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free winter 2012 issue xxxviii enjoy the ride read online www.goldcoastsurf.com.au gc surf magazine

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authorised nanotuning centres palm beach drop in for a free nanotune up one of these nanotune is a scientifically engineered revolutionary new coating system for your board fins that reduces friction as your board moves through the water the result is simple surfers paradise endorsed by top world tour surfers 2 gcsurf winter 2012 elevated performance less drag more speed while supplies last !

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rider taj burrow photo john respondek gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au 3

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gold coast local scene gcsurf autumn giveaway winner evan williams photographed with nanotune s dave t darcy artist rita masarin her colour of water exhibition cafe d bar gallery queensland tourism minister jan starkey with the kirra point incorporated team see page 22 kate mcmahon carolyn riding the ian smith fundraiser the sands hotel story page 26 byron eden gall dig deep for the first edition of gcsurf magazine the peter glen fundraiser the currumbin slsc john robin surfing qld ceo scott gillies surfing qld media manager chad chalderon the m.p paddle out sarah mason snapper rocks photographed by kieren douglass story on page 14 mick wallace and his latest acquisition from the ellyse andrew s collection kelly burleigh for peter glen fundraiser sasha peterson bids wins for the autographed slater `t donated by michael crawley for pg fundraiser the currumbin slsc sacha jessy glen thank everyone for their support and attendance there dad s fundraiser currumbin slsc wendy martin sonia the m.p wake rainbow bay slsc nev suzie douglas bring back kirra rally rabbit guy omrod the mp paddle out cheyne horan p.t j.r the m.p wake rainbow bay slsc read feature tribute on page 10 4 gcsurf winter 2012

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contents gold coast local scene p.t owen wright m.p chicko round-up sarah mason camp quality big day out all girls show down postcard byron bay easter classic sam watson level 7 al carl gail dan birch happy 60th carl currumbin slsc www.kuluatoll.com.au sterling rebeil amy nadine wahoo s fish taco burleigh heads micro grom volcom vqs bring back kirra coastal vision gcsurf winter give-a-way wheels ian smith move book review bleach festival coast of origin p.t s scrap book music review 4-5 6-7 8 10-11 12-13 14 15 16-17 18-19 20-21 22-23 24 26-27 28 30 the winter issue is dedicated to michael mp peterson the passing of a surfing legend also in the winter issue we feature former world surfing champion peter pt towenend travel postcard owen wright comps groms book movie music reviews and more enjoy the ride tony phillips editor gcsurf contributing writers photographers mick fanning speaks the m.p paddle out terry baker lucy geoff darby vince lawder the m.p paddleout sarah finlay dawntilduskpr.com crystal o rouke carolyn riding soularchmedia.com leonie keen reuben franklin kieron douglass andy mac kiel bigeni chad caldron surfing qld jake white surfing australia max perrot terry tappa teece peter pt towenend steve triance harro shayne nienaber guy pitchers alby falzon jack mccoy craig parry jason seaborn bruno smith diogo d orey warbrick/ripcurl rodney odgaard dan merkel dean cogle simon rigg winter giveaway paul nielson steve archdeacon rossy phillips m.p wake the rainbow bay slsc mrs peterson with family friends her son michael s wake rainbow slsc more details on page 24 editor advertising tony phillips goldcoastsurf@hotmail.com mobile 0409 724 055 art direction design harquebus design group matt@harquebus.com.au published by gold coast surf po box 555 palm beach queensland 4221 www.goldcoastsurf.com.au abn 160 373 557 20 tommy peterson presenting the winners of the chiko mp classic d bah gcsurf photographer roving reporter kieron douglass with bede the last m.p shaped board cover illustration by dean cogle deancog@bigpond.com original photo by dan merkel www.danmerkelmedia.com all correspondence welcome contributors opinions are not necessarily those of gcsurf © 2012 all rights reserved 5 gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au

