Simone Elliott shares the Illawarra Canoe Club (ICC) End of Season Report for 2024.

The ICC had a huge season of paddling, attending three Sprint Series events, Grand Prix 1 & 2, NSW State Sprint Championships, National Sprint Championships and National Marathon Championships. 

In the lead-up to the National events the committee held a presentation for the athletes at the Canoe Club. Athletes were presented with a donation from the club to assist with their competition expenses and as recognition for their commitment to their sport.

The 2024 National Sprint Championships were held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre from March 6-10. It was a successful regatta for the ICC, which took a small but competitive team of six paddlers who all competed strongly and gave it their best. The team consisted of Jasmine Locke, Callum Elliott, Kia McIlwraith, Kynan Burke, Tarren Elliott and Taj Caldwell. 

The group won multiple medals and made many A and B finals. See list below for all results.

Congratulations to Jasmine Locke and Kynan Burke, who qualified for the Australian U23 and Junior World Championships Teams respectively. The event will be held in Bulgaria in July.

Congratulations to Callum Elliott and Kynan Burke who qualified to represent Australia at the Asia-Pacific Cup that will be held at SIRC from 6-10 May. 

It was great to see some of our Olympic Sprint Kayakers presented with their tickets to the Paris Olympics during the National Championships event. Taj Caldwell, the ICC’s youngest competitor, was selected to be part of the ceremony, which was an honour and an amazing experience. Congratulations to Taj  for competing in his first National Kayak Sprint Championships and winning medals in a number of events. 

The National Marathon Championships were held at Encounter Bay in South Australia from April 5-7. Tarren Elliott and her K2 partner, Chelsea Sutton from the Manly Warringah Kayak Club, contested the 15km course and won the event, qualifying for the U18 Australian Marathon Team competing in Croatia in September. 

The club was fortunate to add two new K2s to our fleet this season. The first is a K2 Nelo, which was acquired through very successful club fundraising and sponsorship from our club coach Adam Dean from Dean Industries. A huge thank you to everyone who helped with the fundraising and Adam for his sponsorship.

The club was also successful with their Club Grants NSW application through the Shellharbour Club enabling the purchase of a Vajda K2. 

A huge thank you to the committee for their continued support and coaches for their time and dedication. Congratulations to the athletes for your commitment and for giving it your best and to the parents for your support.