EMILY TURNS KAWANA LAKES INTO GOLDEN POND

Posted in Other News

AOCRA, February 5, 2012: Tasmania's teenage paddling sensation Emily Probert will return home to the apple isle tomorrow with a
record haul of six gold medals from this weekend's Australian Outrigger Canoe Racing Association's National Sprint Titles on
Kawana Lakes on the Sunshine Coast.

The Burnie youngster, representing the Cradle Coast Outrigger Canoe Club, produced one of the finest displays of outrigger paddling
from any junior ever seen at a National Championships and included an open mixed title with club head coach Leigh Paine.

Probert started out her non-stop three-day padding venture to Queensland by winning the World Championship qualifier in the under
16 V1 rudderless class boat over a 500 straight course on Friday, which allows her to attend this year's World Sprints in Calgary in
August.

But it was just a warm up for the talented 15-year-old who was the name on everyone's lips when paddling came to a close after a
long, weekend's racing at a National regatta which attracted over 700 paddlers from every State in Australia.

In a busy weekend of of heats and finals, Emily was a regular visitor to the victory podium winning:

•   GOLD on Friday in the under 16 girls V1 rudderless National title beating Talisha Buttsworth (Canoe Point) and Siarn O'Neil
(Mooloolaba) before Saturday's haul of;
•   GOLD in the 16 years and under OC1 final over 250m ahead of Burrum's Grace Riley and Outrigger Australia (Currumbin)
paddler Brittany Green.
•   GOLD in the 19 years and under OC1 final over noted Mooloolaba pair Rebecca Rasmussen and Jenaya Davis.
•   GOLD in the open mixed OC2 final with Paine and ahead of experienced pairs Ken Gittins and Kathryn East (Brisbane)
and Adam Stafford and Sonia Adams (Mooloolaba).
•   GOLD in the under 16s mixed OC2 final with team mate Lewis Revel, defeating Andrew Bruskill and Claire Withrington
(Brisbane) and Talisha Buttsworth and Jack Larson (Canoe Point) and;
•   GOLD in the under 19s mixed OC2 with Cradle Coast's Under 21s OC1 winner Zack Cobbling ahead of outstanding Mooloolaba
pairs OC1 winners Rasmussen and Mitchell Olds and Te Otimi Patara and Davis.

The Cradle Coast Canoe Club, formed in 2006, won a total of 41 medals - 18 gold, 12silver and 11 bronze.

Paine has been proactive in getting his paddlers to travel to the National Championship meets in the northern States, especially into
the heartland of the sport in South East Queensland.

The 15-year-old Marist College Grade 10 student also qualified for the open women's final but with such a heavy schedule withdrew to
concentrate on her age group events.

"To win the V1 World Championship qualifier was amazing.....I never expected that and to then go on and win six gold medals was
beyond my wildest dreams that's for sure," said the bubbly red head.

"The under 16 OC1 race was a really good race but to line up against Rebecca Rasmussen in the 19s and to beat her was very special
after she beat me last year. That was top notch. There's a real rivalry between us girls which is great.

"I'm just proud to represent Tassie and for the paddlers from Cradle Coast to send out a message to the rest of the outrigger paddlers
that we are coming for them."

Meanwhile the Mooloolaba club on the Sunshine Coast continued its domination winning both the coveted men's and women's OC6
finals on Saturday - which saw races reduced to 250m metres after timing mal-functions forced delays to the program on Saturday.

Australian Outrigger Canoe Racing Association, National Sprint Championships, Kawana Lakes, OC2 and OC6 FINALS:

OC2, 250m

MEN
Open
Mark Bright Darrell Thoroughgood (Malanuka) 58.3 Mitch Olds Adam Stafford (Mooloolaba) 1:03.5 Scott Allwood Leigh Paine (Cradle
Coast) 1:03.9
U/21 Brayden Smith Zack Cobbing (Cradle Coast) 1:03.9 Braden Veale Mitch Thomas (Brisbane) 1:07.5

Masters O/40
Kenneth Gittins Mark Eriksen (Brisbane) 01:02.4 Tim King Nick Le Roux (Fraser) 1:06.6 Leigh Paine Mark Probert (Cradle Coast)
1:06.7

Senior Masters O/50
Jim McGuire Greg Nelson (Burleigh Point) 01:06.4 Greg Dinsey Mark Rocco (Noosa) 1:06.8 Wayne Hepton Ray Wood (Kawaihae)
1:09.4

Gold Masters O/60
William Greenway Warwick Ford (Burleigh Point) 1:13.0 John Hartley Alan Johnson (Burleigh Point) 1:13.5 Craig Harris Brian Rogers
(Noosa) 1:14.0

