Richard Christie wins at South Island Surfing Champs
2006 South Island Surfing Championships.
SNZ / South Island Surfing Association St. Clair Beach, Dunedin 12 - 14 April 2006
Christie Conquers the Southern Seas.
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 17 April, 2006 : - - 17 year old Richard Christie from Mahia turned on an impressive performance to notch up two titles at the 2006 South Island Surfing Championships held at St. Clair Beach in Dunedin over the Easter weekend. Christie was part of an eager field of competitors from throughout New Zealand who revelled in 3 days of fine weather and consistent 1 –2 m swells on the beautiful southern coast of the South Island.
Around 100 surfers tackled the excellent waves over 8 divisions. Competition kicked off on Friday with a solid 1-2m swell and the elimination rounds set the tone for the ensuing contest. On Saturday a shift in swell direction produced consistent peaks that highlighted a high standard of surfing performance.
While the South Island circuit’s surfing master Tony Schafer (Christchurch) again took out the Positive Pics Masters title, Bay Of Plenty surfer Cale Tolley, visiting Dunedin as part of the Bay’s scholastics team, won the R’n’R Sports Senior Mens ahead of Tony and his younger brother Manu. Dunedin youngsters figured prominently in the Esplanade Surf School Grommetts, however it was Tauranga’s Alex Dive who won the day.
Alex’s scholastics team mate Travis McCoy turned on the power to take out the Quarry Beach Surfboards Cadets with Alex in runner-up position.
Dunedin’s Simon Dickie flew the flag for the southern crew with a victory in the Hydro Surf Longboard.
In the Esplanade Restaurant Womens, New Brighton’s Daisy Thomas got the waves to finish ahead of fellow Christchurch surfer Leilani Morgan.
Mahia’s Richard Christie was the in form surfer over the weekend and his appearance in both the Boardbase Junior and Lion Red Open Men’s finals drew a lot of spectator interest and “Ricardo” didn’t fail to deliver.
His performance in winning the Open Men’s final was both a popular and controversial event. After incurring a technical interference, Christie was penalised but still managed to hold onto first place ahead of Dunedin’s Felix Dickson.
LION RED OPEN MEN. 1. Richard Christie (Mahia) 2. Felix Dickson (Dunedin) 3. Hayden Brain (Christchurch) 4. Nat Parsons (Dunedin)
ESPLANADE RESTAURANT WOMEN. 1. Daisy Thomas (Christchurch) 2. Leilani Morgan (Christchurch) 3. Sophia Moore (Christchurch) 4. Laura Rishworth (Mount Manganui)
HYDRO SURF LONGBOARD. 1. Simon Dickie (Dunedin) 2. Steve Tyro (Christchurch) 3. Aaron Lock (Christchurch) 4. Leroy Rust (Dunedin)
ESPLANADE SURF SCHOOL GROMMETTS. 1. Alex Dive (Tauranga) 2. Tom Bracegirdle (Dunedin) 3. Geordi Dearns (Dunedin) 4. Jordan Durst (Dunedin)
QUARRY BEACH SURFBOARDS CADETS. 1. Travis McCoy (Tauranga) 2. Alex Dive (Tauranga) 3. Matt Hewitt (Mount Manganui) 4. Jimmy Crooks (Dunedin)
BOARDBASE JUNIOR MEN. 1. Richard Christie (Mahia) 2. Jos Hadfield (Mount Manganui) 3. Ike Hanson (Christchurch) 4. Dylan Wood (Christchurch)
R’n’R SPORTS SENIOR MEN. 1. Cale Tolley (Mount Manganui) 2. Manu Schafer (Christchurch) 3. Tony Schafer (Christchurch) 4. Shayne Baxter (Christchurch)
POSITIVE PICS MASTERS. 1. Tony Schafer (Christchurch) 2. Johnny Fenton (Karamea) 3. Richard Ayson (Dunedin) 4. Steve Tyro (Christchurch)
The 2005 South Island Surfing Championships are proudly supported by Surfing New Zealand, South Island Surfing Association, Lion Red, R’n’R Sport, Hydro Surf, Stevenson and Williams Builders, Boardbase, Harrow Panel Beaters, Anderson Lloyd and Caudwell, The Waterloo Hotel, Quarry Beach Surfboards, Blue Water Products, Positive Pics and Magma Wax.
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