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p.t juniors in coolangatta in `66 then again in the men s at coolangatta in 1970 you could have been an architect but started working for joe larkin surfboard what was it like working alongside mp as a teenager in the mid to late 60 s i had a ding fixing business at the side of my parents house in between working at the coolangatta pie shop as an assistant pastry cook you learn a lot about surfboards from fixing dings especially how to use hand tools and working with foam mp and i started making cut-downs under our parents houses in the late 60s and ended up in kirra surfriders club together we both started being shop groms at joe larkin s on miles street michael was shaping before me i was fixing dings and also had the ding fixing business at home and would get my materials from joe s the fact that mp was shaping probably inspired me to start too at that time joe larkin s on mile street kirra was at the forefront of what was happening with surfboards the master shaper was brian fury austen but also shaping there at the time was terry fitzgerald and gordon greasy merchant all with different ideas and that interaction with the quality of the surfers on the boards was turning out the state-of-the-art boards of the time fury was making me some beauties but i decided it was time for my own and i shaped my first board in `71 ­ a 6 x 18 diamond-tail ­ the one i took to bells that year and came second to simon on it in the junior aussie titles and the one i rode primarily in steve core s in natural flow but i really started to become a shaper when dick van straalen invited me to come shape under him at the spirit of the sea shop on the gold coast highway kirra that s where i really began to learn about templates dimensions bottom curves and edges you and mp became fierce rivals yet close mates as well could you elaborate on your early friendship and that trip with joe when mp greased your board with butter well like i said we started in the clubbies then lived a block apart on the hills behind kirra near the big red catholic church making the cut-downs then we ended up in kirra surfriders club together while starting our shaping careers at joe s which lead to the infamous to trip to bells in `71 for the aussie titles that year the rivalry was just beginning at that point we were in different divisions ­ i was still in the juniors but we d be against each other in other open contests i beat him earlier that year in the north shore open at alexandra headland and now that we were both shaping and riding distinctively different designs and trying to get our mates on peter townend aka pt one of the original cooly kids created history becoming the first world professional champion in 1976 · interview with andrew mckinnon tell us about your family history growing up in coolangatta well it starts around the end of world war ii with my grandfather les moving his family ­ wife ruby and my dad barry and his older brother jack ­ from manly to here and taking over the coolangatta hotel my dad worked the hotel he met my mum hazel on the beach p.t snapper `69 queensland junior titles at kirra in the glory years of the cyclone barrels captured in the surf movies and magazines of the time rabbit was younger and he came into the rivalry a little later when i started spending more time shaping in cronulla for g&s and eventually in california it got fierce between rabbit and mp those days of kirra barrels are some of the most memorable of my life because it wasn t crowded and in one session you d get so many good waves it was mind-numbing i remember days lying in the sun between sessions at the shelter shed or the kirra clubbies clubhouse watching guys get the barrels of their lives after finishing runner-up to mp in the 1972 australian titles and coming third in the world titles in san diego you moved to cronulla why and how did that compare to the gold coast and did it influence your surfing the move to cronulla happened because of my relationship with steve core in `71 he was filming in natural flow steve was a cronulla guy who had worked for g&s as a finisher/pinliner and the next thing you know i was shaping boards there i broke out the bonzer in `73 from hand drawings from california shaper mike eaton shaping the first one at fury s goodtime then the second at g&s in cronulla the cronulla years were great loved cronulla point it was like hawaii and the sandshoes was just the ultimate summer fun wave on that little piece of reef at the entrance to port hacking bay and of course i became a rabid sharks fan i was paid to be g&s `front man for its southside retail shops from bondi to liverpool along with shaping pt models but i was still in coolangatta more often than not especially in cyclone season making the journey up the coast in my `65 vw bug i don t think cronulla did that much for my surfing except for those big days at the point but what it did do was teach me about the surfboard industry of the business of retail and selling surfboards in 1974 you shed the image of the coolangatta shorebreak kid when you took on 30 foot waves at waimea and made the final of the smirnoff what was that like i can honestly say that day changed my life i was a day to conquer fears i d spent a couple of winters on the north shore already but i had yet to surf a day at the bay that day came on thanksgiving day 1974 i rose to the occasion winning my semi-final in perfect 30-foot-plus conditions then finishing fourth in the final behind reno hakman and clyde aikau the only aussie to make the finals i changed people s perceptions of me as a surfer that day p.t kirra `70 · photo core les pt coolangatta hotel out front she was a country girl from murwillumbah and the rest is history i was born in the kirra hospital opposite the coolangatta airport in 1953 at what stage did you start surfing and with whom where did you surf and who were your early influences my times at the beach began in the clubbies in tweed heads and coolangatta at greenmount in the mid 60s mp and tommy were there too for a while along with a bunch of the kids i went to tweed river high school with including brothers peter and mick ryan who both went on to play big time rugby league in sydney we rode surfo-planes coolite boards bodysurfed and did the clubbie thing but for christmas of 1966 my parents got me a custom 8 6 joe larkin joe was a drinker at the coolangatta hotel in the days when it was owned by the townends i rode my first waves on a surfboard at rainbow bay with peter mont bryant that christmas day those early years i pretty much surfed greenmount point most of the time with my neighbour allan miscamble down our end of the gold coast john snake sims bully arnold the deanes ­robbie and wayne terry weenie baker those were the guys out ripping in the water on a daily basis gordon philipson who had a huge influence on a lot of us took us on our early surf trips he took mp and me on our first trip to noosa in the late 60s drouyn was also an influence on all of us being the star of queensland surfing since winning the australian 6 gcsurf winter 2012 p.t with the first joe larkin diamond tail them it was heating up on that trip to bells we were at moruya breakwater the waves are perfect and no one was out mp was always a bit of a jokester and unbeknownst to me he butters my board and went out before i even knew it ended up with us going at it on the beach with weenie in the middle trying to break it up and no one else on the beach but us it was on after that ha-ha the next year i moved up into the men s with him and the intensity increased when i came second to him in the queensland and australian titles at narrabeen and we were both selected for the australian team for san diego you mp and rabbit became the coolangatta kids obviously competition between the three of you pushed your standards higher especially the tube riding on the points what are your memories of those days the coolie kids evolved over a period in the early 70s through to the stubbies in `77 which was mp s last hurrah the formative years were the kirra club years with mp and me into the years of the queensland state teams to the annual aussie titles then of course the progression of our surfing

