THE second biggest carnival on the State surf sports calendar arrives at Port Macquarie this weekend, with Lighthouse Beach and the Tacking Point Surf Life Saving Club hosting the Stramit New South Wales Country Championships.
The carnival is one of the more traditional events on the surf sports calendar, with the event returning to Port Macquarie for the third and final year of the current agreement. The event will draw more than 2000 competitors from the six regional branches in NSW, those being the regions outside the Newcastle to Wollongong metropolitan area, in ages from seven to 70 years old. Around 220 events will be contested over the three days, with almost 700 medals on offer.
The Country Championships boast all the traditional surf carnival events, from the beach events like the flags, sprint and sprint relay, to the water events including swim, board and ski races and relays, as well as the multi discipline events like the prestigious ironman and taplin relay events. Surf boats will also feature at the carnival, which has grown now to be the fourth largest surf sports event in Australia, based on competitor numbers, behind only the Australian, New South Wales and Queensland championships.
At last year’s championships, the overall pointscore was won by Warilla Barrack Point on 712, well ahead of Cudgen Headland (554) with third placed Lennox Head-Alstonville a bit further back on 404. Lennox Head-Alstonville’s brilliant performance came on the back of victory in the junior pointscore (on 283 points), ahead of Cudgen Headland (224) and Warilla Barrack Point (214). Warilla-Barrack Point (498) meanwhile easily won the senior pointscore by 168 points to assert their authority on the event, well clear of second placed Cudgen Headland (330), while Port Macquarie was third on 236 points.
This year it is expected that it will be the same clubs that again dominate the event, with the Warilla Barrack Point Club under intense pressure from Cudgen Headland especially to retain their overall champion club status. Byron Bay and Lennox Head-Alstonville will also be vying for the top honour, while Port Macquarie will hope that the home town advantage will again see them do well.
With the carnival being held in the neighbouring branch, local clubs Crowdy Head, Taree-Old Bar and Black Head are hoping for some strong performances also. Last year, Taree-Old Bar was the best performed local club, securing nine medals including four gold on their way to 18th overall. Black Head claimed a silver medal on their way to 25th overall, while Crowdy Head finished in equal 38th place. All three have genuine medal chances and will be hopeful that some great individual performances will see them improve on their 2008 results.
This will be the third and final year that Tacking Point will host the event under the current agreement, with an announcement on the future venue due by mid February. It is understood that three North Coast areas have expressed their interest in securing the event, meaning that the championships will stay close by for the next few years.
While the venue for the event for the coming few years is still to be decided, one thing that will continue into the future is the major and naming rights sponsor of the carnival, with Stramit Building Products confirming that they will continue their relationship with one of the biggest events on the NSW surf sports calendar for another three years. Paul Jensen, regional manager for Stramit Building Products, said the partnership with Surf Life Saving was a great fit for the organisation, and gives back something to the movement which selflessly gives so much to the public.
Competition kicks off on Friday morning for the water and beach areas, while the spectacular Surf Boat events start on Saturday morning. Racing continues throughout the weekend and will wrap up after lunchtime on Sunday at Lighthouse Beach, Port Macquarie.
Surf safety tip of the week:
This is the time of year that the dreaded bluebottles are most commonly found on local beaches, so keep an eye out for them when you go for a swim. If you do get stung by one, pick the tail off with your fingers and hop under a warm /hot shower until the pain subsides. If hot showers are not available, pick the tail off with your fingers and apply a cold compress or rub ice onto the affected area.