GINA'S GOLDEN START TO MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 26, 2012: Watching from the sand as four children went through nippers gave Noosa Heads' Gina Lynch the bug to start competing herself.

She was 45 when she first put her foot on a starting line and today, seven years later, she won a swag of six gold medals on day one of the 2112 Australian Masters Surf Life Saving Championships at Kurrawa.

Competing in the 50-54 years age group, Lynch was all but unbeatable.

Her golden day started early in the 2km beach run and continued through the surf, board, rescue tube and ironwoman events, then concluded when he teamed with Phoebe McCubbery to in the board rescue.

The only blemish came in the ski race when she was hit by a big wave and knocked out of contention and eventually pulled out of the race.

"I'm very happy, there was good competition out there today," Lynch said.

"I'm usually confident about the 2km run and the swim but from there you never know what's going to happen when you combine craft and the surf."

Lynch had no surf lifesaving experience when her children started nippers but she was soon learning the skills that now have her leading the way in her age group.

"If females had been able to compete 30 years ago I'd have been in there," she said.

"I did swimming and netball as a youth, then travelled and had children so I really didn't have a chance to get involved before."

She fits training around doing the books for her solicitor husband and hopes her haul of 2012 Masters gold medals won't stop at six.

"I have five team events tomorrow and we have some good chances so we'll see how it goes," she said.

Terrigal's Paul Lemmon is never far away when Masters gold medals are handed out he was in great form again today, winning the surf race, ironman and board race in the 40-44 years age group, as well a finishing second in the rescue tube race.

The big haul takes Lemmon's Masters medal tally close to 30.

Northcliffe's Tiarne Smith is another regular star at the Masters and finished her busy day with five medals, including golds in the 30-34 years ironwoman and board race.

Bondi's Miller sisters, Andrea and Dori, both found success in the surf.

Andrea won the 30-34 years surf and rescue tube races, while Dori won the 40-44 years surf race, was second in the rescue tube and third in the board rescue.

There was triple gold for Redhead's Michelle Kent, who won the 35-39 years surf race and board race then teamed with Lisa Brown to win the board rescue.

Port Noarlunga's Lee Myatt showed plenty of versatility, winning both the 35-39 years ski race and 2km run, as well as placing fourth in the beach sprint.

Another versatile performer was Swansea-Belmont's Marilyn Clarence who won three gold medals in the 2km run, board race and rescue tube race, and three silvers in the ski, ironwoman and board rescue.

In the 45-49 years men North Burleigh's Col Braund and Jeff Lemarseny and Currumbin's Michael Waide were the standouts.

Braund, who has just been officially announced as a coach on the Australian Olympic Swim team (for Ky Hurst), won the surf race/rescue tube double; Lemarseny the single ski and Waide the ironman.

The 50-54 years age group saw Northcliffe's former board paddling great Gavin Hill dominate with hard-fought
wins in the board and ironman finals while Byron Bay's Glen Lawrence beat Stephen Fry (Northcliffe) and Hill
in the surf race, with Fry taking out the rescue tube.

In the 55-59 years men, Mooloolaba's Rod Taylor turned back the clock to win the ironman; evergreen Bruce Kolkka (Northcliffe) the board; Don Boland

(Freshwater) the surf race ahead of Brighton pair Paul Openshaw and Grant Simpson, while Openshaw was too slick in the rescue tube.

Carlton Park Tasmania's Don Marsh took out the 60-65 years surf race and former Bondi R and R champion Larry Brook (Port Macquarie) the rescue tube, while the 65 years plus age group saw Trigg Island's Michael Cook score the surf race/rescue tube double and his WA colleague, R and R legend Rob Watkins (Cottesloe), the 70s plus years surf race.

At the conclusion of the first day of Masters competition, Noosa Heads (139) lead Northcliffe (115), North Burleigh (107), Queenscliff (94), Mooloolaba (92), Byron Bay (74), Kurrawa (71), Surfers Paradise (66), Alexandra Headland (63) and Currumbin Beach Vikings (58).