The tournament is presented by Surfing South Africa and hosted by the West Coast Boardriders Club, who earned this right after winning the Western Cape Interclub championships a year ago, and the hosts plan to use a mobile format on both days so that the visiting teams get to sample the best that the West Coast can offer.

Josh “Dutchie” Louw, the enthusiastic and energetic chairman of the West Coast Boardriders Club, is stoked that his club will be playing host to the inaugural event.

Louw is fiercely proud of his club and his team riders and is determined to prove that they are they make West Coast Boardriders the best club in South Africa.

Due to WCB’s fine victory at the Strand and as the event will be held at one of their “ weskus stadiums” they have been allowed to enter two teams into the contest.

Eastern Cape Interclub champions CYOH Surf Club of Port Elizabeth are determined to show that their dominance in the Eastern Cape region can be matched at national level. The CYOH crew will be hoping to take the Team trophy back to Billabong territory on Sunday while the KZN Regional Interclub champions Warner Boyz Surf club have sent a small but strong team to make their mark in the Cape.

JBay Boardriders are the only surf club from the legendary Jeffrey’s Bay area who qualified to participate and they will be keen to fly the flag for this famous venue while Natural Energy Surf Club of the Strand, and the hosts of the Western Cape Interclub last year have entered a strong team of surfers who will be dedicating their participation to founder member Taryn Pratt who sadly passed away in December.

The University of Stellenbosch are known for producing some great rugby players but they also boast some pretty good surfers as well and as the only university club represented this weekend the Maties will be out to do their best.

Also in action are Sunset Surf Club, the oldest surf club in the country having formed in Port Elizabeth some 24 years ago. Sunset Surf Club will be bringing some of their founder members to the West Coast to compete and the team, who plan to drive to Cape Town and back, will be warmly welcomed at this years’ tournament.

In addition to the eight clubs that qualified to surf this weekend are two wildcards,who have been invited to compete by Surfing South Africa. These two clubs are the Llandudno Boardriders from Llandudno in the Western Cape and the Wave Wizards Surf Club from KZN. Top international surfer Jordy smith is a member of the Llandudno club but he will not be able to represent them this weekend as international rules prevent a world tour surfer from competing in no World Tour contests.

Wave Wizards have jumped at the chance of competing and have entered a team made up of six surfers who have all represented South Africa sometime in the last five years.

The Billabong SA Interclub Championships will use the Aloha Cup format which sees teams of four men and one woman competing against each in a 45 minute heat, where all the points scored by the surfers count towards the team score.

In addition each team has nominated a “power surfer” who is someone they regard as their best surfer and he or she will compete in individual heats against the other power surfers until there is a winner.

All Team managers are requested to meet at Van Riebeeck Strand in Melkbos at 7.30am for a briefing and to decide upon a venue. The aim is to get the contest underway at approximately 8.30am and team members should be ready for an early start each day.

A social function for all teams and friends will be held at Ou Skip Chalets from about 6pm on Saturday evening.

The names of team members, the heats and the format will be placed on the Surfing South Africa website www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za from 9am on Friday February 8^th.

Surfing South Africa is a member of the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA). SSA is the recognized governing body for all surf riding in South Africa and is recognized as such by the Department of Sport and Recreation SA.

Maties Surfing is all about promoting an active lifestyle to its members by providing ample opportunity to get in the water as well as social events that brings together water-sport enthusiasts from all walks of life.

Sign ups will happen on the 6th of February at the Maties Surfing stand at the  Neelsie Student Centre. You are welcome to pop-in on the day and complete the sign up form or alternatively you could download the sign up form and hand it in at the Cornerstone skate shop in the Neelsie Student Centre by Tuesday.

Anybody who has surfed or boogered at Caves knows what a totally amazing place it is- the waves, the caves, the beach, the water temperature (which is a blessing to us West Coast side folk) the sweet freshwater stream and the fact that you can go there and totally forget about work or tests and the classes you’re most likely supposed to be attending at that moment. Almost every surf you will get to see a pod of dolphins playing in the waves with you… even picked up an octopus in the backline once… one of the most beautiful beaches in SA by far!

Today was a sad day for the surfing and bodyboarding community.

As most of you will have heard by now, a talented bodyboarder was attacked by a shark while surfing at Koel Bay (caves) around lunchtime today (Thursday 19th April). I choose to leave his identity anonymous at this stage in respect of friends who may not have been informed of his passing. The incident was an extremely unfortunate event that is feared by all Ocean users but is an inevitable consequence that we face as users of the natural environment.

