Impressive Results at Surf Club Nationals
A total of 1350 senior surf athletes from 44 clubs around the country contested this season’s Surf Sports Nationals, with East End sending 26 competitors, Fitzroy 15 and NPOB with 11 surf athletes competing recently at Gisborne’s Midway Beach.
Fitzroy finished top of the Taranaki clubs in tenth place with 34 points while East End finished two places behind their neighbours in twelfth place overall with 24 points. Although going close to medalling in several finals, the young NPOB team did not gain any podium finishes. First place was taken out by Mount Maunganui, with Mairangi Bay from Auckland in second and Gisborne’s Waikanae club in third.
Top performers for Fitzroy in individual events were gold medallists Zac Reid (under 19 surf swim), Joe Collins (under 16 ironman), Ryan Clough (under 16 surf ski), and Sasha Reid (under 16 run, swim, run).
Picking up silver medals for Fitzroy were Javon McCallum (open beach sprint) Zac Reid (under 19 run, swim, run) and Sasha Reid in the under 16 women’s surf swim. Team medals for Fitzroy came in the under 16 men’s board rescue (gold), the under 16 women’s tube rescue (silver), the under 19 men’s tube rescue (silver) and the under 19 men’s board rescue (bronze).
Individual medallists for East End were Lucy North who won gold in under 16 women’s surf swim, silver in the diamond race and bronze in the run, swim, run. East End’s other leading performer was Hannah Baker who, competing in the under 19 women’s section, took out gold in the surf ski final as well as collecting gold with her team mates in the double ski and ski relay. East End’s other team medals came in the under 19 women’s Taplin relay (silver), the under 19 women’s board rescue (bronze) and the under 16 women’s tube rescue.
At the conclusion of the Nationals, seven Taranaki surf athletes were named in New Zealand rep squads with Claudia Kelly, Hannah Baker and Lucy North (all East End) together with Fitzroy’s Joe Collins, Zac Reid and Sasha Reid selected for the NZ Youth Squad. Javon McCallum (Fitzroy) was chosen in the Senior Development Squad.