Victorian Tigers men and Balmain Tigers women won their final preliminary-round matches yesterday to secure the National Water Polo League minor premierships.

Victorian Tigers fended off Brisbane Barracudas 14-8 to finish on 62 points, equal to KFC Queensland Breakers. However, The Tigers beat the Breakers by a goal in the second of their two clashes with the first a draw, meaning they won the Southern Cross Trophy on the first tie-break — the results between the pair.

Balmain Tigers women beat the fifth-ranked Cronulla Sharks 12-9 to finish three points clear of Fremantle Marlins and Brisbane Barracudas.

Cronulla Sharks v Balmain Tigers Women NWPL

Brisbane, who beat No 4 Victorian Tigers 17-7 at All Hallows School in Brisbane, had to settle for third spot per the tiebreak rule. Brisbane and Fremantle split their games in the rounds but Fremantle had a vastly superior goal differential

The heartbreak story of the day was Sydney University Lions’ 8-all draw with Drummoyne Devils.
If the Lions had won they would have grabbed the bottom qualifying spot for next week’s finals in Sydney but instead, the Devils will contest the finals in only their second year in the NWPL.

Cronulla Sharks v Balmain Tigers Women NWPL

UNSW Killer Whales said farewell to the league with the ninth-ranked team seeing off No 11 Hunter Hurricanes 9-5.
The No 3 Drummoyne Devils men, in their debut season, beat sixth-ranked Sydney University Lions 10-6.

Balmain Tigers men leap-frogged the Lions into fifth place with a resounding 12-4 decision over Cronulla Sharks.
Outgoing champions Wests Magpies closed their season with an 11-5 victory over higher-ranked Hunter Hurricanes but both are just outside the six.

The five-day finals series start at Sydney Olympic Park and Aquatic Centre tomorrow week.

Results:
National Water Polo League:
Men:
Brisbane: Victorian Tigers 14 (J Gilchrist 3, R Sinclair, M Price 2, L Gavin, A Edwards, C Gronow, S Lewis, I Lark, K Smith, J Woods) Brisbane Barracudas 8 (BJ Howden 3, C Mello 2, L Ingwersen, D Young, C Bitter).
Sydney: Drummoyne Devils 10 (A Roach, T Cleland 3, T Martin, S Avallone, S Boyd, A Robinson) Sydney University Lions 6 (N Cargill 3, T Franklin, J Young, S Mackenzie), Balmain Tigers 12 (C Dyson, G Woods 3, J Falzon 2, C Wright, J Davis, M Lazic, S Smith) Cronulla Sharks 4 (G Panawek 2, C Batty, D Wassell), Wests Magpies 11 (W Eames 3, D Swinnerton 2, S Cody, M Rapsey, R O’Brien, T Blewitt, A Skora, C Eames) Hunter Hurricanes 5 (N Campbell 3, M Baird, J Johnston).
Women:
Brisbane: Brisbane Barracudas 17 (M Rippon 4, K Gynther, Gao Ao 3, Sun Yujun, J Moran, JL Lewis 2, E Keogh) Victorian Tigers 7 (R Webster 3, J Hanson 2, A Van Ommen, K Dowrick).
Sydney: Balmain Tigers 12 (L Higlett, J Dessauvagie, T Woods, A Bower 2, R Rippon, E Simms, B Smith, B Appel) Cronulla Sharks 9 (N Zagame 6, H Lincoln-Smith, H Klein, M Schmid), UNSW Killer Whales 9 (S Grunberger, A Carter 2, A Gronow, Liu Ping, J Burford, He Jin, K Moran) Hunter Hurricanes 5 (N McJannet 3, E Goodwin, S Jones), Sydney University Lions 8 (A Brightwell, J Whitehorn, T Gofers 2, F Hammond, M Hammond) Drummoyne Devils 8 (A Southern 5, R Lissa, A Turnbull, C Mathewson).
Final points with top six qualifying for finals:
Men: Victorian Tigers 62, KFC Breakers 62, Drummoyne Devils 59, Fremantle Mariners 52, Balmain Tigers 49, Sydney University Lions 47, Hunter Hurricanes 42, Wests Magpies 39, Brisbane Barracudas 35, Cronulla Sharks 28, Adelaide Jets 27, UWA Torpedoes 26.
Women: Balmain Tigers 63, Longmont Fremantle Marlins 60, Brisbane Barracudas 60, Victorian Tigers 48, Cronulla Sharks 45, Drummoyne Devils 43, KFC Breakers 42, Sydney University Lions 42, UNSW Killer Whales 38, UWA Comets 34, Hunter Hurricanes 30, Adelaide Jets 23.

