The 2011 Shark Island Challenge
Last Updated on Friday, 24 June 2011 16:23
Here's the final word on the 2011 Shark Island Challenge from the IBA:
The 2011 BodyboardBet Shark Island Challenge goes off and takes performance bodyboarding into the mainstream media globally!
Congratulations to David Winchester in taking out the 2011 Bodyboardbet Shark Island Challenge (SIC). Special mention to Andrew Lester for his 2nd place finish and Ben Player and Mike Stewart for making the final and also taking out the best move and best barrel awards respectively. It was great to see the legends charging in their heat and congratulations to Steve Mackenzie for taking it out.
The reach of the imagery from the SIC around the world was a great endorsement of bodyboarding in performance waves. Images ran in the NY Post, LA Times and the Montreal Gazette right across to the UK Telegraph and BBC News and into the Indian Times, also online in over 70 countries. The New Zealand Herald ran a full page print feature on its back page.
The Australian media reach was also amazing with MX (Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne) newspaper printing a shot of Rissole on Friday morning while the contest was still running. The Daily Telegraph, The Australian and the SMH covered it also. All major national TV news programs covered the event. Fox Sports News had a live interview of Dave Winchester on Saturday on the Fox Sports Long Lunch program and Wide World of Sports ran a feature on the SIC with the Phantom Camera footage that received exceptional feedback at Channel 9.
The waves were incredible with 6-8ft faces and perfect conditions for the media to flood the world with spectacular photos from the event.
The 2011 SIC is by far the most publicised bodyboarding event to date and we have portrayed performance bodyboarding to the mainstream in the perfect light.
We would like to thank the media and sponsors for supporting the event: IBA; Rydges Cronulla; Bodyboardbet.com; Emerald Surf City; Riptide Magazine; Paramount Concrete; Uptown Group and the Sutherland Shire Council. With the help and support from these sponsors, we were able to achieve the reach that the sport deserves and we look forward to improve all of this in 2012…
An event documentary is in production now, featuring the amazing Phantom Camera footage and will be released in August 2011. More details to come on that soon…
When the contest is off, fans can have fun playing the wave of the event on YouRiding bodyboarding online game.
The link to the game is youriding.com/bodyboarding.
How's some of the websites from around the world that ran coverage of the 2011 SIC...
There was the BBC:
It was in India (?!):
And Canada, to show only a couple of the many international media outlets:
Shark Island coverage by Fox Sports:
Channel 10/One HD's Sports Tonight program has three videos from the 2011 Shark Island Challenge, which you can see here.
Alex Bunting has posted this clip of Winny's victory speech:
Riptide photog Alex Ormerod has been down at the Island recording it all since the sun first poked its head up this morning. Take a look at his vid from when the call was made to officially run the event:
A couple of notes:
- Ben Player posted the following on his Twitter after the final: Cracked my head so hard on the reef in the final but I still don't think I could have beat the skills of @iDaveWinchester even if I was ok. We hope that BP's all okay.
- BSC recently posted a newsletter congratulating Winny on his win. The post featured the following: Fellow BSC rider Chris James caught up with Winny moments after the win and he had this to say about the final heat: " Lester already had two good ones before I had even got a cracker, I can't even believe it... That heavy Surge pit I was shitting it, Ben hit his head the wave before and was telling me about it. I was scared, but full of adrenalin. I just had to go and it paid off... Stoked!"
- The IBA have posted this shot of Winny's winning wave and have now posted this gallery with more water shots:
Now here's the latest delivery of shots for you from Riptide photog Alex Ormerod:
The next batch of shots is the action before the final.
Here are the first photos from the event, beginning with Island legend, Dave Ballard on a bomb!
Heat Results:
Heat One
Nick Ormerod 13.17
Shaun Pyne 12.93
Joe Clarke 8.76
Damien Martin 6.60
Ben Hall 5.67
Heat Two
Mike Stewart 10.60
Dave Winchester 9.67
Dave Ballard 4.77
Jacob Romero 4.10
Sam Strachan 1.67
Heat Three
Andrew Lester 12.16
Ben Player 11.00
Christian "Rissole" Riguccini 10.50
John Showell 9.67
Chase O'Leary 7.94
Heat Four
Mitch Rawlins 15.00
Jeff Hubbard 11.56
Jason Finlay 10.57
Damian King 9.87
Adam "Wingnut" Smith 5.44
Semi Final One
Dave Winchester
Mike Stewart
Shaun Pyne
Nick Ormerod
Semi Final Two
Ben Player 15.50
Andrew Lester 11.10
Mitch Rawlins 10.34
Jeff Hubbard 10.03
Final
Dave Winchester 15.70
Andrew Lester 13.75
Mike Stewart 6.94
Ben Player 3.67
Stay tuned for more!
Riptide Magazine is a bi-monthly publication based in Australia that has been bringing bodyboarding to the world for the past 21 years. If you’re a bodyboarder, chances are Riptide is just like you; motivated by the ocean, inspired by creative arts like photography, design and music, and living always for travel and fresh experiences. Come ride with us - Subscribe HERE.
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Comments
live feed didn't run at all in Cornwall, UK. couple dribs and drabs for a few seconds, then still for minutes; big chunks of minutes, like hours. and I've got pipes for a net feed so no excuse (fluidzone cam was crisp as it gets) - I hear the team that was centrally involved for all other IBA contests prior to this wasn't even consulted on organising this flawed SIC contest coverage - criminal if that's the case. at least the IBA's back in the hands of the professionals from the next event onwards.....