by SFT | Jul 11, 2024 | St Francis
Durban – All Systems Go for the highly anticipated Rip Curl GromSearch Junior Surfing Tournament event number 4. So, it will kick off tomorrow morning, July 12, at 7h30 am at Dairy Beach, Durban. Also, this event promises to showcase the very best junior surfing in South Africa.
The heat schedule can be found on LiveHeats here – DAIRY BEACH.
Dairy Beach
Dairy Beach in Durban provides the perfect stage for this prestigious tournament, the 4th contest in a five-event series. Small but highly contestable waves are forecast for this event, which will finish on Saturday around lunchtime.
The Rip Curl GromSearch will feature a multitude of talented junior surfers, each eager to make their mark on the waves. Thus, with divisions spanning various age groups, from U12s to U18s. Further, the tournament provides a platform for these young athletes to showcase their abilities.
The premier division of the series is the U16 division. The top four results out of five will determine the 2023 Rip Curl Gromsearch Series Results.
Louise Lepront will be competing this weekend at Dairy Beach © Dave Lindemann
GromSearch Finals
In a joint venture with Rip Curl South Africa, Zigzag Magazine, Sea Harvest and the Royal St Andrews Hotel. The winners of the premier Boys U6 and Girls U16 divisions will earn a coveted entry into the prestigious Rip Curl GromSearch International Finals. Also, they will receive R20k towards their travel arrangements. This tournament will be held in Indonesia in November of this year.
If a winner cannot attend the International Finals, the entry slot and travel voucher will be passed on to the next surfer on the Rip Curl South Africa GromSearch rating list.
The GromSearch series allows kids to compete against the best surfers in the same age bracket from their country. Thus this format gives these groms insight into a life of competitive surfing. It gives them the invaluable experience of surfing and competing in different waves nationwide.
Premier SAST Events
The Rip Curl GromSearch contests are all premier SAST events. With 1,000 points going to the winners and prizemoney per all premier events.
The Rip Curl GromSearch contest series is run by Surfing South Africa and supported by Sea Harvest.
About Surfing South Africa
SURFING SOUTH AFRICA is the recognised governing body for Surfriding in South Africa. It is responsible for the activities of all its disciplines. This includes surfing, longboarding, bodyboarding, kneeboarding, para surfing and SUP surfing. SSA is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), The African Surfing Confederation (ASC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA).
by SFT | Jul 11, 2024 | Action Sports, St Francis
By Richard Arderne
The annual Pam Golding Canals Winter Doubles Challenge starts at the Cove at 9am this Saturday.
Some sports events survive for many years, and some fade away quite soon.
Examples of longstanding sports events are the Calamari Classic Golf, the Boardriders Locals Surf Comp, the Pam Golding Quadrathlon, the Pam Golding Annual (between the Links and the Bay clubs), the Pam Golding Ladies Golf Open, the Kromme River Descent Swim, the Tuna Classic (fishing), the Sporty Anderson Surfski Challenge …. and the Pam Golding Canals Winter Doubles Challenge, held annually since 2006.
Over the summer we hold offshore surfski races, but because it’s held in mid-winter, we hold this race in the fairly sheltered canals.
More about Saturday’s Race
There is a 10km race and a 20km race, around the 5km “time trial” canal course. So its two laps for the short course, and a grueling four laps for the long course.
There will be complimentary filter coffee and rusks at the start, ALL doubles finishers in the 20km race will receive a prize, entry fees includes something tasty and nutritious at the end, and prizes are only for doubles but singles are very welcome.
Huge thanks to Carbonology for once again (as they have done for so many years) provided a lucky draw Carbonology carbon split paddle, valued at R3500, and to Rack and Paddle for their lucky draws once again.
First boat to finish the 20km race receives R3000. There are also cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd place, and 1st ladies, 1st mixed, 1st over 65, 1st under 18. Smaller prizes are on offer for the 10km race, mostly the excellent Pam Golding red wine!
The photos are from some of our races over the last few years.
A bit more about our wonderful St Francis Paddling Club:
Our club is founded
On 16 March 2011, MJ Pretorius and Chris Opperman (both now living elsewhere) persuaded us to form a club. I was the first chairman, and Pete King the captain, a position he still holds. Clint Hempel was our next Chairman, then Pete Mitchley, and now its Charlie Jonsson.
Without Dave and Marie Louw, the club would not have flourished. Dave was our timekeeper at the canal harbour before Nevil Hulett persuaded us to move to his new Quaysyde restaurant. Now we are back at the canal harbour, but have nearly secured a permanent new spot.
Marie set up our website stfrancispaddlingclub.co.za, the best in the land, also runs the East Cape Canoe Union. A few years ago Mandy McGregor and Anita Dabrowski took over from the Louws as timekeepers
Weekly Time Trials
The first Time Trial was held on 23 March 2011. TTs are on Wednesday evenings, 10kms, 5kms, and 3kms, and are never cancelled due to bad weather!
The 10km Singles Time Trial record has been improved from Pete King’s 49.47min in 2011 to Matt Bouman’s 41.26 in 2016, and then Hank McGregor’s incredible 39.00 on 19 July 2018.
The premier award is the Time Trial Attendance Trophy. Rich Poole has his name on it three times (in 2018 for 49 out of 49 TTs!) and Roeltin Louw twice and Pete King four times!
Paddling in St Francis
Besides our sheltered canals, we have the wonderful Kromme River, and the sea, often with quite sheltered paddling out to Shark Point, and often exciting westerly downwinds to JBay, and easterly downwinds to Oyster Bay, in the open ocean. And best of all, riding waves at Huletts. And we are so lucky to have clean river and ocean water.
SA Marathon Champs in St Francis
St Francis, halfway between Cape Town and Durban, with excellent paddling options, is well suited to hosting national events. And so its no surprise that we have hosted SA National Marathon Champs three times over the last six years. Given the success of these events, we will surely host many more.
Other Eastern Cape Races
We are fortunate to be quite close to South Africa’s best river race, the Fish (Cradock) and the best surfski race, the Pete Marlin (East London) and many of our members have enjoyed these over the years. The start of the daunting four-day 240km PE2EL is also close by. We have many brave club members who have completed this ultra endurance event.
Our club is growing
We now have nearly 200 members … more than most city clubs! We have welcomed many enthusiastic new members over the past few years, some quite new to paddling.
We are different from some clubs, we have quite a few members who start paddling fairly late in life, often without a background of lifesaving or surfing. These paddlers so enjoy the safe canals and river.
Dave Louw has spent countless hours coaching Sea Vista teenagers, which he started doing in 2011.
My paddling passion!
Being the franchisee of Pam Golding Properties, I have enjoyed sponsoring many races over the last 19 years. Paddling has been a big part of my life since the early 90’s, with Billy Harker’s Cape Town surfski races, and Clifton and Hout Bay dices and Breede River Marathons. And since 2005 paddling here in St Francis. I’ve so enjoyed the camaraderie amongst paddlers.
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