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p.t `74 waimea · photo channon i gained a newfound respect on the north shore and when tracks published its no longer the four foot and under man story of that day it was ultimate compliment for me as a surfer it endorsed me as being competent in all conditions especially on the north shore where your reputation is everything the bustin down the door era was next with you bugs kanga shaun tomson etc ­ a baptism of fire with the hawaiians and a turning point in surfing p.t memories in pink waimea smirnoff pro you could be a full-time professional surfer doors opened such as the big wednesday hollywood movie with john milius how did that all work out and what was it like playing the surfing doubles looking back leaving the second year of the recognised pro tour straight after the first stubbies not defending my ips title and going hollywood was probably one of the most important career decisions i made it opened up all sorts of career options led me to getting married and having three great kids ­rana jye and tosh ­ and landed me in america up to this point in my life the whole hollywood experience through the year 1977 was mindboggling ­living with actor jan michael vincent interacting with the hollywood star community the making of the movie itself the relationships that blossomed in our crew the a-team water unit headed by greg macgillivray which was responsible for the surfing scenes in the movie the two months in el salvador the six weeks on ended up in the duke finals together ­ mp s only final on the north shore and what is overlooked about that first year of a recognised ips pro tour is that he finished seventh in the world the year i was declared the first champ by fred hemmings why did you make the move to america what job offers did you take up initially and what developed next well i took a california girl loyann bishop on the big wednesday trip to el salvador after the `77 stubbies and the rest is history she was from the huntington beach area so that s where i ended up ian moved there too and we tried to make the bronzed aussies happen in america we had some stuff going on a bronzed aussies surf shop on main street with the legendary chuck dent surfboards a small apparel and accessory line if i knew what i know now we d have probably made it work at the same time we were getting into the marketing side of surfing and the mainland americans were eager to learn they were coming out of the `dark years for california after the last `old school isa world championships in san diego when surfing went into hibernation the formation of the nssa in `78 by a group of orange county/huntington beach school teachers sparked the re-emergence of competition we were appointed executive directors in 1980 and because of our competitive reputations as winners and the noise of the bronzed aussies it created something of a perfect storm they rallied behind it and when they started winning it turned up the volume of excitement even further after tom curren won the `82 isa s at duranbah the floodgates burst open america has been good to you what are the different organisations you ve worked for in the us and who are you currently working with initially i was with ian in the nssa coexecutive directorship from `80 to `84 after that i got into the business of the surf industry with surfing magazine and rusty i then became vice-president then president of the surf industry manufacturers association sima from `97 until 2000 during that sima period i founded surfing america ­ the us counterpart of surfing australia ­ but it took from then until 2003 to get it recognised by the isa as the national governing body ngb and until 2004 to field its first team ­ in tahiti at the isa world junior championships to win the silver medal behind the aussies who were led by steph gilmore ben dunne and wilko today i serve on the advisory boards of all three and also for the san diego sports innovators sdsi/connect board a mentorship program from ucsd university in san diego chaired by basketball hall of famer bill walton huntington beach has become your home do you see yourself ever coming back to coolangatta i ve threatened to a few times ha-ha on the recent trip back for mp s funeral i had a chance on that 14 hour plane flight to reflect on life up to this point that and a great swell that mp sent us on the superbank with the warm water and surfing in my trunks made me think i need to end my years out here in this line-up there was a lot of tension at the north shore in the mid 70s we wanted to be considered the best surfers in the world we were driven to win all the contests star in all the surf movies get all the pictures in the magazines this didn t go over well with some people and we were lobbying event directors for standardisation of rules and regulations of the fledgling tour which added further pressure we were rather brash about it claiming in the magazines that we were the best in bustin down the door the movie that period was boiled down to appear to be one year but it was actually played out over the winters of `76 to `78 in my opinion this period led to `pro surfing as we know it today by 1976 you had become the first ips/asp world champion and realised the ranch at cojo all this and more made for a life experience i would never have had if i d stayed full-time on the fledgling tour that year mp won his last event in 1977 at burleigh in the stubbies classic he then faded from the pro scene but you hung out with michael in his final days in hawaii by the winter of `76 the rivalry between mp and i had faded it was now mp vs rabbit in coolangatta i was spending more time in cronulla and travelling on the gypsy tour that winter on the north shore i was housesitting a great place on the beach at ehukai beach park on the north side of pipe living by myself mp was kinda travelling solo as well so he came down and started hang out a bit a couple of coolie kids on the north shore ha-ha what s really cool though is that we founded sports media services sms which became executive directors for the recently founded nssa we founded the mini-pro tours the body glove winter and hang ten summer grand prix which led to the first op pro in `82 the birth of the world tour in california and the emergence of tom curren after the `84 isa world titles coaching the us team to the gold medal i left sms to go work for surfing magazine owned by clyde packer i spent the next 10 years rising to associate publisher then in the early 90s i went to work for an old mate rusty preisendorfer as the marketing director for his rusty brand you were nssa coach for a while what was it like coaching young americans how did they react to you being an aussie p.t hb peir portrait 2011 gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au 7

