Daniel Tomlinson-Sport-Cycling.
Brisbane and Gold Coast cyclists will have
the chance to test themselves on the same roads veteran Aussie icon Robbie
McEwen rode in preparation for the Tour de France.
The flagship route of the Festival Of Cycling, dubbed Gran Fondo
which loosely translated means “Great Distance” or “Great Endurance”, is one of
several circuits McEwen used in order to train for the world famous Tour.
McEwen has urged Brisbane riders to take
part in the Gold Coast’s second annual Festival
Of Cycling, saying that getting as many bums on bikes as possible is the
goal for the event.
In the festival’s first year more than
half the riders were Brisbane based participants, with 57 per cent of attendees
making the trip down the M1 to Metricon Stadium.
Three-time Tour de France green jersey
winner McEwen, said he hoped Brisbane residents would be just as keen to once
again enter this year’s event which takes place next weekend. (28th-29th
September)
“I was so happy and inspired to see so
many regional residents travel to the Gold Coast to get active and involved in
what is not only a worthy cause but also a fun weekend that the whole family
can enjoy,” McEwen said.
On Saturday the festival will include an
Australian first, with V8 and motorbike racing talents and other famous
sportspeople to line up in the Celebrity Motorsport Time Trials around the
Metricon Stadium plaza.
The two-wheeled race will include V8
Supercar drivers Lee Holdsworth and Maro Engel, as well as Superbike legend
Troy Bayliss, professional rally driver Chris Atkinson
and dual football international Mat Rogers.
The event includes three major Sunday
rides - Robbie McEwen’s Gran Fondo (117km), Piccolo Fondo (50km) and Tourist Ride
(27km).
All routes give riders the opportunity
to take in some of the fantastic scenery that south-east Queensland has to offer.
“Cycling tours are a major tourism
drawcard and Australia has seen explosive growth the past decade, thanks to our
beautiful scenic landscapes,” McEwen said.
Festival event manager Kate Riley expects
that most of this year’s entrants would be riding in the tough Gran Fondo,
saying those who entered were looking for a challenge.
Within the Gran Fondo there will be a 6km
King of the Mountain electronically timed climb up the back side of Beechmont,
offering riders the chance to show off their climbing skills.
McEwen said riders entering the 117km
route should be riding at least three times a week to prepare for the event, while
the two shorter rides could be completed without prior training.
There will be a variety of other
attractions and events throughout the weekend for spectators and entrants, with
2km, 5km and 10km fun runs, plus kids’ activities and an AFL Grand Final Party.
A laughing McEwen stressed that while he
would be running in the 5km event, he was a rider not a runner and that the two
sports are markedly different.
McEwen also said jokingly that these
days he rides to look fit without actually being fit and he will not be riding
competitively on the Sunday as that is not the intention of the event.
The Grand Final Party will be a
dedicated AFL celebration with the Grand Final being played live and free on
the Plaza Big Screen for all to enjoy.
Funds
raised during the festival will support the work of RACQ CareFlight
and 4ASD kids.
The
event will be run from Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast on the weekend of the
28th and 29th of September.
Daniel Tomlinson.
Sport.
Netball.
100 budding netballers had the chance to
play on the same court as Diamonds legend Liz Ellis.
The three-time world champion was the
figurehead for the Foxtel All-Stars Liz Ellis Academy held yesterday at
Brisbane Indoor Sports Centre.
Ellis was ecstatic about the grassroots
program, which had drawn participants from as far afield as Rockhampton and
Inverell in northern NSW.
“It’s just such a good initiative,” said
Ellis.
“Twelve months ago netball didn’t even
have a broadcast partner, now we’ve got one who is willing to engage with the
grass roots.
“I’m so excited, this whole thing with
Foxtel is just so exciting.”
Yesterday’s event was conceived by the
pay-tv network to bolster interest in the sport and was one of five free
one-day clinics held throughout Australia.
Some of the sport’s best coaches came
along to help the girls out, such as Queensland Firebirds assistant coach
Tracey Robinson and Firebirds Demelza McCloud and Nicola Gray.
The mentors offered coaching and expertise
that the 12-16 year old girls were obviously lapping up despite the heat and
fast pace of the day.
A competition was run online and asked
potential participants to share stories of their passion for netball for a
chance to learn from the best.
