2008 Hyundai National Surfing Championships

The 2008 Hyundai National Surfing Championships have been scheduled to take place in Gisborne from the 12th -19th of January 2008. The event will be the second of six events on both the Corona Crown Series and the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour. The National Champs were last held in Gisborne in 2000 when they were won by local surfer Maz Quinn with Danny Carse winning the Under 18 Boys and Bobby Hansen the Under 16 Boys. All three surfers are likely to attend next years event however this time both Carse and Hansen will be in the Open alongside Quinn who will look to add a fifth national title to his illustrious career.

The Gisborne region can be susceptible to long periods of small swell early in summer however with some weather experts suggesting a possible La Nina weather cycle this summer, the region could also be bathed in swell as well as the hot sunshine it is notorious for. Not since 2003 has the National Champs been held at any East Coast location (Dunedin 2003 being the last) arguably showing the fickleness of the swell at this time of year. Eight full days of surfing action are required to complete the event so the National Champs has to run everyday of the tight schedule.

“While the event has not been held in the Gisborne Region recently it has been held there on twelve previous occasions since the National Champs inception in 1963” commented Surfing New Zealand CEO Greg Townsend. Further suggesting “The hot bed of talent in the region is testament to the strong competitive surfing background that Gisborne has and given that the 2008 Hyundai National Champs is back in their playground we can expect to see some very strong results from the local surfers”.

Hyundai are back on board with the National Champs for a third year in 2008. While the focus of the fast moving car company is tending toward greater involvement in the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour, the National Champs forms an important part of their association with national sporting body Surfing New Zealand. “The National Champs is the biggest and most prestigious surf event in the country so it makes sense for Hyundai to be involved in such a high end” commented Hyundai Brand Manager Daniel Carroll. “Hyundai will have an even bigger focus on longboarding in 2008 but our association with this event could not be overlooked”

Twenty national titles will go up for grabs at the event and there will be well in excess of 300 competitors vying for the honours. As well as the premier Open Men’s, Open Women’s and Longboarding Divisions, there will be a further 17 divisions comprising of age groups from Under 14 through to Over 50s and also Kneeboard and Bodyboard disciplines.

Set out below are the winners of key divisions for the past five years.

Open Men
2003 – Blair Stewart (Gis)
2004 – Maz Quinn (Gis)
2005 – Richard Christie (Gis)
2006 – Maz Quinn (Gis)
2007 – Daniel Kereopa (Rag)

Open Women
2003 – Jess Terrill (Tara)
2004 – Airini Mason (Tara)
2005 – Jessica Santorik (Rag)
2006 – Lisa Hurunui (Gis)
2007 – Wini Paul

Junior Men (U/18)
2003 – Oli Adams (Ahipara)
2004 – Nathan Welch (Gis)
2005 – Richard Christie (Gis)
2006 – Kierin Van Der Helder (Rag)
2007 – Paco Divers (Sandy Bay)

Open Longboard
2003 – Kelly Ryan (Gis)
2004 – Michael Fitzharris (Gis)
2005 – Michael Fitzharris (Gis)
2006 – Michael Fitzharris (Gis)
2007 – Daniel Kereopa (Rag)

Complete lists of all National Champions are located on the Surfing New Zealand website under History – www.surfingnz.co.nz. File images to accompany this media release are available from Surfing New Zealand upon request and are supplied by New Zealand Surfing Magazine. The event will be run in association with Gisborne Boardriders Club.

Source: Surfing New Zealand

>> SURF NEWS INDEX <<