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Bring your sun protection and filled water bottles folks! It’ll be a scorching 30+ degrees Celsius this Sunday 5 February 2023 for the Rockingham Foreshore Triathlon; a State Series race and our State Sprint Championships for the 2022/23 season. But it’s not just the sunshine creating the heat down at Bell Park; there’s an INCREDIBLE lineup of athletes set to hit the course.

More than 600 athletes, from beginners to elite, will be taking on the challenge. In 2023, the Rockingham Foreshore Triathlon will see the Fremantle Ports Enticer, Fremantle Ports Sprint, and SunSmart Kids Triathlon take place, rounded out by our Scody Draft Legal Sprint.

Scody Draft Legal Sprint

The field for the Scody Draft Legal Sprint is epic, with 18 Open athletes and 15 of our 16-19 Juniors putting the pedal to the metal. It’ll be a race to stick around for!

The Open field includes current TOTY Champs and 2022 Foreshore Tri winners Aleisha Wesley (North Coast) and Zeke Tinley (Bunbury), plus young-guns Kurt Wesley (North Coast), Reece Harris (Mandurah), James Kjellgren-Lewis (Fremantle), Sam Mileham (Fremantle), Rowan Kerr (XTR), Rhianna Hepburn (UWA) , Herlene Yu (Fremantle), Sian Munks (UWA), Indie Arbuckle (XTR) and Madi Toovey (North Coast). Some of WA’s best including Guy Crawford (Fremantle), James Martin (Mandurah) and Paul McKay (ADF) are also vying for the top spot.

They’ll be competing with some of our top 16-19 Juniors too, including lightning fast athletes Josh Neervoort (Fremantle), Josh Fletcher (Exceed), Ivan Nagel (EFS), Jett Sultana (North Coast), Daniel Stewart (EFS), Daniel Buis (North Coast), Josh Pedlow (Exceed), Connor Richards (North Coast), Eric Aspeling (Mandurah), Jacob Palmer (Exceed), Ryan McPherson (North Coast), Erin Driscoll (North Coast), Christophe Gardner (Bunbury), Will Holden (North Coast), and Bridie Crew (North Coast).

Fremantle Ports Sprint

The Age Group field is also extremely strong with some pretty quick TOTY contenders racing for the State Crown. We’ll have almost the entire current 20-24 TOTY list racing for points, including Ella Phelan (Stadium), Lauren Nash (XTR), Jaxon Bilchuris (North Coast), Chad McKay (Mandurah) and Freo clubmates Michael Orton and Andrew Flint. It’ll be neck and neck at the finish line!

We’ll also have 2021/22 Season TOTY Age Group winners including Melanie Wade (Stadium), Emma Moon (Phoenix), Andrew Malatios (North Coast), Rebecca Lewis (Exceed), Bart Hollemans (Oceanic), Matt McKay (Mandurah), Emma Leonard (North Coast), Lucky Phil Monks (North Coast), Barry Silverlock (North Coast), Trish Vickery (Busselton) and Jenny Owen (EFS) taking on the course – so we’re in for some awesome racing across the board!

The Brynt McSwain Trophy

Continuing a long standing tradition, the Brynt McSwain Trophy will once again be awarded to the fastest male triathlete at the Triathlon WA State Sprint Championships. Past winners include the likes of Ryan Bailie, Luke Bate, and Jonney Sammut.

Brynt McSwain was a Triathlon WA member and previous State Champion who tragically lost his life in 2014. The trophy named in his honour will be presented at the Rockingham Foreshore Triathlon by Brynt’s mother Snow, and proudly displayed year-round at Churchill Cycles in Booragoon where Brynt worked.

Slip Slop Slap, Seek, Slide & Stay Hydrated!

It’s going to be HOT this Sunday, so please make sure you’re being SunSmart as much as possible, drinking plenty of water and keeping yourself cool. The UV will be high, so wear your sunglasses, hat, long sleeved shirt and sunscreen wherever possible. Seek shade where you can and make sure to bring a few FILLED bottles of water. We’ll also have a water station where you can refill as needed. You can also pop into the water for a quick dip to cool off if needed! Just avoid the swim course area.