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owen wright owen wright takes ten with kieron douglass from gcsurf · photo ripcurl warbrick growing up on the south coast as a kid you have some beautiful swell down there probably some of the best beaches in australia where did it all start for you there are a lot of gems around australia but i reckon the south coast has the best waves and beaches going it all started for me life that is in a little coastal town hospital in shellhaven surfing started a few years later when i was about 5 i used to watch dad take my older brother tim surfing at our local break culburra and beg to go with them i thank dad for getting me into surfing last year you had 3 consecutive finals against 11x world champ kelly slater trestles teahupoo in new york winning one of those 3 encounters your emotions must have been running over-drive being that he is one of your inspirations that s a tricky question yes i was thrilled to be surfing in 3 consecutive finals with kelly as he is my competitive inspiration kelly is the best of the best when it comes to competition i wanted to take it to him to challenge kelly and to challenge myself so it was important that i stay in the moment and in control of my emotions kelly rarely slips up and to beat him you need to be on top of you game both physically and mentally 8 gcsurf winter 2012 there is enough power in your turns aerials to take down a small army is that something you have worked a lot on in the last year or so to better yourself thank you i appreciate that i am always looking to improve my surfing and over the last 18 months i have worked closely with my coach dean davies to breakdown the surfing action to its individual components and apply functional strength training accordingly watching shaggadelic s teahupoo raw uncut i couldn t believe my eye s watching it how do you describe that feeling when your in front of some of the biggest waves in the world sitting in the lineup and the channel at teahupoo is kind of surreal its crazy out of control yet still perfect the raw and uncut day that you mentioned was particularly so i was looking at the waves and they were so big that they didn t look real it was like a bunch of massive perfect waves exploding in slow motion onto the reef it was simply crazy you surf teahupoo like its your home break its amazing how relaxed you look is that the approach you have to take to this epic wave i was really fortunate to have grown up down the south coast where from an early age i was introduced to reef breaks and powerful hollow left handers which are hands down my favourite of any conditions in the world teahupoo the wave is in the same mould as what i grew up with down the south coast we had a lot of reef passes/breaks that allowed me to prepare for it but equally i think you can say in the same breathe polarized in ways tahiti is warm tropical you can surf in boardshorts the south coast is know for its cooler temperatures where steamers are the norm you have been using powerbase fins for a while now how different are powerbase fins compared to others i find powerbase the closest feeling to glass-on fins its because of the roving s around the base of the fins make the fin flex in the tip of the fins not the whole fin which i feel gives me more drive speed and release off the top there s a debate going around would owen wright beat mark occhilupo in his prime how do you respond to a question like that two different eras to be honest with you i feel like i have just started my career 2012 is my 3rd year on tour where occy was on tour for over a decade and in 2 different era s i m honoured to be mentioned in the same breathe as oc he is incredible but i m a long way off from the comparisons i will be surfing for years before i even get close to what oc has achieved tell us something the fans don t know about owen wright i love driving fast cars and i m secretly into playing the drums when i was younger i used the play and been getting back in to it i m looking into drumming lessons right now if surfing wasn t in the equation where would we find owen wright i m sure a few people would think that maybe i d be inclined to work in the family plumbing business like my dad and older brother tim but i cant see that being for me i love being outdoors and active i would be more inclined to stick with board sports like snowboarding or wakeboarding something that will keep me in the open air and on the go mate you have more great events coming up is there a favourite break your looking forward too i see so many fun waves on the schedule if i had to narrow it down i would have to put the left breaks on the top of the list fiji tahiti and pipe barrels and warm water i like that.

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gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au 9

