A bearable boardriders beginning
Like bears from hibernation the Bondi local surfers emerged from their caves to begin the new 2009 season of Bondi Boardriders. Enriched by last summer’s radioactive rays, though tortured by the sunny season’s flat spells and crowds, the surfers assembled into the latest league of extraordinary boardriders ready to attack the crisp lines of chilly swell pumping into the bay.
As the cadets (under-15s) hit the water, the rest of us huddled round in thick jackets and beanies, ridiculous for early April, and wondered why the barbeque had not been fired up for breakfast. Like monkeys who never before questioned where the bananas came from, the empty barbeque seemed like sacrilege, yet few of us had any idea how the problem could be remedied. The local butcher on Hall St no longer exists, replaced by Ravesi’s bar – the local surfers would have to do without bacon and egg breakfast rolls.
Nathan Feller had obviously snuck in a few bananas because the past champion could have won the whole juniors division (under-19s) on the first two waves he caught.
Soon a DJ arrived to turn the crowd into the jubilant fun-loving party scene that boardriders normally takes on. Open’s favourite Ian “Wal” Wallace, with typical nonchalance sauntered down the hill to the beat of the music, five minutes late for his heat, and paddled out with less than 10 minutes to catch the two excellent rides he would need to win and proceeded to win heats until the long-awaited opens final.
The final was held in 3ft, reasonably clean, good surf. Out the back Wal was the favourite for the heat, slicing through the waves’ lips with his clean backhand attack. But in the biggest upset of the day, the real-estate agent, in true professional fashion stole another competitor’s wave: dropped in on him and was awarded an interference by the judges, effectively forfeiting the heat.
While five of the six-man final toiled on top of each other out the back, Tracks Magazine editor Luke “Bubba” Kennedy snuck in one after the other on the inside and impressed the judges with powerful hacks and slashes through the punchy shorie pocket, a performance others couldn’t stand up to.
Child prodigy Pama Davies took it out for the cadets, Nathan Feller in the juniors and Luke Kennedy topped the opens.
– By Tom Edwards
