The Bay Boardriders surfing team are competing this weekend in Gisborne for the surfing equivalent of rugby’s Ranfurly Shield.
The 22 Bay of Plenty surfers will compete for the first-ever Sunshine Shield against the East Coast Boardriders – something Bay Boardriders president James Jacobs said has been a long time coming.
“We currently hold every national club title in New Zealand – the NZ primary schools trophy, NZ Scholastics trophy [secondary schools] and the NZ Club Championship trophy.”
On November 1, the East Coast Surfriders and the waves of Te Tai Rāwhiti Gisborne will host this inaugural Sunshine Shield competition.
Jacobs said the Bay of Plenty team would have a “UFC-style” weigh-in tonight before hitting the water to compete at 8.30am tomorrow morning, November 1. The shield winner would be crowned that evening, said Jacobs.
Solid team
“We’re taking a solid, well-rounded team with our own legends of 22 surfers to challenge the East – a club rich in heritage and home to some of Aotearoa’s most iconic surfers, the likes of Maz, Jay and Holly Quinn, many rising from the ashes for this occasion.”
With 20 surfers per club, spanning under-14s to over-50s, male and female, the format would include individual age divisions and tag team events, Jacobs said.
“The club’s over-40s and over-50s divisions are just as excited, if not more, than the groms.”
Bay Boardrider Darren Kiwi, who’s been surfing for 35 years, was looking forward to competing in the over-50s category.
The 54-year-old was confident the team would bring home the Sunshine Shield, saying they had gone from strength to strength since he started in the 1980s, when the team was called Bay Surfers.
“I believe we’re in a good position to take the trophy. It’s because we’ve got a really strong, family-oriented culture.”
An inspiration
Kiwi said being one of the two over-50s team members meant he felt like a mentor, supporting and passing along their experience to the younger team members.
“There are so many good young surfers coming through with enthusiasm to compete on a local, national and international level. It’s such an inspiration.”
Mount Maunganui Primary student and Bay Boardrider, Arlo Scorringe, said he was feeling “super excited to go and compete against some of the greatest surfer in New Zealand”.
The 11-year-old started surfing at the age of 3 and fell instantly in love with the sport, going out to surf all the time – rain or shine.
He looked up to the older Bay Boardriders, saying he often got tips from one of the team’s open men’s surfers, world-class competitor Kehu Butler.
Grassroots club surfing
Jacobs said the first-ever Sunshine Shield was “pure grassroots club surfing”.
“This event is also a celebration of surfing, connections, friendships across all ages, including some lifetime rivalries.”
Jacobs said the Bay of Plenty team had been working alongside Jay, Holly and Amy Spence from East Coast Surfriders to bring this initiative to life.
“[We] would like to acknowledge the hard mahi from Bruce Tod and Owen Barnes to get this going, and to provide these opportunities not only for our region’s surfers but for surfers of all ages nationwide.”
Bay Boardriders team:
Over-50s Men: Darren Kiwi and Erin Saunders
Over-40s Men: Owen Barnes, Khan Butler, Simon Jones and Sam Willis
Open Men: Kehu Butler, Alex Dive, George Leary and Jacob Saunders
Under-20 Men: Tao Mouldey and Joe Goodjohn
Open Women: Hinako Kurokawa and Sage Fritchley
Under-18 Girls: Izzy Evans and Maddie Tod
Under-16 Boys: Sol Fritchley and Remy Sale
Under-14 Boys: Haru Marsden and Beau Broadhurst
Under-12 Boys: Arlo Scorringe and Spencer Fletcher