Surf lifesaving foray for Luuka

by Jamie Troughton sport@dailypost.co.nz | 15th March 2010

SURF LIFESAVING

If you start throwing flat-water conditions at these athletes, some don't respond too well. Mount coach John BryantBig, wild water doesn't faze Olympic kayaker Luuka Jones - provided she's tucked up in a small plastic boat with a spray skirt and a helmet.

Chuck her in the ocean on a 6m length of fibreglass and it's a different story, however.

The Rotorua-based paddler is to make her first foray into serious surf lifesaving today when she competes for Mount Maunganui at the NZCT national championships in Whakatane.

The black sands and swells of Ohope Beach are a long way from the purpose-built whitewater slalom courses she's used to running but a pleasing forecast is at least giving her confidence.

"I'm a bit nervous actually, although I'm pretty stoked the surf has been dropping all week," Jones said. "I was over at the surf club on Sunday at the Mount and the surf was awesome - it was pretty interesting just watching and I'm glad I wasn't out in it!"

It's not a full-time switch for the 21-year-old but handy cross-training for her upcoming slalom campaigns in Europe.

She's already competed once for the Mount this summer, finishing fifth in the women's ski at the Owen Chapman Cup in Red Beach in January, relishing the chance to race in a different environment.

"I was pretty unbalanced and the starts took a lot of getting used to but it was pretty cool racing head-to-head. Most of my racing is done against the clock so I'm really enjoying that aspect of it."

The Waiariki Institute of Technology student will be one of a handful of former Olympians competing in Whakatane.

Her Mount club mate Mike Walker was also in Beijing, for the flatwater kayaking, along with Red Beach paddler Erin Taylor and Titahi Bay swimmer Dean Kent.

This year's nationals has attracted a record number of entries, with 1269 athletes competing, up from 1204 last year and 1173 from two years ago when Ohope last hosted the event.

It's a huge jump from 2000 when 839 competitors turned up and puts a healthy spin on the state of surf lifesaving as a sport.

As well as individual titles, Mount will be hunting the Allan Gardner Trophy for the top overall club at the three-day championship, with Jones and Walker bolstering a 70-strong team.

Their ranks are dwarfed by near-neighbours Papamoa (77 athletes), Auckland clubs Piha (78) and Red Beach (73) and 80 competitors from defending champions Midway.

Like Jones, Mount coach John Bryant is relieved at the prospect of a dying swell, however.

"If you start throwing flat-water conditions at some of these athletes, some of them don't respond too well," Bryant said.

 "We'll just wait and see ... "

He has several Australian-based stars returning to compete for the Mount, including Perth siblings David and Ceris Graham and the Queensland duo of Aimee Berridge and Nathan Henderson.