Here’s St. Ives Surf School’s salute to the new year which I’d like to share with the members and supporters of saints boardriders. Harris and his coaching team are a mainstay of our club and we thank them wholeheartedly and wish them a fabulous 2020!
And those good wishes go out to all our members, supporters and friends too. Happy New Year!
A pleasant Christmas Day morning greeted our 2019 cohort of celebration surfers and supporters. It was a well-attended affair, though my pictures may not do it justice as the attendance was spread between the clubhouse, the surf school and the waters’ edge, and I caught only those in or down by the water with my camera. However, with my apologies made – and hopefully accepted – here are those attendees that I saw:
The waves offered plenty of opportunities for all abilities, and there are a few examples below of what we saw on the day. saints boardriders wishes all our members and supporters a healthy and prosperous 2020. Cheers!
Friday, October half term and the wettest day since Noah launched the ark was the date of this year’s Surfers Ball. The venue Main Ballroom, Tregenna Castle. We came together to celebrate a milestone year in the history of saints boardriders and to hopefully raise some funds toward cementing the legacy of our new clubhouse. The banner picture gathers together many of the St. Ives Surf School instructors who teach our juniors on those summer Saturdays when Kids Club is in full swing. Our gratitude for the work of Harris and his team is enormous and it was great to share the evening with this well-scrubbed crew.
The entertainment began in the lobby on arrival where guests were met with a medley of jazz classics from the piano of Tom Quirke. There was also an early chance to pose for a red carpet photo or two, courtesy of Andre Otto, before processing into the ballroom where there was a casino and a novelty photo booth to tickle your fancy.
After the welcoming speech from our chairman we enjoyed a splendid meal and then had the chance to bid for those tempting auction lots which had been generously donated by supporters of our project.
Then it was access all areas as Small Wonder took to the stage to give us a set of dancefloor fillers while the casino and the photo booth offered their attractions for those seeking less energetic thrills. DJ Chewy was on hand to keep the music bouncing when Small Wonder had completed their brilliant set and so the evening came to a contented sigh sometime in the wee small hours.
We are indebted to Tregenna Castle for once again hosting a fabulous event for us. Thanks also to Small Wonder, Tom Quirke, DJ Chewy, Andre Otto, auctioneer Paul Le Bas, the photo booth crew and our magnificent casino ladies for bringing the entertainment on the night. Thanks to those donors whose gifts brought us welcome funds through the auction, and finally our thanks to all the guests who shared the evening with us.
There is a selection of pictures from the evening below, and many many more can be seen here: https://www.photolounge.co.uk/Saints-ball-re-edit/n-jLpBBf/i-xttWmFw.
We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
We came together for the final kids Club of the season last Saturday to celebrate another successful campaign, gauge our progress and give the Dolphins a chance to show off their competitive streak and give just one girl and one boy the chance to claim the title ‘Champion 2019″. The younger groups took to the water for a last coaching session of the summer, impressing us with their confident skills, and maybe hoping to catch the coach’s eye and claim an award too.
Meanwhile, further along the beach, the girls competition was underway, studied from the balcony of the clubhouse by our judging panel led by Minnow Green of Surfing Great Britain. The first semi final was distinguished by Senara’s bomb of a ride from a heavy take off out back right in to the beach where her big smile told us she was rightly pleased with herself!
The girls finalists grace our banner picture and they put on a great show. It was a close affair throughout and the last few minutes were a mad scramble to get that one outstanding wave that could put the event beyond doubt.
Next up, the boys final found the conditions somewhat messier as the tide dropped out and required a quick reassessment of tactics to find the best scoring waves.
Ollie stuck to the timeworn strategy of looking for the bombs from out back to nail the heat. Tim and Caz varied their attacks between the big green stuff and the inside reformed waves. Teddy had a quick look out back and decided to come inside and let his quick surfing and nimble turns do his talking.
At the final hooter we all repaired to the clubhouse to learn who had won the trophies for 2019. Surfer of the Summer, Most Improved and Most Committed were the categories for the younger groups and our chairman, Steve had the privilege of awarding them to the surfers selected by their coaches.