BLK1 Article: AUSTRALIAN WATER POLO INC BLK1 Photographer:ANTHONY PEARSE

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Article: ©  2008. All rights reserved.

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Wayne Cooper began his display at the 2009 Rosemount Australia Fashion Week with an audio-visual tease: the lights went dim and the back of the runway was illuminated with visualization to match a spoken speil from Guy Ritchies 2008 film, RocknRolla.

After this scene, the people in the packed runway crowd did not know whether nor not to be surprised that the designs paraded were in no way rebellious and seemed pretty far removed from the ideas dictated by the RocknRolla intro. Afterall, Wayne Cooper is known to be a designer who always has puffy, feminine frocks on show.

Despite the confusing contradiction, the designs kept the crowd amused for the duration of the show. After the final design left the runway, spectators were left asking the question: is it over already? Everything that was seen on the runway was goregous, and earned the lust of every shopper- but none of the pieces showed wild innovation or crazy uniqueness.

But, while the tight-bodiced puffy dresses and the flowing black jumpsuit bring forth memories of what has filled boutique shelves for the past few seasons, the tailoring and interesting use of fluro and metalic colours could be seen as an exciting improvement to mainstream fashion.

BLK1 Article: ELLEN CROSLEY BLK1 Photographer: PETER SOLLNER

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Chris Allum at the State Championships Swansea Belmont in February 09.

Surf Life Saving NSW club members gathered for the movement’s annual Awards of Excellence, held on Saturday 2 May at the Crowne Plaza Coogee.

One of the most anticipated awards, Athlete of the Year, went to Cronulla’s Chris Allum, who performed consistently this year, including winning State, Australian and World Open Mens Surf Races.

Chris said receiving the award was a great honour and thanked his family for their support, saying his mum still packs his lunch for him when he competes!

Allum’s coach, Richard Garnsey, was awarded Coach of the Year. Richard “Bluey” said it was particularly satisfying to have contributed to the NSW Interstate team winning this year, despite the exodus of many of the state’s talented athletes to Queensland in recent years.

Chris Allum at Awards of Excellence ceremony

SLSNSW’s Central Coast Branch took out the coveted Branch of the Year award. Central Coast also won the Community Education Program of the Year award for its successful Surf Awareness Education program.

Redhead SLSC’s Isaac Morgan made two trips to the stage to pick up Junior Athlete of the Year, along with Team of the Year with clubmates in the Under 15 Water Team which won three Gold medals at the recent Australian Championships. Country Athlete of the Year was awarded to Ali Day from Warilla-Barrack Point.

Junior athlete of year – Isaac Morgan

The awards were presented by the Minister for Sport and Recreation, Kevin Greene MP, who thanked the volunteer surf lifesavers on behalf of the people of NSW and said the quality of the nominees for all the awards showed the great depth of commitment and experience within Surf Life Saving.

BLK1 Article: Surf Life Saving Australia BLK1 Photographer: HARVIE ALLISON

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2008. All rights reserved.

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Carl’s Jr, an American fast food chain, shocked television viewers by releasing a controversial ad for its Spicy Burger in 2005 – but why was it such a conversation topic? The Parents Television Council (PTC) was mortified by the advertisement which depicts Paris Hilton washing a black Bentleigh in a skimpy one piece swimsuit and finishes with Paris biting into the new burger.

The most convincing point made by the PTC was that the ‘soft core’ porn content of the ad can not be intentionally avoided unlike a scheduled program, therefore their children could be exposed to the content with no warning. Despite this very valid point – the point remains – is the ad offensive?

