Gisborne girl power

SUP-ER EFFORT: Gisborne’s Stella Smith claimed the women’s stand-up paddleboard division title at the national surfing championships at Piha. It earned her a place in the New Zealand team for the World SUP and Paddleboard Championships in Norway in September. Cory/NZ Surfing Magazine picture

BILLY Stairmand set a record for open men’s titles but Gisborne surfers left their own imprint on the national surfing championships at Piha on Saturday.

Gisborne’s Saffi Vette won the under-18 and u16 girls’ titles, Stella Smith won the women’s stand-up paddleboard final, and former Gisborne surfer and national champion Chris Malone won the over-28 and o35 men’s divisions.

Vette also reached the semifinals of the open women’s division.

By winning the stand-up paddleboard title, Smith gained selection for the New Zealand team to compete at the world junior championships in Denmark in September.

Whangamata’s Ella Williams, a former junior world champion, successfully defended the open women’s title she won last year.

Raglan’s Stairmand, also a defending open champion, had been one of three surfers to have won five open men’s national titles.

The others were Auckland’s Wayne Parkes (1966 to ’70) and Iain Buchanan (1983 to ’87).

Buchanan was at Piha to see Stairmand take his tally to six.

Stairmand dedicated the win to his mother, who died at the end of last year.

“I had a rough time last year on several fronts so I am hoping that this win is a sign of things to come, and I am sure my mum was looking over me today when I got that first wave,” said Stairmand, who was spurred on by a strong contingent of Raglan supporters.

They also witnessed Raglan Point Boardriders take out the interclub championship as the top performing club at the nationals.

Saturday’s two-metre swell and light winds produced the best conditions of the week for the event.

Stairmand surfed to a 14.63-point total in the final. He started with a near-perfect 9.53-point ride on one of the biggest waves of the final then did a lap around the beach and went back out the keyhole to find a second scoring ride.

Fellow Raglan surfer Taylor Hutchison had worked his way into the lead on 11.83 from two good waves through the inside section. But Stairmand’s 5.10 second scoring ride was enough to put him back in front.

Hutchison finished second and Dunedin’s Elliot Brown third on countback from Piha’s Elliot Paerata-Reid.

The open women’s title did not come easily for Williams.

Albany’s Gabriella Sansom had the final-high single-wave score of 7.83. That put Williams on the back foot but she secured a pair of six-point rides, then scored a 7.17 and, on her last wave, 7.77 to clinch her second open women’s national crown.

Gabriella Sansom was second, ahead of twin sister Bianca and Muriwai’s Britt Kindred

Vette’s wins in the u18 and u16 girls’ divisions reflected her form throughout the week.

In the u18 final, Vette posted 14.17 to beat Mt Maunganui’s Elin Tawharu (13.07) and Tiana-Breeze de Mooij (9.67) and Auckland’s Gabrielle Paul (4.80).

Vette won the u16 final with 8.67 from Paul (7.97) and Christchurch pair Tegen Bishop (5.73) and Estella Hungerford (1.53).

Former Gisborne surfer Malone, now of Raglan, finished comfortably ahead of his opposition in both the o28s and o35s.

His score from the o28 final was 14 points and, from the o35 final, 16.67.

Runner-up in both events was Taranaki’s Jarred Hancox, with tallies of 11.7 and 11.27 respectively.

In the women’s stand-up paddleboard final, Gisborne’s Smith had a total of 9.3 points in the final, well ahead of the 6.33 scored by Kaikoura’s Lucy Te Moananui.

Results Open men, semifinals, Heat 1: Taylor Hutchison (Rag) 9.47, 1; Elliot Brown (Dun) 7.54, 2; Jonas Tawharu (Mnt) 7.47, 3; Matt-Lewis Hewitt (Mnt) 6.17, 4.

Heat 2: Elliot Paerata-Reid (Piha) 13.10, 1; Billy Stairmand (Rag) 12.33, 2; Sean Peggs (Tairua) 11.67, 3; Manu Scott Arrieta (Sandy Bay) 2.37, 4.

Final: Billy Stairmand (Rag) 14.63, 1; Taylor Hutchison (Rag) 11.83, 2; Elliot Brown (Dun) 8.17, 3; Elliot Paerata-Reid (Piha) 8.17, 4.

Open women, semifinals, Heat 1: Ella Williams (Whmata) 7.73, 1; Bianca Sansom (Auck) 6.17, 2; Elin Tawahru (Mnt) 4.13, 3; Claudia Fraser (Piha) 4.03, 4.

Heat 2: Gabriella Sansom (Auck) 12, 1; Britt Kindred (Mur) 6.5, 2; Saffi Vette (Gis) 6, 3; Estella Hungerford (Chch), 2.93, 4.

Final: Ella Williams (Whmata) 14.9, 1; Gabriella Sansom (Auck) 11.3, 2; Bianca Sansom (Auck) 7.83, 3; Britt Kindred (Mur) 7.53, 4.

Under-18 boys, final: Jonas Tawharu (Mnt) 14.1, 1; Elliot Brown (Dun) 12.07, 2; Jared Gebert (Ohope) 11.47, 3; Kaya Horne (Mnt) 7.43, 4.

U16 boys, final: Caleb Cutmore (Ham) 15.73, 1; Dylan Preston (Whmata) 10.40, 2; William van der Beek (Mnt), 9.43, 3; Josef Jungwirth (Rag) 8.17, 4.

U18 girls, final: Saffi Vette (Gis) 14.17, 1; Elin Tawharu (Mnt) 13.07, 2; Tiana-Breeze de Mooij (Mnt) 9.67, 3, Gabrielle Paul (Auck) 4.80, 4.

U16 girls, final: Saffi Vette (Gis) 8.67, 1; Gabrielle Paul (Auck) 7.97, 2; Tegen Bishop (Chch) 5.73, 3; Estella Hungerford (Chch) 1.53, 4.

Over-28s, final: Chris Malone (Rag) 14, 1; Jarred Hancox (Tara) 11.7, 2; Jeremy Grainger (Tara) 10.2, 3; Al Te Moananui (Kaik) 9.07, 4.

O35s, final: Chris Malone (Rag) 16.67, 1; Jarred Hancox (Tara) 11.27, 2; Chris Fougere (Piha) 8.03, 3; Marc Moore (Auck) 5.33, 4.

O40s, final: Marc Moore (Auck) 13.5, 1; Mike Mulcahy (Piha) 7.53, 2; Deane Hishon (Rag) 6.27, 3; Ben Kennings (Whmata) 5.57, 4.

O45s, final: Phill Willoughby (Rag) 9.87, 1; Phil Wallis (Piha) 7.7, 2; Tui Eves (Auck) 4.7, 3; Deane Hishon (Rag) 0.6, 4.

O50s, final: David Mann (Auck) 10.9, 1; Derek Brunker (Whangarei) 9.37, 2; Phil Wallis (Piha) 8.23, 3; Paul Halford (Mnt) 3.23, 4.

Stand-up paddleboard, women, final: Stella Smith (Gis) 9.3, 1; Lucy Te Moananui (Kaik) 6.33, 2; Penelope Strickland (Auck) 3.83, 3; Renee Davenport (Rag) 2.73, 4.