The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 91

It ,7, la Etany By MAEVE O'MEARA Australian Junior Iron Man Sean Kenny is tired, of pointing out that he's no relation to iron man champion Grant Kenny. The bright young teenager groaned audibly when the inevitable question arose. It's not that he doesn't like or admire Grant, but after five years' competition in iron man races, he has decided the Kenny name is a bit of a liability. Comparisons are odious, but it looks certain that Sean will make as much impact as his Queensland namesake. In fact, he plans to match Grant's remarkable performance by attempting to win both the junior and open iron man competitions next summer.

The I986 Commonwealth Games are another goal. At 1 7, Sean is the NSW and Australian Junior Iron Man, winning one title while suffering a bad bout of German measles. During the NSW Surf Lifesaving Championships in March Sean competed even though he was sick. "I felt really lousy the first day when the heats were run but I wanted to compete in the NSW Championships so I could qualify for the nationals," he explains. "I won, but I felt the effects afterwards." His watery 70 kilometre six-day week training program suffered and the chances of winning the coveted Australian Junior Iron Man title for 1 984 looked grim.

But April Fools Day is one of surprises and Sean won the title. His face breaks into a wide, spontaneous grin as he tries to describe the elation of winning. "I just couldn't believe it when I 11 I that I want to do it I there's a lot of satisfaction that I want to do it there's a lot of satisfaction "sss.ss 1 -ss s- 1 N.N P'iV I ssssssssslmssssl 1 WSsS Junior Iron Man champion Sean Kenny finds surf events more exciting than pool swimming. in winning," he says simply, and adds with a teasing smile: "Plus you get to do interviews like this one." No doubt about it, Sean is a charmer. He.

likes publicity and explains that it "makes me feel good, but you can't get a big head about Although he's better known now as an iron man, Sean has also made quite an impact on middle distance still water swimming. He won the 1983 State 200 and 400 metres freestyle and in the nationals in the same year, came second in the 200 metres freestyle race and third in the 400 metres freestyle. He's not too downcast as he explains that this year's season has not been good. "I haven't swum well this year or improved on the '83 times. I don't know why: it just happened." He enjoys competing both in still water and the surf, but says the surf is more of a challenge because of its unknown quantity.

"You can be leading on a surf ski and someone behind you will catch a wave and cruise past you it's more exciting in the surf." The talent scouts will be out in force at the State Age Netball Championships in Newcastle this weekend. Selectors, with future NSW teams in mind, will be watching every game played in the-15 years-old division to select a talent development squad. This will be the best opportunity country players have to be noticed by selectors as they will be concentrating on the country games. A maximum of 20 players will be named in the squad, which will be invited to Sydney for intensive skill training and competition against representative teams, and to a coaching clinic at Armidale University next January for the top 200 players in the State. This wilt be the last year 1 1-year-olds will compete at the championships, which have traditionally been for the II to 15-year-olds.

Esso State coaching director, Margaret Corbett, says the young players have been under too much pressure from the intensive competition at the championships where teams play 20 games in three days. Seeing young players crying at last year's championships convinced her the decision was correct THE tenpin bowling junior nationals starting next Saturday at the Mt Gravatt Bowl, Brisbane, promise to be the noisiest tournament ever staged. The unofficial rules state that drums, empty drink cans, trumpets and barracking are allowed, but in the interests of sanity whistles are banned. Tournament directors always expect to have trouble hearing themselves talk above the din, but with a record 2,200 entries this year, 900 more than last year, they foresee absolute pandemonium when State rivalries become heated. This always comes to a head with the President's Shield competition during the final three days when the top seven boy and seven girl bowlers compete for the Shield.

NSW has been meeting at the Leichhardt Bowl each Tuesday night for coaching and sessions with a sports psychologist, and had the advantage of a final pep talk last week from world titleholder, Jeanette Baker. The team is: Kerry Hedrick, Donald McRae (Blacktown), Darren Walton (Manly), Melinda Overall (Leichhardt), Wendi Sullivan, Warren Freestone (Bankstown), Julie Dawes, Melinda McAdam, Craig Cook (Wollongong), Sallie Ann Meikle, Jenny McClean (Penrith), Scott Brown (Tempe), Robert McSevney (Rockdale) and Tim Williams (Fairfield). OLD interstate rivalries will be remembered this week when the NSW under-1 7 volleyball team take on their rivals from South Australia in the national championships at Dubbo. Both sides have a majority of players who were in national champion State under-1 5 sides before graduating to the under-1 7s. South Australia won the junior title two years ago and have a year's age and experience on the NSW team, who have two-thirds of their players from last year's victorious under-15 side.

