Pittwater Life September 2023 Issue

Avalon’s Festival of Froth
News
The indigenous Saltwater People
of the Northern Beaches have a
creation story of a Garigal man
who spotted a young dolphin in distress,
according to Jeremy Winer.
Winer is president of the Northern
Beaches Bodysurfing Association (NBBS)
so naturally likes to imagine the heroic
rescuer was a bodysurfer.
So the story goes, the Garigal man
found himself in trouble on the way to
shore – and was guided into the beach by
a grateful pod of helpful dolphins.
Winer tells the story to demonstrate
Avalon Beach’s historic association
with bodysurfing, long before the first
recorded champions in the 1940s such as
Max Watt and Doug Crane; or John Little,
Jeff Spence and Alan Cox in the 1950s.
This month Avalon Beach will host the
peninsula’s first Festival of Froth (September
9/10), a competition that could result
in up to eight men and women qualifying
for the world championships in 2024,
which are slated to be held at Point Panic
in Hawaii – “a legendary surfing wave that
is exclusive to bodysurfers”.
The FOF event will be held simultaneously
with Avalon’s annual 24-hour
indoor rowing fund-raising challenge for
mental health charity, Gotcha4Life.
“The Festival of Froth will also be raising
money for Gotcha4Life,” says Winer
(who at 62 will be entering the Tribal
Elders age division to compete against
others of his generation).
“We want to raise awareness for mental
wellness,” he continues. “Bodysurfing is
good for mental wellness.
“There’s always a smile on the faces
of bodysurfers as they emerge from
the water. It doesn’t matter how many
waves you get, or don’t get. The spirit of
being in the water, and the challenge, is
exceedingly good for mental wellbeing,
whatever age you are.
“It’s like aquatic yoga.”
There is a group of bodysurfing elders
who meet at Avalon most mornings who
‘AQUATIC YOGA’:
Richie Evans rides a
bodysurfing high.
call themselves “the Muppets”. And a
younger group of watermen who grew
up in Avalon, “the Cobras”. Both will
have entrants in the inaugural Festival of
Froth event.
The association’s founder Marvin
Smith is also a talented photographer.
His classic image of Richie Evans,
taken at Curl Curl, with two fingers,
Churchill-style, emerging from the surf
is emblematic of the sport.
“Richie has gained celebrity status
because he’s good in all sizes of waves,”
Winer explains. “He can ride treacherous
point breaks, and has done around the
world.”
Winer took up bodysurfing as a teenager,
but only readopted it as his go-to
sport in 2020, during COVID.
The Frenchs Forest resident then discovered
via Instagram that there were lots
of similarly aged bodysurfers – men and
women – who enjoyed meeting up on the
Northern Beaches for a group session on
whatever beach had the best conditions.
“I just love getting into the surf for
exercise and the adrenalin rush,” Winer
says. “Quite a few tribal elders of my age
find it difficult to stand up on a surfboard
anymore. But we can still have fun
in the surf.”
He’s competed a couple of times at
Coolum Wedge, in Queensland, until now
the only bodysurfing event in Australia
approved by the International Body Surfing
Association (IBSA).
“The IBSA is seeking to establish a
world circuit, involving France, the United
States, South America and Australia,”
Winer says.
“Over two days we’ll have some of
the best bodysurfers from the Northern
Beaches and other parts of Australia
competing at Avalon Beach. There are
two events, the IBSA qualifying and the
less competitive and great spirited age
divisions of the NBBS competition.
“Bodysurfing requires skill to ride the
critical open face of the wave. Unlike
surfers you don’t have anything to ride
on. You have to use different parts of
your body to negotiate the speed and
leverage of the wave.
“The only equipment allowed in the
IBSA is a pair of fins, and a handplane in
the NBBS event.” – Steve Meacham
*See festivaloffroth.org and gotcha4life.org
PHOTO: Marvin Smith
16 SEPTEMBER 2023
The Local Voice Since 1991