Time for a role call for the season's Race of Races. No individual egos on display, but all bragging rights to the Clubs who duke it out amongst themselves.

Personally I think it a bit unfair to expect anyone to measure up to Port Macquarie this year. They've already taken out the Half Ironman 7-race Points Series against all comers across the nation. So I suppose the rest of you posters can fight over the minor placings.

I'll be there in the mighty lime and blue competing in the 35-39. Hoping the massive swell currently hitting the coast hangs around for another fortnight

Well, I'll be there again this year as I quite like doing this race - nice course and an empphatic 'full stop' to the triathlon year.

But - sheesh! - it is so hard to get my Cub involved. I will likely be the only one again! I don't care - I'll proudly take my solitary point for taking part. But i am chipping away and next season have the task of drumming up support among the members to 1) join TriNSW and 2) make a bigger go of the Club Champs. I will even have a Sub Committee to help me, so here's hoping.

Miners, I notice from the competitor listing that Mrs Miners is racing too - good for her! And well done to Port Club for their recent accolades. Other clubs could learn a lot from them about a professional approach to racing.

Muz

I will be there as a marshall as it is the only way I can earn points for my club. Which, might I say, by the end of the day will be the winner of the Best Country Club catergory!!!!

Cheers
Andrew

Thanks mate - very nice words (and keep an eye on Prime News tonight also

However, surprisingly enough there is another star performer in the Port Mac Tri Club with my surname. I like to claim her as my ex-wife who's still too heart-broken to revert to her maiden name, but sadly un-related

and Ewok, is this the piffling Mingara Club you speak of? A mere speed-bump ...

Wash that dirty mouth out young man!!!!! How dare you!!!!

We will show how a small speed bump stands tall on top of the podium!!!!

And to think, I used to like you Miners!!!!

Woo hooo!! I'm excited about Club Champs, not sure if its the race or the drinks after but it should be lots of FUN! I will be donning the red and black for Hills and will add some CR gear for the run.

I won't out them here but there is another CR who needs to own up to entering!

As for speed bumps - had I not met you at the drinks last year miners, I would not have realised Port Mac entered last year!

NTR - I'm lookin' at you!

Gees - I'm happy to stay out of this inter-club sledging! I can only hope that everyone except me gets DQ'd and then I will have bragging rights.

Muz

Go the Panthers - who, of course, are now the holders of the AG record at Port Mac IM

A bradbury strategy eh? Not a bad ploy. Doesn't look like I'll actually earn much for my Club either unless a particular Club colleague breaks a leg

and what's this you're talking about Jen_limps?

Yes Muz, it is I.

My goal is to not see the rescue boat close up!!! The Purple People Eater ( my old bike ) has been replaced by a shiny new bike, so watch out everyone else vying for around 750'th, i am coming through!

Excuse me but I think it's meant to be GO HILLS!! I will be there helping on the run aid station with an extra big smile for all my coolrunning friends so make sure you say Hi.

I don't think my surgeon trusts me because he decided he wouldn't remove the wire from my toe till AFTER club champs . Gees anyone would think I was one of those mad CRs who races despite the injury/pain

Yo! Right here!

Helmet and I are in.

you mean it's possible without?

c'mon helmet & kb. It may be obvious for some, but Club allegiances have to be declared on these pages.

(so we can openly ridicule you and discount any possible claims to supremacy)

Balance Tri Club of course Miners.

No need to put everyone else to shame by declaring our allegiance to the best tri club in the entire universe

We are modest when among representatives of lesser clubs.

kb

Yes, you better all watch out because word on the street is that NTR's new bike is so good that it pedals itself uphills !!

Oh, and whilst we're pledging allegiances.... GO PANTHERS !!!

ps. unfortunately, Miss FHG and I won't be there this year

Gosh! this is very hard for me as I'm a member of Hill's & BALANCE

So i've decided to not race & party only

I'm really looking forward to the weekend away with my bestest tri-buddies.

Cheers,
AK

pffftt ... look for the country clubs taking over a major proportion of the top 10 this year

you metro clubs have got nuffin

Well I am out before it starts. I did better last year, where atleast i was out after it started!!

I forgot to put some scissors away at home, and now have stitches in my left ankle where they sliced me on Friday night. No running, no riding, maybe no shoes, for 10 days till the stitches come out.

Bugga.

I have been refunded, but will put my name down on the volunteer roll and get involved that way instead.

Watch out 2010...i reckon thats the year Club Champs and I to settle a score.....

............ any macarthur tri club members doing this..? eheh

I reckon you and Tiger Angel should be permanently wrapped in armour plating. Hope it doesn't feel as uncomfortable as it sounds.

Its actually not that bad - no pain, but i am careful to let it heal. I have volunteered as a run marshal

Not good to hear NTR. Hope you're doing OK. I presume you'll be the run marshall in thongs? I'll make sure to say G'day

Port just finished their Club season off yesterday in gorgeous weather for our final race. Now everyone's champing at the bit to get down to One Mile. Hope to see lots of you there, in one capacity or another

hmmm ... I see that Mingara are taking things seriously this year? Will be a good fight for the Country Club podium methinks

And you were so quick to dismiss us earlier!!! Gotta love a good fight. Where's the Popcorn!!!!

I'll be there for Hornsby Tri Club, M55-59.

Not a bad turnout this year for our club with few newbies having a go.

GO HORNSBY!

If i remember rightly from my time employed down that way, the Central Coast draws upon a population of almost 300,000? But if you think that's a fair fight to a town of about 40,000 then that's fine

Excuses, excuses!!!!

Who said anything about a fair fight.

