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There's no denying the surf was a bit c**p for us at the Nationals this year, but the playing field was level and we fielded 2 x 4-man semis for this year's event. The comp was held at South Piha, and lets just say its not where I've been surfing on the West Coast lately... First out in the mushy 2' conditions were Murray Weir (TAR), Ian Walker (AKL), Kanin Geisler (GIS) and Phil Miller (AKL), with Phil (me) getting the best of it and taking out the first semi with Kanin in 2nd. The second semi featured Mike Anderson (AKL - but can be found all over the place), Phil Pickering (AKL), Craig Hooper (Papamoa) and talented cross-over surfer - Jamie Andrew (TAR) If anything, the waves were slightly worse in the final, I elected to sit further towards the middle of the beach so got my pick of waves while the others surfed closer to the beehive. The scores were all quite close, but sometimes you know the moment you lose when you don't do that little pump that would have taken you around that bit of foam and up for a little lip smack. It happened for me on my second wave and there you go - 3rd instead of better. Phil Pickering took 2nd and Jamie the well deserved win. With Craig McD away this year, I was hoping that just maybe I'd finally get my name on the trophy, but I guess it'll have to wait till next year... Who knows, at the rate my knees are deteriorating, I might have to get a special reinforced deckpad so my not-too-far-off bionic knees don't punch holes in my board. We adjourned to the Piha camp for a quiet gathering and catch up, Murray was as usual fizzing with fun and enthusiasm and it was nice to see a couple of new faces having a go and achieving the podium. My last reflection would have to be on how competition has a positive effect on your recreational surfing. I wouldn't have even been at the beach in those conditions, but being a part of it had me pushing to do something / anything, and that stuff carries over and makes you a better. From the paddle out, surfing is a competition and going for a bit of extra vertical gets you the respect that translates to more space for you in the pack. Oh wait, if I surf Tara's more often it wouldn't be such an issue... no wonder Murray's got such a happy grin! |