Summer of sport starts this weekend with Water Polo Australia preparing to host the 15&U and 17&U Female National State Championships on the Gold Coast.
The National State Championships are a performance competition for state representative teams, and an opportunity for the best athletes across the country to compete against each other in a state versus state format for the national title.
The 15&U and 17&U Female National State Championships will mark the return of the event, after the format was changed to Summer Slam earlier in the year due to challenges associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The competition in the 17&U age group is set to be fierce, with teams from across the country all vying for the title of national champions.
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After coaching in New South Wales for many years, Olympic bronze medallist Mel Rippon has crossed the border to coach one of the Queensland 17&U Women’s teams at the 2022 National State Championships.
Rippon said her team has been preparing well, and are looking forward to the competition getting underway.
“It is always exciting to be coaching at a tournament, you get to see the athletes put in to play everything you have been working on,” Rippon said.
“It will feel different for me again this year as I am back in Queensland, it was only in January that I was coaching for New South Wales in the Summer Slam.
“I’ve enjoyed getting to know and getting back involved with some girls who I coached when they were very young and have coached against for the past few years,” she said.
With some of her team having been part of the Australian squads who have been in Europe playing at the FINA Youth and Cadet World Championships, Rippon said she is looking forward to seeing her team come back together.
“We have had broken preparations as we’ve had girls away with the Australian junior teams at World Championships,” Rippon said.
“However, other teams will be in the same boat so it will be a matter of who gets their team competing on the same page, as one unit.
“We have to treat each opposition like they are our toughest opponents, especially as we haven’t seen much of each other in the past few years,” she said.
Having missed the Summer Slam in January, Western Australia 17&U Black Head Coach Kelcee Byrnes said her team are looking forward to making their return to the National State Championships.
“The girls have been training hard as individuals and as a team, and I am very proud of their developments in the last few weeks,” Byrnes said.
“They are forming strong and positive bonds with each other, and supporting themselves throughout their training and practice games.
“It has been great to watch the girls building a positive and fun team environment,” she said.
Byrnes said that the experience of playing against other representative teams will only benefit her players.
“I believe all teams attending the National State Championships will be playing at a high level,” Byrnes said.
“But I think the classic rivalry between NSW, Queensland and WA is always present at these tournaments.
“I”m looking forward to taking the team to the Gold Coast to expose them to a high level of water polo, different to their normal competitions in Western Australia,” she said.
With players coming together from right across New South Wales, 17&U Barbarians Head Coach Michaela Davies said her team are ready and raring to go.
“Despite coming together only a few weeks ago, we’ve managed to bond as a team and brand outside of our comfort zones,” Davies said.
“It’s nice to see the same fire in the belly shared amongst all the girls – it’s all you can ask for as a coach.
“We’re all looking forward to being back in a competitive environment – reminding us all what all the early mornings and cold night training are for,” she said.
Davies added that it’s going to be a matter of taking each game as it comes, as there are no easy opponents.
“I genuinely think everyone in the 17&U age group is dangerous, having one off game and your position in the top four is up for grabs,” Davies said.
“I would really like to see all three New South Wales teams up in the top four – that’d be the dream,” she said.
The 2022 15&U and 17&U Female National State Championships gets underway on the Gold Coast from Saturday Saturday 24 September to Tuesday 27 September.
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KommunityTV – Broadcast Schedule for the 15&U and 17&U Female National State Championships
Saturday, September 24
9am: U15s, NSW Blues v Victoria Navy
10am: U15s, WA Gold v QLD Gold
11am: U15s, QLD Maroon v WA Black
Midday: U15s, NSW Waratahs v ACT
1pm: U15s, QLD Gold v NSW Blues
2pm: U15s, Tasmania v Victoria Navy
3pm: U15s, ACT v QLD Maroon
4pm: U15s, South Australia v WA Black
Sunday, September 25
8am: U17s, Barbarians Blue v TAS/ACT
9.10am: U17s, NSW Blues v QLD Gold
10:20am: U17s, South Australia v NSW Waratahs
11:30am: U17s, QLD Maroon v WA Gold
12:40pm: U17s, WA Black v QLD Gold
1:50pm, U17s, Barbarians Blue v NSW Blues
3pm: U17s, Victoria Silver v WA Gold
4:10pm: U17s, South Australia v QLD Maroon
Monday, September 26
8am: U15s, WA Gold v Tasmania
9am: U15s, QLD Gold v Victoria Navy
10am: U17s, WA Gold v South Australia
11.10am: U17s, NSW Waratahs v Victoria Silver
12:20pm, U15s finals, 1st Pool A v 2nd Pool B
1:20pm, U15 finals, 1st Pool B v 2nd Pool A
2:20pm: U17s finals, 1st Pool A v 2nd Pool B
3:30pm: U17s finals, 1stt Pool B v 2nd Pool A
Tuesday, September 27
9.30am: U15s bronze medal: Loser SF1 v Loser SF2
10.30am: U15s gold medal, Winner SF1 v Winner SF2
Midday: U17s bronze medal, Loser SF1 v Loser SF2
1:10pm, U17s gold medal, Winner SF1 v Winner SF2
