Around the Clubs

Papamoa

Papamoa will be hosting the Pak ‘n' Save Papamoa Invitational Junior Carnival this Saturday, January 19. Clubs from all over the North Island have entered and this is fast becoming one of the more popular carnivals on the calendar with approximately 500 expected. The event is open to all junior club members aged 7-13 years of age and will provide great viewing for the public who come down to watch. The programme includes traditional Surf Race, Board Race, Diamond Race, Beach Flags and Beach Sprints and there are Beach Relays and Cameron Relays for team events.

The day kicks off at 9am with a traditional March Past by all the clubs. As a point of interest and for some fun and a little nostalgia we will be holding a "Belt Race" demonstration (The old reel and rope rescue) immediately after the March Past.

Club Chairman Matt Pickering is going to captain the Papamoa team in the demonstration. Other clubs have been invited to round up some of their old boys and join in which should provide some great entertainment and inspiration to the younger clubbies.

In recent surf sports events our senior athletes had a very successful visit to Taranaki last weekend for the Central Regional Championships and our IRB crews were also in New Plymouth for another successful weekend competing in the BP Surf Rescue Series. Our masters will be giving it their all in the Eastern Region Masters Championships at Omanu on Sunday.

Action from last year's Papamoa Invitational junior carnival, which will be again held at the club this Saturday. Photos by Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Journalism.

Omanu

Our junior surf program restarted on Sunday after the Christmas break. We had good numbers attending, with perfect surf condition and lots of water activities for all. Our junior surf leaders, who step up each week, are doing a fantastic job and are running a very successful programme.

Our senior surf sports team headed to New Plymouth for Sunday's Central Region championships. Athletes faced a messy 1m swell at Oakura, with a shore break and holes forming throughout the day, making racing very testing. Omanu surf athletes made many finals and everyone came home with a medal and Omanu finished 6th-equal.

Special mentions go to Ben Cochrane, who was second in the open ironman and third in the under-19 board and Ashley Cochrane, who was third in the open board and ski. Jessica Gadsbey won the under-16 board, Libby Moore was second in the under-16 ski and Sam Pasley was third in the under-16 board.

Jessica and Libby finished second in the board rescue, Jessica, Libby and Ashley won the under-19 taplin, Ben Cochrane, Adam Brinkley and Jack Dustin were third in the under-19 taplin and Ben Elisara, Josh Jarvis, Liam Hesp and Sam Pasley were third in the under-16 beach relay. Athletes have a break this weekend, before heading to the Eastern Region championships in Whangamata on January 26-27.

This Sunday, Omanu will host the Eastern Region Masters surf lifesaving championships, starting at 9.30am. Come along and watch some more mature surf athletes compete at a high level such as Mount Maunganui's Wayne Campbell and Damien Munro, Papamoa's Naomi Davoren and the host club's Chris Emmett, Jon Hume, Simon Oldham and Ian Glover.

After the big swell last week, it was good to see a week of better surf for all beach goers, although there are still lots of rips and holes and swimmers need to be vigilant around the change of tides. Please listen to the advice provided by lifeguard patrols.

Omanu has another lifeguard course starting on February 2 - anyone interested in becoming a lifeguard, please get in contact with the club on 575 4805.

Mount Maunganui

We had another busy weekend down at the club with more stunning summer weather. Saturday's patrol was involved in eight rescues and five first aid call-outs, with the latter predominately around the tracks of Mauao. Congratulations to Dani and her team for a professional, capable response to all these incidents.

Sunday's patrol had it a bit quieter, with only one first aid incident, although the after-hours call-out squad responded to a boat swamped in the Tauranga Harbour entrance.

Mount's Katie Wilson had a great result at the second round of the Sonic Surf Race series in Taranaki on Sunday, winning her first significant open title with victory in the open ironwoman. The rising 17-year-old hung tough in the swim and board legs, before pouncing on the ski to head home round one winner Natalie Peat (Papamoa) and Mairangi Bay's Danielle McKenzie.

We also hosted the 30th Round the Mount swim in perfect conditions on Sunday morning, attracting more than 200 swimmers.

The overall winner was former Mountie Nathan Capp, while current clubbie Perry Farrell came home strongly in second. The women's race was won comfortably by another outstanding Mount teenager, Jessica Miller.