Sahra Dennehy sets herself to serve.

The 2013 NSW PSSA Tennis State Championships were held last week in Albury showcasing junior talent in the New England.
A squad of 10 North West players was selected to compete at the tournament for the Don Moon Trophy.  The team consisted of five boys and five girls, including Sherriff’s Tennis Academy players Sahra Dennehy and Elle McNaught. Justin Sherriff , the girls’ coach, said that he was extremely proud of their achievements at the state tournament with both girls winning most of their matches over the four days of tennis.  Connor Shaw and Adam Lucas, also from Armidale, were selected to represent the North West region and also travelled to Albury to compete. The players all worked hard to hone their skills and achieved a personal goal of reaching state-level competition.
Overall the boys’ team came 12th and the girls’ team came 10th with a brilliant effort put in by all. The best junior primary school aged players from across NSW all qualified to compete at this major sporting team event.
Over the years, players of the calibre of Todd Woodbridge, Wally Masur and Jason Stoltenberg have all played at the carnival before achieving international tennis careers.
From this tournament a state team was chosen by NSW tennis selectors  to play at the National Australia Championships for the Bruce Cup to be held in Brisbane in October.
Well done to all of the North West Team for a tournament well played and in great sporting spirit.

Elle McNaught shows fine form on her forehand.

Armidale Blues player Mathew Croft is denied points in the corner by a desperate Guyra defence.

By GARY FRY

IN NEW England Rugby Union on Saturday, Guyra came up against the Armidale City Blues at their home ground, Moran Oval. Armidale thrashed Guyra 33-0.
It was a case of speed, skill and experience triumphing over brute force. The Guyra side had a clear size advantage, yet when it came to getting points on the board, Armidale ran like a comparatively well-oiled machine, particularly down the wings.
Half-time saw the score at 20-0. Soon into the second half, Armidale’s Adam Croft nailed three points from a penalty. Then, Nicola Furlan scored a try in the corner and Croft converted.
Armidale captain, Mitch Pardy said that they were pushed by the physical Guyra side. He said that the New England Rugby competition was looking good this year, with a “level playing field” making games highly competitive.
Guyra captain Tim Foster conceded his team needed to work discipline as well as fitness. A number of yellow and red cards were issued to Guyra players, generally for dangerous tackles, such as Luke Barton, who was sent off for a head-high tackle. The aggressively physical nature of the game took its toll and tempers were boiling over into the odd altercation in the final 10 minutes.

Guyra player Manu Tawhai looks for the ball to feed into the scrum.

Joe Makeham storms home ahead of the field in the 15 years 1500m at the 2012 GPS athletics championships - can he make it four years in a row?

Joe Makeham’s goal to be the first person to win the 1500m at six consecutive athletics championships of the Athletic Association of Great Public Schools (AAGPS) is on track, taking out his fourth title at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday 11 May.
Makeham, from Walcha, hit the lead early and stormed home to finish 30m ahead of his nearest competitor in ideal racing conditions, to cross the line in a personal best time of 4:15:03.
“For the first 600m I was trying to work out what was in the race of me as I hadn’t raced any of the others before, but after that I focused on my race plan,” Joe said.
“I was willing to sit in the top three and play cat and mouse if I had to, but it turned out I could follow the plan. By the last straight I was sure I had it even though I didn’t know what was left in the other boys, and I didn’t know until I finished how far in front I was.”
Guyra’s Huw Knox, unable to train for the past two months as he recovers from glandular fever, rose to the challenge in the under-15 800m and crossed the line first in 2:02:49, although his time was slower than the 2:00:40 he won it in last year.
“When I was overtaken at the 500m it wasn’t a complete surprise as that runner had gone out early when we have raced together before, but I knew I still had plenty to kick with 120m to go,” he said.
Despite feeling “pretty exhausted” after the race, he took to the track again as part of the 15 years 4x400m relay team, and then competed in the 4x100m relay – twice.
“We ran our 15 years relay and straight after that I was told I’d have to run in the 16s as well. It meant I had to pull something out of nowhere, but I really enjoyed it.”
Both boys will go on to compete in the Combined Independent Schools championships in August, having taken a spell from athletics for some rugby.
The team of around 40 athletes competed in a range of track and field events against boys from TAS’ eight fellow GPS schools – The King’s School, Scot’s College, Newington College, Shore School, St Ignatius College Riverview, St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill, Sydney Grammar School and Sydney Boys’ High.

