All Aboard For Freshwaters Australia Day Surf Carnival

Surf Sports, December 19, 2012: Freshwater’s Smyth Estate Agents sponsored Annual Australia Day Surf Carnival is expected to attract a host of surf sports stars from around Australia and New Zealand with the club today announcing cash and prizes to the value of $8,000 for next month’s big event, set down for Saturday, January, 26.

The club has re-established the Duke Kahanamoku Surfboard Classic with $1000 on the line for the winner of the men’s open board race final.

Duke Kahanamoku is synonymous with Freshwater with the father of modern surfing having provided the first professional exhibition of board riding at the famous Freshie break back in 1915.

The board, hand carved by the Duke out of sugar pine while the Olympic champion was in Sydney for a series of exhibition swims, still stands proudly in Freshwater’s historic surf club.

Organisers are hopeful of attracting the cream of Australia’s board paddlers not only in the open men’s category but also in the open women with $500 up for grabs to the winner and with prizes for all of the age group paddle board races (U13s-U19s).

Winners of the U15s, U17s and U19s will all receive Go Pro cameras while the U13s and U14s winners will all receive watches.

There are also nine Qantas return tickets up for grabs for the winning teams in the open men’s (six) and women’s Taplin Relays (threee) as well as a total of $1,000 worth of Engine swim gear and equipment divided between the winners of all the surf races from U/13s to Open.

The Australia Day carnival will also act as Round Four of the Qualifying Series for the professional Ironman Series as competitors vie for vital points.

“We really want to look after the board paddlers – who tend to get forgotten when the big carnivals come around,” said Freshwater’s Director of Competition Michael Kirkby.

“The Ironmen and Ironwomen have their own professional series; there are also major ocean ski races up and down the coast so we wanted to put something on for the board paddlers, the surf swimmers and the Taplin Relay teams.

“Freshwater has a proud tradition in competition as one of the best club’s in Australia and we also have over a century of providing a premier surf carnival on Australia Day.

“By adding some prestige back into our carnival we are hoping to attract clubs from all over Australia and maybe even New Zealand.”

Freshwater itself is in a re-building phase with exciting talent emerging through its junior section and onto a thriving youth development program.

“It will be wonderful for our younger competitors to be involved in one of Australia’s great surf carnivals,” said Kirkby.

“We have some exciting youngsters coming through the ranks under our coaches Tim Jacobs and Kurt Hanson and the future looks very promising indeed.

“And one day they themselves may well find themselves on the winners podium.”

FRESHWATER AUSTRALIA DAY MAJOR EVENT PRIZES

Men’s Open Board $1000
Women’s Open Board $500
Men’s Open Taplin (Six Qantas return flights)
Women’s Open Taplin (Three Qantas return flights)
All men’s and women’s surf races from U13s to Opens (Engine prize packs). Total value $1000
Under 19, 17, 15 men’s and women’s board (Go Pro Cameras)
Under 13, 14s men’s and women’s board (Watches)

Issued on behalf of Freshwater SLSC