GUNNEDAH schoolgirl Brooke Wicks has been cracking whips for as long as she can remember.
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She was just two years old when she entered her first Australian Whipcracking Championships hosted by the Whipcrackers and Plaiters Association (AWPA) alongside her late grandfather, Bert Wicks.
And the whole Wicks whippersnapper whipcracker success
stories have continued to be a great source of pride and joy for her and her siblings’ other grandparents, Laurie and Judy James of Tamworth.
The now 17-year-old Brooke reaped her just rewards last month when she finally cracked the big time.
Years of practice culminated in her being crowned with her first Australian Women’s Whipcracking Champion title at this year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show.
There she competed alongside competitors from nearly every Australian state and edged out 14 national and three-time world title champion, Fiona Wilks.
“That’s something no one could imagine happening,” Brooke said of her underdog win.
“To beat someone who is so good ... it’s a really good feeling.”
The local teen, who schools at St Mary’s College, only recently stepped up from the juvenile divisions and said it was a daunting prospect knowing the calibre of competitors she had to face.
“This was my first year in the women’s division, so knowing you’re up against the best women in Australia, it makes you work that little bit harder,” Brooke said.
“This year especially, we were down at the show for two weeks, and I was practising just about every day trying to perfect my tricks.”
The win capped off a stellar few weeks of competition in which she won four national titles related to whipcracking.
Brooke also won her maiden AWPA Accuracy title at the show – an award open to all competitors.
She also placed first in the Novice Decorative Stock Whip at the 2014 Australian Plaiting Championships and won one of three big awards for the meet – the Ron Edwards Perpetual Trophy – Novice Stock Whip.
Throughout her whipcracking career, Brooke has been fighting an uphill battle in competitions where she is regularly competing against the boys. The going was tough but Brooke persevered with harder routines and even more training before she won her biggest career title to date.
For all her achievements she has no bigger fan than brother, Daniel, who was crowned the World Bullock Whip champion for the second year among a class field of 23 competitors.
Dan now holds 14 Aussie whipcracking titles in juvenile, junior and men’s divisions and eight national bullock whip claims.
Sister Katie placed a respectable third in the women’s whipcrack ahead of Quirindi Showgirl runner-up, Megan Patton in fourth place.
Meanwhile, in the veterans’ divisions, dad Steve won his fourth over-45s Australian title.
Also in the mix at the whipcracking championships were local Kelly brothers Eli, Blake and Ethan – with Blake, at five years old, the youngest competitor, along with Moree-based siblings Georgia, Charles and Henry Pitman.
The Wicks family along with Megan and Ryan Wise, who incidentally placed third in the men’s whipcracking, were also part of the Sydney show’s evening program in the main arena – a story through time depicting Australia in all its glory from sporting heroes to famous Australian icons.
The family was also part of the half-time entertainment for the NRL game between Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers.
Brooke wasn’t looking too far ahead but as for consecutive national titles, she can only hope.
“I’ll just try my hardest and see where it gets me, and if it gets me Australian titles then that’s great, but we’ll see,” she said.