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There is an old adage that states that a “ change is as good as a holiday” and if it is true we really enjoyed the fruits of change last Sunday. Instead of holding our monthly comp on the last Sunday of the month we decided to have it on the third and in addition the first heat hit the water at 12pm instead of 7:30 – We all agreed the day had a really nice feel about it.

The waves and weather were kind with a fairly consistent two foot, seven second swell coming through and although overcast the water temperature was a balmy 22 degrees. This provided a great background for another first, namely, eight Juniors hitting the water in the first heat. It was so good to see this Division of the Club grow consistently over the last season and points well for growth and participation in the future. We have shed the image of a Club driven by a male dominated ethos to one where family and wider community support has become the core structural quality.

The Juniors looked and surfed great with first timers Ella and Ben taking on the Curly waves and surfing with distinction . Luca continued his nice form from last meet to win the heat just edging out Taj who has improved out of sight since Christmas. Connor and will showed form to take the minor placings.

The Seniors were treated to some consistent conditions and there was plenty of waves to rank the competitors. Phil N took out the first heat ahead of Graeme W and the second belonged to the big turning Sean Dry ahead of Griggsy who is surfing at the peak of his career. Rob C, in the third, again showed canny wave selection to grab some long rides keep Simon C in second whilst in the fourth Jason again proved too good with his wave selection and ability to work every inch out of the wave. It was a difficult surf for the back of the board style and all the guys did well considering the lack of walls to work. Tom L, a surfer that uses the whole board effectively, did well to keep the ever improving Troy in second. The scene was set for the Finals after a BBQ lunch and some light refreshment.

The Finals began with a blast as the eight Juniors again took to the water and hammered the kind conditions .There was a huge upset when Taj, one of the youngest members, took some long rides all the way to the beach and streaked the field to take his first win ever. The crowd went wild at the presentation when it was announced his inaugural win particularly as it was against some pretty hot performances put in by Luca and Jayden – both of whom showed some controlled aggression to take second and third. Again Charlotte did beautifully to edge out Will who is concentrating on his walking skills – Well done Juniors.

In the seniors the fourths was again won by Steve B who negotiated the conditions with some long rides to outlast a fast finishing Chris A and an ever competitive Godfrey. Wayne M slipped into a couple of lefts past the first walkway to edge out a strong performance by Mark T and the ever present Marty K. Simon C mastered the now full waves to snap a couple of rides to grab the contest just ahead of Mike G. The firsts was again the battle of the Club’s best and a razor thin result saw a smooth performance by Jason again eclipse the powerful and aggressive Sean D. Tom L was a slither behind in third – It was a great heat to watch.

Well the countdown is well and truly on for the Maljam and we would like every Club member to be on hand on the day to make sure that our signature Event stacks up to the accolades and respect that was created last year. The Committee has put in hundreds of hours to ensure that all the boxes are ticked but the success or failure will depend on the way we handle ourselves on the day. Look forward to seeing the best surfers in the world in our back yard competing in a well run and effective competitive structure. Make it and bring your friends and family with you – This one will prove to be one of the best.

Keep in mind that the Presentation function will be held on the 19th of May and will be unique for a number of reasons. Keep your eye on this space.

Phil Nicol

ROUND 1:
JUNIORS – 1. LUCA 2. TAJ 3. CONNOR 4. WILL 5. ELLA 6. BEM 7. JAYDN
HEAT 1 – 1. PHIL N 2. GREAME W 3. MARTY 4. MUZ
HEAT 2 - 1.SEAN 2. MIKE G 3. NEIL F 4. CHRIS A 5. BLANCHY
HEAT 3 – 1.ROB C 2. SIMON C 3. PHJIL C 4. STEVE B 5. BRUCE H
HEAT 4 -  1.JASON 2. NED 3. ALEX 4. TIM 5. GODFREY
HEAT 5 – 1.TOM L 2. TROY M 3. WAYNE  4. MARK T 5. LINDSAY

FINALS:
JUNIORS – 1. TAJ 2. LUCA 3. JAYDN 4. CONNOR 5. CHARLOTTE 6. WILL 7. ELLA 8. BEN
FIRSTS – 1. JASON 2. SEAN 3. TOM 4. ROB 5. PHIL N
SECONDS – SIMON C 2. MIKE G 3. TROY M
THIRDS – 1. WAYNE 2. MARK T 3. PHIL C 4. MARTY K 5. ALEX 6. NEIL
FOURTHS – 1. STEVE B 2. CHRIS A 3. GODFREY 4. BRUCE H 5. TIM R 6. LINDSAY

For our last point score comp of the season we have reverted to gentleman's hours.

Be there at 11am - first heat the water at 12.

BBQ lunch supplied and bring the family.

We'll also be going over the procedure for the Maljam. Yes it's in 2 WEEKS!

