Shea Cass-Dunbar weighed just 680 grams when he was born, about the size of a butter tub. Now 11, he’s preparing to compete in his first triathlon. After a life of defying the odds, Shea, who has cerebral palsy, will be part of the kids TRYathlon at the AIS next week. It’s a massive achievement, but his dad, Scott, calls him an ‘‘absolute fighter’’ and says Shea ‘‘gives everything a crack’’. He trains in martial arts and even tried his hand at croquet on Sunday. Scott hosted a 24-hour croquet marathon at the Canberra Croquet Club in Yarralumla, which finishes at 10am on Sunday and aims to raise money as part of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance celebrity apprentice charity challenge. Shea’s twin brother, Tainn, died after just 53 days. Shea had severe brain bleeding and trauma from birth. Rather than let it defeat him, Scott said the boys had inspired him. ‘‘It was surreal; you don’t expect to go through that. Family and friends were coming daily to hang with us and you need that support,’’ Scott said. ‘‘You either internalise it, or you use it to do some good. We just want to create some awareness to create a better future. There are 150 families in the ACT that are going through this. Shea will give anything a crack, he’s an immense kid who shows you what you can do.’’ Twelve croquet enthusiasts, including ex-Australian and ACT representatives, competed in the event which was organised by Canberra Croquet Club president Nick Chapman. It raised more than $11,000 as part of the charity challenge, taking Scott’s total to more than $14,000. ‘‘At the start I set a goal to raise $5000 so this is absolutely amazing.’’ Scott, a director at KPMG, will join Raiders star Jarrod Croker and Hockeyroos representative Anna Flanagan at the charity dinner on March 22. The 11 celebrity apprentices have raised more than $45,000 to help families with cerebral palsy.
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Cavalry's flight fright
If there was ever any doubt the Australian baseball League was run on a shoe-string budget, they’ve been hit out of the ballpark with the Canberra Cavalry players offered flights home from Sydney – provided they pay $100. The Cavs are in Perth for the ABL championship series against the Heat and will fly back to Sydney late on Sunday night. They will then catch a bus, getting back to Narrabundah Ballpark about 10.30am. But the ABL said they could get a plane back to Canberra, as long as the players pitched in about $100 each.
Brumbies' membership bungle
The Brumbies are racing to fix a membership bungle just two weeks out from the start of the Super Rugby season. The Brumbies outsource their membership packs and have changed companies for the first time in more than 10 years. Now, more than 2000 membership cards will need to be reprinted and sent to supporters because they had the wrong category details on them. The Brumbies are closing in on 9000 members. But the printing drama has delayed the delivery of membership packs. The club is aiming to have them delivered by the start of next week with the season kick-off on February 22. The Brumbies are also investigating building a platform at Canberra Stadium which will showcase a band at home games to enhance spectator experience.
Sinking boot into boos
Jeering or silence at rugby union games? ACT Brumbies fans unfairly jeered their team last year when they kicked in general play, but a group of ‘‘rusted on’’ supporters are lobbying the club to start a campaign to stop the crowd from booing opposition goal-kickers. Brumbies players have backed the idea and the club is considering taking up the initiative for their first game of the Super Rugby season. “We understand the motivation of crowds who do this,’’ said Brumbies fan Charles O’Hanlon. “They are simply trying to help their team by putting off the opposition kicker. ‘‘We think Brumbies supporters are better than this.’’ The group wants a ‘‘Respect the Kicker’’ campaign at Canberra Stadium this year, with signs on the big screen and leaflets handed out. It might work for kickers, but it will be interesting to see what reaction former coach Jake White gets when he returns in May.
New CEO is close
The Brumbies’ search for a new chief executive took a twist down an old path last week when former boss Andrew Fagan was spotted around the club’s new AIS and Bruce headquarters. Fagan quit the club three months ago after more than a decade at the Brumbies, but he’s not putting his hand up for his old job again. The Brumbies are close to finalising his replacement. The board met again last week and negotiations are at a delicate stage. Meanwhile, Fagan is also close to starting a new job in Sydney.
No room at the inn
There’s no room at the inn in Wagga Wagga. Greater Western Sydney and Ainslie were meant to play a NEAFL game at Robertson Oval on May 3, but a clash with the Wagga Gold Cup on the previous two days means both clubs are struggling to get accommodation in town. The game looks set to be pushed back to 2015. The Wagga City Council has a $300,000, three-year deal with the Giants to play one NEAFL game there each year.
Women's cricketers prove ratings hit
It will be interesting to see how television broadcasters react after impressive viewing figures in Friday’s Twenty20 final between the ACT Meteors and the Queensland Fire. A total of 61,000 people tuned in for the game on One HD, which ran during the day from 2-5pm. That’s higher ratings than an average NBL game on the same channel and compares strongly to the WNBL and W-League games shown on the ABC. Women’s cricket has received a greater run recently, with the international T20 games between Australia and England shown on Gem.
Fists set to fly
Fists will be flying when three semi-final bouts of the ACT boxing titles are held on Sunday at the AIS combat centre. It’s the first step towards the Commonwealth Games, with the winners of next Saturday’s finals to qualify for the Australian championships in April. In the men’s 69kg division, Jorge Kapeen, Louis Sinclair and Abe Archibald will be drawn for a semi-final bout from 2pm. There will also be two novice semi-finals. Admission is free.
Logo design debate
The launch of the new AIS logo has drawn plenty of debate and comparisons. One punter tweeted that the five gold lines conjure up memories of the Woolmark logo, a company which has clothed many top Australian athletes in the past. Others have suggested it resembles the ABC logo. Locker Room asked the AIS to release the other designs it considered, believed to be around five, but they declined due to ‘‘commercial-in-confidence’’.
