Geraldton Board Riders Club Press Release and Contest Results:

Sunday July 27^th  2003

Rodd scores perfect 10 but Hagan still too good!

Geraldton Board Riders sixth points event for the season took place at Flat Rocks on Sunday. A good field of surfers turned out for all divisions except cadets and they were greeted by early morning showers, ideal offshore winds and a building 1.5metre swell.

Wave selection and positioning was the key to progressing through the early elimination heats. By mid-morning the tide was on the way out and Flat Rocks was producing the goods with beltable walls and bowling sections offering potential tube rides on both the rights and the lefts.

The Masters was the first final to hit the water and there was plenty of entertainment on offer as Kim ‘Wacka’ Burton showed his prowess by performing some classic switch-foot manoeuvres. Craig Tuesley maintained his focus throughout with controlled turns followed by vertical snaps on the inside section to snatch the final from Burton.

The Junior final showcased Geraldton’s top junior talent but was clearly dominated by Drew Wright and Kayshon Rodd. Wright was keen to make up for being knocked earlier in the semi-final of the Opens and made no mistake with his wave selection. Wright threw down the gauntlet early with a good seven point ride and Rodd answered soon after with a 6.5 and backed it up with a seven on hist last ride. Wright kept his cool and left his best till last picking up an eight pointer moments before the siren to seal victory.

The swell continued to increase as the Grand Masters final took to the waves. Brett Schofield took a right hander early and was soon caught inside as a nine wave set made its presence felt. Leon Norris dominated proceedings early with two good lefts through to the keyhole. Ian Salmond and Ross Middleton picked up momentum through the middle of the final but Norris had his eye on victory and did not allow the field to catch up, surfing his final wave all the way to the shore.

Spectacular surfing hi-lighted the Open Final. Four surfers qualified for the final but it was a two way contest between Justin Hagan and Kayshon Rodd. Scanning the scoresheets it was clear that the result was decided in the first two waves surfed by both surfers. Hagan opened with an overhead left that offered a steep drop and the opportunity for two big turns before closing and re-forming into a right hander. Hagan blasted two more turns to pick up eight points. Rodd followed up with a good left of his own and performed a succession of vertical moves to score a seven. Rodd was quickly back into the line-up before Hagan and picked up a large right hand set wave. He mastered the tricky drop and slotted into a rare right hand barrel emerging seconds later to the hoots of the spectators – still not satisfied he continued to perform snaps cut-backs and floaters to finish up standing on the shallow reef hundreds of meters down the beach. Perfect 10s were awarded by all judges. Meanwhile Hagan had punched through the sets to make it to the take-off zone just in time for a big walling left custom made for his dynamic style. Three huge snaps and a backhand barrel had the judges challenged as to whether another perfect 10 was in order. They settled on a nine which was still enough for Hagan to back up his recent Sate Title win with another superb victory.

The next GBR points event is scheduled for Sunday August 10^th.

Results:

Open:

1.         Justin Hagan

2.         Kayshun Rodd

3.         Alex Knowles

4.         Craig Tuesley

Juniors:

1.         Drew Wright

2.         Kayshon Rodd

3.         Kody Burnett

4.         Aaron Godenzie

Masters:

1.         Craig Tuesley

2.         Kim Burton

3.         Andrew Benzie

4.         Rod Baker

Grand Masters:

1.         Leon Norris

2.         Ian Salmond

3.         Ross Middleton

4.         Brett Schofield

Cadets:

1.         Sam Benzie

PRESS RELEASE –

GERALDTON BOARDRIDERS CLUB COMMENCES 2003 SEASON

This Sunday will see the commencement of Geraldton Board Riders  Club’s 27^th season with registration day and the first points event for the season. Club members dominated much of State competition in 2002 and are looking to do the same in 2003. This year’s State Rounds carry the extra incentive of $10,000 in cash prizes with the first round being held at Rottnest Island in May.

The club has scheduled nine points events for the season including Grand Final Day which will be held October 26^th. Three contests have been designated as double points events and two events will be contested using the successful ‘slalom surfing’ format for finals in each division. Slalom surfing was trialled for the first time in W.A. at the Slave Junior Challenge held in Geraldton in January this year.

This year the club will utilise the Ocean 2 Outback website facility to inform members of the contest venue the day before the event. By logging onto the site the meeting time, location and expected surf conditions will be available. This will enable contests to commence earlier taking advantage of the best surfing conditions available on the day. Members who do not have access to the internet will be able to call a mobile phone number which will have the same details recorded. This new facility will be available for the club’s second scheduled contest (March 23^rd).

The age divisions for 2003 are Cadets (under 16), Juniors (under18), Open Mens, Open Womens, Masters (35 and over), Grand Masters (45 and over). Ages are as at 1^st January 2003. Members who have joined one of Geraldton Board Riders other affiliated clubs, Long Boarders, Body Board or Junior Development for the 2003 season, are eligible to surf in either club’s events for the one registration fee. GBR are keen to welcome new members in all divisions at any level of proficiency.

Membership forms are available from Corner Surf Shop, Slave Surf Shop and Bruce Montgomery Surfboards and will be available this Sunday for registration day. Meeting place and time is 7am at the Surf Life Saving Club.

Leon Norris – Contest Director – 0417 733 310

Back to GBR Home Page