October 30, 2017
Top Australian beach volleyballer Taliqua Clancy was this year’s special guest at Kingaroy State High School’s annual Sports Awards last Wednesday night, and shared many insights about her career with the audience.
Taliqua, who grew up in Kingaroy, attended St John’s Lutheran School and Kingaroy State High School where she played “all sorts of sports” simply because she loved competing.
But when she saw Cathy Freeman light the torch at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, it fired up a dream in her to compete at that level that she still carries to this day.
“Here I was, a Kingaroy girl watching the Olympics on TV in Markwell Street, and I thought ‘I want to do that'”, Taliqua told the audience.
And when she learned that beach volleyball was played at the Olympics, that helped her make up her mind to take it up.
Taliqua told the audience her first experience of beach volleyball wasn’t the best.
It was hot, it was sandy, and it was a lot of hard work.
But she persisted and within a few years was invited to join the Australian Institute of Sport.
“The AIS headquarters for beach volleyball is in Adelaide,” Taliqua said.
“So I moved there in 2009.”
Taliqua remains with the AIS and has now worked her way up to be ranked No 1 in Australia.
She also regularly competes at international tournaments all over the world, and has recently had a string of successes in European and Asian competitions.
However, her success hasn’t come easy.
She usually trains six days a week and has to keep to a strict diet.
Taliqua said the main message she wanted to impart to Kingaroy High School’s students was that anything was possible, and if they really wanted to pursue sport it and had a talent for it, it could take them all over the world.
Another was that it was important to pursue your dreams, however impossible they might seem.
Taliqua’s own Olympic dream finally came true when she represented Australia at the 2016 Summer Olympics in beach volleyball, partnered with Louise Bawden.
The pair only narrowly missed out on a bronze medal, but the tall 25-year-old has not been deterred.
She believes she still has “two more Olympics” left in her career, and right now is looking forward to competing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Taliqua presented many of this year’s Sports Awards.
The 2017 Bass Blue Memorial Sports Person of the Year Award was won by Taylor Watt, another poly-athlete who has had great success with football, athletics and touch.
Palmer house received the Australia Shield for Champion House, with Youngman the runners-up.
And the Tony Cush Memorial Shield was presented to Ben Irwin as the Best and Fairest Open Rugby League Player of the Year by Sarah-Louise Cush.
* * *
2017 KSHS Sports Awards
- Australia Shield Champion House – Palmer
- Australia Shield Runner Up – Youngman
- Lucy Aboud Memorial Shield – Swimming Bradfield
- Teachers’ Shield (Athletics) – Youngman
- Cross Country Shield – Palmer
- Tony Cush Memorial Shield – Ben Irwin
- Andrew Marsh Memorial (Cross Country) – Adrian Webster
- D J Kilkenny Memorial Trophy Coach’s Award – Andrew Champney
- Junior Rugby League Trophy Under 15 Rugby League Player – Mason Nightingale
- Rugby League Trophy Under 13 Years Rugby League Player – Cody Gale
- Senior School Best & Fairest Netballer – Brenna Prendergast
- Junior School Best & Fairest Netballer – Chelsea Whye
- Encouragement Award Netball – Asha Cooper
- Encouragement Award Netball – Maddison Coleman
- All Schools Cup Best & Fairest Open Girls Volleyballer – Lauren Sims
- All Schools Cup Best & Fairest Open Boys Volleyballer – Dale Lenkeit
- Best and Fairest Under 15 Girls Volleyballer – Chelsea Whye
- Encouragement Award Touch Player – Jessie Bond
- Encouragement Award Touch Player – Kayley Collins
- Best & Fairest Open Boys Cricketer – Keegan Wright
- Pierre de Coubertin Award – Chantelle Law
- Clay Target Shooting High Gun (QPS Clay Target Assoc) – Dylan Brunner
- Clay Target Shooting Encouragement Award (QPS Clay Target Assoc) – Daniel Crawford
- Clay Target Shooting Encouragement Award (QPS Clay Target Assoc) – Aaron Strickland
- Clay Target Shooting Encouragement Award (QPS Clay Target Assoc) – Ben Voigt
Swimming Age Champions
- 18-19 Years – Bethany Baltus, Ben Irwin
- 17 Years – Chantelle Law, Lachlan Hurt