Despite Carl Jr’s CEO Andy Pudzer’s claim that the PTC should “get over it” as the ad merely depicts a “beautiful model washing a car” – the advert has many sexual undertones. Paris poses in very provocative positions and sprays soapy water over herself – clearly not washing the car nor advertising any sort of fast food. Therefore Pudzer’s simplification of the advertisement summarises the unnecessary sexual material for a food ad, if it is truly to sell burgers as intended, why does it depict only a “beautiful model washing a car” with the burger only getting two seconds of the spotlight?

However, the controversy surrounding the ad and Hilton’s popularity and celebrity meant that the ad became a discussion topic involving both the company and the burger, thereby achieving the aim of any advertisement.

On another note, the swimwear worn by Hilton in the clip is controversial also. It is a black one piece, with diamonte clips fastening the sides. However, the deep plunging ‘neckline’ creates a far more explicit line than any skimpy two piece bikini.

This saucy swimsuit would not transcend the semi pornographic advert well, and would look incredibly out of place at a casual pool or beach. Not only would it be incredibly impractical and revealing in the waves, the explicit bathers look incredibly hard to keep on even in a paddling pool and very uncomfortable.

Overall, the ad shows a wild taste in swim wear, fashion, food and general advertising practices, but discussion of these indiscretions definately helped sell the Spicy Burger!

BLK1 Article: CAITLIN REID

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French design house Balmain is the brand of the moment. Headed by perpetually shy Christophe Decarnin since 2006, the fashion house has made a comeback after years on the fashion week backburner. Decarnin has brought a sexy urban edge to the previously classic Balmain whose clothes have soared to celebrity status, becoming favourites of the A-list.

The 2009 collection was the standout of Paris fashion week’s runways, showcasing a diversified range from jeans and jackets to super sexy formal mini dresses. The cloud washed jeans of the collection channel rock chic cool while the dresses with sky high hemlines are the ultimate in feminine party style while maintaining a sexy edge. His blazers are reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s broad shouldered performance jackets, but in a tasteful feminine way. It is rumoured that Balmain may be the chief design house of Jackson’s upcoming tour, an indication of the popularity of the Balmain aesthetic.

Despite the show stopping sexy confidence of the collection, Decarnin is incredibly diffident when asked about his designs. After a seven year stint at Pacco Rabanne, he summarises his brand in short statements: “a bit like couture, hand finished with unique pieces.” Ultimately, the shy, introverted design head makes Balmain all that more appealing, and proves that being a quiet achiever will always be endearing.

Article: CAITLIN REID Photographer: AFP PIERRE VERDY

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Image and Article: © AFP 2008 /2009/ 2010

Kini Bikini one-piece swimsuit shown at Sydney Fashion week 2009

From being an un-flattering figure hugging woollen tank to cover up women in the 1920’s to becoming a fashion statement which defines a woman’s femininity, sensuality and freedom, the revolution of swimwear has proved to be not only a movement in society but also in the fashion industry. This year Rosemount fashion week displayed a story which demonstrated how swimwear has evolved over the years and where it currently sits in terms of fashion today. Designers out did themselves and the swim group owned the catwalk on the 3^rd day of fashion week  showcasing the creative artworks of April Marie, Anna and Boy, White sands and Kini Bikini. These designers have taken swim fashion to a whole new level.

Wishing to be regarded as high fashion pieces, swimwear this year saw designers taking a more versatile approach in their creations. Practicality and fashion were teamed together and resulted in classic, classy yet savy looks making women look glamorous wet or dry in and out of the crystal blue waters all over the world.

April Marie’s Australian natural habitat inspired designs captured the eyes of many. Her use of photo imagery of realistic Australian foliage and animal prints captured the essence of the beauty Australian land offers. Deep earthy tones complemented the photographic works of Ken Duncan. From bikini’s, to Bandeaus to flattering one piece ensembles, each different in their own way, complemented our countries most treasured coastal landscapes, waterways and animals. A show stopping piece was when the eye of the tiger stared straight at the audience. This one piece strapless ensemble had a detailed realistic photo of a striking masculine tigers face. Juxtaposing a masculine figure on a female body is pure beauty, capturing the power women have when wearing such a swimsuit.

