This season the Anytime Fitness Australian Ocean Racing Series will launch on the Australian Coastline.
The series, which is presented by Men’s Fitness Magazine, will feature the very best ocean paddlers from around the country with a large number of international participants also having a crack. Nine events make up the series, which is the brainchild of Andrew Sneddon (our Saffa mates will know Andrew from The Men’s Health Series SA) and Dean Gardiner. Click here for events list.
“We have been running a national series for a couple of years now but this is the first time we have pulled some major sponsorship” said Gardiner. “Sneds has been instrumental in obtaining these links and we now see a series with some decent dollars on the overall point score for the top guys and a lot more on offer for the cruisers”
Hamilton Island will be giving away an accommodation pack at each of the nine events for anyone that just enters. This package will line up with the big event on the Island in June, The Clash of the Paddles.
The point score is designed to enable both East and West Coast paddlers to only have to travel one time to get enough points to get their best placing possible. See last year’s points here.
The season kicks off this weekend at Manly in NSW with the Belle Property King of the Harbour, travels to South Australia, Coffs Harbour, Western Australia and Victoria before ending in March next year with the Bridge to Beach.
Reece Baker (pictured left rear of photo) won the series last year and is keen to hang on to the National Title. He will have his work cut out with the likes of Jacobs, Booth, Tobin, Scott, Taylor, Cotter and numerous others out to take home the championship.
“What’s encouraging this season is the amount of younger guys getting into ocean paddling” “Traditionally we have seen the Over 40 category as the biggest but over the last year the under 20s and open categories have really grown” Said Gardiner.
The series also has the support of three of the biggest companies in Paddlesports, Nelo, Stellar and Fenn. “It’s great to see these three get together to support the sport here in Australia” “Sometimes it’s hard for rival companies to rise above the competitive sales market but these guys can see the benefit of unifying for the good of the sport” said Gardiner.
The series features some new events along with the jewels in the crown ‘The Doctor’ and ‘The Bridge To Beach’. “We want the other event in the series to get as big as these two races.” If we have all the events at this level then we will really see some significant changes in the sport over the next few years”.
For all information regarding the Anytime Fitness AORS presented by Men’s Fitness visit
https://oceanpaddler.com/events/australian-ocean-racing-series/
Photo: Tim Jacobs & Michael Booth