Damn I love fishing!!!

ha - good to see some heat in this thread.

So who's going to start a sweep for the order of the top 3 Country Clubs? Mudgee have a few going too, and they took 3rd last year. Illawarra have a few too. But they both have to get past Coffs, Mungo-Central Coast and the Port juggernaut

As for metro, Hills have been slowly building over the last 2-3 years and have almost flooded the entries in 09. Would be good to see them topple Warringah, Brats and Balmoral

Forster as a roughie

GO HILLS!!!!!!!!!

And goodluck all CRs, I will be wearing my CR hat on the run and no doubt will one of the last on the course so give me a cheer if you see me!! I will be sure to return the favour.

I will kick it off:

Country:

1. Mingara (of course)
2. Port (Sorry Miners)
3. Coffs

Metro

1. Warringah
2. BRAT
3. Hills

Winner gets bragging rights for the next year

Cheers
Andrew

Good luck to all today. I will be in transition as a marshal. Have a look for a chubby little fellow wearing glasses and short hair. Say G'day.

Go Mingara!!!!

Cheers
Andrew

I had a good time at the Club Champs yesterday, catching up with friends old and new - and quite a few CRs in evidence also!

I wasn't too upset with my time - 2:14:15, although I could have gone better on the bike, and wasted some time getting out of the surf as I got repeatedly sucked back out to sea, but I felt good and strong for the second two laps of the bike and all of the run, so I was satisfied I did as well as I could on the day.

For the record, it was fantastic to catch up with Mouse and NTR, Ratdog, Miners, Owl and big special thanks to Tiger Angel and Ewoksta who worked tirelessly as volunteers on the day - TA as a drink station helper and Ewoksta in the transition. Thanks for the support and encouragement, guys.

Also bumped into Fiftyplus in the recovery area, and got a GCR from an unidentified male on the run leg. Who was that masked man?

I hope those that partied last night have recovered fully (Mrs Muzman and I chose the more sedate Italian restaurant option) and everyone is home safe.

I have uploaded some pictures into my Gallery and you can view them here -

NSW Club Chamionships

Sorry I missed everyone (except Ewoksta) at the end of the day, but I couldn't find a soul! I looked, too. Maybe the rain and cold drove them indoors.

Muz

Well that was a fun weekend. First of all GO HILLS! missing first by 10 points and congrats to Mingara taking top honours for country. Gees Miner's now you have to put up with a whole year of Ewoksta bragging

It was a lot of fun helping on the drinks station and getting to cheer on so many friends - actually one of the club heavyweights asked me how I knew so many people. I just said I was lucky to have Cool friends . Congrats to all of you for doing your best out there.

I had an absolute blast. There were so many highlights:

Scoring race number 666.

My first ever beach start - waves and, what we refer to at home as, the undertoad! Then surviving both.

Light rain on the bike, Helmet marshalling at the turn around and squealing with delight flying on the downhill section.

Running the whole run leg with no hip trouble, TA at the drink station shouting "She's my friend" as she pushed away the others to give me my water on the last lap - followed by a big sweaty hug from me.

Mouse telling me to "suck it up princess" on the run leg after faking a flat.......

Not being last on any leg. I have often said that being at the very back of the pack is a humbling experience but the support that you get is awesome. People were packing up to go home while I was still out there on the run course but they all stopped to give me a clap and a cheer as I ran past. This is what I love about triathlon - thanks!!!!!

Balance tri club - small but loud. You guys ROCK!


kb

Official results:

City:

Warringah,
Hills
Balmoral

Country:

MINGARA!!!!!!!
Coffs
Port

I won't brag too much but what a great effort by the Mingara Guys.

Cheers
Andrew

That was my 7th Club Champs and I reckon it was by far the most fun. Great to see everyone there. And as Muz mentioned, it was great to see TA and Ewoksta doing the hard yards on the volunteering front. More importantly however, Hills and Port did the party proud and sweated more than the Jack Black look-alike on stage.

Congrats to the top Clubs. As is the case each year, it's easy to see in hindsight where we could have picked up points only IF Shaun, John, Chris and Lyn etc.. had been available this year ... but that's the great IF of Club Champs every year. Great effort by Mingara although I can't recall spotting their uniform out on course - must be pretty non-descript?

I had my dark-horse money on Hills taking out the overall title. But admittedly, whenever I was overtaken by someone on the run course (which was a LOT), it was inevitably a Warringah competitor. So there's a lot of them, and they're all fast too

As for my race, I had an absolute shocker. I was in pretty ordinary shape last year, and I was still 5 minutes quicker than what I did on Saturday. First time I've ever vomited mid-race, and each leg was a little slow. Although I did manage to do something in hte swim leg I've always wanted to in a Tri, and that's crack a great wave from 50-odd metres out. Unfortunately the effort of getting onto said wave and then also holding it to the beach resulted in me sucking in a few lungfuls of the surf, which caused me huge troubles on the bike, and the aforementioned chuckie. Serves me right I suppose

Sad to be back at work. Wish every weekend was Club Champs

It was a fantastic weekend for all of us kb!!

I usually feel that I want to be competing but instead felt completely content standing on the side-lines watching everyone else slog it out for a couple of hours.

Highlight to me was seeing kb cross the finish line with arms held high & a tear in her eye... she had made it home again I was waiting with the entire Balance Tri Club & we all cheered together, it was a great moment.

Anyway, another Club champs is over for the year & now it is time for all that wonderful winter training to begin.

Cheers,
AK

ps. Thanks so much to my wonderful friends Winky & Shot'is who drove me from Sydney to Port Stephens & made me laugh more than I have in a very long time!!