April Marie Swimsuit Sydney Fashion Week with animal print

Bringing more brilliance to the runway, Kyna Treacy of Kini Bikini brought Europe to Australian shores. Channelling her love of diamond sands and sapphire soaked seas, crochet mono kini’s and halter one pieces were paraded by those with the tightest figures. Tightly weaved crochet triangle tops and cheeky Brazilian bottoms, uniquely connected by a mesh torso piece, leading the mind to wander, in blacks and other solid colours were Kyna’s forte this year. Reinventing 60,s and 70’s styles, these hippy pieces transformed swim fashion. Being made of 80% cotton and 20% nylon elastine, these suits maintain their unique vintage contour and shape, making them look fabulous in the waters of Sydney beaches or even teamed with a hot pair of jeans and super high stilettos for a fresh and funky clubbing outfit.

 Swim fashion has seen a huge transformation in the shape, style and cut of swimwear. Fashion week has with a doubt, tastefully defined this revolution. With thanks to these designers taking risks women today and in the future have the freedom to explore their sensuality and have a great time while flaunting their curves in fashionable swimwear.

BLK1 Article: Emilie Bankovic BLK1 Photographer: Peter Solllner (petersollner@blk1.com).

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Crisp Autumn air made for beautiful conditions at Sydney Olympic Park where the 2009 Sydney Olympic Park NSW Elite Junior Championship Diving event was held.

Thrilling leaps off the springboards and combined with fierce competition  kept crowds entertained. There were loud applause as some competitors managed to score a perfect 10!

RESULTS FROM THE 2009 Sydney Olympic Park NSW Elite Junior Champions:

Elite Junior A Boys 1M
- 446.35 Jesse CARVER — Donnet Queensland (guest)
1 387.75 Josiah PURSS — Diving North Coast
2 357.25 Ben TRABINGER — Canberra Diving Academy

Elite Junior A Girls 1M
1 417.55 Esther QIN — Parramatta
2 382.40 Rhiannan IFFLAND — Hunter United Diving Academy
3 342.10 Bianca BRATTON — Perfect 10
4 331.10 Emma LUDOWICI — Perfect 10

Elite Junior B Boys 3M
- 429.90 Marcus GANGELL — Queensland Academy (guest)
- 427.45 Matthew BARNARD — Queensland Academy (guest)

Elite Junior B Girls 3M
1 415.45 Beth ALEXANDER — Diving Central West
- 411.90 Rebecca STAFFORD — Donnet Queensland (guest)
3 350.60 Grace ROWE — Perfect 10

Elite Junior A Boys Platform
1 419.35 Josiah PURSS — Diving North Coast
2 385.30 Angus COLLOFF — Canberra Diving Acadamy
3 363.85 Ben TRABINGER — Canberra Diving Academy

Elite Junior A Girls Platform
1 325.40 Emma LUDOWICI — Perfect 10
- 305.00 Bella KATEROS — HSDC/Tas (guest)
- 290.05 Bridgette SQUIRES — Donnet Queensland (guest)

RESULTS: DIVING AUSTRALIA  Photographer:  Johan Westen

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From the outside, the world of fashion can appear glamorous, mysterious and impossible to break into. Watching leading Australian designers show their collections at fashion week can be an inspiring and exhilarating experience for the few lucky enough to get their hands on a ticket.  Now the Australian fashion community will have the chance to soak up the skills and knowledge of some of the worlds most prominent fashion figures at this new and exciting event.

In addition to the two-days of presentations from leading fashion figures, Fashion Palette will host a design competition, catwalk show and after party, all designed to offer networking opportunities and to celebrate newly discovered talent.

Designers showcasing at Fashion Palette included: Morrissey, Mimco,  Insight, Alpha 60, White Sands, Rodd and Gunn and hundreds more.

BLK1 was there capturing photos of this wonderful event!