The 50 chosen winners were asked to
bring a friend who had preferably never played netball or had been interested
in playing but hadn’t done so.
Inverell teenager Phoebe Koch was one of the girls lucky enough to win her way into the
clinic and according to her father David, Phoebe and the other girls were
having a ball.
“Excitement levels coming up here were
unreal, 11 out of 10, they were absolutely stoked,” said Mr Koch.
The academy now moves onwards to
Adelaide before finishing up in Melbourne.
Daniel Tomlinson-Sport.
For Jay Staunton and three of his best mates,
Saturday’s League for Life rugby league tournament is about much more than just
the results.
The League for Life concept was established in 2010
by Hunter Thomas, Lewis Torkington, Jay Staunton and Darcy Bowden – to raise
funds for youth suicide prevention following the deaths of three of their close
friends.
“It’s a fantastic way of creating awareness in a fun and entertaining
atmosphere,” Staunton said.
“Most guys are in it to just play a game of rugby league and have a few
beers afterwards.”
The day has seen significant growth over the past
four years, leading to a number of celebrity appearances this year, including
former NRL great Glenn Lazarus.
“It’s a great day for a great cause,” Lazarus said.
The competition will be held this Saturday the 21st
of September at Wests Bulldogs Rugby Club in Toowong.
The event pits Old Boys from various GPS schools
against one another in a mini rugby league competition in support of the
Pathways to Resilience Program – a Brisbane based charity assisting those
affected by depression and suicide.
“A number of GPS schools
are already involved in the event and it is hoped that more GPS schools will
become involved as the concept expands,” Mr. Staunton said.
Staunton said no one really
played for keeps, noting that the primary goal for the day was to raise funds
for the Pathways to Resilience Program, which the Old Boys have raised
approximately $15,000 for in the past 3 years.
The day also offers exhibition matches, on field
entertainment, food and boutique beverage stalls and the chance to meet a variety
of local celebrities.
For more information, to support the team or to see
the schedule for the day visit http://www.leagueforlife.com.au
Daniel Tomlinson
Sport.
Harness racing will see a return to
grass in the Sunshine State after a new deal struck by Racing Queensland and
the Queensland Harness Racing Board.
The sport, which sees horses pulling two
wheeled carts at a specific gait (a trot) on turf, is quite popular in both New
Zealand and the United Kingdom according to board chairman Brad Steele.
“This
concept came about when the board was discussing ways to return trotting to the
country, but utilising existing infrastructure,” Steele said.
The Queensland grass track trotting
series will be working with three identified thoroughbred clubs to host several
meetings throughout the season which starts on November 23.
President of the Redcliffe Harness
Racing Club Kerry Ebert acknowledged it had been a long time since grass track
trotting was run in Queensland but was optimistic about the return.
“The marquees are all booked for
December 8 at Kilcoy, which also sees an Australian first with Gallops and
Trots being run at the same event,” said Ebert who is also a trainer.
“We’re expecting a mammoth day.
“There’s going to be over 2000
spectators there, it’ll be great.”
Ebert said the main differences between
a grass track and a well prepared dirt track were a slower overall time thanks
to the five inch long grass and a slightly rougher ride.
He also felt the longer distance of the
new tracks would play a part with drivers having to adjust their winning
formulas to suit.
“There’s two tracks left in Queensland,
Redcliffe which is 800 metres (long) and Albion Park which is 1000 metres,”
said Ebert.
“The Kilcoy track is 1200 metres and
Esk’s track is 1600 metres and the straights are probably double the length of
the other tracks.
“People will no doubt have to change
their tactics and their driving style, which will be very interesting.”
The long awaited return to grass tracks will
see a significant boost in harness racing’s ability to draw crowds according to
an enthusiastic Ebert.
“It (trotting) is an additional thing to
use the tracks for and it’s simply another bonus for the sport as a whole.”
Daniel Tomlinson-Sport.
World number nine Brandt Snedeker is the
latest big name to sign on for the Australian PGA Championship to be held at
the Gold Coast’s Royal Pines Resort.
The American Snedeker will join
Australian golf sensation and world number two Adam Scott on the Coast as well
as Tour Professionals Rickie Fowler and Marc Leishman.
