Sorrento crowned champion nipper club for second consecutive year

Wrapping up a massive summer of surf sports, this weekend saw over 900 nippers from 26 clubs battle it out over three days in the final of our championships series, the SunSmart WA Nipper Surf Life Saving Championships.

Events kicked off under the lights of the Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre on Friday evening where our nipper athletes took on the beach flags and sprints and it was Sorrento who came out on top with thirteen medals for the evening.

Shout out to Jade Timoko from Quinns Mindarie who took out gold for both the U11 Female Beach Flags & Sprints and Scarboro’s Coco Fonseca who also bagged double gold in the U12 category!

It was Sorrento’s consistency across the board that saw them close out the evening sitting atop the leader board, with Scarboro 42 points behind in second and Trigg Island coming through in third.

On Saturday, our nippers were met with some of the largest conditions we’ve seen in many years for the SunSmart WA Nipper Champs! The waves were rolling in, causing chaos amongst the competitors, but the skills and courage shown were outstanding.

The U11 & U13 1km Beach Run was the first event of the day where North Cottesloe proved strong with six competitors receiving medals across the age categories. It was fantastic to see country athlete Ginger Gleeson from Denmark taking silver in the U12 category while Mila Devereux from Smiths Beach took fourth, as did Niamh Murphy from Esperance Goldfields, in the U11 category.

North Cottesloe was a dominant force in the water, taking out gold in the U13 Female and Male Board Race and U11 & U13 Female Surf Race; silver in the U13 Female and Male Board Rescue, U10 and U11 Female Board Race, U12 and U13 Male and Female Surf Races; and bronze in the U12 and U13 Male Board Race and the U11 Male Surf Race.

Over on the sand, Sorrento claimed eight medals in the Beach Relays, with three gold, four silver and one bronze. North Cottesloe also took out three gold and one bronze and Trigg Island one silver and three bronze. 

Sorrento finished out the day almost 140 points ahead of North Cottesloe, with Trigg Island not far behind with an eight-point difference.

After an exciting day of racing on Saturday, competitors were faced with the same challenging conditions in the surf on Sunday.

The third and final day kicked off with the U10 & U12 1km Beach Run followed by the March Past and Grand Parade, where the athletes marched into Scarborough Beach’s Amphitheatre.

The rest of the day was jam-packed full of team events, including the Cameron Relay, Board Relay and Surf Teams, as well as the Ironman/Ironwoman finals.

Sorrento athletes continued to prove their strength, taking out wins in the U10 and U12 Female Cameron Relay, U12 Male Cameron Relay, U10 Male Board Relay, U12 Female Board Relay and U12 Female and Male Surf Teams! As well as many silver and bronze medals, ultimately claiming the title of Champion Nipper Club for their second consecutive year!

North Cottesloe finished in second place, also taking out Handicap Nipper Champion Club for 2022 while just 38 points behind was Trigg Island in third.

Congratulations to Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club, our 2022 Nipper Champions!

1st: Sorrento SLSC – 481 points

2nd: North Cottesloe – 297 points

3rd: Trigg Island – 259 points

Handicap Champion Nipper Club: North Cottesloe

RESULTS can be found here.

PHOTOS – check out albums from both day 1, 2 & 3 on our Facebook page.

We would like to extend a thank you to our surf sports and naming rights partner Healthway, promoting the SunSmart message. Their support enables us to deliver a comprehensive, year-round surf sports calendar, including these Championships.