2012 ASP World Champion Joel Parkinson soaring to lofty heights at the QLD State round. PIC Surfing Aust
COOLANGATTA/QLD (21st January, 2014): ASP World Champions Joel Parkinson and Stephanie Gilmore lead a stellar line-up of current stars and past greats contesting this weekend’s (25-26 January), two-day final of the Be the Influence Australian Boardriders Battle in Cronulla.
The event is sanctioned by the Association of Surfing Professional (ASP), which allows Australian ASP World Championship Tour surfers the opportunity to represent their local boardriders and compete with their club mates.
The event is the biggest grassroots, boardriders event series in Australian surfing history with more than $100,000 in prize money. It involved Australia’s best boardriders clubs in seven State qualifying rounds and culminates in a two-day, National Final for 16 clubs at North Cronulla this weekend.
Each club team of seven will include two juniors (1 male and 1 female), four Open age surfers (3 male and 1 female) and one over 35 surfer (male or female). An exciting event format will see club teams battle it out in Pairs competition, five-person Teams competition and a Skins competition. The National Final will include a lucrative, club-take-all Skins format across 10 heats with a $1000 jackpot in each heat.
The clubs to contest the final are:
NEW SOUTH WALES: Merewether Surfboard Club, Avoca Boardriders, Werri Beach Boardriders, Elouera Boardriders, North Narrabeen Boardriders, Queenscliff Boardriders, Cronulla Sharks Boardriders.
QUEENSLAND: Snapper Rocks Surfriders, Kirra Surfriders, D-Bah Boardriders
VICTORIA: Torquay Boardriders, 13th Beach Boardriders
WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Yallingup Boardriders, Margaret River Boardriders
SOUTH AUSTRALIA: Seaford Boardriders
TASMANIA: South Arm Boardriders
Snapper Rocks Surfriders boast an all-star line-up including five-time ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore, 2012 ASP World Champion Joel Parkinson and ASP World Tour competitor Mitch Crews. The team is rounded out by leading juniors Holly-Sue Coffey and Quinn Bruce, former pro tour veteran Jay Phillips and leading Pro Junior Mitch Parkinson.
Other ASP World Tour surfers competing this weekend include Dion Atkinson (Seaford), Taj Burrow (Yallingup), Matt Wilkinson (Avoca) and Laura Enever (North Narrabeen).
North Narrabeen is also bursting with top professional contenders alongside Enever including Davey Cathels, Cooper Chapman and Nathan Hedge.
Former ASP World Tour competitors taking part include Hedge, Jake Paterson (Yallingup), Dave Macaulay (Margaret River), Nathan Webster (North Narrabeen), Luke Egan (Merewether), 1999 ASP World Champion Mark Occhilupo (Cronulla) and seven-time ASP World Champion Layne Beachley (Queenscliff).
Forecasts for this weekend suggest a small NE swell will swing to a building S swell during the day to 2-3ft by the afternoon. The wind is likely to swing S and strengthen out of the SSE during the afternoon. The 2-3ft swell is expected to remain on Sunday with moderate S to SE winds.
Member for Cronulla, Mark Speakman, said: “It is a pleasure to welcome the top 16 boardriders clubs in the nation to Cronulla Beach for the final of the Australian Boardriders Battle.
“The Australia Day long weekend is a special weekend, and what better way is there to celebrate than witnessing some of the nation’s finest surfers in action here in Cronulla. I encourage competitors and spectators to enjoy all that Cronulla has to offer, from the delicious food and wine at our restaurants and cafes, to the fantastic shopping and the spectacular coastline of the nearby Royal National Park.”
NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events, George Souris, said: “Congratulations to all 16 clubs who have beaten tough competition to qualify for the inaugural Australian Boardriders Battle to be held at the spectacular Cronulla Beach.
“The NSW Government, through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, is proud to a part of this event. Hosting the final of this national series at Cronulla is a great event win for NSW.”
This event is supported by the Be the Influence – Tackling Binge Drinking initiative, part of the Australian Government’s National Binge Drinking Strategy addressing youth binge drinking and raising awareness of the long and short term impacts of harmful drinking among young people through sport sponsorships and other activities.
The Be the Influence Australian Boardriders Battle is proudly supported by Be the Influence – Tackling Binge Drinking, Billabong, Toyota, Nikon, Surfing Australia, Surfing NSW, Destination NSW, the Association of Surfing Professionals and Milwaukee.