It will be Snedeker’s first Australasian
tournament in six years and he can hardly wait to head back down under.
“I’m excited,” said Snedeker.
“I’ve been there quite a few times in my
career, I love getting back.
“It’s a great place to play golf and one
of the pretty spots in the world.
“The people there are so welcoming, it’s
fantastic, so it should be a lot of fun.”
Since turning Professional in 2004
Snedeker has notched up a number of Tour wins, the most notable being last
year’s Tour Championship which included a healthy US$10
million bonus.
The Australian PGA Championship will be
held from November 7-10 on the Gold Coast and spectators can buy tickets now at www.ticketek.com.au
and for more information and full event details head to www.pgachampionship.com.au.
Daniel
Tomlinson-Sport-Motorsport.
This weekend
will see drag racing world record holders Scott Porter from Queensland and
George Rehayem from New South Wales fighting to be the fastest at Brisbane’s
Jamboree.
Porter and
Rehayem will headline hundreds of racers taking their passion off the streets
and out to Willowbank Raceway for the 23rd running of the Brisbane
Jamboree.
The Jamboree –
Australia’s premier Sport Compact drag racing event, has
been giving speedsters the opportunity to lawfully let loose since 1991.
Over time the event
has established itself as a mecca for ultra-high performance imports and many
other forms of modified vehicles.
The event is not
all racing though, with a number of other attractions including two show and
shines, music sound off, dyno competition and the ever popular babe and bikini
contests.
Event organiser
Ray Box is anticipating 10,000 spectators to walk through the gates over the
course of the weekend and already there are more than 280 entrants across all
competitive fields.
“As the final preparations fall into place for this
weekend’s Brisbane Jamboree at Willowbank Raceway, the entry list is really
starting to build thanks to our pre-entry option,” said Box.
“With a wide array of racers including some
world-beating performers such as Scott Porter and his Nissan Infinity
(currently the quickest and fastest Nissan-powered Nissan in the world) and PAC
Performance’s George Rehayem (quickest and fastest rotary in the world) the
10,000 plus spectators we are expecting across the weekend will not be
disappointed.”
On track competition is bound to be fierce, with
many proven racers across a variety of classes set to battle it out side by
side all weekend.
For anyone with a penchant for motorsport or an
interest in fast cars and tyre smoke fuelled fun, the Jamboree may well be
worth the trip.
Daniel Tomlinson.
Sport.
Tennis.
Avid tennis players Abigail and Jessica
Jeffers (10 & 8) are two kids who simply love their sport.
The girls, who play tennis at the Ormeau
Pimpama Club, have tried a number of other sports but feel tennis is their passion.
Since moving from their cramped
townhouse in the dreary UK to their sunny Australian home – complete with
tennis court and pool – mum Ellena said health and sport have been a major
focus.
“If kids these days aren’t playing sport
they’ll just be sitting at home on the computer, the iPad or whatever it may
be,” said Ms. Jeffers.
“It’s all tech, tech, tech with modern
kids, getting my girls into tennis to keep them off the computers and fit and
healthy was a big motivator.”
This Tuesday will see the girls
travelling to South Bank to join in the AO Blitz – Australia’s largest ever
tennis participation drive – is coming to Brisbane and giving people of all
ages the chance to give the sport a go.
From this Sunday until Tuesday October 1st
the AO Blitz road show will be in town, moving across the greater Brisbane
region and providing an exciting tennis event for all ages and abilities.
Each event will include a variety of
attractions, including the chance to get up close and personal with the
Australian Open trophies for a fantastic photo opportunity which could include
mixed doubles champion Scott Draper (Tuesday only).
There will also be a competition to
determine who has the speediest service in the country and give them the
opportunity to show off their speed on Rod Laver Arena at the 2014 Open.
For Abigail and Jessica there will be
MLC Hot Shots tennis on offer – basically tennis using a modified ball and mini
nets – while for the parents there will be a cardio tennis challenge.
The AO Blitz campaign is split in two
parts; the aforementioned free community days and the web based interactive
competition.
The second part is a national
competition that will run from mid-October until early January and offers
members of the public the chance to have a 2014 Australian Open player
represent their local town.
Yes, your favourite tennis player – whether
it be Roger Federer, Serena Williams or in Abigail’s case, Maria Sharapova –
could be playing for your suburb next year on the world stage.
