New club plans to spread surfing bug

Participants at the inaugural Ahipara Surf Groms competition last month signal their support for the Far North's newest surfing club.

Local children now have a perfect opportunity to learn more about the skill of waveriding through the formation of a brand new boardriding outfit in the Far North.

Thanks to a dedicated volunteer base made up mostly of parents, the fledgling Ahipara Surf Groms (ASG) group got up and running earlier this summer and has been offering free weekend grom surf sessions - swell/ weather conditions permitting - at various spots along the foreshore at the southern end of 90 Mile Beach.

ASG spokeswoman Paula Tepania noted the sessions were designed to allow families to get together as a group at the beach, enabling parents to enjoy watching their children catch the surfing bug big time.

"ASG teaches the basics of surfing to our newcomers ... and we get parents to go out with them and push them into waves," she said, adding the club was also able to supply surfboards, perfect for learning to stand up on, to those who don't have their own.

"There's no seriousness, no expectations [besides parents being in the water], just pure and utter fun and being able to experience it [surfing]," she said, noting that while the sessions were safe and free to club members, ASG should not be regarded as a drop-off centre by anyone planning to get the kids off their hands for the day.

"We strongly advise all parents to be in the water with their kids at all times. We also have kids of our own and it counts as a time to have a one-on-one with your child."

Paula noted everyone was still buzzing from the club's first competition which was held in ideal conditions at Te Kohanga on Sunday, December 3 (as reported in the article, Six year old surfer a contest standout, on December 13) and plans are now afoot to make it an annual event.

She acknowledged everyone for volunteering their time at the event, the ASG team for putting together a great day, and the kids who all made a great effort to get out there and give surfing a go.

Looking ahead, ASG is now considering running sessions after school and during the holidays as well as small one-day club competitions throughout the coming year, and may also be taking the odd road trip to other surfbreaks around the district.

ASG was founded earlier this year by Aija Godfrey and Paula Tepania as their three sons were wanting to surf but did not have anyone of the same age to surf with.

"We jumped on Facebook got a group name sorted and found out if anyone was interested in getting their kids down to the beach to have a fun surf. We got a lot of awesome feedback and got our first day started, with about 20 to 30 kids turning up on the first day, with a lot of help and support.

"We hoped that this would encourage more kids in the area and surroundings to get out there and give surfing a go. We also hope that they would be able to gain more social capabilities, self-confidence, motivation and be able to grow with these skills."

She noted the backbone of the club is made up of a small but great committee which regularly gets together to discuss how things are running and how they can be improved.For more information, visit the club's Facebook page.