2017 at OzSquad….
It’s that time of year again already! Time to eat, drink, be merry, reflect on the year past, make resolutions for the next one and recall (and take the p*ss out of) everything that has happened at OzSquad…
First up. Thankfully the Touch Footie Season concluded – I’m not going to lie, I think enthusiasm for being whooped by 16 year old (fast) kids had most definitely waned by match, and defeat, 16. The team who finished one place above us had a points difference of -47. Ours was -134. It was just a bloody good job the bowlo served cold beer.
We left the island to go and play dodgeball – I’m still not entirely sure where we were – a random industrial estate across at least 3 bridges. Going East-side wasn’t without incident either. The first blood injury occurred before the match had even started and after about 3.5 seconds of jumping when James tried to back flip on his second bounce and kneed himself in the face. There’s a permanent scar on his cheek to serve as a back-flip reminder. We were asked to leave the court and go and warm up in the kiddies area whilst they figured out what the hell they were going to do with us. I think we redeemed ourselves with a blinding display of skill and cut throat competitiveness.
The UTA was a huge weekend as always – read about everyone’s awesome achievements here. First ever trail races were smashed, there were complete course changes for the guys in the 50 who took it on the chin and Kate, Manuela and Will finished their first (but surely not their last) 100km ultras in impressive shape. It may now also be customary to round off the UTA with a beer mile and a champagne sprint. Laurie and Seth, given that one of you puked and one of you had barely finished the drink by the time the winner was in – you guys are obviously made for each other but clearly need to practice for next year. On a personal note, I learnt first hand that not going for a wee for hours, necking a glass of champagne and sprinting to try and catch up with Kirsty, 5 months after giving birth is not a good idea. TMI?
We introduced the Thursday night Summer beach games – as that way an OzSquad team had a chance of winning at touch rugby. Plus running around on the sand at sunset with a beer and a swim afterwards is surely why we all live at the beach and the session is a hit. Apart from when Blair was left in charge and he made up a random ball game with a rugby ball AND a volleyball that know one understood and didn’t work very well. They weren’t meant to tell me. They told me.
Simon getting competitive and a bit arsy in the Winter Challenge is now also a bit of an OzSquad rite of passage. This year, he got competitive and a bit arsy when the tie breaker was quoits. Yep, I make you come to sessions every day for a month and the winner comes down to who can throw a hoop onto a stick. #sorrynotsorrysimon
#Runvember has also just concluded. OzSquadders seem to always manage to question the rules even when I think I’ve got everything totally covered. The challenge was to run or walk 5k a day, every day for the month. Simple right? But still I was asked if a game of SUPball would count instead of 5km and if so, how should they record the activity. SUPball, that game where you float on a board. NOT RUNNING. 😉
I also enjoyed very much, Joe’s stair repeats towards the elevation challenge that Strava recorded as a flat line and Matt’s run in a storm. If you know Matt, you know this is nothing short of a Christmas miracle. Claire’s 11.45PM Day 29 5k has to be applauded as does Gemma’s, a Buggy Bootcamper, journey from never actually going for a run ever before to clocking up sub 25 minute 5ks. Amazeballs.
As for the sessions, given that Lynsay has instructed more this year than in any previous year – I trust that you have all made back at least the cost of your OzSquad membership in savings from her daily discount , voucher and offer updates? As always a huge thanks to Lyns, I couldn’t do it without you any year, but definitely not this past one.
There are no major session incidents to note – or Gab and Lyns just haven’t told me about them! I did hear about a recent bike crash (I’m assured not our fault), a drunk guy trying to pick up sandbags and a woman in her dressing gown and eye mask yelling at us from her balcony. But that may even have been last year. I think the residents must have got used to Lyns’ yells of ‘Go-ooo’.
On top of that, we’ve ran and been the best support crew on the island at the Sun Run, we’ve mountain biked in the Blue Mountains, we’ve explored Kurringai National Park on the Winter Walk, torn up the 29km-my-arse Coastal Classic, completed a (much warmer) Foundation Swim course, been climbing, been swimming, been running and of course been to the pub. I hope you guys like the mix of this stuff as much as I do. New joinier Filimon commented recently that with all the beer/running/pub/activity posts in the facebook group, he liked that he had found a confused bunch of fitness people. OzSquad, Manly’s most confused social bootcamp – I like that too.
Here’s to mixing it up and being more confused in 2018.
Carly X
The 2017 OzSquad Awards:
The parkrun prize:
This year we just had to accept that no-one is ever going to beat James King and have changed the prize to the best parkrun age-grading percentage for the year rather than the fastest time. No, it’s not just a prize for being old! It’s a percentage score of your time compared to the world record time for your age and sex. James you might be fast but relatively the youth are faster!
2017 Winner – Rohan
The OzSquad on tour prize:
Pack your new muscle tops and take a pic of yourself somewhere cool! Or with a quoakka – sure fire win.
Winners – Joe and Claire for SUP boarding AND squatting on the Whitsunday islands in their OzSquad gear
The not made of sugar award:
For the member who most definitely isn’t a wuss and gets on with it without a fuss. And this one even tells everyone else to stop faffing about and to get on with it. And tells me off for calling the Friday 6.30AM guys the ‘late crew’. There’s only one, the one and only…
Winner – Anthoulla
The OzSquad chunder award
There was a close late entry from Matt last week after running up hills – there were whole body convulsions but no actual puke. I think we’ve only had one actual exercise induced chunder – We must be getting old and training with hangovers less. It was a fabulous beer mile puke…
Winner – Seth
The OzSquad Skiver award
For the member who is less than consistent with their attendance! The new Dads are on the naughty list – Dan, Euan, Greg. Albeit Greg has only had that excuse for a couple of weeks, not sure it is an applicable excuse for the rest of the year. Seth, Joe – sporadic. I know, I know, you were training for other things. There can only be one winner this year – citing an ankle injury for lack of sessions,however the injury seems to clear up as soon as there is a competitive game of touch not at 6AM organised. 😉 Unfortunately though our skiver this year didn’t show up in time to collect his prize!
Winner – Will
The OzSquad Swot award
For the member with the most sessions under their belt so far this year. It went down to a draw – can you believe it, buddies Simone and Jen, narrowly pipping Mali. Nice bloody work all.
Our top 10 for the year to date are:
| 129 | Simone du Toit |
| 129 | Jennifer Keane |
| 126 | Mali Cutler |
| 115 | Nicole Hedditch |
| 109 | Anthoulla Mohamudally |
| 102 | Simon Lincoln |
| 102 | Stacey Wicks |
| 97 | Maaike Res |
| 88 | Laurie Scholtz |
| 81 | Tim McIntyre |