Learn more about being SunSmart here: www.sunsmart.com.au

With thanks to our Event Sponsors:

• City of Rockingham
• Fremantle Ports
• Tourism Rockingham
• Scody Australia
• Quest Apartment Hotel Rockingham
• The Beach Rock IGA, and
• Keep on Running

Triathlon WA is proud to announce a partnership with StretchLab, a leading provider of personalised stretching and flexibility services. StretchLab is a unique wellness concept, offering customised assisted-stretch sessions. No two bodies are the same and no two stretches at StretchLab are the same. One-on-one stretching is about identifying tightness and imbalances in your body and customising a stretch routine that is just for you.

Through this partnership, Triathlon WA members will be eligible to receive special discounts on StretchLab services. This partnership will provide Triathlon WA members with access to stretching and flexibility services that can help improve performance, reduce the risk of injury, and enhance overall wellbeing. The discounts will be available at all StretchLab locations across Western Australia – Highgate, South Perth, Claremont and Currambine. We look forward to providing our members with this unique opportunity and helping them reach their goals.

TWA Member exclusive offer/s:

• 1x free 25-minute stretch per Triathlon WA Premium and Standard Members
• 15% ongoing discount for Triathlon WA Standard Members and 20% ongoing discount for Triathlon WA Premium Members

Triathlon Western Australia is pleased to announce the election of Brenden Koh as President of the organisation. Henrietta Farrell has been elected as Vice President.

We thank our outgoing President, Steve Lyon, for his service and the dedication he has shown over the past years. Thanks to Steve’s leadership and expertise in risk management and strategy, our organisation remained strong through the COVID-19 Pandemic and into 2022.

Triathlon WA Executive Director, Glenn Te Raki, said the organisation was excited to have Brenden stepping up into the President role.

“Brenden brings a strong understanding of the sport as well as prior Board and leadership experience. He will undoubtably bring enthusiasm and energy to his leadership of the Board alongside Vice President, Henrietta Farrell,” said Te Raki.

New Triathlon WA President Brenden Koh says he is excited to be taking on the Presidency and looks forward to continuing the growth of the organisation and sport.

“I’d like to thank the TWA board for my election as President of TWA and am humbled by the support from all of the people within our wonderful Triathlon community,” said Koh.

“We should all be proud to be part of TWA and where it is going. As an organisation we must continue to adapt, challenge the status quo, and set the sport up for future successes.

“To our community – please continue to take part and get involved because this sport is as good as we make it,” he said.

We look forward to seeing the positive impact Brenden and Henrietta will have in the coming years, and congratulate them on their election.

BRENDEN KOH – TWA PRESIDENT PROFILE

Brenden joined the Triathlon WA Board in 2019, and is a senior management leader with over 15 years of experience in professional roles spanning Risk, Human Resource Management, Operations management and Health & Safety. He holds a degree in Health Science, Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety, and a Master in Business Administration as well as AICD qualification in Advance Governance and is currently employed as Senior Health & Safety Business partner with an ASX100 listed company.

Brenden completed his first Triathlon in 2008 and has always been an active member of the UWA Triathlon Club, including the role of President from 2010 until 2018 and is a strong advocate for triathlon clubs and the role they play in this sport. He has previously raced in the Age Group Championships for Australia, completed the Busselton Ironman and also completed 11 Ironman 70.3 races.  His other hobbies include rugby, diving, fishing and camping. 

He is a father of two young daughters, and is extremely keen to see this sport continue to develop and flourish in Western Australia for the benefit of all our members.

HENRIETTA FARRELL – TWA VICE PRESIDENT PROFILE

Henrietta has served on the TWA board for the past year, and brings over 16 years experience at major international events (Commonwealth Games, Olympics) in a senior marketing lead role. More recently, she has gained experience with the State Government, managing stakeholder management and communications with the construction of Perth Stadium. Henrietta has been involved in triathlon sport as a participant and volunteer since 2014.

