Sam Page : photo Steve Robertson

Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro

Men's 4 Star WQS Event
Women's 4 Star WQS Event
Soldiers Beach, Norah Head NSW
11 - 16 March 2008

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Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro sees an in form Sam Page

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 12 March, 2008 : - - Soldiers Beach, NSW -- The Arrive alive Central Coast Pro got down to the business end of competition today, with round three bringing some high scores and amazing surfing at Soldiers Beach. Looking at gaining a birth into the fourth round, the remaining surfers were pushing themselves in a battle for vital ratings points and a total prize purse of US$80,000.

For the second day running, number one seed and current World Championship Tour (WCT) surfer Mick Campbell (Port Macquarie) was the standout, using a relaxed approach to advance to the next round. “I’m just trying to surf every wave without trying to think too much at this stage,” he said. “It’s not really about tactics; it’s more about me concentrating on every wave that I surf.”

“The waves are really good here today, it’s definitely a lot better than most WQS contests,” he said. The performance of the day was no doubt the surfing of World Qualifying Series (WQS) rookie Blake Wilson (Sunshine Coast, QLD) defeating his more fancied opponents and gaining a spot in the fourth round.

Jarrad Sullivan : photo Steve Robertson

Wilson who showed poise and skills beyond his years beat WCT surfer Roy Powers (Hawaii) and Pro Junior Series sensation Stuart Kennedy (Lennox Head) in the second heat of the morning. “I’m really happy right now with my routine, I feel that I have built up a nice rhythm which hopefully will continue for back-end of the contest,” he said.

“I’m not looking at the heat draw I’m just trying to surf against myself at the moment.”  As a number of high seeded surfers tumbled out of the competition – Kirk Flintoff (Cronulla), Matt Wilkinson (Copacabana), Shaun Cansdell (Mullaway), Drew Courtney (Umina) and Darren O’Rafferty (Bonny Hills) – Khy Vaughan, who returned back to competitive surfing after a three year hiatus, was on fire.

“This is my first WQS contest in around three years, I just needed to step away from all competition,” he said reflectively. “The surf was definitely better today. I’m just looking at build up my competitive surfing and confidence and am looking for a good year.” 

James Athorn : photo Steve Robertson

Bobby Hansen, who remains the only New Zealander left in the competition, used patience to advance through to the round of 24. Hansen who has came from behind in his past two heats; found that waiting for the better waves continued to pay off. “The better waves are definitely the ones that are worth waiting for. There’s no point going mad for the smaller waves that aren’t going to score,” he said.

Arrive Alive Women’s rounds one and two were running right through the afternoon and organizers are confident of good waves tomorrow and right through the finals weekend. The Arrive alive Central Coast Pro will see 144 male and 64 female surfers compete for total divisional prize money purses of US$80,000 and US$25,000 respectively, plus valuable early season WQS ratings points.

The event will be webcast live at the event website. The event website will feature live scores, heat by heat results, daily news as well as photo and video galleries updated daily.

The Arrive alive Central Coast Pro is proudly supported by the NSW Motor Accidents Authority, Wyong Shire Council, The Beachcomber Hotel, Ocean & Earth, ASP Australasia, Surfing NSW, NBN Television, Central Coast Sun Weekly, Star FM, Australia’s Surfing Life and Greater Toukley Vision. 

Glenn Hall : photo Steve Robertson

About Arrive alive
Arrive alive is the NSW Motor Accidents Authority’s (MAA) youth road safety program. The MAA regulates the Compulsory Third Party (CTP) personal injury insurance scheme in NSW (known as Greenslips). The MAA is concerned about the over-representation of young people aged 17 to 25 in road crashes. Young drivers in this age group are at a higher risk of crashing than drivers of older ages for lots of reasons, including their inexperience, attitudes to driving and a tendency towards risk taking behaviour.

The MAA has a major commitment to improving road safety in NSW, and recognises that achieving this requires effective communication with young people about risk taking on the roads. This is where Arrive alive comes in. Arrive alive includes a range of programs that reflect common interest areas for young people. These programs aim to involve young people in activities they enjoy while positively influencing attitudes and behaviours on the roads.  The MAA wants to see young people stay safe on the roads and Arrive alive!

Check the Live Action

Previous reports:
# 1 : Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro readies for March 11 launch
# 2 : Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro rolls out with opening party
# 3 : Soldiers Beach turns on for Arrive Alive Pro opening day
# 4 : Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro Rnd 2 top seeds dominate 

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Arrive Alive Media
Steve Robertson
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Michael Tyrpenou
michael.tyrpenou@gmail.com

WQS Contests - Surfersvillage