BLK1 Photographer: Johan Westen

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Catwalk parade at Sydney Fashion weekend

Sydney Fashion Weekend is heaven for shoppers and lovers of style.

Ticket holders arrive at Moore Park’s Hordern Pavillion to be treated to a catwalk fashion show, and then have the opportunity to buy the looks they see displayed on the runway at a major retail discount.

Across four days, hundreds of designers including: Alex Perry, Bec and Bridge, Camilla, Cheap Monday, Fleur Wood, Milk and Honey, Peeptoe Shoes, Pratten, Oroton, Shakuhachi all set up stalls to sell heavily discounted wears.

Beauty was also taken care of, with the establishment of the Essie Nail Bar, ghd Style Bar, and the Moxie Powder Room. Make up stalls were also set up to give demonstrations and discounts.

After visiting all the designer stalls, the beauty pamper zones and the Chambord bar, ticket holders left the venue saying that they wished every weekend could include an outing like the Fashion Weekend shopping experience.

BLK1 was there to capture the hottest looks from the 2009 Fashion Weekend Runway.
BLK1 Article: Ellen Crosley BLK1 Photographer: Peter Sollner

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The swim involved a distance of 10kms. To take part in this event is a true achievement. The cliffs between North Bondi and Watsons Bay are some of the most exposed coastline in Australia, beaten by the elements; there is no shelter from the prevailing conditions on swim day.

Skies were sunny and wind was mild, but even a light breeze was enough to make the water a choppy challenge for all competitors.

The swim had competitors starting at North Bondi Beach then heading north around Ben Buckler & north along the coastline to South Head, then into Sydney Harbour past Lady Bay, Camp Cove and into the finish at Vaucluse Yacht Club in Watsons Bay.

All those who took part should be proud of their prooven ability to conquer some of Australia’s roughest seas.

BLK1 Photographer:  Marcus Christie

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At the start of the final highlights show at Gold Coast Swimwear Fashion Week, model Kirby White posed tantalisingly on a beach in a floor-length red gown, channeling the Grecian goddess look – complete with golden bangles and Roman gladiator heels. Kirby, the official face of Gold Coast Fashion Week (GCFW) stands as a reminder to how far the Gold Coast has come from its ‘she’ll be right’, beach-and-thong wear culture.
White stands at a height of 5’8”, she’s curvy and her skin exudes a natural Mediterranean glow. She’s the Megan Gale to your Jennifer Hawkins if you get what I mean. It’s not that she’s not beautiful but she’s a particularly healthy beautiful, she’s shorter than some, curvier than most and well – a very real young woman. White typifies the allure of Gold Coast Fashion Week – it’s not as ‘hard’ as Sydney Rosemount Fashion Week, it hasn’t the crisp of the crème prestige of Melbourne’s L’Oreal Fashion Festival but it has something else – authenticity. It’s ‘Very Gold Coast’ but not in a fake tan way – it’s laidback but refined, quirky but innovative and prestigious yet accessible.
This image is just what the event needs to recover from the wrap it got in years previous when a 13 year old was named as the face of this fashion week.

On Sunday 17th May 2009, The Boudoir High Tea Party was held on the highest level of the Q-Deck, Q1 Building at stunning Surfers Paradise. The ambient atmosphere in the room was adorned with only four intimate tables. Throughout this exclusive event, lingerie and sleepwear from Calvin Klein and Stevie Daniels as on show.

Calvin Klein, a designer who needs no background description, showed designs which featured a soft colour palette of pink, green and beige pieces made of fine satin. Klein markets his underwear on the basis of seductive comfort, offering feminine elegance and versatility of design, with utility and maximum support. Seductive lace and satin demi-bras were on show in soft purple hues and floral nightgowns. For ladies with a petite build, Klein offered lace cups with cushioned inner bands for added support and lift. Model Shelly Steebling showcased fitted bras for the more voluptuous ladies in delicate satin, combined with sexy, sheer lace for the briefs. The Calvin Klein men’s fabrics ranged from classic cotton to sheer synthetics, to create a fashion-forward but overall comfortable silhouette. His designs focused on briefs and fitted boxer shorts in classic colours of black and grey. His designs combined comfort and fit, with just an element of fun, with male models like Justin Lovei showcasing a leopard print-style brief in eclectic blue, contrasted with a simple black canvas.