Following the Triathlon Western Australia (TWA) Annual General Meeting on Saturday 22 October 2022, we are pleased to announce the election of three new Board Members and the re-election of one Board Member.

Bruce McCully

• Senior Executive Management
• Leadership Management
• Property Management Funding

Bruce holds a Master of Business Administration, and has over 21 years of Business experience. His previous roles include Head of Retail and General Manager at Primewest, State Property Manager at Coles Group and Regional Manager at Macquarie Group.

“I am very excited to give back to the sport that has meant so much to me in recent years. The triathlon community is full of inspiring and talented people and being on the board of this organisation is a wonderful opportunity,” he said.

Henrietta Farrell

• Marketing and Public Relations
• Communications Managment
• Government Relationships and Engagement

Henrietta is a returning Board Member this season. She is a senior executive leader with over 20 years of experience in high-profile project delivery and she recently graduated from the Australian Institute of Company Directors. With a focus on delivering outstanding customer experiences, her career has focused on commercial sports and communications projects in both the public and private sectors in Perth, Melbourne and London.

“I am thrilled to be rejoining the Triathlon WA board and look forward to giving back to the sport that has given me so much”, she said.

Emma Ridley

• Experienced in Project and Marketing Management
• Digital Transformation
• Strategic Brand Management
• Sponsorship Management
• Governance and Risk

Emma is an experienced Marketing and Event professional with more than 11 years experience in the field. Her past roles include the likes of Event and Partnerships Coordinator for IRONMAN (melbourne), Event Coordinator for the Fremantle Dockers Football Club, Brand Manager at HBF Health and Marketing Manager at Adelaide Football club.

“I am delighted to join the board to support the ongoing success of the sport, our clubs, and the tri community. I look forward to giving back to the sport that has given me so much to me over the last decade,” she said.

Kate McRobb

• Experienced Professional Engineer with further expertise in
• Risk and Performance Management
• Project Management – Strategy

Kate holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (hons.) and a Business Certificate. She has more than 12 years experience as an Engineer at Woodside Energy, having taken on roles including Business Planner, Optimization Engineer and Development Lead.

“Triathlon has given me so many great opportunities, I now look forward to supporting and contributing to TWAs ongoing success,” she said.

On behalf of the Executive Director of Triathlon WA we welcome our newest elected Board members and look forward to working together to continue growing our sport.

The EXSS Sprint Duathlon was held on Sunday 16 October 2022. Warm but windy conditions greeted more than 130 athletes at Champion Lakes for the State Duathlon Championship event.

The crown was well and truly up for grabs in the Open Female field, with reigning Duathlon and Triathlete of the Year (TOTY) Champion Aleisha Wesley (North Coast) logging a DNS due to injury. Late entrant Felicity Sheedy-Ryan (UWA) put on a strong performance to take home the title in a time of 1:03:26.7. Fremantle athlete Rachael Smyth finished less than a minute behind Sheedy-Ryan to claim second, with fellow Fremantle club-mate Herlene Yu hot on her heels in third. Katherine Ryan (Stadium), Indie Arbuckle (XTR) and Alexandra Meek (UWA) rounded out the top 6. Sian Munks (UWA) unfortunately did not finish after coming off her bike midway through the race. We wish Sian a speedy recovery.

In the Open Male field, it was a nail-biting sprint to the finish with less than 2 minutes between the top three athletes. Reigning TOTY Champion Zeke Tinley (Bunbury) raced home to claim the Title in just 54:38.5. Jonathan Sammut (UWA) made a triumphant return to racing to claim second, followed closely by Sam Mileham (Fremantle) in third. Reece Harris (Mandurah), Paul MacKay (ADF), Rowan Kerr (XTR) and Ronan Hays (Mandurah) rounded out the top 7.

