Oklahoma City officially declares July 8 to be Alex Ducas Day after Geraldton star's role in NBA championship
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ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Geraldton set to host World Junior Windsurfing Championship grand final
Some of the world's best young windsurfers are set to hit the waves on one of the windiest stretches of the West Australian coastline. Geraldton, 400 kilometres north of Perth, will host the World Wave grand final of the Junior World Windsurfing Championships in January — the first time the event will be held outside Europe. Competitors from around the world will take to the waves from January 10–18. World Wave Tour director Simeon Glasson said it was a landmark moment for the sport. "Bringing the grand final to Western Australia reflects our global vision for youth windsurfing and highlights Geraldton's world-class wind and wave conditions," he said. Western Australia had seven junior windsurfers who finished in the world's top 10 rankings in 2024. Geraldton Windsurfing Club president Peter Kenyon said securing the event was a huge coup for the town. "It's amazing; to wrestle it from the European circuit is a big achievement in itself," he said. "In the past couple of years, we've actually had a real increase in events in Geraldton. "It's really great to help the local community and windsurfing community to display what we've got." Depending on conditions, heats will be held across Sunset Beach, Spot X (Oakajee), or Coronation Beach. With the cost of travelling to Europe to compete, Mr Kenyon said the event being held locally would be a huge boost for home-grown competitors. "Having the under-18 world titles in Geraldton allows the Australian kids to compete," he said. "The event quite often has been in Europe, and the cost of travel to Europe is quite expensive, and for most of us, that is outside our budget. "It's showcasing the local talent in Geraldton and it gives our juniors an opportunity to compete without having to travel overseas." Mr Kenyon's daughter, Sarah, followed her father and family friends into the sport and is ranked number one in junior girls on the World Wave Tour. Sarah said it would be a special moment to compete at home. "It means a lot to me," she said. "I get to compete somewhere where I've been training so much and just to use those conditions to my advantage is pretty cool as well." Much like a football or a cricket team might experience a home-field advantage at their regular ground, Sarah said riding her home waves would be a big boost too. "I just know where to position myself and everything like that," she said. "And also, just because we have such great waves it will be so cool to make the most of them."
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Oklahoma City officially declares July 8 to be Alex Ducas Day after Geraldton star's role in NBA championship
Oklahoma City officially declares July 8 to be Alex Ducas Day after Geraldton star's role in NBA championship
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Paul Roos baffled by suggestions of AFL in-season tournament, warns league against mimicking NBA
Australian rules great Paul Roos says he is baffled by suggestions the AFL could potentially introduce an in-season tournament. The AFL is considering a tournament similar to the NBA Cup, with the idea floated in last week's meeting between the CEOs of the league's 19 clubs. The tournament would likely be introduced after Tasmania's arrival in 2028, and the winner could stand to receive $5 million in prize money in addition to a guaranteed finals spot. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon confirmed in a statement last week that the potential in-season tournament was one of a number of ideas "with a focus on creating more content and marquee moments" during the season. The NBA introduced its in-season tournament during the 2023–24 season as a way to add weight to regular-season games played in the early portion of the season, but Roos believes the AFL should steer clear of mimicking the world's best basketball league. "If there's a league you don't want to follow in the world, it's the NBA," he told the ABC AFL Daily podcast. "The NBA ratings have absolutely plummeted. It is unwatchable now. I'm an ex-basketball player and a huge, huge basketball fan, I watched the NBA Finals and no other games at all. "They have destroyed their league by doing dumb stuff like play-in tournaments and mid-season games and changing rules offensively so you can't touch anyone, scores are 150–140, and you'll see the ratings have reflected it." Roos, who currently resides in Hawaii, explained his dismay at the constant Americanisation of Australia's leading sporting codes. "I just don't understand Australian sports administrators' fixation with American sport," he said. "Living over here now, we do not want to go down the path of a lot of what America represents now [in terms of] sport. "It's all about the individual, players changing clubs, it's all about money and all about less time at the club and more time on holidays, and this is where we're heading. "I don't understand it. It's not in my realm of thinking." Roos was the captain of Fitzroy at a time when the club was bleeding money in the early 90s. However, he does not believe the league's poorer clubs need the financial boost the in-season tournament could provide, like the Lions needed before their merger with the Brisbane Bears. "Even the $5 million, let's be honest, the lower clubs are pumped up by the AFL anyway," he said. "You're not going out of business now if you're an AFL club, so what's $5 million? "Just be honest around what it's for. What is the AFL trying to achieve? "We have a great competition, we have fans going to the game left, right and centre, we have ratings through the roof, so the game has never been in better shape. "Why do we want to change something that's not broken just because we've got a three-game gap between ninth and 10th? Is that the reason? That'll change next year. "I don't know what the objective is, that's the concern."
