeing with him! Wilf Herweg came in 3rd place also with 69 nett.

NTP’s went to Rees May and Sam Deicke.

Wednesday Competition

Tina Badenhorst braved the hot and humid conditions on foot to card a very nice 68 nett and win the PD Law Monthly Medal on Wednesday. Hether Luvis and Jenny Hounsell came in 2nd and 3rd respectively both on 73 nett. Lyn Muller was all over the NTP’s winning both and Tiina Randmae’s putter was on fire with only 27 putts for the round.

Thursday Competition

As it turned out, the 69 players on Thursday were lucky enough to get a round in before the course closed due to rain and flooding. Paul Gray carded an impressive 65 nett to win Division 1, two shots ahead of John Roser on 67 nett. Nick Watson and Matthew Muller claiming 3rd and 4th positions both on 68 nett.

Mark Cranston was too good for all others in Division 2, with another impressive score on the day of 66 nett, closely followed by Trevor Paroz on 67 nett and Michael Jarvis on 70 nett. NTP’s went to Len Booroff, Billy Woods, Trevor Paroz and Nick Watson.

Contributed with thanks to Proserpine Golf Club.

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The clouds threatened last Wednesday’s twilight race conducted on Pioneer Bay by Whitsunday Sailing Club, however on the water everything was fine, with a light north westerly breeze propelling the boats. A fleet of 15 boats and 83 crew took place in this weekly event.

Given that one minute before the start, QMS Ponyo (John Galloway) were still raising their mainsail after some last minute repairs, it was surprising to see them clear the entire fleet to take the Doyle Sails sponsored best start prize for Division 2.  

The lead, however, was short lived, as Bobby’s Girl (Mark Beale) led the fleet around the first mark, never again to be headed. QMS Ponyo slotted into second place, while Smooth Criminal (Iyas Shaheen) and Reignition (Charles Wallis) took up the next couple of places. Behind them, a close tussle between Treasure VIII (Rob Davis) and Houdini (Rob Meizer) finally went the way of Houdini. On corrected time, QMS Ponyo took the honours over Treasure VIII and Bobby’s Girl.

The start of Division 3 was a bit more interesting, with Norbert G (Ghigo Casalini) attempting to thwart the efforts of Rossgo (Greg Hammon). The end result was that both boats were deemed by the starter to be on the wrong side of the starting line, and while Rossgo redeemed themselves by restarting, Norbert G completed a penalty turn, but failed to restart the race.  

In the meantime, Masquerade (Tom Vujasinovic) felt that they may have also fallen foul to the starter, returning to restart, only to find that they were not guilty. A great recovery race however saw them finish just 16 seconds shy of Rossgo. Wobbly Boot (Craig Piccinelli) was first home by a large margin of seven minutes which was only enough for 3rd place on corrected time. Race honours went to Rossgo over Masquerade.

Races continue every Wednesday from 4:30pm, apart from the Wednesday between Christmas and New Year, so those wishing to participate as crew need to be at the club by 2:30 pm (limited spots available). Full results are available at https://app.sailsys.com.au/club/85/profile?tab=results.  

Contributed with thanks to Ross Chisholm

Twilight races beatthe clouds last week

Good to see so many players for our first game of 2023, even though it was still too hot for some.

It was our first Monthly Medal of the year and the winner for the men was Len Boorof with a great score of 67 followed by Colin Hounsell on 68 and Wilf Herweg on 69.

The ladies’ winner was Jenny Hounsell with 72 followed by Lyn Muller 73 and Mandy Patterson 74.

Pin shots went to Gerald Lovell and Steve Mitchell on 9, Barry Mortimer and Colin Hounsell on 13, Trevor Paroz and Nic Aprussese on 16.

Lyn Muller and Beryl Nosworthy on 9, Jenny Hounsell on 13, Lyn Muller and Paula McQuat on 16.

Well done to everyone. Next Tuesday will be a 4BBB - choose your partners.

Contributed with thanks to Paula McQuat.

