Lion Red South Island Championships

Mobile, Dunedin, NZ
10 - 11 April 2004

PARSONS SURFS TO WIN AT LION RED SOUTH ISLAND SURF CHAMPS

Nat Parsons (Kaik) has won out in an all South Island final at the Lion Red South Island Championships in the weekend. Parsons finished the final ahead of New Zealand representative Felix Dickson (Dun) who recently finished 9th at the World Surfing Games, Manu Schafer (Chch) and Llewellyn Thomas (Chch).

"Mobile" was the catch phrase for more than 90 surfers from around the South Island during the annual Easter Lion Red South Island Surfing Champs in Dunedin. Allans Beach, St Clair and Aramoana-Spit all took turns hosting the three-day event which ended on Sunday.

Allans Beach provided a solid 3-5ft (1-2m) swell which was a great introduction for many of the competitors who had not surfed there before. Standout surfers during the Friday at Allans included solid performances by Manu Schafer (Chch), Brad Melville (Dun), and Riverton-based Otago surfer Maru Pou. Pou scored an epic perfect ten on a 5ft (2m) left hander on day one. Dropping in to a full overhead 5-6 second barrel on his backhand, Pou emerged to deliver two rapid-fire snaps off the top of the wave and cleanly pulled off. Pou, an emerging junior surfer, was later awarded the Positive Pics Award for ‘Manoeuvre of the Contest’ and also the ‘Barrel of the Contest’.

St Clair on day two Saturday started well at 7.30am with clean 1m surf but the forecasted front swept through hours earlier than expected and by 10am onshore winds pummelled the contest site. In spite of less than ideal conditions, the swell improved during the day and the event ran through to about 3.30pm.

On Sunday surfers arrived at St Clair Beach at 7am to be greeted by a 2-3m-plus swell with forecasts of it rising to 4-5m later in the day. In the interests of safety, because of the boulder strewn beach currently under repair, Contest Director Johnny de Graaf shifted the event to the north end of Aramoana Spit. A 0.5m-1m swell prevailed, with competitors and spectators sheltering under the cliffs at the north end of the beach as 40-50kt winds whipped overhead. Many competitors found the smaller conditions frustrating, however, small peaks were breaking up and down the stretch of beach throughout the day.

Results - Lion Red South Island Surf Champs 2004

Lion Red Open Men
Nat Parsons, Kaikoura, 1, Felix Dickson, Dunedin, 2, Manu Schafer Chch, 3, Llewellyn Thomas Chch, 4.

Boardbase Junior U/18
Levi O´connor, Kaikoura, 1, Maru Pou Riverton, 2, Will Newman, Chch, 3, Sam Dunfoy Kaikoura, 4.

Esplanade Restaurant Women´s
Leilani Morgan, Chch,1 , Angie Koops Kaikoura, 2, Nicola Jones, Dunedin, 3, Sophie Moore, Auckland, 4

Quarry Beach Surfboards Cadets U-16
Sam Dunfoy, Kaikoura, 1, Levi O´connor Kaikoura, 2, Dylan Wood, Chch, 3, Ike Hanson Chch, 4.

Hydro Surf Malibu
Simon Dickie, Dunedin, 1, Glen Shuker, Chch, 2, Aaron Surgenor, Kaikoura, 3, Hamish Flood, Chch 4.

Sonia Clyne House Of Travel Master 35+
Johnny Fenton, Karamea, 1, Mark Perana, West Coast, 2, Neil Robb, Chch, 3, Lee Morris, Chch, 4.

R&R Sport Seniors 28
Manu Schafer, Chch, 1, Aaron Surgenor, Kaikoura, 2, Brad Melville, Dunedin, 3, Nick Mills, Dunedin, 4.

Void Clothing Body Board
Aaron Lock, Chch, 1, Dean Whiston, Dunedin, 2, Dan Wadsworth, Timaru, 3, Brad Perana, Chch, 4.

Day One – South Island Surf Champs

Otago surfers featured strongly in the open men’s surfing division during the first day of the Lion Red South Island Surfing Championships held at Allans Beach.

More than 90 competitors from around the South Island are in Dunedin for the three-day annual event, running now for more than 30 years. The event has more than $11,000 of cash and prizes on offer in the eight surfing divisions. Contest Director Johnny de Graaf described the surf at Allans Beach as solid 1m-2m swells breaking consistently through the tides on a beach break at the southern end of the beach.

"It was definitely worth the effort to come here. The waves have been looking good all day and are challenging for all competitors," de Graaf said.

The predominant south-west winds of the past few days were the deciding factor to move the competition to the relatively remote Allans Beach which has only once-before hosted the Surfing New Zealand-rated event.

Otago surfers who progressed through both the first and second rounds of the men’s open division yesterday included, Danny Carse, Simon Dickie, Brad Melville, Lee Morris and Felix Dickson – Dickson having recently returned from Ecuador where he was placed 9th in the men’s open in the World Surfing Games.

Chasing at the heels of the Otago surfers in the quarter finals round of the men’s open were Llew Thomas of Christchurch and Nat Parsons of Kaikoura.

Sixteen heats of the open were held plus four heats in the junior under 18 and senior 28+ divisions.

For further information please contact
Simon Hartley
(03) 4557797
simonsniff@xtra.co.nz

Simon Chu
(03) 4562151
schu@nimrodel.otago.ac.nz.

Contests - Surfersvillage