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National Champs Attracts New Zealand’s Elite |
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Written by Ben Kennings
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Tuesday, 11 January 2011 |
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Billy Stairmand - Image Cory / NZ Surfing Magazine
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New Zealand’s best surfers have been attracted south to Dunedin for the Hyundai National Surfing Championships this week, three surfers of which currently sit inside the world’s top 100.
The Hyundai National Surfing Championships take place from 13th – 16th January and will be contested across 23 divisions.
The event is the second of six on the 2010/11 SOL Surf Series and second of five on the 2011 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour.
It is the first time ever that there has been three Kiwi surfers inside the top 100 on the Association of Surfing Professionals rankings.
Richard Christie (Mahia), Billy Stairmand (Rag) and Jay Quinn (Gis) all finished the year inside the ASP top 100, Christie the highest at 65th with Stairmand in 67th and Quinn in 98th.
All three surfers also have one national title each, Stairmand being the current defending national champion after winning the event in April 2010. Quinn won his title in 2008 on home turf. Christie was the first of the three to win the title back in 2005 at Opunake as a young 16-year-old.
“I was thinking about it yesterday, it’s been a long time since I won….five years or something” said Christie adding “I am a different surfer now so it would be good to win this week. I won when I was a grom, I am old now, yeah it would be good to do it again with all the young guys coming through.”
The Hyundai National Surfing Championships is the most prestigious domestic surfing event in New Zealand and despite Christie spending most of his time overseas in 2010, he is still dead keen to try for title number two in Dunedin – a place he calls his third home.
“I was born in Dunedin, it’s kinda my third home after Mahia and Gisborne. My brother and sister live in Dunedin and heaps of other family, I can’t wait to get down there” said Christie during a stop off half way down the country.
Defending champion Stairmand does not have the same affinity with Dunedin having only visited once. However the amped young surfer was keen to make the journey south and defend his title, a defence which he said has little bearing on his approach to this years event.
“I am not looking at it (the event) as the defending champ” said a confident Stairmand. “It is just normal comp, same strategies apply, stay calm and hope to do well”.
The two surfers along with Jay Quinn have clocked up some serious miles over the past 12 months and on their travels, they have surfed a multitude of heats with consistent success.
“I have done more comps than ever before and the level of surfing overseas is so high. I have learnt heaps about competing and strategising, that’s for sure” said Stairmand.
The hardened approach to surfing heats and the company they have surfed with throughout the year will give them a big advantage during the four day event which will be one of a few domestic events on the SOL Series that they will use in the build toward their international campaigns.
Said Christie “Yeah bro, last year was amazing, it opened my mind up to what could be achieved. Jay, Billy and myself have grown so much, our confidence levels are high and we are looking forward to this year and winning a few comps.”
In the Women’s Division, Airini Mason (Gis) makes a comeback to the Hyundai National Championships after spending the best part of the last six years competing overseas. Mason won the National Champs in 2004 as a spritely young 13-year-old girl rewriting the history books as the youngest winner of an open division at the event. Airini and her talented surfing family that includes younger surf sensation Sarah have recently moved back to New Zealand after residing in Australia.
Twenty three national titles will go up for grabs at the Hyundai National Championships. As well as the premier Open Men’s and Open Women’s Divisions, there will be a further 17 divisions comprising of age groups from Under 14 through to Over 50s and also Kneeboard and Bodyboard disciplines.
Set out below are the winners of key divisions for the past five years.
