PROMINENT Boat Harbour surfer Hayden Pisani is the Port Stephens District Bodyboarder of the Year for 2023.

The local hero capped a successful campaign on the regional bodyboarding circuit by claiming the Open Division Champion trophy at the Port Stephens District Bodyboarders (PSBC) end-of-year presentation at Shoal Bay Country Club.

It was a deserved honour for twenty-year-old Hayden who demonstrated his natural ability by clinching the prestigious Overall Triple Crown award.

A highlight for young Pisani was his impressive victory at the Baron Biner Memorial event on the Central Coast – the first leg of the Triple Crown – and third placing at the Jeff Wilcox Memorial at Forster.

Other major award recipients were Cooper Chippendale as Most Improved Bodyboarder and Scott Kitchen as Club Person of Year.

The talented Kitchen from Boat Harbour underlined his skill and surf craft by being crowned Overall Triple Crown champion in the Grand Masters Division (Over 45s) division.

Super competitor Scott took out the Goose Gosby Memorial event at Port Macquarie and was Port Stephens champion in both the Drop Knee and Grand Masters categories.

Anna Bay’s outstanding junior Kai Atkinson performed strongly to finish overall champion in the Cadets (Under 16) and Under 18 Junior divisions.

PSBC president Chad Pisani told News Of The Area that the club’s emerging talent were “making an impact in the surf”.

“The future looks bright for Port Stephens bodyboarders with our younger members pushing their more experienced clubmates at major events,” Chad stated.

“We left our mark on the circuit with Hayden and Scott both claiming Overall Triple Crown trophies which is a huge boost for the region,” he added.

PSBC Trophy recipients included:

OPENS DIVISION – Champion: Hayden Pisani; Runner up: Nathan Price; Kane Brewer (third) and Hamish Jenkins (fourth).

DROP KNEE DIVISION – Champion: Scott Kitchen; Runner up: Nathan Price; Adam McHugh (third) and Luke McGeachie (fourth).

MASTERS DIVISION (Over 35s) – Champion: Chad Pisani; Runner up: Adam McHugh; Luke McGeachie (third); Wade Boeree and Trevor Weldon (equal fourth).

GRAND MASTERS DIVISION (Over 45s) – Champion: Scott Kitchen; Runner up: Chad Pisani; Richard Chippendale (third) and Darrell Apps (fourth).

JUNIORS DIVISION (Under 18s) – Champion: Kai Atkinson; Runner up: Cooper Chippendale; Christian Sheehy (third) and Tom Marshall (fourth).

CADETS DIVISION (Under 16s) – Champion: Kai Atkinson; Runner up: Cooper Chippendale; Tom Marshall (third) and Darcy Stankouski (fourth).

GROMMETS DIVISION (Under 14s) – Champion: Murphy Guascoine; Runner up: Gilligan Guascoine; Jaxon Cruickshank (third) and Nate Chippendale (fourth).

By Chris KARAS