ISA World Surfing Games

International Surfing Association
Huntington Beach, California
14 - 22 October 2006 

Surf's Up for Ulster University Students

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 6 October, 2006 : - - Two Ulster University students are pulling on their wetsuits and undertaking final preparations for next week's World Surfing Games in California. John McCurry and Shauna Ward are among 10 surfers from across the country selected on the Irish panel for the biennial championships.

Twenty-six countries will be competing, with titles being awarded in a selection of categories – shortboard surfing (men and women), bodyboard (men and women) and longboard. Competing in the 21st World Surfing Games both students are hoping to emerge victorious from the surf at Huntington Beach in the week-long competition.

Now entering his final year John, a travel and tourism student at the University's Portrush site, is looking forward to competing on the world stage and is hoping to improve on his performance at the same level in 2004, when he finished an impressive 16th. “I aim to just better my performance from Ecuador two years ago,” he said. “A top 10 finish would be better than expected but if I get in and around 12th or 13th I would be happy.” John is also the Irish National Longboard Champion. He picked up his title at the Troggs Irish National Surfing Championship at Portrush in April.

Bundoran surfer Shauna is a sports scholar at the university and studies design and communications at the Magee campus. She recently won the British Universities surf title and is hoping for big things in California for herself and for the Irish team. “We have a very young team but it is a team with a lot of experience,” she said. “We have all been here in this type of competition before so we know what the competition will be like.”

Both have been training hard before jetting off to the states and up early every morning to catch the surf. “I would be up at first light to get the surf but it depends on how the surf is that day to what training I would do,” said John. “My daily training regime would be mainly surfing but I do a lot of stretching, running and fitness exercises also.”

Shaua said that despite the bad weather on the Donegal coast, she still enjoys riding the waves. “I got up this morning at 07:30 to go down to surf and it was dark and raining but it will all be worth it in the end,” she said. Being brought up on the coast in a surfing family Shauna has been on the surf from an early age but for John, who first tried surfing at the age of nine, the move to the north coast to study, fuelled the student’s desire and drive to continue with his surfing passion. “Moving up to the coast to university meant I was able to surf daily, which I was never able to do before.”

When the competition finishes on 22 October, the surfing students will be hoping to return home from ‘The Golden State’ with trophies under their arms - and a nice tan too.

www.isasurf.org

Previous reports:
# 1 : Lost Energy Drink to sponsor ISA World Surfing Games
# 2 : Two colorful ceremonies to kick off the 2006 ISA WSG..
# 3 : Best national teams set to compete at the Lost ISA WSG
# 4 : WSG Teams Champions to be awarded Presidents Cup

National Team reports:

Team Ireland:
# 1 : Irish surf team selected for 2006 World Surfing Games
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

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For further information, please contact:
Department of Public Affairs
Ulster University
pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk

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