Wainui edged fellow Gisborne surf lifesaving club Midway on points in the Eastern Region junior championships in Ōhope at the weekend as both recorded strong results against the bigger Bay of Plenty teams.
BoP clubs dominated the overall results, with Omanu finishing top at 345 points, ahead of Papamoa at 267 and Mount Maunganui at 148.
Riversun Wainui’s nine-strong team were fifth on 86 and Dawson Building Midway, who had 20 competing, were sixth on 80.
Brooke Williams was the star of the Wainui show. She won all five of their gold medals, to go with the club’s three silvers and five bronze.
Midway also won five golds, along with five silver and three bronze.
Both clubs added to their points tallies with fourth, fifth and sixth placings.
Kaiaponi Farms Waikanae were 10th overall on 20.
Competing in the Under-12 girls’ age group, Williams won the surf race, run-swim-run, board race, beach sprint and diamond race.
Sam Matthews was Midway’s standout with wins in the U14 boys’ run-swim-run and board, second in the surf race and third in the diamond.
Midway’s Blake Taylor won the U13 boys’ diamond race and was second in the run-swim-run and board.
The Midway crew of Matthews, Taylor and Tyson Ingoe won the U14 board relay.
Noah Atkins, of Midway, won the U11 boys’ run-swim-run.
Wainui were runners-up in the U14 girls’ board relay and mixed beach relay.
Other second placings went to Midway’s Zoe Gardner in the U11 girls’ board, Wainui’s Eli MacArthur in the U11 board and Waikanae’s Jacob Swann in the U13 boys’ beach flag.
“We had an amazing weekend,” Wainui head coach Dion Williams said. “A ton of medals and big smiles on their faces, and it was a great feeling as a coach.”
Williams said it was “hard to mention standouts” but daughter Brooke was “one for sure” and twin sister Lyvie (U12s) was “right there on her shoulder” and showed great surf skills in medalling in the diamond race.
“Indy Williams (the twins’ cousin) was another star among stars with multiple medals and great performances.
“The two Hudson girls – Natalie (U13) and Hannah (U11) – pushed hard for placings in the board races and swims and are a testament to working hard at training.
“Zoe Keepa (U13) medalled in the swimming races and has awesome body surf skills.
“Eli MacArthur (U11) gets better and better every race.
“Xavier Booker (U12s) was a machine and close to medalling in every event. Winning the bling eluded him this weekend but it’s coming soon.
“Sanya Lawler is making big improvements in confidence and surf skills and learned so much coming away to a bigger competition.
“But the thing I love most is every kid made numerous new friends from around our big region’s clubs and bonded really well with our local club crews.
“We have a great vibe in the Gizzy clubs and it makes the carnivals so much fun.”
Midway junior coach Sophie Petro said Ōhope turned on a perfect weekend and she praised their crew for showing “exceptional talent”.
“There are some awesome families coming through the club; the future is exciting.”
Matthews and Taylor shone for the club, she said, while Gardner and Atkins were among the younger ones to deliver “awesome performances” in their first major competition.
“It was cool to see them all laughing and having fun with their friends from other clubs.
“I am really proud of everyone who raced. The crew is all amped for Oceans (national U14s champs) in a few weeks' time.”
Waikanae had a small but competitive team.
Junior coach Edan Wilson said racing for the first time in the U11 arena, Emmie Fitzharris Stevens and Tylar Dear showed their strength in the ocean with impressive fourth and fifth placings respectively in the run-swim-run.
“Emmie also made her first diamond final ... really impressive in decent swell conditions.
“In the beach arena, Jacob Swann tore up the sand in a close U13 boys’ beach flags battle, winning silver after a tense rerun.
“U14 girls Tessa Webb, Pippa Holden, Jade Hopper and Aurelia Ryan put on great performances across all ocean events.
“Jade Hopper swam a great surf race final – earning herself a top 10 spot – and all girls
paddled so well all weekend, making finals and surprising themselves amongst some hot competition.
“Clancy Ryan raced with skill and integrity in a tough U14 boys age group, making finals for all ocean races and coming away with multiple top-10 finishes.
“Overall the team have come away with some great results, 10th place overall against some much bigger clubs and some invaluable race experience leading up to the Oceans.”
