Stingers set for Sunshine Coast move

A similar six-month Sunshine Coast stint 20 years ago led to the “Aussie Stingers” claiming gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics when women’s water polo was part of the Games program for the first time.

“We know the Sunshine Coast was a great base for the Aussie Stingers in 2000, so we are looking forward to getting our next generation of players back to where it all began before that famous gold medal moment,” team captain Rowie Webster said.

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The decision to return to the Coast was made to ensure Webster and her teammates had the best possible preparation for next year’s Tokyo Olympics in the COVID-compromised climate.

“Our normal preparation for an Olympics would see us living and travelling together, mostly abroad for camps and tournaments, but the current global environment means we are unlikely to travel overseas before the Games, meaning we needed to find a new base in Australia where we could maximise our time together as a team,” said Melbourne-based Webster, whose Olympics preparations have been affected by Victoria’s lengthy lockdowns this year.

“We really enjoy being in Queensland and the Sunshine Coast will provide us with warm weather and ideal facilities to allow us to focus on our training and preparation in those final months leading into Tokyo.

“As someone who has been in Melbourne for most of 2020 and has had a disruptive year when it comes to training, I am very much looking forward to being back with the squad.”

With support from the Sunshine Coast Council, the Aussie Stingers will be based at Coolum from February 7, and use facilities at Kawana Aquatics and 02 Performance, as well as St Andrew’s Anglican College at Peregian Beach.

Also aiding the team’s Olympics preparations will be high performance consultant Wayne Goldsmith and psychologist Richard Fryer.

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