Bokarina teen Emma Woods emerged as one of the top talents in surf lifesaving during summer, but she remains grounded heading into the state and Australian championships.
The 18-year-old was a revelation in her first elite Ironwoman Series campaign, claiming sixth place among the country’s best 20 surf sports athletes.
That’s provided her with a morale boost ahead of the Queensland titles at Tugun this weekend and the Australian carnival on the Sunshine Coast in April.
“I’m pretty happy with sixth in the series,” Alexandra Headland club-member said.
“It was a goal of mine to be in the top 10 (and automatically re-qualify for the next series), so I don’t have to do the trials (again) because they are pretty gruelling, and anything can happen in them.
“I gained some confidence, and the experience was cool, just to be in there.
“But I won’t go into the Aussies or states with any expectations to exceed, because it’s a whole different sort of racing, with a whole lot of girls as well.”
Woods’ priority for the two upcoming carnivals is to fare well in the under-19 division.
She’s aiming to win the board race and a podium in the iron race.
Her biggest contender would likely be club-mate Tayla Halliday, who also experienced a stunning Ironwoman Series with a fifth placing.
“She is probably the biggest threat,” Woods said.
Woods could be a threat in the open ranks, after showing her capabilities in the Ironwoman Series. She has entered in the open iron and board events but will only compete in them if they don’t interrupt her under-19 campaign.
“For the rest of the season I’ll focus on 19s and opens would just be a bit of fun,” she said.
Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our free daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email. See SUBSCRIBE at the top of this article.
Woods is now more comfortable in physical races.
“What I learned most from the series is that they swim on top of you,” she said.
“They are a lot more in your face compared to what I was used to.
“So, I was adjusting to that.
She also backs herself if she falls behind in races.
“Knowing that I can close the gap on the open girls gives me a bit of confidence,” she said.
“I’m going to race against the 19s, knowing I know that if I do have a bad start or get hit, I can close the gap significantly.””
Halliday enjoyed just a week off training, after the series finished, before getting back into the grind.
It’s a busy schedule for the University of Sunshine Coast student, who is in her second year of Nursing Science. She also works at Alex Surf Club.
A host of Sunshine Coast clubs will be involved in the Queensland Senior and Masters State Championships this weekend.
They include Noosa Heads, Coolum Beach, Marcoola, Mudjimba, Maroochydore, Alexandra Headland, Mooloolaba, Kawana, Dicky Beach and Met Caloundra.
The action at Tugun runs from March 26-28, including thousands of the state’s best battling each other on the surf and sand in their quest for state glory.
The event was cancelled last year, along with the Australian championships, due to the impacts of COVID-19.
Alexandra Headland’s Lana Rogers is the reigning state ironwoman champion, after winning the final in 2019. She recently won the Ironwoman Series for the second year running.
