Kiwi National Scholastic Champs set to roll

National Scholastic Surfing Champs

Surfing New Zealand
Taranaki, New Zealand
1 - 5 October 2012

National Scholastic Surfing Champs Return To Taranaki

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 28 September, 2012 : - - New Zealand's premier surfing event for Secondary School pupils commences at Taranaki next week with over one hundred of the country's top surfers setting out to gain titles at the National Scholastic Surfing Championships. The event runs from Monday through to Friday (1st - 5th October) with eight regional teams vying for points both as a team and individually.

The defending champion Gisborne team will be looking to be the first team to notch up ten wins in the event's 24 year history. They have been by far and away the most successful team with the region continually producing champion surfers over the past quarter of a century.

The Gisborne team clinched their only team title in the past six years after a closely fought title race in 2011 when the event was held at Ahipara. The team will again go head-to-head with the likes of Taranaki, Bay of Plenty and Canterbury who have all fielded strong teams for next week's event. Host team Taranaki continue to search for their first team title and having the event in their own backyard may well be the determining factor in getting them across the line after finishing fourth in 2011 in a close four way battle for the title.

The Canterbury team placed second in 2011 and were one result away from claiming their first ever team title. This year they are sending up another strong team of surfers that will push for a podium finish.

Bay of Plenty along with Waikato have been the second most successful teams at the event with five titles each. Bay of Plenty secured back to back titles in 2006 and 2007 then again 2009 and 2010 and have been the dominant force over the past six years. Waikato have also had recent success winning the title when the event was last held in the Taranaki region in 2008.

The National Scholastic Championships uses the second chance format where all surfers get the chance to compete at least twice before going into the elimination rounds. Each regional team comprises twelve surfers spread across eight divisions including Under 18, 16 and 14 Boys and Girls as well as Under 18 Longboard and Under 18 Bodyboard. All twelve team members contribute points towards the teams overall placing.

A low pressure system is expected to produce significant swell and strong onshore winds for the start of the event before moving out to the east and allowing the ocean to clean up for the latter half of the event. Competition will take place at New Plymouth beaches from 8:00am each day. Everyone can keep up with the action via the Surfing New Zealand website and social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram on your mobile.

WWF has partnered up with the event to highlight the plight of the Maui dolphin. Only about 55 Maui's dolphins over the age of one year survive. WWF is running the 'Maui's trail' event, which will feature four different action stations designed to give regional surfing teams the chance to learn more about the threats to these dolphins, where they are found and how people can take action to help save them.

WWF's Rebecca Bird said: "Maui's are the world's smallest and rarest marine dolphins - and the coastal waters off Taranaki are one of the only places in the world where they live. Who better to act as the dolphins' guardians than the surf community who share their waters? The Maui's Trial will take place on Wednesday and Thursday of the event. Please see below for results from the National Scholastic Surfing Championships over the past five years.

Team
2007 - Bay of Plenty
2008 - Waikato
2009 - Bay of Plenty
2010 - Bay of Plenty
2011 - Gisborne

Under 18 Boys
2007 - Paco Divers (Nrthlnd)
2008 - Buck Woods (Gis)
2009 - Alex Dive (BOP)
2010 - JC Susan (BOP)
2011 - Ben Poulter (Wai)

Under 16 Boys
2007 - Matt Hewitt (BOP)
2008 - Alex Dive (BOP)
2009 - Todd Doyle (BOP)
2010 - Sean Kettle (Tara)
2011 - Adam Grimson (Gis)

Under 14 Boys
2007 - Jesse Trafford (H-Bay)
2008 - Ben Poulter (Wai)
2009 - Peri Matenga (BOP)
2010 - Te Rapai Barbarich-Love (Tara)
2011 - Harrison Whiteside (Chch)

Under 18 Girls
2007 - Wini Paul (Nrthland)
2008 - India Wray-Murane (Wai)
2009 - Nicola Colson - Koster (Auck)
2010 - Grace Spiers (WGM)
2011 - Kristi Zarifeh (Chch)

Under 16 Girls
2007 - Anna Hawes (WC)
2008 - Alexis Poulter (Wai)
2009 - Alexis Poulter (Wai)
2010 - Ella Williams (WGM)
2011 - Jayda Martin - Fitzharris (Gis)

Under 14 Girls
2007 - Alexis Poulter (Wai)
2008 - Ella Williams (WGM)
2009 - Ella Williams (WGM)
2010 - Gabriela Sansom (Auck)
2011 - Jasmine Smith (Gis)

Under 18 Bodyboard
2007 - Kurt Randell (Wai)
2008 - Mitch Tomelson (BOP)
2009 - Vaughn Rhind
2010 - Jamee Smith (BOP)
2011 - Jamee Smith (BOP)

Under 18 Longboard
2007 -
2008 - Leroy Rust (Ota)
2009 - Sam Guthrie (BOP)
2010 - Luke O'Neill (Chch)
2011 - Sam Poulter (Wai)

www.surfingnz.co.nz

Source: Surfing NZ

Author: Ben Kennings

Tags: Scholastic Championships, New Zealand, School Titles

Events: Surfersvillage.