Beach battles begin

SURF LIFESAVING

YOUTH, stamina and two arenas helped keep the intensity high at Gisborne’s first open surf lifesaving carnival for the season.
A combined age group format gave top younger competitors the opportunity to test themselves against bigger, more experienced surf lifesavers from Gisborne and outside the district.
Reigning New Zealand champions Mount Maunganui, fellow Bay of Plenty clubs Papamoa and Omanu, and Hawke’s Bay’s Westshore were among the clubs who descended on Midway Beach for the weekend.
Papamoa were the overall winners of the carnival, with Midway second.
The carnival began with individual surf ski, board, swim and beach sprint races in hot, windy conditions on Saturday afternoon.
One-metre waves and choppy water made for challenging but manageable conditions.
Spectator interest escalated for Sunday’s team events.
Conditions were cooler and slightly overcast but waves were cleaner, with 1.5 metre sets regularly rolling in.
The morning began with rescue events in which swimmers raced out to the line of buoys then signalled they were ready to be extracted by Malibu board or, in a separate event, neoprene tube.
Surf ski, and board rescue relays were up next. Some age groups were combined and results were separated later.
“It’s better if we put upcoming younger competitors in with older competitors to see how they go. It’s better if they’re chasing someone. It gives them more competition,” said Wainui supporter Gary Smith.
“It’s just better to combine competitors to keep the pace up,” said surf lifesaving mum Ingrid Meister,
One of the day’s highlights was 14-year-old Wainui duo Georgia Harris and Jasmine Smith’s challenge to 17-year-old Waikanae clubbie Henry Ellingham and his team-mate in the open board rescue event.
The Wainui girls spurred on Ellingham when they began to catch him around the buoys. They shared the same wave to shore but Ellingham dug deep to beat his smaller rival in the final sprint to the flags.
“Georgia came fourth in the diamond event at the national champs last year. That’s why she gave Henry a good run,” said Wainui coach Dion Williams.
Georgia said it was her and paddler Jasmine Smith’s “superb pick-up skills” at the “cans” that gave them an extra boost.
Midway head coach Carl Newman’s highlight of the weekend was the men’s run-swim-run open event in which Midway took first, second and third.
Newman also made special mention of “old dog of the sea” and former New Zealand representative Matt Sutton, now in his late 20s.
“He was right up there showing the young ones who’s boss. He was in the top two of pretty much every race he competed in.”
Surf lifesaving has got everything, said Newman.
“It’s got water stuff, it’s got beach stuff. It’s got individual and team events and it’s got the community element. It’s a unique sport in an ever-changing environment — which is what keeps it interesting.”
Gisborne clubs are back in action this Saturday at the Northern/Eastern region carnival at Whangamata.
WAIKANAE picked up two titles at the North Island surf rescue championships in Whangamata at the weekend.,
The IRB crew of Matt Kemp, Ryan Jarvis and Ashleigh Hurring — competing in the senior division — won the assembly rescue and tube rescue, and were second in the mass rescue. Jarvis and Hurring were second in the single rescue.
Their efforts saw Waikanae finish fourth overall at the champs, which doubled as round two of the BP Surf Rescue Series.