PORT Stephens residents are able to participate in some great sports and the crews of the Port Stephens Outrigger Canoe Club (PSOCC) are serious about their paddling.

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PSOCC were well represented at the Outrigger Regatta held at Newcastle’s Horseshoe Bay.

Twenty seven Port paddlers competed in a number of different events.

Dean McGuinness, PSOCC Coach, told News Of The Area, “The events included OC1 (individual paddler) Ultra Short Race which was a 4.5 km course where PSOCC paddler Renee Thompson won her first individual race in the Women’s Senior Master division.”

This was followed by PSOCC paddlers Tracy Spicer/Scott Harden and Kerrie & Aaron Binns paddling in the OC2 (2-paddler outrigger) 9 km Short Course and coming first and fourth places respectively in the Senior Master Mixed category.

The PSOCC Open Women team raced to cross second in the OC6 (6 paddlers) 4.5 km Ultra Short Race.

“The “Pasha Dasha” was the main event of the day, a grueling 27 kilometre race, which was made up of a series of five, 5.4 kilometre races shared between crews of 10 paddler/crew PSOCC had 2 teams competing in this event.

“The PSOCC Senior Masters crossed the finish line in outright second and winning their category which was followed by the Master Team who came fourth in category in the hotly contested mixed crews race,” he said.

PSOCC have 2 teams of (14) paddlers traveling to Norfolk Island to compete there in a 27 kilometre round the island race and a 12 kilometre race from Norfolk Island to Philip Island and back later this month.

These races will see the Port Stephens crews competing against 23 teams from Australia and overseas.

The teams have been preparing for this event for the last couple of months with paddlers completing up to 70 km in a week in their preparation.

By Marian SAMPSON