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m.p it was with great sadness that friends family and members of the surfing community gathered to lway to rest gold coast surfing legend michael patrick peterson who passed away from a heart attack at age 59 in his south tweed home hundreds of people turned out to honour the late michael peterson they filled the seats and flowed out the door of the tweed heads crematorium all were keen to pay their respects and listen to andrew mckinnon peter townend wayne `rabbit bartholomew and tommy peterson deliver their eulogies to a mate a brother and a true surfing legend michael or mp as he was better known spent most of his childhood growing up near the sandy beaches of coolangatta on the gold coast he is best remembered for being almost unbeatable in every surfing competition throughout the seventies including winning the bells beach easter surfing classic three times he was also renowned for his deep tube riding skills his stylish cut-backs and his appearance in alby falzon s iconic surfing movie morning of the earth mp reg and the mad monk were some of the nicknames bestowed upon him however perhaps the greatest complement of them all was being called the slater of the 70 s after the world s greatest surfer kelly slater once said to him you are better than me mp however michael was a not a man of many words he let his surfing do the talking in his eulogy at mp s funeral andrew mckinnon reflected on this stating michael was a man of few words he shunned the limelight and would leave it up to others to make the accepting speeches however when he did speak he uttered some memorable quotes like i could tell you but i won t and they wouldn t let me go left so i went right another time when he had to perform a speech for tv after winning the 75 bells he said everybody ripped but i just surfed better the world s first ever champion of international professional surfing peter townend also attended the funeral after flying a long 14 hours in from la peter grew up with michael in coolangatta and although they were close friends they were also the fiercest of rivals in the surf with pt 10 gcsurf winter 2012 coming second to michael more times than he would likely care to count in his eulogy pt recalls his fondest memory of his mate quoting from sean doherty s 2004 biography of mp i like to remember mp like the pictures in that book of him up on the hill with his long flowing hair and his little bike wearing that contest t-shirt from the 70 s world contest that he was in and he just looks like he hasn t got a care in the world that s the mp i like to remember says pt as he struggles to hold back a tear former asp president wayne `rabbit bartholomew likewise spoke about what life was like growing up in coolangatta with mp and the boys in the late sixties and early seventies growing up with mp tommy pt macca and the cooly kirra crew was pretty special michael was our leader and being a few years younger than him i really looked up to and admired mp all through my junior days he was such an inspiration in the water we would all clamber to be out in the surf the same time as him because you just knew he would light it up and show how it was done says rabbit his passing has taken me on a big journey back to cooly circa 71 when mp was king of kirra and soon to be king of the world he was the first to ride super deep at kirra he would throw phenomenal rooster tails at greenmount point he ruled behind the rock at snapper and he owned the a frame wedges at private bank duranbah coolangatta was his domain and we were his disciples further adding significance to the funeral was a message sent by the governor of queensland penny wensley which rabbit read out on the day in her message she said my thoughts are with the qld surfing community this morning as they gather on the gold coast to farewell one of their own one of the greats of the surfing world michael peterson or mp to his friends and fans worldwide was a truly remarkable surfer some would say the finest qld surfer ever he was a colourful daring figure a pioneer who pushed the limits and who earned himself a legendary place in the history of the sport as friends and family mourn his loss today it is also an occasion to celebrate the achievements of a champion and to pay tribute and to honour his great contributions to the great sport of surfing a paddle out for mp was correspondingly held the following week at queen elizabeth park in coolangatta in order to formally scatter mp s ashes at his favourite surf spot near kirra point former kirra club member and close friend of mp minister guy ormerod delivered the eulogy at the paddle out with andy mckinnon rabbit mick fanning and doug `claw warbrick taking it in turns to talk about their memories of mp as well minister ormerod kicked proceedings off by giving a consoling and touching introductory speech in his speech he said today we have gathered to honour a son a brother a family member a good mate and to many of us a true legend michael peterson was a champion who took our sport the sport we love to a new level in surfing and in sport there are ceilings but there are individuals with raw talent and aggression that break through these ceilings and mp did this michael peterson was a gift to us all joan knew this and took care of him as only a mother can especially in his later years for this we thank you joan brother tommy and sisters dot and denise we feel your loss and our hearts and our prayers are with you today as we pay tribute and reflect a forerunner of our sport surfing after guy had finished his speech the founding owner of rip curl doug `claw warbrick got up and told an almost spiritual story in which he witnessed a small tornado destroy everything except for a photograph of mp during this year s bells beach surfing competition an hour and a half after the final at bells beach we had a mini tornado so strong that the public stands sitting on concrete footings moved about half a metre everything that wasn t absolutely bolted down just got stripped away the winds even knocked the entire surfing history wall down says claw however after we sorted through the destruction here was a large photograph of michael s face still looking down on bells beach it was really quite a special moment i know that michael s spirit lives in all surfers and certainly all surfers from this area and i have no doubt he s been an inspiration to surfers around the world i m sure his spirit will live on forever multiple asp world tour champion mick fanning got up and spoke about how as a kid growing up in coolangatta he had always considered mp as one of his heroes growing up on the gold coast mp was such an icon as well as rabbit and pt the coolangatta kids like joel dean and i have always tried to emulate mp by trying to make everyone as proud of us as what they were of him for a hero like michael it s only fitting that everyone turned out today and my heart goes out to the whole peterson family and hope you celebrate his life with great pride said fanning the final message of the day was delivered by tommy peterson who was not present due to having lost his voice i would like to thank both the gold coast surfing community and the larger surfing fraternity all around the world for all the good wishes to my family and to me i thank you from the bottom of my heart and help me with your help put michael to bed in the surf he loved here at kirra god bless you all and thank you all again from my older brother michael peterson once the eulogies had been delivered and the memories shared the kirra point paddle out commenced with kelly slater and mick fanning leading the way the kirra board rider s club members formed a guard of honour as over 500 surfers including competitors from the mp classic at duranbah paddled out to form a spiritual circle where they scattered mp s ashes at his final resting place a much loved kirra point once the ceremony was over and the surfers had said their final goodbyes i m sure there was no doubt left in anyone s minds that michael truly was the greatest surfer to come out of coolangatta in the era of the golden seventies rest in peace mp and save us a couple of barrels in heaven · tribute by reuben franklin