There were a number of notable performances from Age-Group athletes. Joao Carlos Bernardes Neto (non-club) outpaced several of the open athletes to land in 5th place overall, and top of his age-group. Clodagh Glynn (Stadium), Janne Leibmann (Fremantle), and Anna Massey (Exceed) all placed in the top 10 females overall.

Junior athletes shone bright, with finishing times not far off those of the Open athletes. Josh Fletcher (Exceed) and Josh Neervort (Fremantle) showed they could keep up with the big boys, not only snagging the top 2 podium places in the 16-19 Male category but also both placing in the top 10 overall. 16-19 Female athlete Erin Driscoll (North Coast) also placed in the top 10 females overall with an impressive time of 1:10:09.7.

View full results here: https://my.raceresult.com/203371/#0_8A4B11

The EXSS Sprint Duathlon was the first Triathlon WA Senior and Junior State Series race of the 2022/23 season, and the WA State Duathlon Championship for all Senior Age Groups. All eligible athletes earnt points toward Triathlete of the Year – who will win this season?! Keep an eye on our website for the leaderboard update.

The next State Series race for juniors is the EXSS Sprint Triathlon on Sunday, 27 November, and for seniors it will be the City of Joondalup Coastal Quest on Sunday, 18 December.

The first State Series race of the 2022/23 season is set to light up Champion Lakes Regatta Centre from 8am on Sunday 16 October 2022! The EXSS Duathlon is the Triathlon WA State Duathlon Championships, with more than 115 athletes taking on the challenge of a 5km Run, 20km Bike, 2.5km Run.

There will be fierce competition in the Open female category, with a fantastic field of local talent set to race. Reigning State Duathlon Champion and Triathlete of the Year (TOTY) Aleisha Wesley (North Coast) will go head to head with experienced triathlete Katherine Ryan (Stadium), hot-shot Indie Arbuckle (XTR), and newcomers Sian Munks (UWA), Rachael Smyth (Fremantle), Alexandra Meek (UWA) and Herlene Yu (Fremantle).

A smaller Open Male field will make for a fast-paced race to the finish for reigning Triathlete of the Year Zeke Tinley (Bunbury), Rowan Kerr (XTR), and Mandurah young-guns Ronan Hays and Reece Harris.

There’s a wealth of experience in the Age-Group field, with TOTY ranking athletes like Michael Orton (Fremantle), Aidan Clark (Mandurah), Min Gao (UWA), Rebecca Kierath (Exceed), Bryant Ware (Fremantle), Agostino Zurzolo (UWA), Melanie Wade (Stadium), Janne Leibmann (Fremantle), Clodagh Glynn (Stadium), Joao Neto (non-club), Andrew Malatios (North Coast), Rebecca Lewis (Exceed), Greg Saunt (North Coast), Russell Harris (Mandurah), Craig Abbleby (Stadium), Pip Laufmann (Stadium), Fiona Longden (North Coast), Trish Vickery (Busselton), Darryl Harris (Mandurah), and Richard Burnell (EFS) set to take the start line.

The junior 16-19 field includes the likes of Connor Richards (North Coast), Josh Neervoort (Fremantle), Bridie Crew (North Coast), and Erin Driscoll (North Coast) among some other incredible young triathletes.

We’ll also see some of our former juniors like Abbie Crew (North Coast) stepping up to the Senior age groups this season.

Best of luck to all athletes participating in the State Duathlon Championships!

NOTICE OF 2022 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF TRIATHLON WESTERN AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2022 Annual General Meeting of Triathlon Western Australia Incorporated will be conducted at 3:45pm (WST) on Saturday, 22 October 2022. 
Members of the association will be able to attend the meeting in person at the nominated venue below OR online via Microsoft Teams (link provided below)

• Leederville Function Centre, 246 Vincent Street Leederville OR
• Microsoft Teams by clicking here

AGENDA: The agenda for the Annual General Meeting can be found HERE   

ATTENDANCE AND VOTING:  Pursuant to Rule 21.1 of the Constitution of Triathlon Western Australia Incorporated dated September 2019, each Individual Member and Life Member over the age of 18 years at the time of the Annual General Meeting is entitled to one (1) vote at that Annual General Meeting.  No other Member will be entitled to vote. 