Although this is the tallest side NSW has fielded in this age group, the South Australian side is formidable, with three players from the SA Institute of Sport team. They are also fresh from their recent victory in the national under-19 championships. The NSW girls have great difficulty training as a team. Nine of the 12 come from country areas. Sixteen years old striker Kathie Burton, for buses from Tenterfield to Umina on the Central Coast every weekend to train.

She has few opportunities to train at home as the volleyball season was cancelled when the council-owned stadium closed for repairs. ONE of the three Italian teams competing in the world teamsailing titles ended the winning streaks for three young Sydney sailboarders this week. Melanie Braund, Greg Butchart and Stuart Gilbert, the defending champions, won 14 straight races against 20 top international teams before losing the final to Italy's No.2 team by one point And a seemingly just reward after his demanding training schedule. The dedication and discipline required to work' up to and compete in an iron man contest is phenomenal. What keeps Sean going? "I guess it's just crossed the line first.

Wow, it was fantastic." Did he jump up and down? "Oh yeah. I went crazy." The quiet feeling of pride and satisfaction hit the next morning, he says. "It was great to wake up and remember the win." ms wmf mm wwa The hard slog of the surfing Grand Prix circuit starts this week on the picturesque Japanese island of Nijima, about eight hours by ferry from Tokyo. TOM'S TIP: There are pluses and minuses for both fixed Wibrow. Green and Charters, plus Mark Occhilupo, Joe Engel and Mitch Thorsen have been formed into a junior hotrats team to be coached on circuit by my Newport sparring partner Derek Hynd.

Surfwear manufacturer Gordon Merchant, of Bil-labong, is footing the bills in a move that should help keep these very talented riders on the road to stardom. Wibrow, a longtime Gold Coast surfboard shaper, packed himself, wife and two infants off last month for a year-long shaping stint in Tokyo. The lean framed goofy-footer, nicknamed Zappa, rode brilliantly to grab a fifth placing in the recent Beaurepaires Open at Cronulla and this has recharged his competitive batteries. He could prove a sur- With the dust barely settled on the old circuit, the world's best surfers have been thrown into a panic round of new surfboard selections, travel arrangements and psyching up. As they say, there is no rest for the wicked.

Competitors will have a day to catch their breath after Japan before flying to Florida for a series of events that will continue until mid-June. For some, if the frantic pace doesn't get them, the culture shock will. Nijima is a large island dotted with traditio'nal fishing villages very quiet, very quaint, but very Japanese. Visitors eat and sleep the Japanese way. There are no McDonalds outlets on Nijima, and very few Western style hotels.

The weather is nice this aid rcmoveable fins. Glassed-in fins tend to be more stable aad durable. Slotted-in fins are more flexible because they can be moved to suit varying wave coaditfoas. Tbey are also easier to travel with. I favour fixed fins.

prise packet on Nijima. $5,000 worth of prizes for time of year. Standing on the beach you can get a suntan. But the water is icy and heavy wetsuits are essential. Fortunately the island picks op plenty of swell out of the Pacific, meaning the Marni Pro should have good waves.

A full contingent of Australians are turning out for the event, including Cronulla rookies Gary Green and Sean Charters, along with Queensland's evergreen Dominic Meanwhile, scores of the the tournament designed for enthusiasts 19 years and under, and which this nation's best 'grommets' are gearing up for a tussle and a half at Manly this week in the annual JJJ Junior Pro. The FM radio station has gathered more than rrn. NOT innKMS AT THE BALL WHEN YOU KICK IT POsSN'T MgAN C105IN6 YOUR EVES SURF SALE M0BEY BOOGIES, B0UE SUNGLASSES ZlHlCfT SURFBOARDS SKIS 10 OFF B0ARDSH0KTS From $15.00 T-SHIRTS From $9.00 BIKINIS $15.00 Cull prlct rods 13-544. You cm rely nt ixptilMct md sdvict jSuzkactlon theHOtitshaMbe 522 MILITARY RD. HOSMAN.

9691997 year carries an APSA rating. Events like this are special because they provide a vehicle for junior riders to gain invaluable competitive experience within their own peer group. Last year's JJJ Pro winner. Barton Lynch, used the contest as a springboard into the Grand Prix ranks. Incredibly, he is now rated No 13 in the world.

9 THE SUN-HERALD, May 6, 1984.