Briana Irving, in action for New Zealand at the world lifesaving champs on the Gold Coast last year, will be wearing the Waikanae cap at the Eastern Regional Championships at Mt Maunganui this weekend.
Briana Irving, in action for New Zealand at the world lifesaving champs on the Gold Coast last year, will be wearing the Waikanae cap at the Eastern Regional Championships at Mt Maunganui this weekend.
The iconic Eastern Regional Surf Life Saving Championships at Mount Maunganui this weekend will test a strong contingent from Gisborne’s three city club.
Competition starts Friday morning for masters athletes and continues later in the day with club events ahead of a full-on weekend of racing.
The ERCs will once again be second only in size to the national championships being held in Gisborne in March.
Dawson Building Midway will have a team of 16 in action at the ERCs.
“We have a small but strong crew heading to the Mount,” head coach Jack Gavin said.
“They have all had a great lead-in to the weekend with some solid blocks of training.
“Ella Sutton, Jaqs Kennedy and Emily Petro will be looking to feature in the Under-17 female events.
“Tyron Evans, Yahni Brown and Jack Lepper will be trying to continue their good form from last season now they are in the last year of the Under-19 age group,” Gavin said.
All of those athletes won medals at last year’s nationals, suggesting they will be in the hunt.
Midway's Yahni Brown had a tremendous season 2023-2024 season, culminating in his selection for the Junior Black Fins team for the worlds. He will look to pick up where he left off at the ERCs - the country's second biggest surf lifesaving carnival. Photo / Paul Rickard
“Lilia Hain, Sophie Warren and Indie Nikora will be attending their first major senior (Over-14) event and all have a lot of potential, so it will be good to see how they measure up.”
Riversun Wainui returns to the senior ERCs this year.
“Wainui’s back in the senior ranks with a small but mighty team of five,” head coach Dion Williams said.
“Mako Fukushima-Hall won the Under-15 beach flags at last year’s nationals and was fifth in the board. This year he moves up to the Under-17s, so hopefully could go really well.
“His younger brother Rori joins the senior ranks in the Under-15s age group.
“He won the diamond race, was second in the board race and beach flags at the national Oceans (Under-14) championships last year, so he could go very well and has been training hard.
Wainui's Rori Fukushima-Hall makes the step up from the junior to senior ranks at the Mount. Photo/ Paul Rickard
“Likewise, two Under-15 girls - Zyanja Rudge and Klara Pauwells - have been putting in the hard work to try compete in the seniors this year.
“Zyanja is a national age group swimmer and Klara has been going well in the kayak, so hopefully they learn a lot and race really well,” Williams said.
“Nikau Rudge is an incredible swimmer and learning really fast on the paddleboards. He has a tough age group in the Under-19s with a very classy field racing, but he could go really well and always enjoys himself racing, which is great.
“It’s unreal being back in the senior ranks and the ERCs is the strongest competition leading up to the nationals ... we can’t wait to get stuck in.”
Kaiaponi Farms Waikanae will have a team of 10 racing.
“They are pumped for it,” said head coach Arna Majstrovic, who, alongside Emily Gillies, got things started in the masters events.
“We are excited to be heading away with a small but strong team this year with some new and old faces putting a cap on.
“Zach Ferkins (Olympic Games sprint kayak team reserve) has joined our coaching team as well as getting a ski, which will allow for some double ski combinations with Christy Tate and Max Phillips.
“Christy again is a strong contender in the ski race.
“We have our current world beach sprint champions Briana Irving and Oska Smith, who will team up with Seven Mapu and Georgie Beaufoy in the new event - the mixed beach relay,” Majstrovic said.
“The whole team has been training well, battling through some harsh Gisborne summer conditions.
“We will be welcoming a sunny Mount Maunganui to test out all our skills and put on a good show.”