VOTING PROCEDURE: Voting at the Annual General Meeting will be as per 20.4 of the Constitution of Triathlon Western Australia Incorporated dated September 2019: At any meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting will be decided on a show of hands unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded:
(1)    by the Chair; or
(2)    by a simple majority of Individual Members. 

BOARD ELECTION: An election for the four vacant Board positions will be in accordance with Rule 25.2(5) of the Constitution of Triathlon Western Australia Incorporated dated September 2019. 

TWA IS COMMITTED TO GENDER DIVERSITY WITHIN ALL LEVELS OF THE SPORT IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA, INCLUDING A BALANCED REPRESENTATION OF GENDER WITHIN ITS LEADERSHIP. 

Triathlon WA (TWA) is committed to providing a safer and more inclusive environment for our community. As an organisation we are always looking for ways to improve our practices for the benefit of our members and participants. As such, TWA is committed to making the following changes in relation to Triathlon WA owned events (the SunSmart Busselton Festival of Triathlon, the Rockingham Foreshore Triathlon and the newly acquired Every Woman Triathlon).

Public Release of Start Lists

TWA acknowledges that publicly listing participant information can be undesirable for some individuals, and it may discourage them from registering for an event altogether. Consequently, TWA will now provide an option on our registration forms asking every participant IF they would like their name removed from pre/post event promotion.

Public Release of Results

Similarly, participants will be given the opportunity to have their name and any other personal details removed from public race results. We will work with timing companies to ensure a non-identifiable feature (e.g. just a race number) will be in place for those who have chosen this option. The participant’s finish position and race time will remain in the system.

Event Photography

TWA appreciates that not every participant is comfortable with photos of themselves being used for promotional purposes. This season we are offering all registrants of our owned events the option to add a ‘No Photo Please’ sticker to their race bib, and use the ‘No Photo Please’ action. These measures will help photographers and staff quickly identify participants who prefer not to have their image shared online.

Due to the volume and scale of media being created at events, there will be a margin of error but we will do our best to respect participant preferences. Participant images may still be used where a race number, sticker or hand gesture can not be seen (e.g. during the swim, or in crowd shots). Participants may still appear in the event livestreams or in the professionally produced event videos due to the static nature of the cameras.

We will be working with event photographers to ensure they are:

• Well recognised by high-vis vests and/or media accreditation
• Registered with Triathlon WA prior to the event so they can be provided with a briefing on our policies, procedures, and etiquette.

Triathlon events take place in public, open spaces, so we cannot control all photos that are taken at the event. However, we hope that through our educational processes and working with our contracted/known event photographers the above measures will be followed.

Taking and sharing photos and videos is a great way for our participants to interact, document successes and celebrate good news stories, but we do appreciate that this may not be welcomed by all. If you would like to have a photo of yourself removed from our social platform, please reach out to us via admin@wa.triathlon.org.au. All enquires are treated confidentially.

TWA wants to ensure that everyone who is involved in this great sport feels safe and well respected. We will work with our clubs, race directors and contractors to uphold these guidelines and we hope to see this being embraced across all events in the coming seasons.

Triathlon WA welcomed Glenn Te Raki to the team last week. Glenn joins TWA for a contracted period until 30 June 2023 and brings with him an extensive track record in commercial operations, strategic planning and governance of sporting associations.

Te Raki said “After a swift but detailed handover, it has been a good start for me, getting an educated understanding of Triathlon WA. What has become clear from the outset is the dedication, drive and experience we have in the team here in the TWA office at SportHQ. 

It is also exciting to be so close to the opening for the SunSmart Busselton Festival of Triathlon registrations and next year’s 2023 event is already shaping up to be another popular weekend on the racing calendar. 

I look forward to getting out to as many events as I can over the Summer and welcome any feedback either in person or via email to the office to make sure myself and my team are delivering the required outcomes to provide a successful and sustainable season ahead.”