The prizes also include $10,000 for the
highest points earner from each of winning towns from the men’s and women’s
draws.
People all over the country can look to
get involved and register themselves to take part in one or all of the 34 individual,
club and school friendly competitions to be run over the three months.
The AO Blitz will be at Westfield
Chermside on Sunday (9am-5pm), Westfield Carindale on Monday (10am-5pm) and The
Courier Mail Piazza and Apron at South Bank on Tuesday (9am-4pm).
Daniel
Tomlinson-Sport.
Former
Wimbledon champion Pat Cash has launched a campaign aimed at getting more
people involved in sports volunteering.
The initiative,
dubbed DoSomething Sporty! runs from today until October 5 and aims to get
people involved by volunteering with their local sporting club.
Organised by the DoSomething! charity founded by Cash five years ago,
after his departure from Planet Ark, the new program will build on Australia’s
already sterling reputation for sports volunteers.
Cash said that he
left Planet Ark to focus on the broader issues of social awareness that
couldn’t be covered working there.
“After a
huge effort of fundraising and support from my personal foundation, the Pratt
family and ALDI, we set up the DoSomethingNearYou website with the aim of
making it easier for people to help out and volunteer in all 16,000 suburbs
around Australia,” said Cash.
“It's been a huge
undertaking but it's now launched and we're getting an amazing response from
the public and the charities who are listing their community organisations,
sports clubs and community events for free on the site.
“We've pulled
together a list of all of Australia's sporting codes and put them on to
DoSomethingNearYou.com.au. By typing in their postcode, people will be able to
volunteer or take part in a sporting club.”
According to Cash,
sporting volunteering is the most popular form of volunteering in Australia but
even so, many local clubs are still stretched and in need of community support.
“DoSomething!
wants to help all sporting codes by bringing them together with volunteers who
haven’t got involved in sports volunteering before.”
For more
information and to find out how you can get amongst it,
visit http://www.dosomethingnearyou.com.au.
Khawaja, opening for Valley District Cricket Club played some confident strokes in round three on Saturday morning before being caught in the deep thanks to a thick top edge down the off side, after putting nine runs on the board. The second game of the day (round four) saw Khawaja once more play several encouraging shots before repeating his earlier effort, popping the ball high on the off side, a veritable Christmas present for the Gold Coast fielder that saw the test standard playing leaving the ground with just three more runs to his name. In recent matches Khawaja has struggled to find form since being dropped from the Australian team. Four starts in the current T20 series have seen him net just 23 runs overall, including a duck in the first round. The two games played by the Valley side at Redlands Cricket Club against Wynnum Manly and the Gold Coast were hard fought, with Valley overcoming the early loss of Khawaja in round three to post a four run victory, 145-141. The fourth round saw the Gold Coast chasing down Valley in timely fashion to reach the required 148 to win with 13 balls remaining. With the semi finals starting on October 6, Valley are going to need their big guns, who include Sydney Sixers MVP Luke Feldman, to start firing if they're to stand a decent chance of taking out the tournament win.
Injury prone fast bowler Ryan Harris yesterday played his first match since bowing out of the fifth Ashes test due to a hamstring strain. Harris was playing for local side Toombul against the Gold Coast who absolutely dominated the day, bowling Toombul out for 85 and then chasing down the total in 23 overs. It was more of a test run for Harris, the paceman not bowling an over on the day, stating that it was not in his program to do so and next week would see him return with the ball. "It's my program leading into the test series," said Harris. "I've got to have a break for a certain amount of time and then bowl for a certain amount of time. "That's the program that myself and the physio's have come up with." Harris had a quiet day after scoring zero from three balls faced and then despite barking some orders for field placement, not touching the ball in play once at first slip. "It was obviously a very bad day for us," he said. "Look I wanted to get out there and have a good bat and then field some overs to get some miles on my legs. "But that obviously didn't go to plan." Harris felt that his body was in top shape and he was hopeful of making the Australian side for the return Ashes this Summer. "My knee's good, shoulder's good, achilles is good, so everything is ready to go." "I could have bowled out there today but obviously it just wasn't the time." Harris rushed away after the game, hoping to see Hawthhorne secure grand final victory.