A playful vibe was expressed in Stevie Daniels’ range of sleepwear – whose designs piqued the interest of the champagne-sipping guests, with eye-brow raising pole-dancers on brilliant blue pyjama bottoms. Daniels showcased 100% cotton designs, offering comfort for the modern man, with a functional fly, side pockets and an elastic waist. On display were also “explosive PJ shorts” featuring dynamites and the warning “Kapow” – more bang for your buck that is. Daniels combined his pyjama bottoms with simple black singlets in a soft knit cotton, with a slim athletic fit. Stevie Daniels’ edgy and fun designs were the perfect complement to Calvin Klein’s refined silhouettes and overall created for a fun and relaxed ambience.

The Boudoir High Tea Party may have created an ambience of lush gardens amongst a city skyscraper backdrop but the mood backstage for the 5pm Highlight Show was anything but tranquil. Models darted around in a frenzy as the clock above ticked ominously close to the 5pm start. The make-up artistry from Evolve Make-Up was immaculate and as the ladies put the finishing touches on the stunning models, photographers scurried about trying to get one last shot at the stunning silhouettes lined up to showcase Begitta Stolk’s funky range of evening gowns and skirts. Floral ruffle skirts and top-hats were combined with Gladiator heels and conservative lime waistcoats. Begitta’s designs were Alannah Hill inspired, with just enough Alice in Wonderland magic, mixed with op-shop stockings and elaborate crown headpieces to mark what would be a quirky opening act.

Lauren O’Toole was another stand-out designer who offered flowy, shift-style dresses with edgy twists like bib collars. The ‘it-trend’ of the season, the maxi-dress, was given a revival with doilie embroidery in a fresh blue and white colour scheme. The beauty of her designs was precisely in the simplicity of this colour palette – O’Toole’s designs utilised a simple black canvas with topaz prints and matching jewellery to create a fresh and young trend. Brown and red tunics offset the aquatic theme and gave the beach-inspired designs a tough urban edge. Following along a similar stylistic theme was designer Cyan Reign who featured edgy cuts for his swimwear, most notably a shimmering grey one-piece, cut at the sides of the waist to reveal an hourglass bodice. Reign’s designs pay homage to Paris Vogue Editor’s lament that “the waist is never, ever, emphasised enough”. Well, Reign just put 1940’s glamour back on the fashion map. A stunning open V-neck one-piece, with built-in bra support, enticed a few appreciative hoots from a pleased audience – it was poetic justice to any and every curvy girl out there.

Mankini at Gold Coast Fashion week

As the band Tijuana Cartel blasted out some funky flamenco dance tunes, the models for Yearn Swell’s African-inspired swim range strutted onto the catwalk. One and two-piece swimsuits were on show in a kaleidoscope of colours. Orange and black tye-dye swimsuits, which tied at the front torso with strings of funky beads, provided an exotic edge to the simple swimsuit canvas. But if something more exotic and quirky tickles your fancy, you can’t go past Nathan Paul, whose boundary-pushing designs combines “surf art” shirts with humanitarian messages to “stop Japanese whaling” and the latest in Tarzan-chic. You read correctly, the standout swim piece for the guys was a controversial twist on the Borat mankini for the modern urban jungle dweller. The one-piece swimsuit featured a black and grey square imprint with a simple t-neck. A long strip of material framed the front torso and attached neatly to the bikini-styled bottoms. This was one of the more stand-out and daring designs on show, although it remains to be seen if the mankini trend will translate well with your average Goldie surfer.

Overall, Gold Coast Fashion Week 2009 provided an impressive platform for local designers to catapult their creative vision to both national and international markets it’s going to be great to see the spread of this fabulous event on to the international fashion map.

BLK1 Article: Nada Martinovic BLK1 Photographer: Nelson Lai – Nelly Pro Photography - www.nellypro.com

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