GREAT START TO KNG SERIES FOR BMD NORTHCLIFFE

Shannon Eckstein & Courtney Hancock have certainly picked up where they left off last season, after the defending champions had a successful weekend of racing to claim the top of the ladder after 2 rounds. 

Courtney dominated, winning both rounds over the weekend. In round 1, treacherous conditions saw race organisers reduce the girls race to just the swim / board legs, siting safety concerns. Kristyl Smith showed her experience to finish in 2nd place and youngster, Maddy Dunn, a credible 4th. In Round 2, conditions had subsided and the ski leg was reintroduced for the eliminator format. This made little difference for all rounder Courtney, with another comfortable win, ahead of Maddy Dunn in 2nd, proving she will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Kristyl Smith displayed her consistency with another podium finish in 3rd place. After the 2 Rounds, Courtney leads with 40 points, ahead of Kristyl on 32 and Maddy on 30 points.

In the men's races, Shannon came away with a victory in very testing conditions in Round 1. Brother, Caine finished 5th and Tanyn Lyndon rounded out the top 10. In Round 2, Shannon showed consistency finishing 2nd behind Newport's, Kendrick Louis. Shannon still remains on top of the table on 37 points, 2 points clear of Louis. Caine Eckstein is in 5th place with Tanyn Lydon in 7th place.

Round 3, 4 & 5 will be held at Newcastle beach on the 14th & 15th December.

Click Here for Men's Results & Series Ladder

Click Here for Women's Results & Series Ladder

Australian Champions again!!

BMD Northcliffe continued its dominance at the 2013 Australian Championships with a hard fought win to regain the Aussie title - its 9th straight.

The competition kicked off with success in the Open Patrol Competition with Damien Moffrey and his team winning their 12th straight Gold. Kathryn McKenzie then backed up to win Gold in the Open Female Champion Lifesaver event.

Both Male and Female Open Surf Teams won their events with female team members also gaining medals in alternate races: Eliza Smith (silver) and Miranda Bell (bronze) in the Open Female Surf Race, and Courtney Hancock contesting a close race to win the Open Ironwoman with Harriet Brown coming in third. 

The Open Men's Taplin blitzed the field to take regain the title they have held since 2007. A great team effort from all members - Shannon Eckstein, Dev Lahey, Murray Stewart, Tate Smith, Mark Bint and Cory Hill.

The Master's team had a convincing win over Noosa in the pointscore. Spearheaded by Lee Vrolyks with a record haul of 11 gold medals, the win was never in doubt as the Masters won by 65 points. 

Click here for Aussie results

Click here for Aussie Masters results

Qld Champs - 10 in a Row!!!

Congratulations to BMD Northcliffe for taking out their 10th consecutive QLD Senior Championships on the weekend held on the Sunshine Coast. 

BMD Northcliffe dominated the major finals with wins in both the Open Male & Open Female Double Ski, Murray Stewart, Joel Simpson and Tate Smith went 1, 2, 3 in the Open Male Single Ski, Courtney Hancock, Miranda Bell, Eliza Smith and Harriet Brown filled the top 4 positions in the Open Female Surf Race and Dev Lahey claimed gold in the Open Male Surf Race. In the Open Ironwoman, Courtney Hancock claimed silver with Harriet Brown in 3rd. Harriet also added a silver to her haul in the Open Female Board Race while Mark Bint claimed Bronze in the Open Male Board Race after leading for the entire race. Shannon Eckstein won silver in the Open Ironman and added a gold in the Restricted Surf Race. Our Open Male Boat Crew also had a great weekend claiming Bronze.

We finished the carnival by dominating the Open Male and Female Taplin Relays. The boys had a convincing victory while the our girls claimed both gold and silver. 

Our Masters only had a small contingent make the trip to the Sunshine Coast where the local clubs dominated. Hopefully we will have our full contingent for Aussies in a few weeks time and the tables can turn.

Click here for QLD Senior Championship Results

Click here for QLD Masters Championships Results

Double Series Crowns for BMD Northcliffe

BMD Northcliffe athletes claimed both the Kellogg's Ironman Series & Telstra Ironwoman Series Crowns at the final round of the series at Noosa on the weekend.

Shannon Eckstein had a commanding lead heading in to the final round and only needed to finish in the top 9 to maintain his lead. In the eliminator format, Shannon only had to make it to the 4th race of 5 to ensure the series win which he did comfortably. In the final race it was a 3 way battle for most of the way between Shannon, Ali Day & Kendrick Louis. In the end Ali came away with the win with Kendrick in 2nd and Shannon in 3rd, his 6th podium position from 6 races this season and claiming his 7th overall series crown. Mitch Miller also qualified through to the final race which was enough to secure him automatic qualification for next years series.

In the girls race Courtney Hancock didn't have it quite as easy, trailing Naomi Flood by 8 points heading in to the final round but a shock 2nd race elimination for Flood all but sealed the series win for Courtney. Courtney, who battled the flu all week, managed to finish in 4th place for the round. Sister Bonnie and Harriet Brown also made it to final race of the eliminator format which sealed their automatic qualification for next years series.

For more results go to http://surfironmanseries.com/ and http://surfironwomanseries.com/

The Professor on Top After 3 Rounds

Shannon "The Professor" Eckstein is back to his best, leading the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman Series. Shannon had a victory in Round 1 in Perth, a 3rd in Newcastle and then claimed victory again on the weekend at Portsea in the Triple Sprint Format. Shannon shared the leaders jersey with Matt Poole after Round 2 but now sits on top, 32 points in front of Ali Day. Mitch Miller, has remained consistent throughout the first 3 rounds despite slicing his toe on the starting ramp at Newcastle. Mitch currently sits safely in the top 10 in 7th place. Rookie, Jake Nicholson sits in 16th place and Cory Hill is yet to get on the board due to injury ruling him out of the first 3 rounds.

In the Telstra Ironwoman Series, Courtney Hancock remains consistent with a 2nd in round 1, 4th in round 2 and another 2nd place in Portsea. She currently sits in 3rd place on the progressive pointscore.  Harriet Brown is sitting in 6th place overall after her 4th placing at Portsea bumped her up a few positions. Bonnie Hancock is currently in 12th after competing on an injured foot at Portsea.

The Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman Series and Telstra Ironwoman Series heads to Queensland for the final 3 rounds on consecutive weekends commencing Saturday 9 February at Surfers Paradise.

For information go to http://surfironmanseries.com/

and http://surfironwomanseries.com/