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Piha Awaits New Zealand’s Best Surfers |
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Written by Ben Kennings
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Friday, 13 January 2012 |
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| Jay Quinn - Image ASP Australasia |
Auckland’s Piha Beach awaits the best surfers in New Zealand as the 2012 Hyundai National Surfing Championships fast approaches with the week-long surfing event commencing Sunday (15thJanuary).
New Zealand’s top
internationally ranked male surfer Jay Quinn (Gis) is currently returning to Auckland from his base in Australia and will be out to defend
his title and showcase the amazing form that has seen him rise up the world
rankings to 41st at the end of 2011.
Quinn’s title defence was made considerably easier today with the late withdrawal
of his older brother Maz who has failed to recover from a back injury sustained
only days into the new year.
Maz has won four titles and has been on a six year quest for his fifth title
which would see him equal the feats of Wayne Parkes and Iain Buchanan both of Auckland. The quest will now extend a further year.
Jay won his second Open Men’s Division national title at Dunedin in 2011, his first coming at home in
Gisborne during the 2008 edition of the event.
A third title would see him surrounded by the company of New Zealand’s
most iconic surfers.
“When you have a couple of titles you start to dream about having more” Quinn
said adding “I feel like I've got a few more in me still.”
The 2012 event marks the 50th anniversary of Surfing New
Zealand. Jay Quinn is well aware of the
long history behind the National Championships with his family being as big of
a part as any surfing family in New
Zealand.
“When you take time to look at the names on the trophy like Iain
Buchanan and Al Byrne, you want to have your name on there as many times as
possible alongside their multiple titles.”
The rigours of competing internationally against the best in the world is a
different ball game according to Quinn who travels the world for over six
months of the year accumulating points towards his international ranking. In that sense, the National Champs is a
“relaxed event.” However he does admit
that the physical preparation to a domestic event here in New Zealand is no different and
that Piha is a break that he enjoys surfing despite not having notched up a significant
event win there previously.
For the oldest of the two brothers, Maz, it will be the first time that he has
not competed at the event since 2002 when he was restricted to competing in
only ASP events.
Jay will still have a bevy of New
Zealand’s best surfers to compete against
including his international travelling companions Richard Christie (Mahia) and
Billy Stairmand (Rag). The three surfers
travel the world together competing and have gone head-to-head on several
occasions leaving their friendships at the waters edge. This event will be no different with Christie
(2005) and Stairmand (2010) holding a title a piece. They will aim to get level with Quinn at this
event by securing the second ever national titles.
There will also be the likes of New
Zealand based surfer Bobby Hansen (Gis) who
is on the comeback after shoulder reconstruction left him land locked for the
best part of 2011. Hansen has reportedly
been in exceptional form back in Gisborne and relishing the chance to again match
up alongside the hot bed of Gisborne surfing talent over the early part of
summer.
In the Women’s Division, defending champion Airini Mason will be missing from
the draw after she made a comeback to New Zealand events in 2011 and took
out her second title in the Women’s Division.
The absence of Airini as well as her phenom sister Sarah and Paige Hareb
(Tara) who is restricted to contesting ASP events only leaves one ex-champion
in the draw – Raglan’s Jessica Santorik.
Santorik last won the event in 2005 at Opunake but has come close to winning on
several other occasions. Santorik will
head up a young looking draw in the Women’s Division with the likes of 17 year
old duo Ella Williams (Gis) and Jayda Martin – Fitzharris (Gis) front runners
to progress through to the final and challenge for their first national title.
The surf forecast is looking changeable during the first few days of the
event. “Sunday we can expect the wind to
back off and swing more to the south west but the swell will still be big and
raw from the storm that is moving across the country today and tomorrow. By Tuesday we should see nice surface
conditions with afternoon sea breezes and clean swell” said surf forecaster Paul
Greenland from Auckland Surf.
The all encompassing seven day event will run from the 15th – 21st
of January. Please see below for a guide
to when divisions are expected to be contested.
Day 1 (Sun 15th
Jan) - All longboard, SUP Surf and
SUP Race, U14 Boys, U16 Boys
Day 2 (Mon 16th Jan) - All
longboard, SUP Surf, U14 Boys, U16 Boys
Day 3 (Tues 17th Jan) - Open
Men, Under 18, 16, 14 Boys, All longboard, SUP Surf
Day 4 (Wed 18th Jan) - Open
Men, Under 18, 16, 14 Boys, All longboard, SUP Surf, All Women’s, All Seniors
Day 5 (Thurs 19th Jan) - Open
Men, Under 18, 16, 14 Boys, All longboard, SUP Surf, All Women’s, All Seniors,
Kneeboard”
Day 6 (Fri 20th Jan) - Open
Men, Under 18, 16, 14 Boys, All longboard, SUP Surf, All Women’s, All Seniors,
Potentially some finals
Day 7 (Sat 21st Jan) - Finals,
All Bodyboard
The Hyundai National Championships were first held in 1963 when they took
place at Mount Maunganui. In its
infancy, the event comprised Open Men’s and Women’s as well as Under 18 Men’s
divisions only. Since then it has grown
to comprise a colossal 25 divisions across all disciplines and the 2012 edition
will crown New Zealand’s
500th national champion.
The event is the first event of the New Zealand Pro Series and second of
five on the 2012 Hyundai Tour, the first having been held at Raglan last
weekend.
It will be the ninth time the event has been held at Piha. The Hyundai National Surfing Championships is
the most prestigious domestic surfing event in New Zealand.
Twenty five 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 23 divisions
comprising of age groups from Under 14 through to Over 50s and also longboard,
Stand Up Paddleboard, Bodyboard and Kneeboard disciplines.
Set out below are the winners of key divisions for the past five years.
Open Men
2007 – Daniel Kereopa (Rag)
2008 – Jay Quinn (Gis)
2009 – Matt Hewitt (Mnt)
2010 – Billy Stairmand (Rag)
2011 – Jay Quinn (Gis)
Open Women
2007 – Wini Paul (Sandy Bay)
2008 – Angie Koops (Kaik)
2009 – Daisy Thomas (Chch)
2010 – Laura Rishworth (Mnt)
2011 – Airini Mason (Chch)
Junior Men (U/18)
2007 – Paco Divers (Sandy Bay)
2008 – Sean Peggs (Tairua)
2009 – Ryan Hawker (Piha)
2010 – Johnny Hicks (Gis)
2011 – Ben Poulter (Rag)
Longboard
2007 – Daniel Kereopa (Rag)
2008 – Jay Quinn (Gis)
2009 – Daniel Proctor (Gis)
2010 – Dylan Barnfield (Ohope)
2011 – Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck)
Complete lists
of all National Champions are located on the Surfing
New Zealand website under History.
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 New Zealand representative Emma Ryan on 0274785217 or email eryan@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 will be available to
media free of charge upon request.
Nationals Blog
Be sure to get a different perspective on the event via the SNZ Nationals
Blog. This will be updated throughout the
seven days with news views and interviews to keep you entertained.
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 New Zealand
and Lion Rock 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 fed 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
Hyundai New Zealand
SPARC
Smokefree
Ends
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HEADLINES |
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FEATURED SURFER |
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VOTE NOW |
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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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