Riptide Magazine

A Great Weekend to be in Your Local Bodyboard Club!

Last Updated on Tuesday, 03 May 2011 21:32

Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!

Perth's Josh Garner was in sensational form at the Mandurah Wedge for the opening event of the EBB State Bodyboard Series. Garner wowed the strong beach crowd with his massive and powerful arsenal of manoeuvres which saw him take out the blue ribbon Open Men's division in style. Garner used the event as training for his assault on some of the IBA Grand Slam Events 
All Photos // Surfing WA / Woolacott.

EBB team rider and star on the rise Lewy Finnegan (Ocean Reef) was again unstoppable in his favourite division the U18 Junior Men's. Finnegan was as explosive as ever with this massive back flip on his way to a hard earned win.

Mandurah local and another WA youngster pushing the envelope in the sport Davis Blackwell reaches for the stratosphere with this massive invert during the U16 Cadet Boys final. (For another angle of Davis' huge launch, check his blog).

Danny Craige (Busselton) was another WA youngster pushing the sport in the right direction. Craige finished second behind Lewy Finnegan in the U18 Junior Men's division and picked up the 'Reeflex Wetsuits Rising Star Award'.

Josh Garner Conquers the Wedge as the EBB State Bodyboard Series Opens in Style
The infamous 'Mandurah Wedge' turned on simply sensational conditions over the weekend as WA's best bodyboarders converged on the new mecca for the sport, as they battled it out at the opening event of the EBB State Bodyboard Series for 2011. For the third year in a row the first of a three event series was blessed with pumping surf and ideal waves for futuristic and high performance bodyboarding with the level of competition the best to date in WA.

Since its  inception in 2009, the Mandurah Wedge been the first and most anticipated stop of the WA Bodyboard Series. It is the perfect location to test not only the skill of the competitors but also their courage levels, as waves in the 3-4 feet range (1.5m – 2.0m) pounded the rocky break wall which acts as a natural amphitheatre for some amazing action. Over 80 competitors were rewarded with clean winds and a solid ground swell, which meant Saturday’s preliminary heats were only a warm up for Sunday’s finals action. The new generation of West Australian bodyboarding brought their A-Game with added flair and enthusiasm to succeed after the recent IBA Box Pro Grand Slam gave many WA groms the chance to meet, surf and watch their biggest stars in person.

"Its been a pretty massive month for bodyboarding in Western Australia." Said Surfing WA Events Manager Justin Majeks.

"From the elite top end guys battling it out for World Title glory in Margaret River, now to our emerging bunch of WA riders who are keen to make a name for themselves its been an exciting time to be involved in the sport." He continued.

Mandurah Wedge provides it all, whether you're a competitor or a spectator each and every wave breaks so close to the rocks that you feel like your almost riding the waves “There are very few locations where you can be so close to the action. Guys are getting barrelled and boosting massive airs only meters away from the shore. There’s water and mist flying everywhere. The whole set up creates an atmosphere in the water and on the rocks that you don’t get at many places.”  Commented Mandurah Bodyboard Club President John Barker.

Some of the renowned names that entered the blue ribbon Open Men’s Division included multiple State and National Title holders including Tim Fowler (Padbury), Brendan Gabel (Perth), Ryan Hands (Mandurah), and big wave globe trotter Josh Garner (Yokine)  who came up against some stiff oppositions from some young juniors pushing through the WA ranks. The likes of Lewy Finnegan (Ocean Reef), Danny Craige (Busselton), Charlie Carter (Dianella), and George Humphreys (Mandurah) all impressed against some older competitors in an attempt to draw first blood for 2011.

In arguably one of the tightest bodyboard events held in WA recently, Mandurah Wedge allowed the best riders to display their talent infront of their peers, judges and a strong crowd who had pilled in to see the action.

A super consistent and seemingly relaxed Josh Garner made a welcome return to State Series competition and simply let his surfing do the talking with an emphatic win in the Open Men’sdivision. Garner, who has come to notoriety for his big wave antics and performances in heavy locations such as Hawaii have seen his profile increase rapidly. Garner posted one the highest combined heat scores of the weekend in his semi final sending an ominous sign to his opposition. Garner's 15.83pt total from a possible 20 included an 8.50 and a 7.33. This momentum kept rolling through to the final.

