Surely Shred Skate Comp expected to be bigger and better

RIDING THE CONCRETE: Tessa Hills gets in some practice in preparation for the second annual Surely Shred Skate Comp. Action gets under way at Alfred Cox Skatepark at 10am tomorrow.Picture by Liam Clayton

Organisers of the second annual Surely Shred Skate Comp expect it to be even bigger and better than last year's instalment.

With more out-of-town than local competitors signed up, the stage is set for an exciting showdown of some of the country's top talent at Alfred Cox Skatepark tomorrow. At stake are $1000 prizes for the best female and male skaters on the day.

The action starts at 10am and will run through to about 3.30pm, with finals expected to start around 1pm.

Surely Skate founder Sophie Hills said she was excited to see how people had progressed their skills since last year's competition.

“There's this girl called Yeva (Butler), she's improved a lot and I'm really excited to see her skate again.”

Butler was one of the standouts of last year's competition and has continued her form, having won the open women's division of the Oakura Bowl Jam in New Plymouth at 12 years of age last weekend.

“There's also Jessica Ready — I swear she should go to the Olympics one day,” Hills said.

At 11 years of age, Ready has made a strong impression on the national skating community with good results and a wide variety of tricks just two years into the sport.

“Even though she's shorter and younger than me, I still look up to her,” Hills laughed.

There will also be a star-power judging panel, with three out-of-town skaters offering their services for the event.

Bailey Te Maipi from Wellington girl skateboarding chapter Waa Hine Skate, Mieka Mania from Maori Girls Skate Co and Amber Clyde (pending her recovery from illness) from Girls Skate NZ will all be in attendance to judge. Local skateboarder Mika Wilson will also sit on the judging panel.

Despite entry being free of charge, funding has meant every competitor will get a prize, with several big-name brands like Vans, Hyperride and Skullcandy stepping in to help support the event.

Locally, skate shops Kingpin and Sequence have jumped on board, as have Gisborne Dominoes.

The competition will not be held on the still-under-construction upper bowl area of the skatepark. It is being advertised as more of a “street-inspired” competition.

Categories include under-13 boys, u13 girls, 14-to-17yr boys, 14-to-17yr girls, 18yr-plus boys, 18yr-plus girls and a non-binary division.