Gold for De Pedro
Sharpshooting Warburton resident and Lilydale High School student Ben De Pedro returned from Spain after representing Australia in the Universal Trench World Championships in August.
Ben, 17, was part of the three-man Junior team which won Gold in the team rankings while he also finished a spectacular seventh overall in the individual rankings.
Ben hit a total of 185 of his 200 total targets, only nine behind first place overall.
“I’d love to keep going overseas to shoot more, I want to keep competing to be the best I can,” he said.
Senior sides make debut
Senior football reached new heights in Kilsyth for 2023 with both the men’s and women’s teams making their grand final debut.
In just three seasons, the women’s side built a competitive edge to finish on top of the division three ladder, while the men’s side played in its first grand final in almost 30 years.
Having played all season at home with temporary facilities as the new club rooms get built, Van Veen said it could have been a breaking factor for the club this season but it’s only made them stronger.
“In a year that could have been a pretty tough one for us, we’ve delivered a netball team into the finals and two senior football teams in the grand finals,” club president and women’s coach Quentin Van Veen said.
“That’s been a remarkable result for a club that could have had a tough year.”
Putting her best bowl forward
A Mooroolbark cricketer showed off her skill and impressed internationally when she headed to Japan for two weeks playing in the up and coming women’s big bash league.
Jess Adams helped lead her team to a 3-0 tournament victory, Jess walked away with player of the match for game one making 24 runs and bowling 4/13, only to pick up the best bowler recognition for the tournament.
As a growing sport in Japan, Jess said cricket is shaping up to be something the Japanese could be very competitive in in a few years time.
“It’s come a long way since I was last over there four years ago and it’s rapidly evolving,” she said.
“There’s definitely players who have some really good talent, some who have a little bit of experience from being half Japanese half Australian and transitioning between the two countries to play.
“Then the likes of those who have switched over from baseball or different sports who have picked it up naturally.”
Bronze medal moment for Lilly
For one Lilydale primary school student, winning bronze for shot put at the School Sport Victoria state championships was more than just a medal.
St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School Grade 5 student Lilly was born vision impaired with a condition called nystagmus, a condition where the eyes make repetitive, uncontrolled movements, meaning she was often told she couldn’t play sport.
“It’s a pretty big deal to me. When I was in Grade 2 I got told I couldn’t play tag with other people and got told I couldn’t do something because of my vision,” she said.
“Now I feel like I’m showing them I can do something, I want to do it. I guess to me it’s a way of saying ‘I can do it, you shouldn’t have told me I couldn’t do something’ just because I had a visual impairment.”
A year of success for YR Athletics
From state titles, to gold medals, personal bests and international competitions, Yarra Ranges Athletics athletes made their mark in 2023.
Mitch Pointon and Zoe Addinsall competed for Australia in the Laser Run World Championships Under 15 and Under 17 categories from 19 to 21 August in Bath, United Kingdom.
Yarra Ranges athlete, Kellie Emerson was the flag bearer for the Australian team at the World Mountain Running Championships in Innsbruck Austria before putting in an amazing run in the women’s race. The event over 44km climbed a total of 3,260m getting to a height of 2,400m. Kellie had to use all her determination and skill on the tough, technical course to finish an outstanding 37th from over 150 starters.
To finish up the year on a high, Harry Norman became the Victorian Men’s 5000m Champion. A title earned with a sizzling final 500m to run away from the best athletes in Victoria. This was Harry’s first Victorian state title, hopefully the start of more to come.
Shortly after, a hard-fought win at the Athletics Victoria State Track Relay Championships in the 4 x 800m relay saw Zoe Clarke, Rori Jones, Mia Strudley and Brigette Rice combining for team relay gold.