Jenny Hounsell and Len Boorof

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The weekly 9-hole competition was very close this week but the winner was Glenn Rees with a count back win, 18 points.

Second, also on 18 points, was Michael Bond who took a count back placing over Saath Yolangumni, also 18 points.

The Friday competition was also close - Billy O’Conner took the win with 22 points over Andrew Gomez and Tim Harris who both scored 21 points, Andrew taking second on the count back.

Two match play rounds were completed with Ryan Kenny defeating Nathan Nicholic and Justyn Durbin defeating Sean Fogarty.

Planning is underway for a special Australia Day team competition. 18-holes, 4 to a team, tee-off between 10am and 12 noon. Book your team in today!

Contributed with thanks to Kate Cross.

A wet round for Jay Angel, Bob Spees and Ross Clanachan

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Images

- Children in traditional dress welcome to PNG Janice Kent, centre, and other umpires Samantha and Nane. Photos: Contributed

- Janice Kent, centre, takes the umpires chair for a group shot with other umpires at the ITTF Oceania tournament in Port Moresby

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Umpiring at a high-level tournament at Port Moresby is the last thing Mackay Table Tennis president Janice Kent expected leading up to Christmas.

Janice was invited by Ryan Weingard of ITTF Oceania to attend and umpire at the ITTF Oceania tournament involving teams from New Caledonia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia and took the challenge head-on.

“Progression in a sport that you are passionate about can take many pathways,” she said.

“For me, although I have not taken my eye off the ball and want to continue to play, I also see the need for more players to progress into the umpiring role – to know the rules and to know the role – to be impartial and fair when giving a true account of the game.  

“Since moving to Australia from NZ and attending my first regional tournament in Townsville, I was always being beaten and out in the first round.  But to keep the tournament going and wait for my club team players to either win or be ruled out of the competition I needed to fill in the day so umpiring here I come.

“For a couple of years, I attended the regional competitions and took the lead from my club buddy, Donna Abbott, to put my hand up when an umpire was requested.”

Janice said players needed to realise that umpires are human.

“They do make mistakes! They do miss some calls! But without them putting their hand up the tournaments don’t run so well and games don’t get played as quickly.”

She said that with the media and travel advice advising to only travel to PNG if extremely necessary, one would think that attending this small tournament in PNG didn’t tick the boxes.

“But I decided to throw my hat in the ring and if they wanted me to go, I was quite prepared to do so.

“When my flight was delayed and ended up having to be transferred to the following day I was concerned the road blocks were trying to tell me something.  But from the time I arrived in Port Moresby to the time I left I was looked after and treated so well by the locals, the competitors, the other officials and complete strangers and so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to be part of the tournament.’’

Teams competed from New Caledonia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia.   The Australian team provided some top exhibition matches in the final of the men’s and women’s singles of the Oceania Cup with Nicholas Lum defeating Xin Yan (4 – 1) and Minhyung Jee defeating Yangzi Liu (4 – 3). The Pacific Cup was fought out between Geoffrey Loi (PNG) and Jeremy Dey (New Caledonia) in the Men’s Singles and Grace Yee (Fiji) and Julie Wanegui (New Caledonia).  Geoffrey Loi and Grace Yee were the eventual winners.

“Under the eagle eye of Stephen Gillespie as the tournament referee I refreshed a lot of skills that we don’t use at State and National competition.  Checking bats, flipping coins, checking the nets between games and even collecting the balls between games – time keeping, time outs, hand signals and working closely with your assistant umpire were all challenges to be overcome throughout the tournament and so glad that I went.

“Where to now? – more playing and more umpiring but to use what I learned during my PNG experience to improve the sport of table tennis at home – in Australia.”

By Charlie Payne

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Image 1: Alex Bogna (left) sprints for third place overall at the U23 AusCycling 2023 Road Cycling National Championships

Image 2: Dave Nicholas (left) pictured receiving his silver medal at the AusCycling 2023 Road Cycling National Championships

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Professional Under 23 road cyclist Alex Bogna has proven worthy of his contract with the Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team by coming third at last weekend’s AusCycling Road National Championships in South Australia.