Open Men
2006 – Maz Quinn (Gis)
2007 – Daniel Kereopa (Rag)
2008 – Jay Quinn (Gis)
2009 – Matt Hewitt (Mnt)
2010 – Billy Stairmand (Rag)
Open Women
2006 – Lisa Hurunui (Gis)
2007 – Wini Paul (Sandy Bay)
2008 – Angie Koops (Kaik)
2009 – Daisy Thomas (Chch)
2010 – Laura Rishworth (Mnt)
Junior Men (U/18)
2006 – Kierin Van Der Helder (Rag)
2007 – Paco Divers (Sandy Bay)
2008 – Sean Peggs (Tairua)
2009 – Ryan Hawker (Piha)
2010 – Johnny Hicks (Gis)
Longboard
2006 – Michael Fitzharris (Gis)
2007 – Daniel Kereopa (Rag)
2008 – Jay Quinn (Gis)
2009 – Daniel Proctor (Gis)
2010 – Dylan Barnfield (Ohope)
Complete lists of all National Champions are located on the Surfing New Zealand website under History.
Please see below for the remaining five events that make up the 20010/11 SOL Surf Series.
Sol Series Event 2 - 13-16 January - Hyundai National Championships, Dunedin (5-star)
Sol Series Event 3 - 29-31 January - Billabong Pro presented by Sony, Whangamata (6-star)
Sol Series Event 4 - 12-13 February - Power Balance Pro, Mount Maunganui (4-star)
Sol Series Event 5 - 11-13 March - Rip Curl Pro, Raglan (6-star)
Sol Series Event 6 - 2-3 April SOL Super 16, Mobile (6-star)
The remaining events on the 2011 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour follow:
Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event 2, 13-16 January, Dunedin (5-star)
Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event 3, 4-6 February, Sandy Bay (SNZ 6-star / ASP LQS 1-star)
Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event 4, 19-20 February, Mount Maunganui (4-star)
Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event 5, 4-5 March, Port Waikato (6-star)
Entry into the events can be completed at Surfing New Zealand under events. Complete the entry process online or download entry forms and send them in. The 2011 SOL Surf Series is expected to receive high entry levels so entrants will need to be in well before the cut off dates to assure themselves a slice of the action.
Further Information
For further information on the 2011 Hyundai National Championships please contact Surfing New Zealand’s Ben Kennings on 021 2278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz. Alternatively contact Hyundai Brand Manager Devyn Cantley on 0275541548 or email dcantley@hyundai.co.nz.
Imagery
Web clips and newsfeeds will be distributed free of charge from each event. Please contact Ben Kennings for further details.
High resolution action images of the surfing at all events on the SOL Surf Series will be available to media free of charge upon request.
Event Hotline
The Surfing New Zealand event hotline is 0211134506. This will be updated daily at approximately 7am with venue, divisions contested and conditions.
Partners
Generous support from Hyundai, SOL and South Coast Boardriders has made this event possible.
Surfing New Zealand Newsletter
If you want to keep updated with surfing information delivered right to your inbox then sign up to the SNZ Newsletter.
Follow Surfing New Zealand and the Hyundai National Championships
Live results will be feed live to the SNZ website via twitter so stay tuned with up to date results. Alternatively follow the action via the SNZ Facebook and SNZ Twitter.
Surfing New Zealand are proudly partnered by
SOL
Hyundai
SPARC
Smokefree
Ends
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LATEST RESULTS |
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SOL SURF SERIES |
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NZ Pro Series |
1 Bobby Hansen (Gis)
2 Tim O'Connor (Mnt)
3 Larry Fisher (Rag)
4 Chris Malone (Gis)
5 Mike Banks (Rag)
6 Blair Stewart (Gis)
7 Matt Scorringe (WGM)
8 Zen Wallis (Piha)
9 Luke Hughes (Rag)
10 Ben Kennings (WGM)
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| 2012 NZ Pro Series Ratings |
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GROMMET SERIES |
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U16 Boys |
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1 Elliot Paerata
2 Dune Kennings
3 Mckenzie Bowden
4 Jordan Griffin
5 Mahorahora McLeod
6 Joe Palmer
7 Caleb Braithwaite
8 Matt McGreggor
9
Harrison Whiteside
10 Ryan Renall
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U16 Girls |
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1 Gabriela Sansom
2 Jasmine Smith
3 Dayna Story
4 Claudia Fraser
5 Bianca Sansom |
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NZ Grom Ratings |
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