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· photo courtesy of alby falzon m.f m.p m.r · photo kieron douglass claw r.i.p mp tex s peterson original not surfed in 30yrs · photo kieron douglass · photo courtesy of jack mccoy gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au 11 · photo jake white surfing australia

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2012 roundup north narrabeen nsw local nathan hedge has seized his maiden queensland championship circuit crown after making it into the quarterfinals at the chiko classic at duranbah on may 19th 2012 in doing so hedge edged out north stradbroke island competitor lincoln taylor by 90 points after taylor missed the final event due to a timetable clash between the chiko classic and an asp competition in brazil during the awards ceremony held at the komune bar in coolangatta hedge admitted despite taylor missing the last competition it had not been an easy win this series has been amazing for me the level of competition has really pushed my own surfing this year and it s just been an incredible ride hedge said i have to thank my family for all their support and can t wait to get the series underway again in 2013 also celebrating a victory on the night was defending 2011 qcc champion noah lane who successfully won the chiko classic on the final day after annihilating brent dorrington tim macdonald and jay phillips who all finished second to fourth respectively the $30,000 chiko queensland championship circuit consists of four surfing events every year over a month long period in autumn it is based on competitors best three of four results and the series top two athletes win two days of training at the hurley surfing australia high performance centre and the chance to compete at the 2013 asp world tour quiksilver pro trials further adding incentive to perform at each event is the chance to win four cartons of xxxx summer bright lager for to surfer who gets awarded `wave of the weekend and a $500 cheque for competing in all four events the chiko michael peterson classic was the first stop on the circuit this year with the event being held at duranbah on the gold coast in an exciting four man final north stradbroke island local lincoln taylor came out on top on the day with a 12.8 score narrowly beating fellow goofy-footer nathan hedge who scored an 11.17 snapper rocks local jay phillips came in third with an 11.13 and youngster oney anwar finished fourth with a 10.24 round two of the circuit kicked off at the chiko sunshine coast pro with wet and windy conditions greeting the competitors on day one narrabeen surfer nathan hedge put last fortnight s runner up results behind him claiming his first win in large two metre waves with a combined two wave total of 15.00 edging out defending series champion noah lane by less than half a point this time oney anwar improved his overall placing by one spot up to third with a 9.37 and jay phillips down one place to fourth with a 4.80 the chiko alley classic was the site for round three of the series with the currumbin surf break putting on an impressive show all weekend with a south east swell creating epic two metre right hand waves for the competitors lincoln taylor once again showed his form in the finals with a dominant display posting a combined two wave score of 14.57 blake ainsworth came in runner up position with a combined two wave score of 13.37 with series leader nathan hedge and currumbin alley local brendan leckie finishing third and fourth overall · story by reuben franklin eli jacobs gcsurf chicko series photographer shayne nienaber photography www.shaynenienaberphotography.com tommy peterson presenting winners of the m.p chicko classic d bah june 2 3 june 9 11 june 16 17 june 23 24 june 30 july 4 bradnam s queensland longboard titles surfing queensland sup ocean paddle festival qld masters women s surfing series event 2 world surfaris coast of origin interclub series area billabong occy s grom comp gold coast gold coast sunshine coast sunshine coast gold coast gold coast july 8 july 21 22 july 29 aug 2 5 sept 1 2 sarcoma tag team challenge world surfaris coast of origin interclub series regional joe engel junior cup queensland school surfing titles world surfaris coast of origin interclub series state gold coast sunshine coast gold coast gold coast nth stradbroke is sunshine coast 12 gcsurf winter 2012 sam lendrum

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brent dorrington nic jones dean morrison james woods dru adler lincoln taylor nathan hedge thomas cervi dextar muskens jay philips oney gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au 13