The former Mackay Cycling Club member found himself in a break off the front of the peloton and could be seen doing a huge amount of work for the bunch to keep the riders at the front of the race.

Alastair MacKellar (Israel Cycling Academy) swept up the solo victory by reeling in the break before surging ahead solo to claim first place convincingly. Brady Gilmore (ARA Skip Capital), who had initially been part of MacKellar's three-man attack from the peloton, secured second by winning the sprint of five riders. Bogna out-sprinted James Panizza (Team BridgeLane) who had also been in the break with Bogna, for third place overall.

The race was held on the regular home to the Australian Road National Championships, an 11.6km circuit including the climb of Mount Buninyong Road. The U23 men’s race consisted of 12 laps, for 139km of racing.

Former Mackay Cycling Club member and Proserpine resident David Nicholas continued a run of good form by claiming silver at the Auscycling Road National Championships.

The para-cyclist has a long list of achievements on both the road and the track, including Olympic gold and world championship titles. He has been at the top level of para-cycling for more than a decade and shows no signs of slowing down. He currently resides in Bathurst, New South Wales.

Nicholas claimed second place in the road race, with Moreton Bay cyclist Kyle Willis winning gold.

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The festive season seems an eternity ago for Pioneer Swimming Club’s members as they conquer “Hell Week” training for the first two weeks of 2023.  Pioneer Swimmers hit the pool ‘running’ on January 2, swimming and training every morning and afternoon in their home pool, the Pioneer Swim Centre.

They have and will continue to step outside of their comfort zones, challenging themselves to activities and training sessions they have not yet undertaken.  Our seniors completed an average of approximately 50 to 60km in the pool in the first week and our juniors achieving approximately 30km.  Gym sessions and land-based strength training has been incorporated for all. Each swimmer has pushed their own individual boundaries and have already attained achievements they thought not possible.  

The first week was finished with a well-deserved barbeque breakfast.

“Hell Weeks” are meant to be intense. Gruelling. But oh-so rewarding!

Upon finishing this fortnight of Hell Week training, our swimmers will attend a number of local swimming competitions in Cannonvale and Mirani and others aspiring for the Queensland Sprint Championships at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre in early February.  

Contributed by Tahnie Malagueno

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Image: Rising Souths and Mackay Meteors point guard Cooper Currie, 13, is one of the best junior basketball prospects in Queensland

Just like all aspiring young hoopers, Mackay schoolboy Cooper Currie dreams of one day plying his trade in the American National Basketball Association (NBA) competition.

Having already stamped his mark in Queensland Junior Development squads, the promising 13-year-old point guard, who shows a maturity that far belies his years, has taken giant steps towards realising a lifetime goal of joining the professional ranks of his chosen sport.

Currie is one of a batch of outstanding prospects from the Souths club in the Mackay Junior Basketball Association that have caught the eye of State selectors with impressive performances on the Queensland basketball scene.

The St Patrick’s College student joined talented club mates Treyce Ciantar (power forward) and shooting guard Usai Bickey at a National inter-state tournament for Under 15 Emerging State players in Melbourne this month as part of the Future Development Program.

It was a valuable experience for young Currie who more than held his own against players two years his senior in a pressure-packed national tournament atmosphere.

The competition featured the finest up and coming Under 15 talent from across the nation and provided Cooper and his colleagues with a limited time team preparation prior to playing a number of games, simulating that of an Australian Junior Championship series.  

Prior to the January event, Cooper was one of eleven Mackay Meteors and Meteorettes junior representative players that participated in the Basketball Queensland Under14 Future Development Program All-State Camp in Brisbane along with three coaches that included his mother Renae Currie, Liam Cochrane and Aleisha Catip.

It is fair to say that 2022 was a year to savour for the skillful Cooper on the basketball front.

