Surfing champs in big waves

THE Maersk Radiowave Namibia national surfing championships were held at Walvis Bay last weekend, after being postponed the weekend before because the waves were too small.

A solid 6-foot ground swell came through and the light offshore east wind made for perfect surfing conditions last weekend. Because of tides and conditions the competition was moved to the world-famous Walvis Bay surf break “Guns”, south of Dolphin Park.Five divisions were contested and 26 people entered.The open category was very close with the championship crown going to Torsten Gossow, closely followed by 2004 winner Jay Sarro.Bernd Diener and Anko de Wet were in third and fourth place respectively.Hardy Hofmeister, Henner Rodenwoldt, Jock Currie, Wynand Labuschagne, Frank Lohnert and Klaus Rapmund were knocked out during earlier heats.The junior surfing title went to Craig D’Oliviera and the women’s title to Cisca Kaaijk, who also took the development trophy.Shaun Loubser won the bodyboarding event for the fifth time, followed closely by Kyle Cyriax, Carlos Figueiredo and Pierre Jooste.The longboarding trophy went to Rod Braby, who also won the highest-scoring wave of the contest.Hardy Hofmeister was placed second and Uwe Bernstein third.The most improved surfer trophy went to Kyle Cyriax and Cisca Kaaijk took the award for the most spectacular wipe-out of the competition.On July 2 and 3, fun events were held including an expression session.Rod Braby, who achieved the highest-scoring waves, won this event; in second place was Wynand Labuschagne, with Hardy Hofmeister in third.Fourth-placed Lee James won the judges’ award for the most entertaining surfer.The Namib Surf Club provided cash prizes.Based on the results of the national and monthly competitions, a team will be chosen to represent Namibia in the Aloha Cup Challenge to be held in Cape Town from December 16 to 18 this year.The team will consist of five men and one female surfer.South Africa, the United Kingdom and Namibia have confirmed that they will be competing, with Ireland and France other possibilities.Surfing South Africa will host the competition under the umbrella of the International Surfing Association.For more information on surfing in Namibia, contact the chairperson of the Namibia Surfing Association on (064) 40 5610 (w) Ph/Fax: (064) 40 4951 (h) or on 081 246 0996.Interested persons can also write to P O Box 656, Swakopmund, Namibia or send e-mail to: iczmenv@iafrica.com.naBecause of tides and conditions the competition was moved to the world-famous Walvis Bay surf break “Guns”, south of Dolphin Park. Five divisions were contested and 26 people entered.The open category was very close with the championship crown going to Torsten Gossow, closely followed by 2004 winner Jay Sarro.Bernd Diener and Anko de Wet were in third and fourth place respectively.Hardy Hofmeister, Henner Rodenwoldt, Jock Currie, Wynand Labuschagne, Frank Lohnert and Klaus Rapmund were knocked out during earlier heats.The junior surfing title went to Craig D’Oliviera and the women’s title to Cisca Kaaijk, who also took the development trophy.Shaun Loubser won the bodyboarding event for the fifth time, followed closely by Kyle Cyriax, Carlos Figueiredo and Pierre Jooste.The longboarding trophy went to Rod Braby, who also won the highest-scoring wave of the contest.Hardy Hofmeister was placed second and Uwe Bernstein third.The most improved surfer trophy went to Kyle Cyriax and Cisca Kaaijk took the award for the most spectacular wipe-out of the competition.On July 2 and 3, fun events were held including an expression session.Rod Braby, who achieved the highest-scoring waves, won this event; in second place was Wynand Labuschagne, with Hardy Hofmeister in third.Fourth-placed Lee James won the judges’ award for the most entertaining surfer.The Namib Surf Club provided cash prizes.Based on the results of the national and monthly competitions, a team will be chosen to represent Namibia in the Aloha Cup Challenge to be held in Cape Town from December 16 to 18 this year.The team will consist of five men and one female surfer.South Africa, the United Kingdom and Namibia have confirmed that they will be competing, with Ireland and France other possibilities.Surfing South Africa will host the competition under the umbrella of the International Surfing Association.For more information on surfing in Namibia, contact the chairperson of the Namibia Surfing Association on (064) 40 5610 (w) Ph/Fax: (064) 40 4951 (h) or on 081 246 0996.Interested persons can also write to P O Box 656, Swakopmund, Namibia or send e-mail to: iczmenv@iafrica.com.na

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