See you there.

We arrived to be greeted by a strong Easterly swell running three to four feet with a cold dry Westerly offshore trimming the North Curly Dunes. The first reaction was “not a bad surf” and “we’ve had a lot worse than this”. Well when we hit the water, still a caressing 21 degrees it was a different story with washing machine conditions and a difficult line up to conquer. The cold hit your bones as one stepped out of the water into the westerly drift and soon the BBQ became the most popular place to meet. Nonetheless the tent was decked out with flaps to protect the judges and hosted a convivial atmosphere of chatter and admiration for the warriors in the water. Twenty six surfers took to the water on this pretty average day.

The first to hit the water were as usual the Juniors who surfed really well - Josh took the honors from Luca and Connor with Jayden fighting hard to get a wave coming fourth. Josh won the custom Bennett board the Saturday night before at the Curly Preso. The next five heats were won also by winners from the previous Saturday Night: Winner of the Most Improved Award at our Presentation and the first heat was Alex Hay: Rob C , who won the Masters last year and a high performance mal to boot took the second: Simon C, Clubman of the year 2011, the third: Mike G, husband of Clare who landed a new mal in the raffle, the fourths  and Sean, who took out two awards, namely Open Division and Club Champion, the fifth. It seemed that winners are indeed grinners and the beat goes on.

The tide was dropping and the rip changed direction a number of times to test the finalists in the second round. The Juniors again saw Josh in first place with some canny takeoffs and trimming on the inside break close out the fast finishing Jaydn and Connor: Phil N, after a miserable first round, managed to take the fourths ahead of Legends winner Muz with the other “amigo” Godfrey coming in third. The Thirds was a delight to watch in the swirling sets with new member Darren just eclipsing Phil C who again displayed his local knowledge to just pip Steve B into third. Tom won the “dueling noserides” between himself and Mike R – May I say it is great to see two surfers shoot it out using the walk and trim styles reminiscent of the log event in the recent Maljam. New member Graeme White surfed a couple of rippers to take fourth just behind the ever improving Godfrey. What a contest the Firsts proved to be with the ever patient Rob C cruising in behind Alex in second and Sean D in first. How good was to see last year’s Most Improved beaten by less than half a point by the perennial Curly Champ – Maybe the challenges are coming!

Welcome to our three new Club members who joined up on the weekend Darren D, Nick England ( as in the Country) and Graeme White. We all hope you have a rewarding time with us over the coming years. Well done Celina, our sole woman surfer to date, take on the mushy conditions and return to base in one piece. Robbie C and Mike N have to be thanked for the catering and Phil C for his efficient running of the tournament side.

The “ Snowy” will be held at Manly 11th, 12th and 13th of June and we urge you all to come down and see our Club Members compete in what is one of the long standing prestigious longboard events on the Northern Beaches. We hope the conditions are excellent for the Manly crew.

I am presently negotiating with Surfing NSW to organize a  dedicated Judging School for our Club to be held sometime early July – We will get a discount on the exercise as we will supply the venue and the goodies for the day. The Club will pick up some of the cost so we will all end up with Level 1 Judging accreditation by attending for a nominal charge. Keep your eyes on this web site for further details. Simon C is organizing the hoodies that will be the giveaway for this year’s members. If you haven’t done so contact him and give him your size. A few need to fix up their yearly subs so please attend to this at the same time.

Look forward to seeing you all on the 26th of June and urge you to keep training as this year we have the challenge improving our place at the Five Ways to be held at Palmy probably sometime in September.
Regards, Phil Nicol

RESULTS:
FIRST ROUND:
JUNIORS:  1 JOSH C 2. LUKA C  3.CONNOR B 4. JAYDEN
HEAT 1. 1. ALEX H 2. MIKE R 3 MUZ 4. NICK E
HEAT 2. ROB D 2. MIKE N 3. DARREN D 4. TIM R
HEAT 3. SIMON C  2. GODFREY L 3. STEVE B 4. DOC  5. PHIL N
HEAT 4. MIKE G 2. GRAEME W 3. PHIL C 4. MARTY K
HEAT 5. SEAN D 2. TOM L 3. ANDRW B 4. CELINA

FINALS:
JUNIORS. 1. JOSH 2. JAYDEN 3. CONNOR
FOURTHS.  1. PHIL N 2. MUZ 3. NICK E  4.TOM R 5. MARTY K
THIRDS. 1. DARREN D 2. PHIL C 3. STEVE B 4. ANDREW B
SECONDS. TOM L  2. MIKE R 3. GODFREY 4. GRAEME W 5. MIKE N
FIRSTS. 1. SEAN D 2. ALEX H 3. ROB C 4. SIMON C  5. MIKE G

Did you get your photo taken at our last comp?

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