FAKE dOPE REAl TROublE - New Zealand Police Association

SportBoard gamesin GisborneThe worst conditions tested the bestsurfers at this year’s New ZealandPolice Association Police SurfingChampionships held at Gisborne.Geoff PardoeCompetitor Carl Neustroskisaid that over the four daysof this year’s Police SurfingChampionships, March 18-21, conditions ranged fromnear perfect to almost unsurfableas 70 surfers in eightdivisions took to the water.Day one was all blue skies,crystal-clear water and lightoffshore winds. Day two had“perfect, waist to over-headsize waves, with even largerset waves toward the end ofthe day”. On day three, thecompetitors headed up theEast Cape to Anaura Bay toescape the southerly winds.“Local knowledge fromone of the competing tangatawhenua put us at one ofCaptain Cook’s landingspots with sheltered, rideablewaves,” Carl said.It was also a chance tosoak up some East Coastflavour. “There’s nothing likea hangi pie and a flat whitein Tolaga Bay before goingfor a surf at a rarely surfed,remote break,” he added. Thefinal day was a mixed bag ofa fresh southerly swell anda leftover southerly breeze“putting a real wobble on thewave faces”. But, Carl said, “atleast there were waves, so wecould crown our champions,who showed their talents infar-from-perfect conditions”.The organisers weregrateful to their sponsors,particularly the PoliceAssociation and the PoliceCouncil of Sport, and tothe Blitz Surf Shop andThe Boardroom, whichsupplied two new boards asspot prizes. Ayson Williamsprovided the wave camand the Late-Night MeatSandwich band, made up ofPolice personnel, entertainedthe competitors, officials andgeneral hangers-on at thefinal-night shindig.Next year’s event, whichmarks the 10th anniversaryof the competition, will beheld in Taranaki.ResultsSam JohnsonKris EdgingtonPhotos: AYSON WILLIAMSOpen Men1st Sam Johnson2nd Campbell McEvedy3rd Geoff PardoeOpen Women1st Hayley McKevitOver 50s1st Greg Crouch2nd Lloyd Buckley3rd Larry MaloneOver 40s1st Kris EdgingtonNovice1st Nathan Whitley2nd Greg Hall3rd Dean BurgerOnya Guts1st Nathan Whitley2nd Gina Samson3rd Tina SmallmanLongboard1st Geoff Pardoe2nd Sam Johnson3rd Scott Pitkethley2nd Scott Pitkethley3rd Bill DawsonStand-up paddleboard1st Aaron Fraser2nd Carl Southwick3rd Logan Nicholas2nd Steve Sutherland3rd Lincoln Sycamorenew zealand police aSSOCIATION june 2013 137