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sarah mason picture this you have caught the best wave of your life and you hear the sound of your favourite song blaring across the beach mixing in with the sound of snapper at its best and with the sun slowly setting are you there yet got the feeling well this is the vibe i got when young gun sarah mason joined me for an afternoon at snapper rocks as she walks down the beach with a buzzing smile and her board underneath her arm it is the same feeling hundreds of fans get every time sarah is in their presence if you walked pass sarah in the street she would just look like your typical 17yr old teenager but underneath it all she has the mind heart and determination of a future world champion as sarah continues to inspire the next generation of grommets she is still doing the hard yards in the water to prove herself on the world circuit with big guns like steph gilmore and carrissa moore it doesn t make life easy however in 2010 it proved to be a different story follow me through this small journey as we dive into the start of an amazing life of sarah mason so when did surfing all start for you did you just wake up one morning say hi world i m sarah mason and i m going to kick some butt surfing or was it something more then that like an inspiration laughs i have always been around the beach from the very start my dad was into surfing then introduced my older what was your emotions like heading into the finals agains carrissa moore i was just really excited going head to head with carrissa in that heat i just wanted to out catch some waves and surf the best i could against her after justine duponts exit from the roxy pro due to injury how did you feel when you got the call up to join the worlds best smiles it was a real surprise getting that phone call i only found out really close to the start of the event so was a little unprepared but i was so excited to go out there and surf snapper with the best in the world you then went on to beat coco ho which was a major upset apart from the excitement did you go into the next heat against carrissa with a different game plan to when you s last met each other i was so stoked to make it through the heat against coco i managed to get some good waves and surf good enough to get through going up against carrissa next i was just wanting to get some good waves i was a bit out of sink and she managed to get onto the good ones but overall i was happy with where i ended up in the event smiles at bells you went into the event with a wrist injury but you were surfing like it never existed was that just the adrenaline taking over yeah it was unfortunate having a bad wrist for the event i was only able to surf my heats but i had to block it out and just concentrate on what i had to do come day four 4 all eyes where on you being the last of the goofy footer standing did you feel any pressure going out there knowing you were representing the goofy s laughs i didnt really think about the goofy thing at all i was just wanting to do well out there in the quarter finals against tyler wright it was so close i was on the edge of my seat you both put away impressive scores but unfortunately you were eliminated by the smallest points difference was you disappointed or just really stoked overall with your bells campaign my quarter was really close it was a high scoring heat and exciting i was a bit disappointed because i really wanted to go further in the event but overall i had some really good heats some great waves in the event so i was really stoked with my campaign down there heading into the next event at the beachley classic both yourself and steph gilmore had close encounters with the infamous dee why reef you must have been pretty shaken up after that glad it wasn t to serious how are you now it wasnt a good feeling at all i hit the reef with the side of my face i came into shore and was real dizzy and wobbly and had scratches up the side of my face i ended up going to hospital and was on my back in a neckbrace for 8 hrs i got all these scans done then was finally released at ten oclock at night it was a very scary experience does an accident like that play on your mind when you head back out or is it just something you have to shrug off to keep a clear head i was a bit rattled afterwards i did my best to try not think about it your family must have been pretty worried especially your parents jo chris as a parent myself with a little girl i get worried when she comes off her little skateboard let alone coming off onto a reef it s different when its your little girl was there a bit of a family moment afterwards laughs yeah my family were worried they were all at the hospital with me it was just such a long wait when we heard the ok from the doctor there was a big sigh of relief laughs when your not surfing what would we find sarah mason doing when im not surfing im normally doing some fitness training schoolwork cruising along the paths on my skateboard i always like to be having heaps of fun with my family and friends i have so many different hobbies and interests theres to many to name i have to ask australia vs new zealand in a rugby league test we would find you wearing which colours haha black white green and gold hahaha laughs if you could be any cartoon character who would it be and why smiles thats a hard one ummmm someone off scooby doo daffeny maybe hahaha they seem to have so much fun solving mysteries haha what head line would you like to see in a future write up about sarah mason laughs good question hmmm headline something good i hope haha what can the world expect from you and where to now well im looking to keep training hard i have a full season on the world tour which is really exciting im just going to push my surfing and try to do the best i can in the remaining wct events which is in brazil france then america i m really excited about what i am doing right now i m in a good place so where can the fans find you and follow you on this amazing journey i have a blog www.sarahmasonblog.com where i upload photos write about my latest adventures or my facebook fan page facebook.com/sarahmason gcsurf interview with sarah mason by kieron douglass brothers and sisters into the sport i guess seeing them having heaps of fun with it i wanted to join in and tag along i was then hooked and found it was something i love to do being that your only 17yrs of age do you have to mature quicker then others your age being that your representing the new generation of surfers coming through and with the pressures of performing to the greatest of your ability i don t find any pressures of being young i am just enjoying what im doing and focusing on my surfing and trying to be the best i can possibly be it seems like you have made a huge impact and have gained a great fan base over the last couple years and more so recently with the last few events taking place how does that make you feel its really good to have people supporting what i do i guess it gives me more confidence knowing there are people behind me lets go back to the 11th of april your birthday 2010 what a year that must have been for you you won the nz women s open surfing title held off plymouth new zealand a couple days later you then bet world champ steph gilmore and then took out fellow nz no1 and friend paige hareb it must have felt like all your birthdays had come at once that was a really amazing year i was so stoked winning the wildcard into the wct event in newplymoth i had a real dream run in the wct and the emotions were running high definitely moments i will never forget 14 gcsurf winter 2012

