OLYMPIC champion Steve Hooker may be 16,000km away and have London on his mind, but he will be lending a helping hand to next month’s Charity Island Swim at Mudjimba.
The pole vaulter has donated two pieces of Olympic memorabilia to the Stunned Mullets swim club which plans to auction the items.
Hooker’s parents Erica and Bill gave the items to the Stunned Mullets group – which can be seen every morning at first light riding the waves at Kings Beach.
The Hookers are de facto members of the group. They holiday on the Coast once or twice a year and make an effort to dip their toes in the water with the Stunned Mullets.
When Erica heard that the group was raising funds for the swim – which donates money to the Nambour and Currumundi special schools – she offered to round up some of Steve’s trinkets for the cause and returned with a uniform and jacket from his Beijing Olympics campaign.
“I was delighted. It’s not every day someone offers you a donation of some Olympic memorabilia,” Stunned Mullets member Ron Carr said.
“When I looked into what exactly he had achieved – not just his Olympic gold medal in the pole vault – but everything after that, it really surprised me. What he achieved that year is really quite amazing. He won virtually everything that year.”
by: Steve Zemek
from: http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2012/07/19/olympic-champ-stuns-the-mullets-sports/
