Gisborne Boardriders – Words by Kelly Ryan
Great weekend away in Whangamata for Gisborne. We took 11 surfers from Gisborne and managed to get 3 surfers into the finals. The waves turned up and ranged from good to excellent from Friday through to Sunday with Sunday being the smallest and most difficult in the early afternoon when a sea breeze popped up then disappeared again for perfectly offshore finals.
Saffi Vette was easily our top performer in the event, taking a huge lead in the final and winning the Under 17 Girls division convincingly. Vette left all fellow finalists requiring a combination of scores to catch her. This was a far cry from her near elimination in the semifinals and credit must go to Vette for her ability, tenacity and competitive nature. It was Kai Wolf who unfortunately handed Vette her finals spot being hit with an interference call late in the semifinal heat. Saffi posted an 8 and a 9 point ride in the final.
Young Ava Smith was another of our finalists, surfing for her first time in a National rated competition. Smith looks set to follow in the footsteps of both her older sisters as she went about casually scalping Under 14 Girl surfers from all over New Zealand on her way to a fourth place finish in that division.
Finn Vette was our third finalist and finished 3rd overall in the Under 14 Boys event.
Vette showed flashes of absolute brilliance in the early rounds of competition but had to settle for 3rd in the final. Judging by his performance and competitive spirit it will be just a matter of time before he takes a win in one of these events.
As this is a Series of events a finals placing is perfect for these surfers, if they can maintain consistency a series win will be on the cards.
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