Surfers ride into 2018
From U12 gromms all the way up to the over 55 ballies, surfers came out in their droves to take advantage of the great weather at the Surfrider's first event of the year.
The Ilembe Surfriders launched themselves into 2018 on Sunday when they held their first trials of the year together with the first championships at Tiffany’s Beach in Salt Rock.
They followed this up with their prizegiving for 2017’s top surfers at Salt Rock Country Club that evening.
From U12 gromms all the way up to the over 55 ballies, surfers came out in their droves to take advantage of the great weather at the Surfrider’s first event of the year.
There was even a new category for longboarders
Herewith the championship results for each category:
U12 girls: 1st Mayah Potgieter; U12 boys: 1st Kai Hall, 2nd Julian Carbonel, 3rd Rylie Balfour and 4th Knox Rutherfoord; U14 boys: 1st Hayden Booysen, 2nd Daniel Bergset and 3rd Kai Molyneaux; U16 boys: 1st Don Southwood, 2nd Brayden Bergset, 3rd Jean Viljoen and 4th Junior Cini; U18 boys: 1st Calvin Goor and 2nd Thobani Thusini.
Open women:
1st Danica Stochigt and 2nd Atalia Bunce; open men: 1st Justin Sykes, 2nd Liam de Villiers, 3rd Calvin Goor and 4th Michael Vowda. Age group 35-39: 1st Ryan Balfour and 2nd Allan Johns. Age group 40-44: 1st Lyle Bottcher and 2nd Ryan Bisset. Over 45: 1st Brian Daugherty and 2nd Gordon Mare. Over 55: 1st Robin Lavery and 2nd Barry Campbell and in the new longboarding category: 1st Scott Rutherfoord and 2nd Barry Campbell.
After the surfing was done and the sand dusted off, they headed over to Salt Rock Country Club for the prizegiving.
Junior Cini was named the Junior Novice of the Year 2017 while Justin Sykes bagged the Open Men’s Surfer of the Year prize.
Calvin Goor won the Junior Surfer of the Year while Steve Theunissen received the title of Most Frothing Ballie. Young Julian Carbonel claimed the Most Improved Surfer award and Dominique Southwood the Sportsmanship Award for 2017.
The Ilembe Surfriders are also looking to expand their portfolio this year by reaching out to rural areas and the less fortunate through their new Learn to Swim and Learn to Surf programmes, working towards ocean safety and team selection for the Gromm Games in Port Elizabeth in March. See next week’s North Coast Courier for more on the work they are doing to develop new surfing talent in the Ilembe District.
For more on the Surfriders or to join them, email Nathalie Carbonel at nathalie@experiencetravel.co.za.
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