Flowrider Fiesta

Australian Bodyboarding Tour’s Inaugural Flowrider Event A Unanimous Success

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 16 February, 2007 : - - Queensland bodyboarders Jake Stone (Maroochydore), Mark Quinlan (Holland Park) and Kira Llewellyn (Coolangatta) have carved a name for themselves after taking out their respective divisions at the inaugural Hydro / BSC Flowrider Fiesta held at Dreamworld last night.  

The 1A Bodyboarding Australasia (BBA) event kick started the ’07 Human Pro Bodyboard Tour and attracted competitors from throughout Australia and as far a field as South Africa. Adding to the event’s already high stakes was the fact that it was the first time an Australian Bodyboarding Pro Tour event took place in a pool!

In the 1A rated BBA men’s division, Maroochydore bodyboarding sensation Jake Stone upset some of the biggest names in the sport to walk away with the inaugural title. “It’s a dream come true to win an event against some of the world’s best bodyboarders,” said Stone. “I didn’t place any expectations on myself before the event. I just went out there and did what I do best.” 

Utilising a smooth yet stylish approach, 17-year-old Stone cut loose on the Flowrider, executing a skilled display of controlled carves, radical 360’s manoeuvres and crowd pleasing back flips on his way to pushing the sport to new limits. Stone opened with a strong 7.17 point ride in the four man final to leave his opponents; Sascha Specker (South Africa), Mark Quinlan (Holland Park) and Tom Robinson (Noosa) playing catch-up.

He sealed the deal with a 9.76 to finish with a heat total of 16.93 to Specker's 11.53. Each heat consisted of 4 riders, with each competitor given 3 x 30 second rides to display their routine to a panel of judges who entered their scores into the computer scoring system for an instant result. The top two riders then progressed to the next round, until the 4 finalists were reached.

Current BBA Tour champion and World no.2 bodyboarder Ryan Hardy (Gold Coast) fell victim to the flowrider’s rushing water, bowing out in his opening round heat. Although falling short in his quest for glory in the men’s division, Holland Park’s Mark Quinlan lead the charge for the Drop knee crew, defeating more fancied riders in a tightly fought final.

Meanwhile, 2005 world bodyboarding champion Kira Llewellyn continued her white-hot run of results, clinching the open women’s title in fine style. On top of all the action in the water was a bunch of entertainment including live music and fantastic giveaways. The ’07 Human Pro Bodyboard Tour continues this weekend with the 5A Harbourtown Digital Mobile Pro presented by Unknown being held on the beach breaks of Surfers Paradise.

Flowrider Facts:
Flowrider, born from the roots of surfing, skateboarding and bodyboarding was opened exclusively to Dreamworld. Flowrider generates a thin sheet of rushing water that flows over a stationary form allowing riders to drop in on their own unbroken wave, slide down, carve a turn, cut back and ride up the padded surface.

Results - Men's Final:
1st Jake Stone - 16.93
2nd Sascha Specker - 11.53
3rd Mark Quinlan - 10.33
4th Tom Robinson - 8.37 

Women's Final:
1st Kira Llewllyn - 12.13
2nd Megan Humphries - 10.57
3rd Lily Pollard - 7.07
4th Kaitlyn Murphy - 5.53

Drop Knee:
1st Mark Quinlan - 14.50
2nd Mick Parkhill - 12.97
3rd Greg Sullivan - 11.00
4th Mitch Rawlins - 9.77

www.surfingqueensland.com

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Jake White

Bodyboard - Surfersvillage