Guyra’s Huw Knox rose to the challenge in the under-15 800m and crossed the line first in 2:02:49.

Natarsha Carney, club president, enjoying some snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef.

EVER thought what it would be like to swim like a fish and have no need to head to the surface for your next breath? Why not give scuba diving a go and experience this feeling.
The UNE Scuba and Snorkelling Club is running a ‘Try Dive Night’ on Wednesday 15 May at 7pm at the SportUNE indoor swimming pool. The cost is free and all you need is a pair of swimmers and a towel. There is no need for prior experience as club members will show you how to use the gear and then it’s up to you to have some fun.
“If you really enjoy yourself you can sign up to the club and we will help you work towards your dive licence,” said Natarsha Carney, president of the club.
“We are in partnership with the Jetty Dive Shop at Coffs Harbour and they provide the club with discounts on courses and gear.”
“We enjoy regular trips to the coast for open water dives and snorkelling and the club also provides the opportunity for advanced diving.”
If this sounds like something for you contact Natarsha on 0401 068903 for more information.

Local Armidale archer Maddon Raynor takes aim with Jack Salmon from Warringah.

SIXTEEN members of the NSW Youth State Squad travelled from Griffith, Sydney, Newcastle, and Erina, for an intensive two days of field archery held at the Armidale Archers range over the weekend as part of the NSW Archery Youth Development Program.
On Saturday, under the guidance of Steve Jennison (NSW State Coach), Steve Salmon (NSW Junior Co-ordinator) and Dennis Carson (National Coach), the 10 boys and six girls ranging in age from 11 to 19 were drilled on their own techniques as well as those required to be a successful field archer.
All participants are vying for positions in the final 20-member NSW State Team that will contest the team events at the 2013 Youth National Championships being held in Brisbane in early July.
On Sunday the juniors were joined by local members and visitors in shooting a 24-target Qualifying Ranking Event. Shot under competition conditions and overseen by two judges, the QRE gave the juniors a taste of the conditions they will experience at the Nationals. Local youth archers Yjere Matikainen, Claire and Hollie Giles and Madden Rayner all participated in the weekend, each shooting well in the QRE with Yjere shooting a new personal best for the range.
Steve Jennison said that “overall the results are very pleasing. The squad has performed well under the conditions and each of the archers will return home with a very positive attitude following a weekend of hard work.
“The Youth Development Program is not just about the mechanics of archery but also focuses on the archers getting to know each other and building team camaraderie.”
A small group of club members will travel to Woolgoolga for the first round of the Country Coast Shield on April 28. Coffs Coast, Bellingen and Armidale clubs will shoot a 30-target unmarked 3D event while Dennis Carson will head to the Mt Petrie Club in Brisbane for the Queensland State Championships on and 27 and 28 April.
Would you like to try archery? Armidale Archers will hold a Come and Try Day on 4 May from 11am to 1pm and also on 18 May from 1pm to 3pm. Cost will be $5 per person and all equipment is provided. A beginners’ course is expected to follow in late June.
Armidale Archers shoot at the Rockvale Road range every Sunday morning from 9am. If you would like further information please go to our website www.armidalearchers.com.au  or email info@armidalearchers.com.au

Bruce Dennis (Clontarf), Jayden Smith (Armidale High) , Dane O’Connor (New England Mutual), James Russell ( Clontarf director) and Tyran Blair (Armidale High) practice for the Tour de Cure.

