Beaconhills Students Paddle to Glory

June, 8 2009

When Travis Dodd and other students representing Beaconhills College competed over the 2009 Easter period, little did they think that one of their crew would end up representing his country at an international standard.

The National Marathon Kayaking Championships, which was held on the Sunshine Coast in April of this year, attracted individuals and teams from across the country to represent their schools and sporting clubs.

The Beaconhills cohort, who trained for six months in preparation for this national event, competed in various group and individual events. Their efforts resulted in a number of medal successes including:

Silver in under 18 male K1
Gold in under 18 male K2
Silver in under 18 female K2
Bronze in under 16 female K2

Director of Kayaking, Mr Peter Gargiulo, sang the praises of his kayakers “we are especially proud of these students as they began their paddling careers with the College team; they are part of a school programme which caters for children of a variety of ages and skill levels.” As a result of the magnificent achievement of the Beaconhills Kayak team, in particular, Travis Dodd, has been selected to represent Australia as an individual at the World Marathon Kayaking Championships in Portugal.

Travis, who started paddling in Year 7, has had a recent run of success when he placed 1st in the 5000m and 7th in the 1000m races at the National Sprint Championships held in Perth in May of this year.

In order for Travis to travel to the World Championships in September, he is currently undertaking fundraising activity to raise the $5,000 that he requires to board the plane to Portugal. If you are interested in supporting Travis’s goal, please contact kayak@beaconhills.vic.edu.au.