North Cott Splash 'n' Dash 2018 - POST SPLASH GLOW
Well, we couldn't have asked for more! After a close weather call the 2018 North Cott Splash n Dash went off without a hitch. Squeezed onto the limited beach left by cyclone Marcus, the smaller space just added to the vibe. Participants young and old came from far and wide to embrace WA's newest family beach aquathlon. Congratulations to long course winners Rahul Jegatheva (men), Jaime Bowler (women) and Ceinwen and Andy Roberts (relay). And congratulations to everyone who entered because 'having a go' is what we are all about.
Of course none of this would have been possible without Platinum Sponsor Humphrey Homes, Gold Sponsors GPs on Bayview and Shellabears, Silver Sponsors Multiplex and a long list of others including Cottesloe Council, North Cott Surf Life Saving Club, Triathlon WA and our Charity Partner Melanoma WA. Then of course there was our huge band of community volunteers who registered, herded, marshalled and encouraged participants, held ropes against the swell, MC'd, DJ'd, Zumba'd, set up, packed up, baked, fried and served!
So with one final thanks to everyone, the Splash n Dash Team is truly chuffed with the community spirit displayed and can't wait to make it happen all over again in 2019!
Jono makes splash in shallow water
ARTICLE FROM THE WEST WRITTEN BY CLAIRE TYRRELL
Photo by Simon Santi
Jono van Hazel’s days of early starts to stare at the black line at the bottom of the swimming pool feel like a lifetime ago.
The 39-year-old former Olympic swimmer now devotes his time to teaching his three young children how to swim. “Most chances I get it is with the kids in the splash pool, so I haven’t been in anything but waist-deep water for quite some time,” he said. This weekend van Hazel and his wife Anna are taking part in the North Cottesloe Splash ‘n’ Dash.
The family-friendly event ranges from a 150m swim and 500m run to a 1km swim and 1km
run, which can be done as a relay with two people. This year’s Splash ‘n’ Dash has attracted under-19 world aquathon champion Rahul Jegatheva, open water swimmer Jaime Bowler and Port to Pub founder Ceinwen Roberts.
Race director Kath Conway said the event, in its second year, had an emphasis on safety and fun. “We are all about getting everyone down to the beach — from competitive swimmers to young kids we hope can have a go, watch some inspiring professionals and embrace our open water swim culture,” she said.
Harry makes a Splash
Article from the Post Newspaper March 17th written by David Cohen
A Christ Church Grammar School student will be competing with an Olympian and a world champion at the North Cott Splash n Dash next Saturday. The fundraising event is run by North Cottesloe Primary School.
Harry Hewitt (16) won last year’s inaugural event and on March 24 he will be up against
Olympian Jono Van Hazel, under-19 world aquathlon champion Rahul Jegatheva, women’s open-water swimming star Jaime Bowler, and Port to Pub founder and legendary Rottnest swim participant Ceinwin Roberts. “I got into swimming when I started nippers at North Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club,” Harry said. “I wasn’t a very good swimmer so my dad took me to Rick Turner’s training squad, where Jaime Bowler still trains. “I am definitely a swimmer and not a runner. “I’m training for the interschool championships and the national championships next month.”
Jaime and her husband and children, aged eight and 10, will also take part this year.
Organisers tinkered with the event’s format after last year. The long event (for 14 years and older) involves a 1km swim and 1km run. Ages 10 to 14 do a 150m swim and 500m run while ages six to nine swim 50m and run 250m. This year, entrants are able to do the long event as a relay. “The short event is in shallow water, so parents can accompany kids,” race director Kath Conway said.
Participants can register on the day at North Cottesloe beach between 6.30 and 7.30am. Proceeds go to running next year’s event, North Cottesloe Primary School and Melanoma WA. Last year 350 participants raised $10,000.
True grit wins Splash 'n' Dash hearts!
The race organisers watched on.........
‘Does he need assistance?’
‘He said he’s OK so let him finish.’
‘I come from Liverpool,’ says JP. ‘No one swims in the Irish Sea. After moving to Australia I thought - this is something different, something the kids and I can do together.’
‘When I looked out at the 500m ocean loop, I thought that was the whole course, but it was only half! At 150m, I had a panic attack and had to steady my nerves (laughs). I had to catch my breath and am embarrassed to say, for a few seconds, I reverted to doggy paddle.'
‘The half way mark was the worst’, he recalls. ‘I saw the crowd, but no competitors. My wife yelled out ‘You’re last!’ I really wondered if I could finish. Then I thought about my girls and was determined to show them I could.’
And so it was, in one grand hour, 40 minutes behind the first finisher, that JP ran the last stretch. Flanked by cheering children, Pied Piper style, embracing everything that Splash ‘n’ Dash is all about.
‘At the end of the swim I was slightly embarrassed and absolutely knackered’, says JP. ‘But the kids running with me, and the crowd cheering me on gave me a huge boost. It was community spirit at its finest.’
Will he do it again? ‘Yes, absolutely’, says JP. ‘But I will practice a bit and hope to improve my PB in 2018!’
Who are the Good Looking Roosters?
"Who are they?" we wondered........ with their eye-catching togs, good natured heckling and larrikin ways. We just had to find out.
The Good Looking Roosters (or GLR for short) is a group of friends who first met while studying Exercise Physiology together. Now playing footy for Cottesloe Roosters Football Club the group has become larger and more diverse.
They do not call themselves 'experienced swimmers', even though their biggest accomplishment is swimming the Rottnest Channel Swim. With footy on their mind they say that swimming is all just a bit of fun, but we know better than that. Fun and competition go hand in hand with these larrikins.
GLR’s Matt Jones came across the event and upon suggesting it to his friends they decided that they had to get involved. Fellow GLR Nic Wroe thought it looked like a good event: “not too far of a swim/run but still a good distance, plus I really wanted to beat the guys as we are quite a competitive bunch.” And so it came about that Matt, Nic, Mike, Beau and Alix entered the race.
“It was an awesome event, we loved the lap style course. It allowed you to see where you were in the field and also cheer fellow competitors on along the way,” Nic said. “It was competitive race, yet everyone was still able to have a laugh together. This is something you don’t get to see a lot of on race start lines.”
“We were able to get down there nice and early and watch some of the kids racing. It was great to watch, seeing them get right into the shorter courses you couldn’t help but cheer them on”
“We had a great time on the day. The weather was perfect, the intra-GLR competitiveness was fierce and it was a great event to participate in”
“We will definitely be back next year.”
Below L-R : Matt Jones, Michael Hug, Nic Wroe (photo from @wroeyaboat)