FIVE Aboriginal students from Armidale High School have raised almost $1500 for this year’s Tour de Rocks and will also ride the 210-kilometre three-day cycling marathon to South West Rocks on Thursday.
New England Mutual (NEM) is donating their cycling pants and Town and Country Realty has paid their registration fees for the ride, which has attracted more than 400 local cyclists this year.
The boys Tyran Blair (16), Jayden Smith (16), Jeff Mills (13), John Quinlan (15) and Phillip Quinlan (14) all participate in the Clontarf program at AHS.
NEM’s Dane O’Connor, who recently benefitted from community support during his successful battle with cancer, has taken the boys under his wing.
“This ride is to raise money for cancer research and at a pre-race meeting for participants I was very touched to hear the kids had donated their performance money from a welcome ceremony at UNE, their touch football referee fees  and had also raised $1,200 through events at the school,” he said.
James Russell, Clontarf director based at AHS said the boys had been in training for the last two weeks.
Bikes have been made available and the team have been riding 30 kilometres twice a week.
“They are going really well,” he said. “It’s a challenge as it’s their first big ride but I know they will feel a great sense of achievement when they finish.”
Mr Russell said 36 students were engaged in the Clontarf program which offers mentoring, sport activities and life skills support to remain at school to complete their education.
Since the program began almost 12 months ago, it has achieved an improvement in school attendance which is up to 80 per cent and good behaviour.
“The boys are happier, more willing to learn and wearing their school uniforms more often,” he said.

Keeley Stapleton from Nambucca looks to her corner in disappointment after Armidale boxer Alina Lazareva wins the Women’s Northern NSW title on Saturday night.

By JO HARRISON

THE bone-crunching action of Fight Night at the Armidale Jockey Club on Saturday proved to be the highlight of a big weekend of sport in Armidale.
Presented by Guyra Team Rowe Boxing, the Jockey Club was buzzing with a healthy crowd of around 250 spurring on the region’s top young amateur boxers as they battled it out over 20 bouts.
Youngster Liam Roberts from Guyra performed well, as did John Adams also from Guyra in his first bout. Logan Beechey won his bout to take out the New England Light Welter Weight Belt and James MacDonald proved too strong for his opponent Luke Austin from Yamba claiming the New England Welter Weight Belt.
The highlight of the evening was the women’s bout for the Northern NSW title between Armidale local Alina Lazareva and Keeley Stapleton from Nambucca.
The bout was over four rounds and from the go Keely was on the offensive looking to stamp her authority early. Alina held her nerve and her guard, fending off a flurry of punches. Technically Alina looked to make punches convert to points more than Keeley but to the crowd it looked like Kelely had the better of Alina.
The bout came down to a split decision and to the surprise of the very vocal crowd Alina was victorious. Keeley Stapleton’s corner was clearly disappointed with the decision.
“It was pretty unexpected; split decisions are pretty unpredictable no matter how well you think you did,” said Alina.
“I didn’t feel particularly confident so it was the most nerve-wracking time just before the decision.”
Cliff Rowe from Team Rowe Boxing who organised the event was pleased with the way the night unfolded.
“We had great support from the community and a terrific field of boxers who all performed really well,” said Cliff.
“I was very proud of all my boys who gave it so much in their bouts, I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Alina Lazareva fends off a punch from Keeley Stapleton.

2. Too much rest, not enough work. If you have a look around a lot of gyms you will see some of the users standing around chatting, leaning on equipment, texting, watching the telly or talking on their phone. And you might notice that the ones that do these things less and work more seem to be the ones getting ahead more? Sometimes complete recovery is required, but not a full episode of your favourite TV program.

3. Not lifting weights. A common comment we get here is “I don’t want to be bulky.” Yes it is pretty well always from females, but the bottom line is ladies, YOU WON’T! To put on muscle you have to have a caloric surplus, plus lift weights for the goal of putting on bulky muscle. Lifting weights will help to keep your lean muscle mass in order. Ask anyone that has competed as a bodybuilder, you don’t just walk past the barbells and instantly you have muscles.

4. Too much cardio. It has been thought that by increasing the amount of cardio work you do the more fat you will burn. This is not necessarily the case. The key to burning more fat is lean muscle, now to maintain that we need to lift more weights and do high intensity cardio. Not long slow sessions, short all-out effort bursts are the key to shifting the fat.

5. Not Having a Plan. Yes as simple as that. Do you know when you will work out this week? What will you eat? And when will it be? How do you fit it in with your already busy life if you do not schedule it in and make it workable? If you don’t plan out when you are going to do things they will get missed and before you know it another week will have gone by and you won’t have started again. So grab your calendar mark out your times and start blocking out the time to get it done.