THE 10th annual Mid North Coast Girls Surf Classic will be held at Rainbow Beach in Bonny Hills on Saturday and Sunday 12 and 13 October.
Proudly hosted by the Mid North Coast Girls Surfriders Club, the event will feature more than 70 competitors, in 11-plus divisions.
“We have received many local entries and entries from as far away as Lennox Heads, Yamba and Coffs Harbour in the north of the state, Sydney’s Northern Beaches and the South Coast of NSW,” a spokesperson said.
“The most popular division thus far is the over-50s longboard.”
Defending champion in the over-40s Carol Stevenson (Lennox Head All Girls Surfriders) has turned a year older and is returning to this year’s classic anticipating a win in the over-50s longboard. The Lennox All Girls Surfriders always send a strong contingent down. However, the Mid North Coast Girls have Robyn Wallace, Di Hughes, Leanne Hopwood, Kim Maurer and Annette Sanders entered and are biting at the bit to outshine the Lennox All Girls.
Port Macquarie surfer Jen Arnold is entered in this year’s Mid North Coast Girls Surf Classic in two divisions, the open longboard and the open shortboard. Jen has been splashed all over the local media in recent times because she is the current Surfing NSW open womens longboarder and placed second in the 2012 Mid North Coast Girls Surfriders open longboard.
The open shortboard will be hotly contested with entries from Elly Muir (Mid North Coast Girls Surfriders, Bonny Hills), Alyssa Lock (Snapper Rocks Boardriders), Tiana Reid (North Narrabeen Boardriders), Ebony Santamaria (Lennox Heads All Girls Surfriders) and entries also from Collaroy, Coffs Harbor and Forster
Local girl and Mid North Coast Girls Surfrider club member Elly Muir recently placed second in the under-18s 2013 NSW Surfing regional titles, second in the under-19s 2013 NSW Surfing regional school titles and fifth in the under-17s 2013 Adrenalin Grom Shoot Out. Elly placed fourth in last year’s Mid North Coast Girls Surf Classic open women’s division and is focused on placing first this year.
The under-14 shortboard will also be a division that will be fiercely challenged. Defending champion Mid North Coast Girls Surfrider Chelsea Green will have to battle it out with Snapper Rocks Boardriders surfer Alyssa Lock. Both girls have been surfing competitively alongside each other with some outstanding results. The two competed at the 2013 NSW surfing titles held in Cronulla, Alyssa progressing to the finals and Chelsea making it into the semi-finals. Chelsea has been training hard these last few months, surfing in many competitions to gain experience and to defend her title in the under-14 shortboard. Chelsea is confident in defending her title, coming off the back of a win at the 2013 under-14s Wahu Grom Festival at Coffs Harbour in September.
Vice-president of Mid North Coast Girls Surfriders and surf classic contest director Jo Astorini said she was overwhelmed that the Mid North Coast Girls Surf Classic just keeps on going and growing each year.
“The Mid North Coast Girls Surfriders have a very dedicated and loyal committee and are proud to engage in very strong major and minor community partnerships,” she said.
“It is the support of these local community partnerships that enable The Mid North Coast Girls Surfriders to host such a unique contest format that encourages all girls and women regardless of their age or ability to compete in a non-threatening environment.”
All competitors have to surf two rounds in their respective divisions, therefore encouraging consistency over the two-day contest.
Day one of competition starts Saturday 12 October, at 6.30am and concluding at 5pm.
Mid North Coast Girls Surfriders holds a mega raffle on the Saturday night, where longboards, shortboards and surfing paraphernalia and equipment are up for grabs. This is a social occasion where competitors and their families come together, and acknowledge and celebrate girls and women in surfing.
Finals start Sunday 13 October, at 8.30am concluding about 1pm. The presentation is at Rainbow Beach about 2pm for the divisions and prizes awarded for highest-scoring wave, best wipe out, encouragement and mother daughter duo/trio.
