MINOGUE AND BATEUP MAKE EVERY POST A WINNER IN IRONMAN TRIAL

AUSTRALIAN SURF LIFE SAVING, September 16, 2012: Mooloolaba’s Josh Minogue admitted he had to make some major changes in his life if he was to make it in the helter-skelter world of professional Ironman racing.

And today after 12 months of soul searching, the 25-year-old Minogue, stood tall to gatecrash his way into the 2012-13 Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Ironman Series.
 
It was Minogue who won rounds one and two yesterday and timed his run to perfection to win the final round today and lead the five qualifiers into the $400,000 Series which starts in Perth in December.
 
Minogue 3 pts, Tom Atkinson (Queenscliff) 5pts, Chris Moors (Kurrawa) 6pts, Wade Krieger (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park) 9pts and Mitch Miller (Northcliffe) 12 pts (on a countback from Jake Nicholson) topped the pointscore after the three rounds to make it into “the big show” as Kurrawa coach and former ironman Phil Clayton described the six-round Series, after a thrilling final race at Tugun, where every place counted.
 
In the women’s final it was 32-year-old Surf Sports legend Hayley Bateup 5pts, with a new lease of life, who “kept the kids” at bay to win the final and she heads the top five qualifiers into the Ironwoman Series ahead of Sunshine Coast rookie Alyssa Bull (Alexandra Headland) 6pts, Amy Nurthen (Mooloolaba) 8pts, Alyce Bennett (North Burleigh) 8pts and Tara Coleman (Maroubra) 10pts (on countback from Maddy Dunn).

For Minogue, the telling factor in his career came when he sat down with coach Michael King after missing last year’s Series.
 
“I knew I had to make some change; I hadn’t liked the person I’d become; I wasn’t a nice person to be around on the beach and I wasn’t enjoying myself,” said Minogue.
 
“So I did some soul searching and had a long hard look at myself and dedicated myself to making the Series and that came down to hard work.
 
“I was ready to brace when I arrived on the Gold Coast this weekend and I knew I had done everything in my power to handle any situation that arose.
 
‘I wanted to make sure that I was not only just ready to make the Series but that I would also be competitive in the Series. These 40 minute races really suit me so I’ll be pumped when the Series starts – I figure if I’m close enough then I’ll be good enough.”
 
For Bateup it was a case of maybe one final comeback from a second shoulder surgery which almost left her in retirement.
 
“I honestly tossed up whether or not I would be forced to retire but complete recovery from the surgery and a three-year contract with new club Mermaid Beach has given me a new lease of life,” said Bateup.

 

“I didn’t even feel a twinge all weekend which was a relief and the support I received from everyone was great. The Mermaid Beach crew are great people and the support they have provided has been amazing. I have a new coach in Julian Norton-Smith and I came here with a point to prove that I was back.
 
“I will now prepare for the Coolangatta Gold on October 14 before the Series.”
 
Here Ian Hanson looks at the Top five qualifiers in the Men and the Women:
 
MEN
 
Josh Minogue (Mooloolaba), Age 25: Former Wollongong-based swim star who made the move to the Sunshine Coast some years ago and has flourished under the coaching of Michael King. Showed why she will be competitive in this year’s Series by winning all three Trial rounds. Has improved his amour across all the disciplines but the swim is his strength.
 
Tom Atkinson (Queenscliff), Age 27: Quit his job at an accountancy firm in Sydney to move home to Forster for an intensive 14-week training camp and a taste of my mum’s “home made diet” in a effort that paid off with his stunning form all weekend to finish second behind Minogue. “I left everything behind and people told me I was mad and I must admit it was probably the hardest thing I have ever done – training by myself – but with the support of my family,” said Atkinson, who praised his Maroubra-based coach Peter “Cus” Kirkwood.
 
Chris Moors (Kurrawa), Age 27: Was welcomed into the Series by coach Phil Clayton with “welcome to the big show” when he crossed the line. The 2011 New Zealand Ironman Champion who has reveled in recent seasons under Clayton and alongside the Ironman team including fellow Kiwis Mike Janes (who just missed the Series). Will be the first New Zealander with a real show of making a name for himself. “Hasn’t got a week leg,” said Clayton. Finished the weekend with a first, second and third.
 
