Noosa longboarders absolutely blitzed the field at the Australian titles at Port Macquarie last week, with wunderkind Landen Smales leading the way. This report from Surfing Australia:
Queensland has achieved a clean sweep of the longboard and logger divisions at the Australian Surf Championships. Landen Smales (Noosa Heads, QLD) won the Open Men’s Logger and Under 18 Junior Men’s Logger divisions, making Australian history on the way. Surfing Australia contest director Glen Elliott said: “No one has ever made four Australian finals in one event and to win two out of the four and finish runner up in the other two is unprecedented.”
Clinton Guest (Bokarina, QLD but almost a Noosan) got the highest heat score of the day, 15.07, clinching victory in the Open Men’s Longboard final with a skillful combination of noserides and smooth, flowing turns. “It just all went my way. The right waves came to me,” Guest said. “I love coming down here and surfing at such a professionally run event and to do it in front of my family and my daughter is very special. To win at Bonny Hills (surf break south of Port) is pretty cool too, my daughter’s name is Bonnie.”
Guest dedicated his win to Alex Malibu club as well as his former coach and mentor, Mark McNamara who died of a heart attack in the surf in 2015. “Ten years ago we shared a final around the corner at North Haven. Ten years on, to do it is just a tribute to him. I’m pumped he instilled all this knowledge of longboarding in me.”
Guest also wins a place in the Irukandjis Team alongside Kirra Molnar (Noosa Heads, QLD) who claimed two titles today. Molnar said: “It feels amazing to win an Aussie title for Queensland. Last year I got the Open Women Logger Title so managed to defend that this year and also finally got the Open Longboard. I felt confident in my surfing all event and so was happy to get the results.
“It was really nice to have the support of my mum and her partner Ian on the beach as well as the rest of the Noosa Malibu Club members. It means a lot to be part of such a great longboarding community and also see the others surfing so well too. Amazing to see Surfing Queensland performing to take out all Logger and Longboard Junior and Open titles this weekend! C’mon Queensland!”
Lennix Currie, 14, (Tewantin, QLD) was crowned U18 Junior Men’s champion. He said: “It feels surreal something that I have always wanted to achieve but I am so damn excited. I have been training hard on points and opens back home in Noosa trying to master my performance on my new Thomas board.”
Mia Waite, 15, (Noosa Heads, QLD) took out both the U18 Junior Women’s Longboard and U18 Junior Women’s Logger titles. She said: “The final was intense, the heat was filled with outstanding surfing from start to finish, the conditions were tricky, but nothing I couldn’t handle. It feels like an out of body experience, this is my first win and to win two Australian finals is a dream that came true.”
The championships have been held at Bonny Hills Beach, with clean 2-3ft conditions providing surfers with long right-hand walls.
Longboard Results
U18 Junior Men Longboard
1. Lennix Currie (Tewantin, QLD) 12.93
2. Landen Smales (Noosa Heads, QLD) 12.83
3. Jimmy James Tualima (Manly East, NSW) 10.00
4. Thomas Fahey (Balnarring, VIC) 7.16
U18 Junior Women Longboard
1. Mia Waite (Noosa Heads, QLD) 12.43
2. Jasmin Howarth (Avalon Beach, NSW) 11.67
3. Ramona Haddrell (Warana, QLD) 7.60
4. Layla Deighton (Emerald Beach, NSW) 4.03
Open Men Longboard
1. Clinton Guest (Bokarina, QLD) 15.07
2. Landen Smales (Noosa Heads, QLD) 11.60
3. Mark Matisons (Cottesloe, WA) 10.56
4. Tasman Dunton (McCrae, VIC) 10.50
Open Women Longboard
1. Kirra Molnar (Noosa Heads, QLD) 13.00
2. Emma Webb (Jan Juc, VIC) 9.37
3. Bea Conroy (Point Lonsdale, VIC) 9.14
4. Mia Waite (Noosa Heads, QLD) 5.83
Logger Results
Open Men Logger
1. Landen Smales (Noosa Heads, QLD) 13.00
2. Jack Medland (Dunsborough, WA) 11.96
3. Clinton Guest (Bokarina, QLD) 11.60
4. Tom Bennett (Pambula, NSW) 9.53
Open Women Logger
1. Kirra Molnar (Noosa Heads, QLD) 11.60
2. Lucy Small (Clovelly, NSW) 7.97
3. Mia Waite (Noosa Heads, QLD) 7.60
4. Bea Conroy (Point Lonsdale, VIC) 5.67
U18 Junior Men Logger
1. Landen Smales (Noosa Heads, QLD) 14.94
2. Lennix Currie (Tewantin, QLD) 11.27
3. Jimmy James Tualima (Manly East, NSW) 11.17
4. Ted Conroy (Point Lonsdale, VIC) 5.07
U18 Junior Women Logger
1. Mia Waite (Noosa Heads, QLD) 11.67
2. Ramona Haddrell (Warana, QLD) 11.23
3. Jasmin Howarth (Avalon Beach, NSW) 9.36
4. Layla Deighton (Emerald Beach, NSW) 8.57
Meanwhile, up yonder…
The warmup for the Rip Curl Cup event at Padang Padang on Bali’s Bukit last week saw much better conditions than the waiting period has seen so far, with some of the world’s best barrel riders making little piggies of themselves. Check the action pix.
And speaking of yonder, your columnist is now slamming his Mac shut and heading for the airport. Reports from far-flung locations in coming weeks.