On behalf of the Maties Surf Club and Maties Surf Club Committee, our sincerest condolences go out toward the family of the victim and the friends who are going through a difficult time.

I urge all members to respect the sensitivity of this issue at this time, and refrain from posting media releases and propaganda on the Maties Surfing Facebook group as well as the Maties Surfing page. Dear friends of the victim are members of our club and inundation of exagerated claims are unecessary at a time like this.

In light of the current situation, buses will not be running on Tuesday 24th April or Thursday 26th April. The Surf Trip to Onrus will still be taking place over the long weekend (Thurs 26th – Tues 1st May) though. Trials will be run in Onrus so join if you’re keen for a shot at the team.

I hope to see many of you on the Onrus Trip! If you missed Stilbay, make an effort to join us on this trip…

Don’t forget about the surf club party happening on Friday evening (20th April). Memories will be made…

Peter Thorpe

Chairman
Maties Surfing

Guys and Gals checking the surf at Kak Gat

The usual mix-up with the busses delayed the departure time of the, supposedly, early bus, setting them back two and a half hours from their original two o’clock Stellenbosch exit plan. It didn’t matter too much however as the South Easter picked up on Friday afternoon rendering the points and beaches of the Southern Cape unsurfable by three pm.

Those on the early bus claimed one vital advantage however. With the biggest turn-out I’ve seen at a Stillbay weekend since my first trip in 2008, beds and even mattresses were in short supply at Casa Auditore. The situation was so extreme that grown men were forced into spooning three to a double bed, while another member dragged a mattress onto the landing between the ground and first floor in order to get some sleep.

The second bus only left Stellenbosch after six, which rendered any thoughts of a surf useless so they devised other ways of keeping themselves entertained. Most of these cannot be named for reasons of common decency, but I can tell you they went straight to Puffies on arrival in Stillbay, where they gate-crashed a twenty-first.

Now for those of you who have never been to Stillbay, Puffies is the only semi-decent pub in town and has the unwittingly ironic slogan: “Waar jy will wees” (Where you want to be).

The club members on the second bus were in high spirits as they walked in and took over the party in a matter of seconds, dominating the only two forms of entertainment not solely based on alcohol in the pub. They were shocking at both, the rather bizarrely located, Deer Hunter arcade style game and pool. Fortunately the other club members soon joined them took over the pool table before any significant damage could be done to the felt top.

The mayhem didn’t end there though; the vice chairman proceeded to get completely out of hand. After a few unmentionable social blunders, one of which was perpetrated on the club chairman, who was in no fit state to defend himself, the vice rounded off his night by illegally and permanently borrowing a concrete bird’s bath. He then set it up in the Auditore’s bathroom before wedging himself into a bed already at capacity.

Crowded much?

The next morning the wind had swung South West and the surf was looking good, so before the masses could make a move we headed off for a surf at Jongens. Alas after only half an hour, we were spotted from the Auditore’s balcony which overlooks the bay at Jongens and our uncrowded surf was over. Soon there were around thirty surfers in the water, paddling around in various states of consciousness, hoping to get a decent wave or five.

The stand-out of the morning session was undoubtedly Kurt Dreyer on his longboard. Kurt seemed to be a wave magnet, catching wave after wave and styling it through all the way to the inside on most. Also looking back to his best was Devon Ramages, who had taken a lengthy sabbatical from surfing in the last few months.

With the tide pushing it was time to move the surfing to Kak Gat for the afternoon session and the all-important trials. So while the competitive made their way there the ex-club members and those unwilling to take part in trials went looking for waves at the point. Though the surf was small and the neap-tide made for a few rocky moments the point didn’t disappoint. The highlight of the session though was when Andrew was startled by cries of “Seal” from the parking area. He took off on the next foamie and made his way to dry land in a rather undignified manner. It was a cheap trick, but too funny to resist.

Kurt Dreyer styling it up on Saturday morning

While this was going down, at Kak Gat the early rounds of the men’s trials were completed along with the ladies event. Winning the first trial for the Maties Ladies was, the host Lisa-Marie Auditore, she was followed in second by the departing Sarah Havard and in third by another holiday local, Julz Buchanan. Still in with a shout in the men’s event and making it through to the semi-finals were: James Lowe, Christopher Kenneth Fauré, Devon James Ramages, Roche Roach de Villiers, Michael Cowell, Kurt Dreyer, Peter Thorpe, Ruan Kruger, Arne Von Delft and Calvin Quirke.