- 16 Years – Emily Hutton, Lincoln Rabbitt/Aiden Robe
- 15 Years – Asha Cooper, Angus Allery
- 14 Years – Tiarna Hurt, Liam Robe
- 13 Years – Paige Connelly, Zachary Reid
- 12 Years – Keeley Schloss, Blake Manthey
Cross Country Age Champions
- 18-19 Years – Bethany Baltus, Adrian Webster
- 17 Years – Chloe Lane, Lachlan Hurt
- 16 Years – Chelsea Carroll, Jaycob Brazier
- 15 Years – Tia Harm, Jack Garrod
- 14 Years – Hannah Lee, Jay Bonwick
- 13 Years – Sophie Grundy, James Watt
- 12 Years – Lily Rose, Blake Manthey
Athletics Age Champions
- 18-19 Years – Bethany Baltus, Adrian Webster
- 17 Years – Lauren Sims, Daniel Bond
- 16 Years – Katelyn Beresford, Jaycob Brazier
- 15 Years – Taylor Watt, Xealand Eustace
- 14 Years – Casey Bath, Joshua Ayre
- 13 Years – Sophie Grundy, James Watt
- 12 Years – Lily Rose, Daniel Carroll
Athletics
- Gold – Sophie Grundy
- Silver – Abbey Kapemick, Brittney Lumb, Lauren, Sims, Taylor Watt, Adrian Webster
- Bronze – LaToya Barkle, Jarrod Bamett, Daniel Bond, Jessie Bond, Jaycob Brazier, Anthony Bryant, Maddison Carstairs, Kayley Collins, Kate Cutler, Jude Davies, Phoebe Day, Dion Handford, lane Harris, Jayson Hazell, Tiama Hurt, Amy-Louise Kempson, Vanessa Kissick, Chloe Lane, Talon Lumsden, Ryan Macasaet, Gordon Miners, Angelina Phillips-Petersen, Gorgie Plowman, Brenna Prendergast, Shaun Pukallus, Lincoln Rabbitt, Daniel Ross, Ethan Schultz, Rashida Scott, Daniel Slade, Akala Smith, Jordan Sonter, Stevee Stead, James Watt, Steven Wheeler
Australian Rules Football
- Silver – Angus Lanser
Basketball
- Silver – Akala Smith, Tenesha Trunks
- Bronze – Bailey Beresford, Jordan Buckley, Patrick Chapman, Keaton Coleman, Mark Emfaces, Jackson Forsyth, Sophie Forsyth, Emma Hilsley, Angus Lanser, Andrei Martinito,Shaun Pukallus, Seith Romantico, Daniel Seiler, Jennifer Slabber, Jake Sullivan, Joseph Toseni, Mikey Unversagt, Jaxson Walters
Cricket
- Silver – Jaden Heness, Brenna Prendergast
- Bronze – Fletcher Black, Kayley Collins, Paige Connelly, Corey Cross, Sophie Grundy, Tyler Heness, Lachlan Montgomery, Bridie Prendergast, Mikey Unversagt, Adrian Webster, Joshua Wolski, Keegan Wright
Cross Country
- Silver – Adrian Webster
- Bronze – Bethany Baltus, Timothy Blanch, Daniel Bond, Jaycob Brazier, Jack Ganrod, Sophie Grundy, Macey Jones, Chloe Lane, Blake Manthey, Jaspar Millar, Isaac Nicholson, Benn Reid
Football
- Silver – Lachlan Hurt, Dale Lenkeit, Lachlan Montgomery, Lauren Sims, Taylor Watt
- Bronze – Hannah Armstrong, Jay Bonwick, Kade Buckle, Chelsea Carroll, Cody Carroll, Paige Connelly, Tennae Francis, Nigel Kaiulo, Amy-Louise Kempson, Killian Klease, Hannah Lee, Macy Patti, Angelina Phillips-Petersen, Natalia Phillips-Petersen, Du Pham, Lincoln Rabbitt, Lily Rose, Ethan Schultz, Oscar Schmidt, Toby Schmidt, Denzel Strauss, Luca Turton, Bao Truong, Joshua Wolski
Netball
- Silver – Macey Jones, Brenna Prendergast
- Bronze – Laura Freeman, Rebecca Hancock, Tiama Hurt, Emma Stewart, Brooke Whye, Chelsea Whye
Rugby League
- Silver – Aimee Barron, Dylan Bayliss-Brow, Maddison Carstairs, Xealand Eustace, Sophie Klein, Thomas Oram, Tenesha Trunks, Zac Walters
- Bronze – Angus Allery, Cohen Carstairs, Corey Cross, Jack Garrod, Ben Irwin, Ryan Macasaet, Aydenn Pszkit, Lily Rose, Daniel Slade, Connor Sullivan
Squash
- Bronze – Jarrod Bamett
Swimming
- Silver – Zachary Reid
- Bronze – Bethany Baltus, Casey Bath, Paige Connelly, Asha Cooper Zane Harris, Ben Irwin, Lincoln Rabbitt, Aiden Robe, Liam Robe, Keeley Schloss
Tennis
- Bronze – Zac Hay, Liam Hyland, Jake Sullivan
Touch
- Silver – Taylah Favier, Ben Irwin
- Bronze – Angus Allery, LaToya Barkle, Talia Barkle, Jessie Bond, Cohen Carstairs, Jenna Christensen, Kaitlin Elliot, Bailey Favier, Reece Kitchingman, Chantelle Law, Ryan Macasaet, Jayden Maher, Mackenzy Moller, Isaac Nicholson, Thomas Oram, Jacob Provan, Toby Schmidt, Connor Shadforth, Taylor Stead, Sarah Tarlinton, Tenesha Trunks, James Watt, Taylor Watt
Volleyball
- Bronze – Dion Handford, Lachlan Hurt, Tiama Hurt, Amy-Louise Kempson, Dale Lenkeit, Du Pham, Oscar Schmidt, Lauren Sims, Emma Stewart, Chelsea Whye, Jasmine Whye
Team Performance of the Year: Vicki Wilson Junior Team
- Maddison Coleman, Asha Cooper, Phoebe Day, Sophie Grundy, Charlotte Hams, Tiama Hurt, Brooke Whye, Chelsea Whye, Jasmine Whye
