RECORD-SETTER: John Gisby shows the form that has made him a record-setter at the national surfing championships.Cory/NZ Surfing Magazine picture
SURFING
A RECORD 37th national title for John Gisby and a third in a row for stand-up paddleboard surfer Stella Smith were the Gisborne highlights at the national surfing championships in Taranaki yesterday.
Gisby, 65, has won national titles in every age-group from over-30 to over-60, and even extending down to the short-lived over-28 age group (which reverted back to the over-30 division).
He puts his record-setting efforts down to a surf-a-day regimen, and a run of 22 titles across 11 national championships.
“I always contested two age-groups in those days,” Gisby said from Taranaki today.
And by surfing every day, he got used to performing in poor surf.
“Putting in the hours is the key,” he said.
“If the surf is bad, I go out, because you never know what the conditions will be like at the competitions.”
Gisby said the conditions had been “pumping” at Taranaki this week.
Gisborne and Taranaki were the two best locations to hold surfing contests, he said.
Smith won her third consecutive stand-up paddleboard title comfortably, scoring 14.84 points in the final, over six points ahead of the runner-up.
In the men’s stand-up paddleboard final, Gisborne’s Sean Hovell and Geoff Pardoe were second and third respectively.
In the under-14 surfing titles, Gisborne’s Tigher West-Hill and Asia Braithwaite were fourth in the boys’ and girls’ finals respectively.
Raglan’s Navryn Malone, son of former Gisborne national champion Chris Malone, won the u14 boys’ division.
Eight titles were decided yesterday.
Titles went to surfers from Taranaki, Raglan, Auckland and Gisborne with participants contesting clean 1.5-metre waves fanned by strong cross-offshore winds at Arawhata Road north of Opunake.
A further 14 titles were set to be awarded across the final two days.
Gisbystormed to a 17.66-point heat total to defend his over-60s crown.
Gisby’s grip on the title meant it was a fight for the minor placings and local surfer Brian Clark emerged as the frontrunner to finish second ahead of Rupert Newbold (Whangarei) and Michael Gray (Orewa) in fourth.
Phil Wallis (Piha) jumped to an early lead in the over-55 men’s division and held on for the remainder of the final for the victory.
The stand-up paddleboard divisions came down to a battle of the New Zealand representatives with Jamie Andrews (Taranaki) and Gisborne’s Smith winning titles over teammates Hovell (Gisborne) and Lucy Te Moananui (Kaikoura), who both finished in second place.
It was Andrews’ first national title after going close at the event in 2018. This time he left nothing to chance posting a 17.74 heat total. Smith also looked unstoppable, posting a 14.8-point heat total.
Two titles were awarded in the junior divisions with the finals of the u14 boys and girls contested. Raglan’s Malone claimed the boys’ division while Australian-based Amarnie Barber claimed the girls’ division.
Malone was the standout surfer in his final, running away with a 14.8-point heat total to finish ahead of Ryder Pennington (Tara), Tai Erceg-Gray (Whangarei) and Tigher West-Hill (Gis).
The girls’ final was a little different with Barber getting her win by way of Ava Henderson (Chch) making a priority error which saw her finish runner-up over Anna Brock (Mnt) in third and Asia Braithwaite (Gis) in fourth.
Two longboard titles were awarded to Auckland surfers Gabriella Paul (Piha) in the open women’s division and Nat Fitt in the junior longboard. Paul’s performance was exceptional throughout the day. She was runner-up in the junior longboard and also advanced to the final of the u18 girls’ division.
Results —
Under-14 boys, final: Navryn Malone (Raglan) 14.8, 1; Ryder Pennington (Taranaki) 10.4, 2; Tai Erceg-Gray (Whangarei) 9.16, 3; Tigher West-Hill (Gisborne) 3.73, 4.
U14 girls, final: Amarnie Barber (Australia) 9.46, 1; Ava Henderson (Christchurch) 7.17, 2; Anna Brock (Mt Maunganui) 5.37, 3; Asia Braithwaite (Gis) 3.83, 4.
Longboard, men, Round 1, Heat 1: Michael Grendon (Tara) 15.5, 1; Paul Culpan (Auckland) 10.5, 2; Rupert Newbold (Ocean Beach) 6.1, 3; Phil Bonham (Auck) 4.27, 4.
Heat 2: Zen Wallis (Piha) 15.6, 1; Glen Johnson (Auck) 11.9, 2; Jamie Andrews (Tara) 10.8, 3; Mark Hoyle (Orewa) 10.7, 4.
Heat 3: Natt Fitt (Auck) 11.7, 1; Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck) 10.2, 2; Dylan Vujcich (Hawke’s Bay) 7.83, 3; Paul Moretti (Mur) n/s.
Semifinals, Heat 1: Paul Culpan (Auck) 14.77, 1; Glen Johnson (Auck) 12.4, 2; Zen Wallis (Piha) 12.06, 3.
Heat 2: Michael Grendon (Tara) 14.97, 1; Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck) 14.6, 2; Natt Fitt (Auck) 11.6, 3.
Longboard, women, semifinals, Heat 1: Gabi Paul (Piha) 15.3, 1; Tegen Bishop (Chch) 11.7, 2; Donna Henderson (Chch) 8.23, 3; Asia Braithwaite (Gis) 4.07, 4.
Heat 2: Sasha Brownlie (Auck) 7.57, 1; Jo Moore (Tara) 4.87, 2; Lucy Te Moananui (Kaikoura) 3.1, 3; Marguerite Vujcich (HB) 2.23, 4.
Final: Gabi Paul (Piha) 12.34, 1; Jo Moore (Tara) 9.94, 2; Tegen Bishop (Chch) 7.24, 3; Sasha Brownlie (Auck) 5.37, 4.
Longboard, junior, semifinals, Heat 1: Nat Fitt (Auck) 14.44, 1; Gabrielle Paul (Piha) 12.33, 2, James Millar (Chch) 8.97, 3, Estella Hungerford (Chch) 4.77, 4.
Heat 2: Dylan Vujcich (HB) 11.73, 1; Neko Tohiariki (Chch) 9.67, 2; Jai Wallis (Piha) 5.93, 3; Tom Butland (Tara) n/s.
Final: Nat Fitt (Auck) 17.83, 1; Gabrielle Paul (Piha) 12, 2; Neko Tohiariki (Chch) 9.53, 3; Dylan Vujcich (HB) 9.5, 4.
Stand-up paddleboard, men, semifinals, Heat 1: Jamie Andrews (Tara) 18.4, 1; Sean Hovell (Gis) 15.9, 2; Steev Peyroux (Dunedin) 11.5, 3; Gavin Horton (Tara) 6.6, 4.
Heat 2: Geoff Pardoe (Gis) 13.1, 1; Jamie Scott (Whangarei) 11.9, 2; Sam Loader (Chch) 8.5, 3; Alan Te Moananui (Kaik) 7, 4.
Final: Jamie Andrews (Tara) 17.74, 1; Sean Hovell (Gis) 14.06, 2; Geoff Pardoe (Gis) 11.37, 3; Jamie Scott (Whangarei) 10.6, 4.
Stand-up paddleboard, women, final: Stella Smith (Gis) 14.84, 1; Lucy Te Moananui (Kaik) 8.57, 2; Josephine Moore (Tara) 4.5, 3; Amelie Wink (Chch) 3.14, 4.