Platinum Masters O/70
Peter McKenzie Michael Willson Burrum 1:20.9

WOMEN
Open
Amanda Ozolins Lea Curtis (Mooloolaba) 1:09.3 Kathryn East Robyn Saultry (Brisbane) 1:11.2 Linda Davis Janelle De Boom (Hekili)
1:15.5

Masters O/40
Sue Lockwood Emma Morgan (Hekili) 1:09.7 Suzanne Maksan Gayle Mayes (Caloundra) 1:11.1
Simone Golik Denise Cooper (Koa Kai Kawaihae) 1:12.2

Senior Masters O/50
Annie Williams Debra Gourlay (Mooloolaba) 1:14.2 Victoria James Diana Saville (Noosa) 1:15.0 Ronona Cuffe Jenny Rasmussen
(Mooloolaba) 1:15.7

Golden Masters O/60
Diane Arbuckle Rose Edyvean (Noosa) 1:19.5 Cozette Reynolds Jenny Johnson (Northcliffe) 1:20.4 Susan Gale Rosette Galea
(Northcliffe) 1:26.1

MIXED
Open
Leigh Paine Emily Probert (Cradle Coast) 1:05.4 Ken Gittens Kathryn East (Brisbane) 1:07.7 Adam Stafford Sonia Adams (Mooloolaba)
1:08.3

Junior U/12
Giacomo Neal Ash Gowland (Mooloolaba) 1:29.1 Joshua Hurst Lily Mitchell (Canoe Point) 1:31.4 Charlie McGrath Imogen Potts
(Burrum/Mooloolaba) 1:32.5

Junior U/14
Harry McGrath Siarn O'Neill (Mooloolaba) 1:14.2 Tom Green Emma Walker (Outrigger) 1:20.8  Tyler McGrath Ainsley Roberts
(Mooloolaba) 1:23.7

Junior U/16
Emily Probert Lewis Revel (Cradle Coast) 1:11.8 Andrew Brunskill Claire Withrington (Brisbane) 1:12.7 Talisha Buttsworth Jack Larson
(Canoe Point) 1:13.3

Junior U/19
Zack Cobbing Emily Probert (Cradle Coast) 1:05.9 Mitchell Olds Rebecca Rasmussen (Mooloolaba) 1:06.0 Te Otimi Patara Jen Davis
(Mooloolaba) 1:09.9

Golden Masters O/60
Robert Edmonds Coe Reynolds (Northcliffe) 1:17.6 John Hanson Susan Gale (Northcliffe) 1:19.3 Michael Willson Suzanne Oldham
(Fraser Coast) 1:20.7

Masters O/40
Sue Lockwood Brett Gaia (Brisbane) 1:08.7 Daryl Wtere Melissa Wetere (Northcliffe) 1:10.3 Martin Coll Wendy Coll (Brisbane
1:10.7)

Senior Masters O/50
Craig Voyce Sue Dorries (Outrigger Aust) 1:09.8 Ian Williams Anne Williams (West Coast) 1:10.2 Alan Holmes Deb Abbott (Burleigh
Point) 1:10.3

OC6 250m

MEN

Open
Mooloolaba (Sheard) 56.1 Mooloolaba (Reeder) 58.7 Outrigger Caloundra 58.9

Masters O/40
Brisbane 56.8 Mooloolaba (Sheard) 57.8 Burleigh Point 1:00.4

Senior Masters O/50
Mooloolaba (Sheard) 57.2 Noosa 1:00.4 Outrigger Aust 1:01.6

Masters Men O/60
Noosa 1:03.2 Burleigh Point 1:06.0

WOMEN

Open Mooloolaba
(Curtis) 1:09.5 Brisbane (Seeto) 1:10.1 Fraser Coast 1:11.8

Masters O/40
Cairns Beaches 1:08.5 Brisbane 1:09.3 Outrigger Australia 1:09.7

Senior Masters O/50
Mooloolaba 1:10.2 Panamuna 1:10.6 Northcliffe 1:12.1

Golden Masters O/60
Noosa 1:16.9 Northcliffe 1:17.8

MIXED

Junior U/12
Canoe Point 1:34.3 Mooloolaba 1:35.6

Junior U/14
Mooloolaba (Blue) 1:17.2 Barbarians 1:20.8 Outrigger Australia 1:23.4

Junior U/16
Team Coodabeen Canoe Point 1:09.9 Outrigger Australia 1:11.0 Brisbane 1:11.2

Junior U/19
Mooloolaba (Blue) 1:02.5 Canoe Point 1:06.1 Outrigger Australia 1:08.0