Minnow then took the floor to enthuse members with his report of the recent ISA World Surfing games in Japan, which will also host the inaugural Olympic surfing competition.
He then had the honour of asking the girls finalists to come back to the centre stage to receive their trophies. Last up, and thus our champion for 2019 was Eleanor! All three judges had her just a half point better than Senara in the final. Then the nervous wait was over for the boys and they could learn their result. Teddy was last to be called this time, earning a just reward for a summer spent doing little else but catching waves. Well done to all our competitors! It was a pleasure to witness the skill, endeavour and sportsmanship on display out there.
Our thanks are due to Minnow, Neil, Jack and Eve for judging the event, and to Porthmeor Beach for feeding the competitors on the day. More generally, we are indebted as always to St. Ives Surf School whose coaches lead our sessions every Saturday, to Porthmeor Beach lifeguards for their unstinting support and to Porthmeor Beach management for the nourishment and welcome we find there every time. Parents and helpers are also an invaluable resource to the club and praise is due to them too!
And I end with the welcome news that the 2019 Surfers Ball is just around the corner on 25th October. Tickets are on sale now at the clubhouse or at Tregenna Castle, price £30. Small Wonder headline this year’s entertainment, along with DJ Chewy, Tom Quirke’s jazz in the lobby, roulette and blackjack in the casino, those red carpet photos and a photo booth, the big ticket auction and, of course, a sumptuous meal into the bargain. Let’s get dressed up and come out to play!
Once again we were welcomed to a sweet September morning, as captioned to our blog last week! Seventy plus kids turned up to enjoy the fruits of this late-season swell. Today’s banner picture shows the Dolphins group and some of our coaches about to hit the water for their session – I hope you weren’t led to the site expecting to see their cetacean cousins as they don’t appear this week! There are dolphins and some surfers belonging to other fishy-named groups in our gallery below.
So we move into the final month of the Kids Club season and September brings a very surfable wave on a blustery Saturday morning. As so often this summer, conditions were favourable for our most advanced surfers, the Dolphins, and there were twenty of them checked in for the ride! Conversely, the second session saw the tide filling in rapidly and the Nemos found themselves bodyboarding in deepening water instead of the Swelly rides they might have expected. Nevertheless, a good time was had by all as evidenced below. Our banner picture today has instructor Burger resolving his choice of craft mid-ride after initial indecision. Or something like that!
It’s the last day of August, the last Kids Club before the school year begins and there is a distinct chill in the early morning air. An Autumn swell is rolling in to Porthmeor offering some chest-high waves out back as well as the long runners that we find inside on the falling tide. Both the Nemos and the Dorys are given a brisk warm-up to get the muscles ready and the minds psyched before launching. Out on the green waves, the Dolphins, reduced in number by the absence of those members contesting the Rip Curl Gromsearch in Newquay, are battling heavy paddle-outs to earn the right to ride those bigger waves back in. It’s a challenge, and it’s fun!
Well, we are suddenly blessed with some swell, and while it brings a few problems of rips and washes for the most junior surfers on the inside, the guys out back are having their fill of some meaty waves. Here’s a flavour of the morning:
The first weekend of the school summer holiday! We can’t remember if it’s ever rained here, we have a welcoming wave at Porthmeor, all is truly sitting right in this world. There was another good turnout of eager surfers, some of whom can be seen doing their thing below. And here’s hoping that summer vibe goes on and on and…
Coach John posted an advisory on our Facebook page on Friday evening that conditions for Saturday club could be tricky with a forecast of strong onshore winds bringing choppy steep waves. Some of our youngest novices heeded the advice and gave the session a miss, but we still had over 70 kids tackling the waves on the day. The Dolphins, in particular, had a good workout and are well featured in our gallery of the day. There’s also a bonus picture showing St. Ives surfer Joe Greenaway’s new mural for Foxholes At West, just completed for the weekend. Enjoy!
