‘Super proud’ of Gisborne performance

Beach specialist Casie Fyall spearheads Waikanae’s challenge. Picture by Alana McIsaac

GISBORNE-Tairawhiti open and youth coach, Dion Williams, is “unbelievably proud” of their performance in the New Zealand Representative Challenge at Mount Maunganui.

“We took two all-local teams away with a focus on development and a wait-and-see attitude, and mate, they all stepped up,” said Williams.

The Challenge was a one-day event on Monday that pitted the country’s seven regions against each other in various surf sport disciplines including beach, surf, canoe and IRB races.

The BDO Gisborne-Tairawhiti team finished third while the youth (under-19 team) were fourth. Mount Maunganui won both divisions.

“They were up against some of the best athletes in the country and pushed them all the way,” Williams said of his teams. “I was super proud.”

Williams said, for the younger team members, it was all about learning how to compete in the big surf and race fast.

“They all showed they are quick learners.”

Ava Smith, who is only 14, was second in the youth board race while Briana Irving was pipped by a New Zealand representative in the youth beach sprint.

“She was so close, it wasn’t funny.

“Matt Proffit and Louis Birkhead put up unreal performances in the ironman.

'Too many good performances'“In the open division, Matt Scott, Olivia Corrin and Casey Fyall led from the front.

“Olivia, who won the surf race, was unlucky in the oceanwoman. She got smashed on the ski leg, then raced her heart out to try to get back into it. She was an inspiration to her younger teammates.”

As was Fyall, who did the open women’s sprint and flags double in the Eastern Regional champs that preceded the Challenge, then repeated that success in the Challenge itself.

“Casey Fyall was outstanding,” said Williams. “She was untouchable on the sand. No one could get near her.

“There was just too many good performances to mention them all.”

He was also full of praise for the Waikanae, Midway and Wainui club members who competed in the Eastern Regionals from Friday to Sunday.

“Waikanae were second overall (behind Mount Maunganui) and it’s a credit to the work Cory (Hutchings) and all their coaches have done over the past three years.

“There has been a wave of really good young athletes coming through and now that wave is breaking, and they are fulfilling their potential.”

NZ challenge resultsGISBORNE RESULTS, Open men — Ski race: Quaid Thompson 3rd, Callum Torrie 8th. Board race: Torrie 7th, Blake Brown 8th. Surf race: Matt Scott 3rd, Joseph Puddick 8th. Beach flags: Harry Dods 5th. Tube rescue: Gisborne (Brown/Torrie/Puddick/Scott) 4th. Ocean relay: Gisborne (Brown/Dods/Puddick/Thompson) 5th. Oceanman: Brown 6th, Scott 6th. Board rescue: Gisborne (Puddick/Scott) 2nd. Beach sprint: Dods 4th. Beach relay: Gisborne (Brown/Torrie/Dods/Scott) 5th.

IRB races (crew were Clayden Hope/Mitch Brady/Yannis Kokkosis) — Tube rescue: Gisborne 2nd. Three-person rescue: Gisborne 4th. Single rescue: Gisborne 1st. Assembly rescue: Gisborne 1st.

Canoe races (crew were Alex Bristow/Dene Moleta/James Blackburne/Zach Ferkins) — Short course 1: Gisborne 6th. Short course 2: Gisborne 7th. Long course 1: Gisborne 3rd. Long course 2: Gisborne 4th.

Open female — Ski race: Alex Bermingham 2nd, Jessica Blakeman 11th. Board race: Olivia Corrin 2nd, Georgie Pitkethley 4th. Surf race: Corrin 1st, Lauren Pickett 10th. Beach flags: Casie Fyall 1st. Tube rescue: Gisborne (Bermingham/Pitkethley/Blakeman/Pickett) 5th. Oceanwoman relay: Gisborne (Bermingham/Fyall/Pitkethley/Corrin) 2nd. Oceanwoman: Corrin 7th, Pickett 9th. Board rescue: Gisborne (Pitkethley/Blakeman) 1st. Beach sprint: Fyall 1st. Beach relay: Gisborne (Bermingham/Fyall/Pitkethley/Pickett) 1st.

IRB races (crew were Hannah Simpson/Robbie Shrimpton/Samantha-Jane Harding) — Tube rescue: Gisborne 2nd. Three-person rescue: Gisborne 2nd. Single rescue: Gisborne 4th. Assembly rescue: Gisborne 3rd.

Canoe races (crew were Ana Naden/Courtney Hoskin/Ella Andrew/Michelle Mitchell) — Short course 1: Gisborne 3rd. Short course 2: Gisborne 2nd. Long course 1: Gisborne 3rd. Long course 2: Gisborne 5th.

Open mixed — Ski relay: Gisborne (Alex Bermingham/Quaid Thompson) 3rd. Board relay: Gisborne (Blake Brown/Olivia Corrin) 2nd.

Overall points: Bay of Plenty 242.5, Northern 241, Gisborne 225, Taranaki 176, Capital Coast 143.5, Canterbury 136, Hawke’s Bay 63.

YOUTH MEN — Board race: Thomas Hart 9th, Louis Birkhead 13th. Surf race: Sam Middleton 11th, Matthew Proffit 13th. Ski race: Birkhead 1st, Jordan McLarin 11th. Tube rescue: Gisborne (Birkhead/Nicolas Proffit/Middleton/Hart) 6th. Oceanman relay: Gisborne (McLarin/Birkhead/N Proffit/Middleton) DNF. Oceanman: M Proffit 5th, Hart 9th. Board rescue: Gisborne (N Proffit/Middleton) 7th. Beach sprint: M Proffit 6th. Beach relay: Gisborne (M Proffit/N Proffit/Middleton/Hart) 5th. Beach flags: M Proffit 7th.

Canoe races (crew were Ben Bristow/Cole Williams/Sam Blackburne/Sam Ferkins) — Short course 1: Gisborne 4th. Short course 2: Gisborne 2nd. Long course 1: Gisborne 3rd. Long course 2: Gisborne 2nd.

YOUTH WOMEN — Ski race: Annabel Higgins 1st, Christy Tate 4th. Board race: Ava Smith 2nd, Tate 6th. Surf race: Danielle Scott 12th, Brooke Willock 13th. Tube rescue: Gisborne (Smith/Willock/Tate/Scott) 5th. Oceanwoman relay: Gisborne (Higgins/Smith/Briana Irving/Willock) 2nd. Oceanwoman: Tate 3rd, Scott 8th. Board rescue: Gisborne (Smith/Willock) 2nd. Beach sprint: Irving 2nd. Beach relay: Gisborne (Higgins/Irving/Willock/Tate) 2nd. Beach flags: Irving 2nd.

Canoe races (crew were Ella van Kregten/Holly Hope/Kendra Tate/Sarah Lockwood) — Long course 1: Gisborne 2nd. Long course 2: Gisborne 4th. Short course 1: Gisborne 3rd. Short course 2: Gisborne 1st.

Youth mixed — Ski relay: Gisborne (Annabel Higgins/Jordan McLarin) 4th. Board relay: Gisborne (Ava Smith/Thomas Hart) 6th.

Under-22 male — IRB (crew of Connor Mitchell/Harry Allan/Oliver Shivnan) — Three-person rescue: Gisborne 5th. Tube rescue: Gisborne 2nd. Single rescue: Gisborne DQ. Assembly rescue: Gisborne 3rd.

Overall points: Bay of Plenty 211, Northern Region 200.5, Taranaki 195.5, Gisborne 166, Hawke’s Bay 123.5, Capital Coast 115, Canterbury 91.5.