Fred Siasat can't recall exactly the last time a Kiama Downs athlete won gold at the NSW Age Surf Life Saving Championships.
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It was sometime more than 20 years ago, he tells me.
Over the weekend, that 20-plus year drought was broken. And it wasn't just broken, it was shattered, with the club winning three gold medals at the competition in Swansea, Lake Macquarie.
Miller Siasat claimed a double gold, overcoming a hand injury to take out the under 10 boys beach flags and beach sprint events.
Mischa Boniface also excelled on the sand, winning the under 13 girls flags event. Max Miller finished off the club's medal haul, collecting a silver medal in the boys under 10 board race.
To Fred Siasat, the club's Junior Activity Chair, the weekend's results are a case of a small club punching well above its weight.
"It's been a long time since we've won medals at the state level," Siasat said. "We had real good success at the country titles and we've carried it across to state.
"We're really proud of our team, we're a small club and we made a big statement. It was a massive effort from the team."
The results came on a successful weekend for Illawarra junior athletes, with Warilla Barrack Point finishing 13th on the overall pointscore. Storm Balmain led the way for the club, winning the under 11 boys board race and claiming four bronze medals.
Bulli's Chelsea Jones and Sarah Locke combined forces to take out the under 14 girls board rescue event, with the pair also collecting a bronze in the under 14 board relay and Jones finishing third in the surf race.
Siasat said the children had all put in the work at training to achieve such significant results.
"Our team work extremely hard, they're hungry to be competitive. Mischa's just a workhorse, she trains hard and her work ethic is quite strong.
"Miller is a quiet kid, he doesn't say much, but he's just a hard worker and does a lot of talking through his actions and Max is one of our toughest competitors, he's an absolute terrier."