21 Ninjas at T100 Gold Coast
Hey Ninjas!
What a weekend at the T100 Gold Coast! Twenty-one SSG Multisports members lined up across the distances, proudly representing our club on the world-stage course. Amy Parikka and Belinda Evert tackled the Olympic, Susan Baldwin and Eleonore Bolle powered through the 10 km run, and the full T100 crew included Eli Brighton, Steven McCulloch, Alex Williams, Jodie Brighton, Conor Burton, Sherie Bates, Nick Dunn, Nathan Jacobs, Wiremu Hollis, Greg McMurray, Roisin McGee, Jacki Drinnen, Samantha Pycroft, Carl Buckland, Karen Watkin, Fiona Buckland, Jennifer McMillan, Jane Trotter, Andrea Alderton, Natalie Russell and Malcolm Wesener.
The club spirit shone from the start. Our dedicated T100 chat buzzed with registration hype, training tips and last-minute encouragement. Coach Paul Skelton delivered a special Coach's Corner in the March newsletter packed with practical advice, and he followed it up with an open-water skills session and brick on 1 March that helped everyone sharpen their race-day transitions. The group tent right on course made every lap feel like a club gathering, with familiar faces cheering and high-fives all around.
For many it was a first long-course experience. Eli Brighton called it his introduction to the distance and admitted he got a little emotional after crossing the line, grateful for the preparation that got him there. Greg McMurray's cheeky words of encouragement on the run snapped more than one Ninja out of a cramp-induced walk and back into stride. Conor Burton's finish chute cheers and the whole crew's support along the waterfront captured exactly what makes SSG special. Even in the wind and heat, the "Do Epic Shit" attitude and swim-group roots kept everyone smiling.
A huge thank you to every family member who travelled to cheer, to the volunteers who kept the energy high, and to Dane Roffey for the personal welcome to the long-course crew. This weekend perfectly showed why SSG Multisports is more than just training sessions. It is a community that chooses hard things together and celebrates every finish.
The next big club event is already on the calendar. Who is in?
The SSG Exec Team
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