He skippered the triumphant Mackay Meteors Under 14s team to a North Queensland Age Championship title with superb displays during the three-carnival series in Cairns, Townsville and Mackay – showing his leadership credentials and skills set on the boards.

With Cooper leading the way the Meteors combined effectively with each other on court and demonstrated their tactical nouse and natural lay-up and shooting skills to help bring home the trophy.

There was double reason to celebrate when the Mackay Meteorettes claimed the Under 14 Girls championship in a huge sporting fillip for the region.

Following his North Queensland title success, Currie represented Mackay at the State Junior Basketball Championships in Brisbane and turned in superb performances as a junior member of the Mercy College Year 10 side that finished a creditable seventh at the Champion Schools Basketball tournament on the Gold Coast last October.

When seeking guidance and advice on his game, Cooper has a mentor close at hand.  

His mother Renae is an accomplished player and coach in the Mackay region and a stalwart of the Souths club who has taught her son the finer points of basketball since the age of 5.

From the time a young basketball hopeful in Australia steps on the court, he or she most often aspires to participate in the strongest competitions on the planet – the United States’ National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Cooper is no different.

He shares the same surname and on court position with Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry - widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time and as the greatest shooter in NBA history – and dreams of one day following in the steps of Aussie trailblazers Patty Mills, Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets), Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder), Joe Ingles (Portland Trailblazers), Josh Green (Dallas Mavericks), Jock Landale (San Antonio Spurs), Matisse Thybulle (Philadelphia 76ers), Dyson Daniels (New Orleans Pelicans) and Matthew Dellavedova (Sacramento Kings).

At the same age as Cooper, a young Steph Curry dominated the courts back in 2001-02 in Toronto with the all-conquering Queensway Christian College Saints Grade 7 and 8 boys team – scoring 40 points to 50 points a game as the side won the Canadian Schools Under 13s championship undefeated.

When Steph’s father Dell retired from a 16-year NBA career which included a three-year stint with the Toronto Raptors the family returned to Charlotte with young Curry later linking with the Warriors and proving the architect of four NBA championship titles.

Cooper’s immediate goals are to continue developing his skills with Souths and the Mackay Meteors, St Patrick’s College and force his way into the Queensland Under 16 representative squad.

If natural ability, vision and determination are any guide then the Mackay playmaker is well on the way to realising those dreams.

By Chris Karas

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Image: Finley Smith

A memorial cricket cup and all-day event is on at Harrup Park this Saturday, honouring the memory of a talented young man taken too soon.

Finley Smith was known as an ‘ambassador’ and ‘future leader’ within the Mackay Community.

Finley had a successful career working in real estate with his father at Gardian. However, on 15th February 2022, at age 25, Finley unexpectedly passed away due to an epileptic seizure, leaving a big void in the lives of his family and friends.

Many described Finley as a compassionate and spirited young man who lit up any room he walked into. Friends described him as a man with quick wit, a cheeky laugh, sense of humour and loveable nature.

With the fast-approaching first anniversary of Finley’s passing, the people closest to him found a special way to remember him. And so was born the Finley Smith Memorial Cup. The event is an all-day cricket tournament that celebrates Finley’s life and love for cricket, while bringing the community together to help raise awareness for epilepsy.

The inaugural Finley Smith Memorial Cup will be held at Harrup Park on Saturday the 14th of January 2023. The day will see six teams competing in a round robin style competition, raffles, and an awards presentation.

All funds raised from this event will go to Epilepsy Action Australia (EAA) and honour the beloved Finley Smith. The event has brought friends, family, and even strangers unaware of Finley’s story closer together. So far, the Finley Smith Memorial Cup has helped raise an outstanding $24,640 as at January 10 for EAA and has no intention of stopping there.

To purchase a ticket to The Finley Smith Memorial Cup, donate $30 and show your donation receipt at the door on the day. Donate online, https://bit.ly/3B7xTGA

For more information on the event, visit http://bit.ly/3vNUIgl

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