2011 Winners Jim Beam Surftag Trade Off Challenge ‘The Labourers’
At South Curl Curl today, surfers from all over the East Coast who work in different industries and professions competed to win the ‘Jim Beam Surftag Trade Off’. The Trade Off event includes teams of teachers, plumbers, electricians, lifeguards and builders.
Last year’s event was won by the ‘Bondi Rescue’, team of Ryan ‘Wippet’ Clark, Luke Daniels, Max Ayshford and Dunstan Foss. The Bondi Rescue team competed again today, eager to defend their title but were eliminated in a close Semi Final which came down to the last wave. “The weather was perfect, but it just didn’t go our way today, Luke Daniels joked, “but don’t worry, we’ll be back again next year to defend our honour.”
The four teams who made it to the final were the Builders, the Labourers, the Miners from Wollongong and the Plumbers Team. The Final had a slow start due to the tide filling in. The Labourers came home strong from fourth to win helped by a strong ‘power wave’ by Isaac Buckley 7.1 score doubled to 14.2. With 10 minutes to go, all four teams were stil in the hunt for the win but it was the Labourers who took out the additional 4 bonus points on the beach to secure the win with 56.1 points.
Man of few words, Isaac Buckley from the Labourers Team said, “We didn’t expect to make the final in our first year, let alone win it. It’s been really cool to come here and compete with your mates after working hard all week”
Steve Harrison from Global surftag said “We moved the event from Dee Why to South Curl Curl today due to surf conditions. Curly’s a great swell magnet so it was perfect for the comp today. The Swell condtions improved throughout the day with the high tide.”
The ‘Trade Off’ involves teams of four surfers. In relay style, each surfer catches three waves to score points for his or her team, then returns to the beach to ‘tag’ the next team member. Each surfer’s second wave is a ‘power wave’ worth double points! Four teams contest each heat and heats are limited to one hour. Bonus points are awarded if the last surfer returns to the tag area on the beach before the time limit. .
Isaac Buckley power surfed his way to a Labourers Team win.
RESULTS:
Semifinal 1
1st Builders 66.8; 2nd Labourers 56.83; 3rd Bondi Lifeguards 52.96; 4th Transport 32.54
Semifinal 2
1st Miners 52.3; 2nd Plumbers 42.76; 3rd Teachers 38.73; 4th Warringah Lifeguards 34.08
FINAL
1st Labourers 56.1; 2nd Builders 46.13; 3rd Plumbers 45.46; 4th Miners 33.49
The 2012 Jim Beam Surftag Australian Series is supported by FCS, www.theperfectwave.com.au and Tracks Magazine.
The 2012 Jim Beam Surftag Australian Series is a supporter of SurfaidInternational www.surfaidinternational.org
Follow the 2012 Jim Beam Surftag at www.globalsurftag.com and www.facebook.com/surftag
