THE Coffs Harbour Boardriders Club is one of the most successful sporting clubs in the region.

They now once again take their place amongst the best boardriding clubs in Australia when they compete in the upcoming nudie Australian Boardriders Battle Series National Final at Newcastle Main Beach in May.

The Coffs Boardriders Club earnt their place in the National Final by qualifying at the State qualifying event at their home break in Coffs Harbour in November.

The nudie Australian Boardriders Battle Series is the country’s biggest grassroots boardriders event, involving more than 60 of Australia’s best boardrider clubs and $112,700 in prize money.

The Coffs Harbour Boardriders Club also qualified for last year’s National Final, and finished seventh in 2019.

The Coffs Harbour club was recognised nationally with the prestigious honour of being named Boardriders club of the year for 2016, also winning the award in 2018.

They have also been previously recognised as the best sporting club on the North Coast.

Coffs Harbour Boardriders Club president Lee Winkler told News Of The Area his club was well prepared to continue on with their recent success at the National Final.

“It’s the strongest we have been in awhile and we’ve been doing really well in recent competitions,” he said.

Winkler identified a change in competition structure which may help the Coffs club in Newcastle.

“In a previous national final we won the tag team event, and now we would have won the final as the scoring is now based on tag team,” he said.

“We also finished 7th in the tag team at the last national final,” he said.

While surfing may be an individual sport, there was something special about performing as a team according to Winkler.

“It absolutely feels unreal and competing as an individual is great, but it’s not the same as with a team,” he said.

“You feel like a unit and you support the younger kids and give them a pat on the back.

“You also discuss what we did as a team and everyone supports everyone in the team and cheers them on when it’s their heat.”

The Coffs Harbour Boardriders Club held it’s sign-on day last weekend, with the chance to still sign up as a member available on the club’s website.

The nudie Australian Boardriders Battle Series National Final will be held on the weekend of 15-16 May.

 

By Aiden BURGESS