Sun, surf and cash on offer for comp

SURFING BENEFACTOR: Damon Gunness in action at thje 2018 national surfing championships in Gisborne. Gunness’s business is putting up the prize money for Gisborne Boardriders’ shortboard competition this weekend. File picture by Paul Rickard

SURFING

Gisborne Boardriders’ shortboard competition circuit has an extra $1100 incentive this weekend.

Ray Scragg Motors has put up the prize money in a winner-take-all format, where the best male and female surfer will each walk away with $500, and the best surfer under 20 will get $100.

Ray Scragg Motors owner and surfer Damon Gunness said donating the prize money was about giving back to the club.

Gunness, who has won the past two club competitions, said he hoped “dangling the carrot” would encourage some of “the boys” to come back and compete and inspire the next generation of surfers.

“It’s getting Gisborne back to where it should be,” he said.

“There hasn’t been a real domination from Gisborne (on the national surf scene), like it used to be.”

Gisborne Boardriders Club surfing development officer Flo Bub said the club hoped to see some of the region’s best surfers register for the competition.

He said it was hoped the added prize money would “motivate” the ex-professionals like Maz Quinn and Bobby Hansen to don a competition jersey again.

Neither Quinn nor Hansen had registered as of yesterday morning, but Bub said they were still hopeful “big names” would sign up.

New Zealand’s most recent competitor on the World Surf League’s Championship Tour, Ricardo Christie, had already registered.

“The field is looking promising already; registration is looking good,” Bub said.

The forecast is looking positive for the competition, with offshore winds and two-to-four-foot waves expected.

A call will be made on Saturday morning as to where the competition will be held, with updates on Gisborne Boardriders’ Facebook page.

Surfing starts at 8am, with the competition expected to run into the mid-afternoon.