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big beach a sunrise masked by ominous dark clouds made way for sunshine and perfectly small and glassy rolling waves for the third annual sand camp quality surf day held on sunday 25th march at rainbow bay held in conjunction with walking on water surf school the annual event is a way for the surf community to come together and give kids suffering from cancer and their families some much needed down time catching waves and playing in the ocean this time around the event was dubbed the bots big beach day out in honour of the late local surfer industry surf founder and former sand president paul botica paul had passed away from heart complications following a long and valiant battle with non hodgkin s lymphoma just a month prior to the surf day paul had helped set the date for the event earlier in the year so the team at sand were determined to carry through with the day in his memory sand is a local voluntary organisation formed in 1984 by a group of surfers to harness community support for a range of issues including raising funds for charity to date sand has raised close to a million dollars for a range of local groups including camp quality an organisation that supports children with cancer and their families by fostering activities that bring optimism and happiness and is guided by the day out philosophy that `laughter is the best medicine to help take the wonderful camp quality kids out for a day in the waves and assist a group of close to thirty children to learn to surf sand enlisted dozens of local surfers to the cause these included celebrated surf author tim baker channel 7 personality liz cantor radio metro surf reporter and commentator tappa teece gold coast surf s cassandra nevin and photographer kieron douglass to name but few sand founding member and former asp world champion wayne rabbit bartholomew welcomed camp quality participants their families and volunteers to rainbow bay and after a few minutes of helpful advice from the walking on water team they hit the waves most of the children were able to get to their feet within their first few tries bringing rounds of hoots and applause from their helpers and families assembled on the shoreline on closing rabbit bartholomew claimed the day as a resounding success we had another wonderful day of surfing at rainbow bay the waves were perfect the rides were exhilarating the children surfed really well and the smiles were broad and beaming all the crew from sand and walk on water had a wonderful time and i d rate it our most successful surf day so far a special thanks goes out all the volunteers and helpers who made the day happen to watch a video from the event find out more about sand or to enquire about upcoming events visit www.sandsippas.com.au for more information about camp quality and their programs visit www.campquality.org.au · story by carolyn riding soul arch media · photo s kieron douglass australia s longest running all female surfing event the `all girls surf showdown held annually at lennox head is turning 20 years old this year it promotes girls and women s participation in the exciting and healthy lifestyle of surfing 2012 will also be the final year of the event the current top 3 in the world stephanie gilmore sally fitzgibbons and tyler wright are all past winners it caters for all female surfers with open b grade 14 s 16 s over 28 s over 40 s longboard pro junior pro and open pro the event has a wonderful history and has played a big part in the growth of women s surfing in australia some of the innovations introduced by the event included the extensive use of female judges and commentators the addition of an under 14 year s division in 1995 and the introduction of an over 40 shortboard division in 2009 the `showdown was conceived and founded along with the formation of the `all girls surfriders club in 1992 by lennox head locals kellie o brien keryn noach max perrot catering for all ages and abilities the club initially drew members from evans head in the south to new brighton in the north and held monthly events and coaching along that stretch of coast over the years many tweed and gold coast surfers also joined the club is celebrating its 21st birthday in 2012 and over the years has produced many champion surfers including jenny boggis world junior champion julie morris world junior champion crystal vail australian pro junior series champion and laurina mcgrath who started as a junior beginner in the club and later won the world junior championship and qualified for the world tour back in 1993 local lennox head surf shop `all above board owners wayne and maree lazarus and swimwear company owner grant `fandango dwyer from yamba agreed to sponsor the inaugural `all girls surf showdown despite some cynics claiming chicks don t surf it was the biggest event on the girls surfing calendar in the first year with close to 100 entrants from all over australia on the queen s birthday not only the highly rated menczer but also the new breed of australian female surfers serena brooke kylie webb trudy gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au 15 pauline menczer 2007 north wall · photographer simon rigg long weekend in 1993 at lennox head beachies hayley tasker won the open pro division trudy todd won the junior pro and bev simmons won the longboard division surfing brands were asked for product as prizes at a time when boardshorts and wetsuits were made only for males the `showdown was planned to promote women s surfing via the mainstream media to create awareness of the rising trend of girls surfing and encourage and validate their participation the event grew enormously and numbers doubled in 1996 the event was part of the asp world professional tour as a wct rated event and was won by pauline menczer she had won her world professional title just a few years earlier in 1993 and was only the second australian born surfer to win an asp women s world title pam burridge was the first the `showdown semi finals in 1996 featured todd kate skarrat jenny boggis sandie ryan belinda godfrey they would go on to set the pace that would lead to a future australian domination of the asp top ten ratings back in the day stephanie gilmore was one of many young girls attracted to the sport as things were changing and barriers to female participation swept away gilmore is a great example of the rapid evolution of women s surfing back in the day she started at the `showdown winning both the 14 s and 16 s in 2002 she went on to win the 16 s again in 2003 and then won both the junior pro and the open pro the year after in 2004 aged 16 the writing was on the wall and as predicted by most surfing pundits stephanie went on to win the first of four world titles in 2007 on her rookie year on tour now days there are events and clubs for all ages of female surfers all over the world surfing equipment made for girls and top female surfers celebrated in the mainstream media it is refreshing that in 2012 young girls paddling out into the surf probably have no idea of the many challenges that were faced by female surfers in previous eras the `all girls surf showdown organisers and supporters are stoked to have seen such a positive change over those 20 years www.allgirlssurfshowdown.com

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