Llandudno Boardriders On Fire

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Report by: Liam Wood

Organizers had a difficult choice calling the second Hurley Llandudno Boardriders event this Sunday at 6:00am as a 25 knot wind, huge squalls and rough seas dampened a few spirits.

The contest site and gazebos were blown around and even destroyed as event organisers had to put the event on standby until 9am. It proved to be a good call, as the scene calmed and the Boardriders was given the Green light and the 75 contestants and mass of spectators were greeted with SE winds, 4-6ft conditions, great music, live fires and braai’s throughout the day.

The level of surfing was high as surfers in the Pro, Open, Master, Juniors, Bodyboarding and Kneeboarding divisions from the Hout Bay and Llandudno community came together to share the stoke of surfing in the amphitheatre of the Llandudno Lifesaving Club.

First heats in the water battled it out to go straight through to the quarterfinals as the WP judges had a hard task judging the guys in seriously heavy waves that took out numerous surfboards on the way.

Julia Colsen Wood, the loan lady in the contest competed in the Open Mens division and knocked out some high profile surfer’s, leaving the men licking their wounds in the first heat. Volker Mielk, Cassey Severson, Jason Hearn, Neil Zietsman and Ben Potter were the standouts in the earlier rounds, but it was California and Llandudno resident Cassey Severson taking the Mens title riding a 6’8″ over Kit Beaton, Winston Kletter and Ben Potter.

Wildcard surfer Steff burrows of Boland, a member of SA junior team, destroyed some Open surfers and took out the Junior final with style and power with Ethan Fletcher, Max and Jake Elkington fighting it out for 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

Talented all-round surfer and bodyboarder Sasha Specker joined the event at the last min after flying in from recently being crowned the new World Dropknee Champion. Spex won the bodyboarding final with ease over the old and new guard of John Catlin and younger groms Ryan Collins and Luke Kitchen.

The Pro division had the spectators on their feet, screaming and hooting in the 6ft clean barreling afternoon conditions with the likes of judges Ryan Payne, Chris Molde and Reza De Nicker claiming it could’ve been a WQS final with 9’s and 10’s on the score sheets in the dying minutes.

Josh Brodie clocked in a barrel and air that had everyone certain that he’d just wrapped up the final. That was until in the dying seconds, when screwfoot Jordan Alexander snuck into and got spat out of a dredging barrel that got him 10’s across the board to take the PRO title over Brodie and the Eales brothers, Jasper and Teager.

Spectators at the prizegiving were treated to free give-aways and everyone was left in suspense as to who won the Pro division, as well as the special award – the “sick Rabbit” surfer of the contest – which eventually went to Steff Burrows for surfing numerous divisions, winning the Junior final and having several free surfs in the 9 degree water.

Huge thanks went to SSA, WPSA, contest director Liam Wood, the surfers, and the spectators for making it another memorable Llands Boardriders competition, and don’t forget the Llandudno Lifesaving Club for the use of their facilities.

But the biggest thanks went to Hurley, Primi Piatti, Skull Candy, Red Bull, Creatures of Leisure, Wetsac, Beach Religion, Vudu and Sick Rabbit.

Next event will be early 2013, where the Llandudno Boardriders will be challenging the West Coast Boardriders!

Results:

Kneeboarding:

1. Guy Joubert
2. Philip Krapf
3. Grant Robertson

Master\Open
1. Cassey Severson
2. Kit Beaton
3. Winston Kletter
4. Ben Potter

Junior
1. Steff Burrows
2. Ethan Fletcher
3.Jake Elkington
4. Max Elkington

Bodyboard
1. Sasha Specker
2. Luke Kitchen
3. John Catlin
4. Ryan Collins

Pro
1. Jordan Alexander
2. Josh Brodie
3. Jasper Eales
4. Teager Eales