Saturday night proved to be a slightly toned down version of the previous evening with the Stormers, Sharks Super Rugby game providing the impetus for the beers to flow. This coupled with a full day in the sun meant that on Sunday morning the crew was slow to rise, giving those of us who stayed elsewhere a chance to surf Jongens on our own again, this time for over an hour.

The Jongens session was a short one for most, as the men’s trials still had to be finished. So the guys trooped off to Kat Gat again, while those already knocked out or not taking part made their way to the point, where the swell was jacking in perfect timing with the pushing tide.  Soon the two to three foot sets became four to five and with the South Wester sculpting the faces an epic session ensued.

Devon Ramages taking to the air

Back at Kat Gat, the pushing swell played havoc with the rip adding an extra dimension to the proving ground of the men’s final. But, as the last two USSA surfing events have been held in sizey conditions at Victoria Bay the rip wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Eventually though Kurt Dreyer prevailed, taking the top spot in the first of what will hopefully be four trials to determine the 2012 Maties Surf Team.

The final results of the trials were as follows:

Men’s:

1. Kurt Dreyer

2. Peter Thorpe

3. James Lowe

4. Arne Von Delft

5. Chris Fauré

Ladies’:

1. Lisa-Marie Auditore

2. Sarah Havard

3. Julz Buchanan

The next trial date will be announced soon so stay tuned to the club Facebook page. If you’re keen to join in the fun at USSA 2012 in Vic Bay, you’ve got three opportunities left to make the final teams of eight men and four ladies, so get involved.

James Lowe, off a Jongens lip

Finally, I’d like to thank Lisa-Marie Auditore and her family on behalf of everyone who made the trip for bravely letting the club take over their amazing house. Then the bus drivers also deserve a courtesy mention, despite the complaints of erratic driving, everyone made it there and back in one piece, thanks guys, without you we’d all be sitting in the Neelsie parking area dreaming of surf.

1st round of trials will be held there so if you’re keen to try out for the team, make an effort to be there…

http://www.facebook.com/events/281707771899029/

Keep the Stoke

Classic tag-team contest set-up. Photo from surfersvillage.com

The contest is being organised by the Boland Surfing Association and will run in a tag-team format. Which translates to a heady mix and to win out surfers will need the pace of a Jamaican sprint relay team, the aggression of a hic WWE wrestling outfit, the arrogance of any Australian sports person (Points are only awarded for the waves you claim) and the surfing prowess of, well themselves…

How the tag-team event works is as follows:

Each team is made up of five surfers, with at least one being of the fairer sex. The team has 45 minutes for each team member to catch and claim two waves, which basically leaves each surfer with nine minutes to do their thing.

In addition to the tag-team event each team will also nominate two team members to surf in an individual competition.

At the end of the second day the contest director will tally up the points from the Tag-Team and Individual competitions and the top two teams and two wildcard teams (chosen by Surfing South Africa) will qualify for the National Interclub Clash in the fourth term.

The Surfing South Africa will award the hosting rights for the National Interclub Clash to the region that attracts the most clubs to its event.

If you think you’re up to surfing in the event get hold of Peter Thorpe @ surf@sun.ac.za or on the book of faces via the Surf Club page. Alternatively for supporters make sure you get down to Strand on the morning of the 18^th. We’re hoping to enter 3 teams so please come show your support.

For those of you who can’t make it, we’ll be keeping all cybersurfers posted on Twitter @ MatiesSurfing.

If you’re a club affiliated to Boland or Western Province Surfing and you’d like to enter your own team please feel free to contact Rodney Bester on 021 400 3435 or Rodney.Bester@capetown.gov.za

You might be hanging on Wednesday, but if you miss the sign-up you’ll be feeling it all year

The membership fees vary depending on whether to not you’d like surf lessons from Son Surf, and the cheaper option is going to set you back less than it did to register your car for parking on campus this year. For that you’ll get lifts to the beach, two surf trips, parties, a free t-shirt (guaranteed to attract the opposite sex) and the opportunity to surf a whole host of competitions.

You’ll look an ass if you miss out…

Get involved from the start and pull in to the Neelsie between 8:30 and 16:30 on Wednesday the 8^th of February.

Tell your friends it’s going to be epic…