Image: Katie and family at the EKKA in 2023.

UNE staffer and alumna Katie Sozou’s entire family will get cracking this weekend when they compete in the Australian Whipcracking Championships at Brisbane’s EKKA (Royal Queensland Show).

From her 18-month-old son Henry to her 59 year-old father Steve Wicks, Katie’s crackshot team will compete in hotly contested divisions spanning all ages.

“There’s my dad, brother (Daniel Wicks) and sister (Brooke Wicks), who are all reigning Australian champions in the over-45s, men’s and women’s divisions, and then there’s me, who has been cracking for 25 years but competes because I like to go away with my family.”

Katie does have an Australian title to her name – earned when she was 12 – and will again pull out her tried and trusted tricks, but these days prefers to invest in the next generation. This year, Henry will make his debut alongside his sisters Georgia, 4, and Abbie, 7, in the pee wee division, and Abbie is a strong chance.

“Abbie loves everything about it – practicing and learning new tricks – and spends 15 minutes whipcracking every day. She’s been competing since she was about 14 months old and this year I’m hoping she might come away with a crown.”

Competing along with Katie and her husband Josh’s (yes, he whipcracks, too) children will also be Daniel’s children Macey, 4, and Robbie, 2. The sport has taken Daniel to China and Canada, and the extended family routinely travel to events across Australia together.

“Whipcracking is in our family now,” said Katie. “Dad makes a whip for each grandchild for their first birthday and then upgrades them as they grow.”

So what makes a good whipcracker? “Co-ordination and not trying too hard,” she said. “It’s all in the technique and letting the whip fall rather than forcing it. It takes lots of practice and lots of blisters.”

Katie completed a Bachelor of Business (Human Resources) at UNE and is currently on secondment as the Manager of Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships.

Good luck team Wicks/Sozou!