Scotch College

Sam’s successful season in the surf

Sam Troon (’01) was a prominent member of a most successful Jan Juc Surf Life Saving Club surf boat team during 2006–07.

Tough preseason training paid dividends, with Sam’s crew winning many Victorian carnivals, held at beaches such as Torquay and Fairhaven. The crew was selected to represent Victoria in an interstate challenge at Goolwa, South Australia, and came third behind strong Queensland and New South Wales crews.

The highlight of the year for Sam was travelling to Piha on the north-east coast of New Zealand’s north island in February to compete in a Test series against the Kiwis. Jan Juc, Bronte (NSW) and Austinmer (NSW) boat crews represented Australia, and won the series in two-metre surf.

The crew competed at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships at Scarborough Beach in Perth during March, finishing approximately 20th in a field of 80 A crews from around Australia. At the Victorian Surf Life Saving Championships, also in March, Jan Juc came second in very flat conditions at Apollo Bay.

Sam has now completed five full seasons in surf boat racing: three with Lorne Surf Life Saving Club and two with Jan Juc. Overall, Sam had a most successful season, and he encourages everyone to get actively involved in surf life saving, especially during 2007, the Year of the Surf Life Saver.

Sam is also a dynamic, fleet-footed player for the Old Scotch Football Club’s senior team, and last year he was selected in one of the Victorian Amateur Football Association’s state representative teams.