Our traditional Christmas Day morning bash is increasingly well supported with each passing year. In their eagerness to get into the chest-high waves, many of the participants dropped down the steps at Porthmeor West, missing the gathering at St. Ives Surf School, which is where my camera caught those members and supporters in the pictures below. The banner picture shows Katy and Bruce in full festive regalia bringing that seasonal spirit to the beach. Saints Boardriders wishes all our members and the wider community a Happy New Year and we look forward to seeing you on Porthmeor Beach in 2023.
We held the postponed end-of-season finale last Saturday in pumping waves under a clear blue sky. We could not ask for better conditions, and a large turn-out was guaranteed to witness the competition to be club champion 2022, the post-season presentations and enjoy the promised ” sausage sizzle” afterwards.
There were regular group sessions for the juniors to enjoy, offering a last chance to impress the coaches and maybe claim ‘surfer of the summer’ in the group.
Over in the competition area some keenly fought heats saw a final four boys emerge to contest their final, after five girls had contested their own final.
Boys finalistsGirls finalistsThe judges hawk-like intensity!
And then it was up to the clubhouse to learn who the winners would be, and to honour all our young chargers for their efforts this summer. A packed room cheered the awards as our groups acknowledged winners in three categories: surfer of the summer, most committed surfer and most improved surfer. There were medals for all juniors to commemorate the season, and then the contest surfers received their medals in reverse order, leaving Leila and Teddy as our champions for 2022.
The Trophy TableChampions
And then it was back out onto the putting green for a “sausage sizzle” in the late-summer sunshine. What a day!
Well that was a most satisfactory way to complete our season. Nature’s elements combined to offer us a perfect day to say farewell to summer 2022.
Many thanks to Tesco St. Ives for their generous support to the BBQ. Thanks to St. Ives Brewery ( again!) for their support on every event day. Thanks also to the contest judges and thank you to the club committee for a fine day, and a fine season. Our gratitude to Porthmeor Beach management and to Porthmeor Beach RNLI lifeguards for their support and encouragement over the season. St. Ives Surf School is the rock on which our Kids Club is built and we owe Harris and his crew a debt we can never hope to repay for their unstinting efforts. And, finally, a word of praise for those Dolphin surfers who gave their Saturday mornings to helping the younger groups into waves: Kaz, Ollie, Marley, Kaitlyn and Bridget are names that readily spring to mind!
To all children and parents who participated over the summer – We have relished your company. ” Thank you ” and we look forward to seeing you all again in 2023!
The RNLI are holding a seminar on 22nd October in the clubhouse to demonstrate some of the skills and techniques which will help keep our members safe in the water this winter once lifeguard cover at Porthmeor ends after October half term. Recommended!
Well, our luck continues to hold and a large turnout of surfers enjoyed fabulous conditions for our first September session of this season. Under warm blue skies we had a fine morning polishing our surfing ready for the end of season bash. There were a couple of absentees as Ollie Tarplee and Caz Phillips went off to Newquay to compete in the BLU longboard event, and it’s pleasing to report that they both made their respective finals, Caz placing third in the Under-18 Boys and Ollie coming fourth in the Under-16 Cadets. Well done guys – we’re proud to have you representing the club! Our banner picture shows Ollie in action at Fistral Beach.
Some pictures below from the club session at Porthmeor:
As we bid farewell to the month, we can reflect on the generous supply of waves Porthmeor has given us in August. Our final session of the school holidays was again blessed with plenty, and our young chargers had a fun hour lapping them up! Here are a few pictures of the action:
Proper surf and wave sizes to suit all abilities last Saturday. The Nemos and Dorys were in particularly good form and keen to impress. Out back the Dolphins were smashing out turns and linking manoeuvres while our mid-range groups were finding their own manageable waves, green or white, and getting great enjoyment from meeting the challenges they set themselves. Here is a gallery of my pictures from the session:
And there is a bonus section of pictures this week with this selection by Natalia focussing largely on our intermediate age groups. Enjoy!
Boy it was a hot one! A fierce August sun blazed in a blue blue sky on Sunday afternoon as the club set out it’s stall on the putting green for our first BBQ get-together. Aided by the generous support of St. Ives Co-op, St. Ives Brewery and St. Austell Brewery ( Don’t you just want to be in that number when the saints go marching in! ), and a tray full of sumptuous home-baked cakes from Diane Smith, we welcomed members and public to share our space and the hospitality of the clubhouse. We could delight in the culinary skills of several of our eager committee members who brought their kitchen aprons to the feast and twizzled and sizzled with relish. Parents and children, omnivores and vegetarians were well-fed and watered with the fine food and drink provided. The event was very well supported and earned praise from many as a local initiative, and an opportunity for the curious non-surfers to inspect the clubhouse that the surfers enjoy. It was a rewarding afternoon engaging with fellow members and earning funds for the club from the donations given. Can we do it again before the season is over? Many say we should!
Again we offer thanks to St. Ives Co-op for their gift of the bulk of the food. Both St. Ives Brewery and St. Austell Brewery were generous in their support, and Diane’s cakes and treats were an additional wow factor to the day. Thanks too to Porthmeor Beach for the use of the putting green, and to our committee members for hustling up the BBQ and kit required to make the day such a success. There are a few pics capturing a brief spell from the day below. Thanks to David Newton for those.
Here’s a date for the diary! We are holding a BBQ at the clubhouse for all members and their families on Sunday 14th of August from 3.00pm, courtesy of the generous support of the St. Ives Co-op. Come and spend a couple of hours at the club with your fellow members and shoot the breeze on surfing, club matters, St. Ives life and anything else that takes your fancy. If you prefer your sausage meat-free we’ve got vegetarian options! There will be drinks too! A small donation towards the cost of food and drinks would be appreciated, but our main aim is simply to share an afternoon with club members and get to know each other better. We look forward to seeing you there, Saints Boardriders committee.
Another 8.30 start on Saturday and the gentlest of waves to welcome us to Porthmeor. I’d characterise conditions as ‘low and slow’ and eminently suited to our youngest surfers. There was ample time to get into a wave and time enough to polish a stance once riding. As the tide shifted out our older groups found their wave size increasing, so all-in-all a very satisfactory day I’d say!
With the school books tucked away in the cupboard for the summer our young chargers came together on Saturday morning for an 8.30 start to their continuing surf education. The waves were ideal for the early learners and we had a fruitful hour putting them through their paces.
It was also the final day of competition in the Eurosurf Juniors event in Santa Cruz, Portugal and we at Saints Boardriders congratulate Team England on an outstanding week. Of the six divisions contested, England produced three champions and one second-placed surfer – by far our greatest success on the junior international stage! Alys Barton, Girls Under-18 gold! Lucas Skinner, Boys Under-16 gold! Arthur Randall, Boys Under-18 Longboard gold! Lola Bleakley, Girls Under-18 Longboard silver! Exceptional performances by these young English surfers to inspire all our youngsters.
A few pictures of our own more modest morning’s work below with coaches John and Eve keeping an eye on things:
