Around the Clubs

It's a big week for surf life saving on our beaches this week with the Lion Foundation NZ Surf League on.

Action starts with the under-14 and under-16 teams on Thursday and Friday, before the under-19 and open provincial sides do battle at the Mount Maunganui Main Beach over the weekend.

Entry is free – come on down and see the spectacle.

Omanu

Sixty junior surf athletes from Omanu competed with courage and skill at the Eastern Regional junior championships in Ohope last weekend. We had the overall top athletes in the under-8 division (Tommy Gadsbey), the under-11 boys (William Van der Beek), the under-11 girls (Ella Pollock) and both the under-14 boys and girls (Kane Sefton and Jess Gadsbey), as well as many other podium finishes.

We were particularly strong in the under-11 flags, taking out the top-four boys placings and the top six in the girls, while the under-9 girls relay team had three members competing up an age group and still won.

Omanu finished second to neighbors Papamoa; a great preparation for Oceans 12 at the Mount later in the month.

Our Old Salts surf boat crew finished second in the masters at the North Island champs at the weekend - Ady Van der Beek, Ian Macrae, Don Mcneily, Bob Mitchell and Justin Hesp (combined age unknown!) were even talking about having a crack at the Piha Big Wave Classic in two weeks but after watching Monday night's footage, staying at home might be a better option!

Junior surf will be back on this Sunday after a week off. The club will also be running the last lifeguard award course for this season and anyone wanting to become a lifeguard please contact Kay at the club on Ph 575 4805 to register your name. New members are always welcome.

Papamoa

Our gun juniors added two more trophies to the cabinet at the weekend, winning the historic Bay of Plenty Junior Championship Cup and the new Eastern Regional Junior Championship Trophy at Ohope.

SOme of our younger athletes really shone, including the likes of Emily Pilbrow (under-8), Hayley Dawson, Lucy Mano, Caitlin Harris and Kian Grey (under-9), Bella Akroyd, McKeelie van Lye, Nikki Wright and Max Millington (under-10), George Mano (under-11), Mitch Cowdrey, Georgia Akroyd and Laura Wyatt (under-12), Sam Johnston, Malia Josephson (under-13) and Jake Cowdrey and Maia Bryant (under-14).

Bella Akroyd, in particular, turned on an amazing spectacle on day two, showcasing her skills in the under-10 board legs of the Diamond and Cameron events when big sets were forcing most of the competitors to withdraw after being unable to

get out to the buoys. Bella was back on the beach and through the finish line well before any of those behind her had even made it out round the buoys.

Mount Maunganui

Mount clubbiness will be watching with pride this weekend, not only at the Lion Foundation NZ Surf League on our own beach, but also over the ditch with fellow Mountie Aimee Berridge making the last two rounds of the Kellogg's Nutrigrain ironman series. Do us proud, Aimee - you have already.

The public have been well behaved at the beach and our quiet patrol days have continued, while our juniors raced really well in Ohope.

The Mount women's surf boat crew also performed well at the North Island championships, finishing third in the final, while the under-19 boys again stepped up in big surf.