Sunday May 7 met us with the first savage cold snap of the year. There was only a small window of good weather to hold the competition as the day prior was a beautiful autumn day but the ocean was as flat as a pancake, and the day following our competition had an unsurfable six-foot stormy swell with severe southwest winds. There were reports of fresh snow on the Clyde mountain as club members tore themselves away from the comfort of their wood fires to meet at Kianga Main beach for our pointscore.
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Any wetsuits left out overnight were found almost frozen stiff in the morning - as any surfer knows this is not an inviting situation to be found in on a cold wintery day. Along with arctic conditions, a howling southwest wind was predicted to hit by lunch. Luckily this front didn't roll in until after the competition was complete. A considerable swell was visible on the horizon, with some members secretly wishing it would roll in sooner than was forecast.
Blankets and mittens were shared amongst freezing members as they sipped from their thermos or warmed their hands on the radiant heat from the sizzling barbecue, manned by club vice president Dean Lange. Today's special offering from the barbecue tent (on top of the usual fry up) was a juicy Marlin fish burger cooked to order and lathered with all the chutneys and relishes, fresh lettuce and tomato.
The Under 14 boys suited up first to eagerly hit the bath for some small clean A-frames; most waves had opportunity for one or two turns. In his semifinal, Charlie Jackson picked off a big left hander with a clean wall and managed three nice turns for 5.17 points. Oscar Jackson had a convincing win in both his semi final and then again the final as he searched for cover ups and end section re-entries.
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There were only three surfers in the Open Men division which meant a straight final. Brandon Feledyk worked hard showcasing a large repertoire of manoeuvres on several waves landing him in first place for the majority of the final. This glory was short lived as Matt Hoar answered back with four savage back-to-back snaps on a clean right hander - demonstrating amazing flow and no downtime between turns, this 6.4 point ride pushed Feledyk back to second place as Hoar took the win.
Jet Lange was patient in the semi-final for the Under 18 Boys. He waited half the heat time, 10 minutes, before claiming his first ride of two clean backside reentries for 5.10 points. He bettered this score with a 7.13 ride when he split the peak on a big set wave with Silas Smithers. Lange went right and managed four nice high whacks at the lip, releasing the fins on the first one, while Smithers went left and collected 4.3 points on a clean backside snap. Hamish White showed us some serious body torsion with wrapping cutbacks and even landed a straight-air. It was White who took out the final with Lange hot on his tail for second place.
Wipeout of the Day was awarded to Ryan Smithers in the Over 45 Men, who took off on a clean right hander - he made the late drop down the face but was left standing tall and bounced off his board with arms flailing to disappear head first into the oncoming wall. Luke Waters earned 6.8 points with two explosive backside snaps on a right hander. Steven Beach found his groove, picking the running waves with some tidy taps on the lip to win his quarterfinal. Ian Dawson sailed from top to bottom along some long right handers. Justin Black landed a nice floater but found it difficult to refrain from the temptation of shuffling up to the nose of his not-so-short board - a manoeuvre usually reserved for the Longboard division. Andrew Johnson found a sneaky head dip on a crumbly hollow section and finished with a nice end section reentry. Johnson, who recently turned 60, showed us just how young and sprightly he can be as he got busy rotating and wiggling away on a wave only half a foot big to earn 7.27 points and take out the final with a heat total of 12.94 points.
The Under 18 Girls had four young ladies for a straight final. Ruby Davis found a big left hander and committed to two big hits off the lip, unfortunately falling on the second turn. Marley Eaton kept her podium position - she waited patiently for her opportunity and when it came she took off on a beauty of a right hander, staying high to pick her sections for two attacks at the lip and a couple of cutbacks for 6.33 points, when combined with a backup 0f 5.6 points, she led with a convincing win.
Simon Brown had no competition as he surfed solo in the Longboards. Taking his pick of the waves and without the usual competition breathing down his neck, he twirled and whirled and danced along his plank without a care in the world.
Nina Lange and Therese Craner sat wide in the Open Women, avoiding the paddle battles that ensued on the main bank. Alice Mood tried her hand at some turns but managed to bog her rail instead, while Belinda Weston paddled onto some running right handers. Melissa Hoar must have been thirsty for a Big Niles voucher, as she picked off the longer waves and earned herself first place for the second competition in a row.
Club secretary Therese Craner was blown away by the Under 13 and Under 8 divisions. She admired their tenacity and froth. Whilst most divisions had less than usual numbers competing, the Assisted Groms division had more than ever - 15 competitors braving the cold! The conditions were perfect for these small humans and they dove head first into the challenge - peeling head-high A frames. The dedicated parents must be highly commended on their commitment to their competition. Asher Hoar found some big clean peaks to pump down the line gathering speed. Kaia Mullens made some tricky takeoffs on her backhand and when she finally went left on her forehand she sped along trimming top to bottom in full control. Ayla Hoar managed to master her top turn to stay on the waves longer. Flinder Black stole the show, improving with every wave he surfed as he grom-snapped his way to first place. Spike Gunn, six-years-old, had judge Luke Waters scratching his head and asking if his feet were glued to his board as he made every late drop on a green face and rode each wave into shore without falling. Head Judge Andrew Johnson was impressed by these young surfers stating "the future of the club is looking bright".
Final results:
Under 8s - Spike Gunn
Under 13s - Flinder Black
Under 14 Boys - Oscar Jackson
Under 18 Boys - Hamish White
Over 45 Men - Andrew Johnson
Open Mens - Matt Hoar
Under 18 Girls - Marley Eaton
Open Women - Melissa Hoar
Longboards - Simon Brown
While many surfers left promptly to warm up at home after their heats, a few legendary committee members stuck out the day and braved the icy conditions to support the club with set up and pack up, or to stay and judge or help with the barbecue.
On Saturday May 27 Dalmeny Boardriders are hosting the Far South Coast Junior Regional Titles - if you see the tents stop by for a tasty treat and to check out our best local junior surfers battle it out.
Next competition: Sunday June 4
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