Garner's knowledge of the location and his mix off critical manoeuvres in the final, were cleaner and better executed than his fellow finalists and was a clear winner  in a one sided affair.

“I really love this wave and to score a comp with good waves both days is so lucky. Thanks to everyone here that’s come to watch and support us and to my sponsors as well.” Said Garner who will now focus his attention on following the IBA Grand Slam Series to compete in as many trials events as possible to secure entry into the main round against the world best. Charlier Carter continued his rapid improvement to finish in second place ahead of Brendan Gabel in third place and Phil Windsor (Doubleview) in fourth.

In other results from the weekend, up and coming ripper Lewy Finnegan (Ocean Reef) was pushed to the wire in a close U18 Junior Men’s Final. Finnegan went head to head with some quality junior competitors including George Humphreys, Danny Craige, and Tom Purvis in an all star shoot out on the water. With the four form surfers from the earlier rounds it was Finnegan that took the advantage early and built on solid scores to outclass Craige in second, Humphreys in second and Purvis finished in fourth.

Finnegan who finished second the U18 Junior Men at last years National Titles will hopefully claim his blue ribbon event whilst also focusing on Open results as well.

"Im really stoked to have won today, the level of competition this weekend was really tough and I knew the boys in the final all wanted it as bad as I did." Said Finnegan after the win.

Davis Blackwell (Mandurah) was leaps and bounds ahead of his rivals in the U16 Cadet Boys with a dominant performance at his home break. The 2010 State Champion dominated Toby Ross (Esperance) who finished in second ahead of Lachlan McRobert (Dalyellup) in third with Hamish Hazelden (Esperance).

The O24 Senior Men’s division lived up to all expectations with a number of former State Champions and experienced competitors lining up against each other.  In a spectators delight Tim Fowler, Phil Windsor (Perth), Adam Black (Attadale), Kane Joyce (Margaret River) and Louis Stone (Subiaco) put on a show in the 25 minute final, showing the young guys how it’s done. Tim Fowler was in amazing form all event and had posted some of the highest scores of the weekend. Despite this a 7.00pt ride to Phil Windsor was enough to see him sneak under Fowlers radar to claim the win and relegate Fowler to second place, Kane Joyce in third, Louis Stone in fourth and Adam Black in fifth.

In a new initiative to reward performances over the weekend, Unite Clothing and Reeflex Wetsuits have offered some specialty awards for outstanding performances. The 'Unite Unbelievable Score' Award went to Tim Fowler for the highest combined waves score of the weekend with a 18.17 from a possible 20, this included a 8.67 and the weekends highest score of 9.50. Fowler who has long been a solid part of the WA bodyboard scene was a deserving winner after pushing the envelope all weekend against some younger and more nimble competitors. The 'Reeflex Wetsuits Rising Star' Award went to Danny Craige, for an awesome result in the U18 Junior Men and form his efforts in the semi finals where he scored 17.50 from a possible 20.

A big thanks must also be extended to the crew at the Mandurah Bodyboarding Club for all their help and assistance over the weekend

FINAL RESULTS
Open Men
1. Josh Garner (Yokine)
2. Charlie Carter (Dianella)
3. Brendan Gabel (Perth)
4. Phil Windsor (Perth).

O24 Senior Men
1. Phil Windsor (Perth)
2. Tim Fowler (Padbury)
3. Kane Joyce (Margaret River)
4. Louis Stone (Subiaco).

U18 Junior Men
1. Lewy Finnegan (Ocean Reef)
2. Danny Craige (Busselton)
3. George Humphreys (Mandurah)
4.  Brady Devenny (Busselton).

U16 Cadet Boys
1. Davis Blackwell (Mandurah)
2. Toby Ross (Esperance)
3. Lachlan McRobert (Dalyellup)
4. Hamish Hazelden (Esperance).

Drop Knee
1. Brendan Gabel (Perth)
2. Declan Genge (Margaret River) 
3. Troy Layton (Mandurah).

Masters Men
1. Nathan Lotze (Dunsborough).

Grand Masters
Steve Black (Thornlie).

BUT the EBB State Titles weren't the only club blessed with amazing waves over the weekend. Tama Board Club (Sydney) scored itself some coverage in the Daily Telegraph for the waves they held their comp in and PSBC scored some sweet wedges:

Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!