Wade Krieger (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park) Age 30: Also part of the Kurrawa training group who lives by the adage “if at first you don’t succeed then try, try again.” Has been knocking on a return to the Series for the past three years and showed his best consistency yet with a win in round two and two fourths in round one and in the final A former South African champion who will add more international flavour to the Series. Came from sixth after yesterday to make the top five with his fourth placing today.
 
Mitch Miller (Northcliffe) Age 19: The youngest of this year’s qualifiers, who is back after injury forced him out of last year’s Series. Made the move from the Sunshine Coast to North Burleigh last year and then teamed up under Barry Newman and his team at Northcliffe for this season which has already paid dividends. After finishing with a second and third yesterday, Miller gave his supporters some anxious moments, working his way through the field to scrape into the Series with a seventh and taking fifth place on a countback ahead of Northcliffe’s Jake Nicholson after both finished on 12 points.
 
Other placings: Jake Nicholson (Northcliffe) 12 pts, Mike Janes (Kurrawa) 14pts,  Jack Moyes (Terrigal), Hayden Allum (Cronulla), James Stewart (North Burleigh) 16, Michael Booth (Northcliffe) 19, Isak Costello (Redhead)  23, Jackson Maynard (Currumbin) 23, Lincoln Dews (Noosa) 26, Mitchell Allum (Wanda) 28, Mark Simpson (Cronulla) 30, Jacob Marks (Mooloolaba) 31.
 
WOMEN
 
Hayley Bateup (Mermaid Beach) Age 32: The triple Coolangatta Gold champion and celebrated multiple Australian champion and reigning National board champion, showed she still has what it takes to match it with the best. Came out of the final swim leg snapping at the heels of youngsters Alyssa Bull and Amy Nurthen only to run them down in the end to top the qualifiers. “I had a point to prove that I wasn’t finished,” said Bateup, who has also been back swimming with Olympic open water coach Col Braund.
 
Alyssa Bull (Alexandra Headlands) 16: Had everyone on the beach asking who is that girl from Alex? But she certainly left her mark on the Trial weekend with some eye-catching performances, including her power ski paddling – where she matched it with girls twice her age (Bateup) and her improved swimming. But when you have former Australian single ski champion Shane Dalziel in charge of your craft work and 1988 Olympic swimmer Janelle Pallister (Elford) as your swim coach at Kawana then your career is in safe hands. “I have been at Alex since I was seven and dreamt of one day being in the Series and being like the girls I saw on television,” said Bull. Now she’s one of them.
 
Amy Nurthen (Mooloolaba) Age 20: Has been the girl most likely after making the Series as a 16-year-old and winning a race at Portsea last year and having the under 17 and under 19 Ironwoman championships under her belt. But the move from Terrigal to Michael King’s group at Mooloolaba this year has already paid off with her solid, consistent performances all weekend, finishing second and third in the opening rounds and third in today’s final. From her performances here Nurthen will only get better.
 
Alyce Bennett (North Burleigh) Age 25: Led the girls qualifiers after the first two rounds yesterday and knew she had to hang on after Bateup, Bull and Nurthen cleared out after the first ski and board legs. She did that to finish fourth and win her way back into the Series. A great board paddler, who continues to juggle university with her love of surf sports. “The pace was certainly on out there and I knew I just had to maintain my place to stay in the top five – but it went down to the wire,” said Bennett, who will now also consider the Coolangatta Gold.
 
Tara Coleman (Maroubra) Age 21: Showed the dogged determination and skill of her beloved South Sydney when she finished fourth today to leap frog her way from sixth to fifth after the first two rounds (fourth and second). But it wasn’t without a nervous wait after she tied for fifth with Northcliffe’s Maddy Dunn, who went into the final in second place but could only manage seventh in today’s final. With both girls level on 10th place Coleman received the nod on a countback, after her better placing in today’s final.
 
Other placings: Maddy Dunn (Northcliffe) 10pts, Emma Dick (Mermaid Beach) 19, Tenille Devine (Tallebudgera) 19, Madison Boon (Mooloolaba) 21, Katie Graham (Northcliffe) 21, Hannah Minogue (Bulli) 22, Teisha Jenkins (Mooloolaba) 26, Karlee Nurthen (Terrigal) 26, Kristy Higgison (City of Perth)27, Alyce Burnett (Maroochydore) 30, Steph Cronin (Metropolitan Caloundra) 30.