Millie Chalker to lead all-girls team at bodyboarding teams challenge in Port Macquarie – Camden Haven Courier

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MILLIE Chalker knows dad Shane will try and win the mental battle, but she was hopeful of winning the battle for the waves in Port Macquarie. The current Australian bodyboarding champion will headline the women’s team as Port Macquarie Bodyboarding Association holds their annual teams challenge from Saturday to Monday. Family bragging rights will go on the line when Chalker goes up against her home town Forster team – including dad Shane – to start the event. “I have the first heat against dad so that’s pretty cool,” the teenager said. “I’ve only surfed against him in a heat once before and he’s been telling me that he’ll psyche me out – which he won’t – but it’s a really weird coincidence.” It will be the first “serious” competition between the two and the 17-year-old will have a piece of advice from her old man ringing in her ears. “Depends who gets lucky,” she said. “Dad always said you don’t have to be the best surfer, just the smartest one so hopefully I’ll be the smartest one.” Chalker and her teammates will look to improve on their result from last year’s competition where they registered just the single win. “It’s good for the girls because we beat one of the boys teams last year which showed we are a part of bodyboarding,” she said. “A lot of the time the girls get pushed to the side because we’re the minority. “It (women’s bodyboarding) is not as strong as a lot of those other sports like the NRL but we’re trying to get more girls into it.” There is no other event in the world that has teams bodyboarding challenge and Chalker said it was something different to experience. “It’s really fun and this will be the third year I’ve done it,” she said. Chalker picked up a second-place finish in May at the NSW state titles which saw her progress to the national titles later in the year. After only taking up the sport four years ago she admitted she never thought she would become an Australian champion. “I didn’t really think that,” she said. “When I was little I’d always see dad out surfing and I had his old boards and went straight in the whitewash. “Then one family holiday four or five years ago there were perfect little waves and dad took me out and from then on I loved it. “I thought I’d give it a go and it was something a bit different and a bit of fun; I didn’t really think it would lead to this.”

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MILLIE Chalker knows dad Shane will try and win the mental battle, but she was hopeful of winning the battle for the waves in Port Macquarie.

The current Australian bodyboarding champion will headline the women’s team as Port Macquarie Bodyboarding Association holds their annual teams challenge from Saturday to Monday.

Family bragging rights will go on the line when Chalker goes up against her home town Forster team – including dad Shane – to start the event.

“I have the first heat against dad so that’s pretty cool,” the teenager said.

“I’ve only surfed against him in a heat once before and he’s been telling me that he’ll psyche me out – which he won’t – but it’s a really weird coincidence.”

It will be the first “serious” competition between the two and the 17-year-old will have a piece of advice from her old man ringing in her ears.

“Depends who gets lucky,” she said.

“Dad always said you don’t have to be the best surfer, just the smartest one so hopefully I’ll be the smartest one.”

Chalker and her teammates will look to improve on their result from last year’s competition where they registered just the single win.

“It’s good for the girls because we beat one of the boys teams last year which showed we are a part of bodyboarding,” she said.

“A lot of the time the girls get pushed to the side because we’re the minority.

“It (women’s bodyboarding) is not as strong as a lot of those other sports like the NRL but we’re trying to get more girls into it.”

There is no other event in the world that has teams bodyboarding challenge and Chalker said it was something different to experience.

Millie Chalker

Millie Chalker

“It’s really fun and this will be the third year I’ve done it,” she said.

Chalker picked up a second-place finish in May at the NSW state titles which saw her progress to the national titles later in the year.

After only taking up the sport four years ago she admitted she never thought she would become an Australian champion.

“I didn’t really think that,” she said.

“When I was little I’d always see dad out surfing and I had his old boards and went straight in the whitewash.

“Then one family holiday four or five years ago there were perfect little waves and dad took me out and from then on I loved it.

“I thought I’d give it a go and it was something a bit different and a bit of fun; I didn’t really think it would lead to this.”