Surfing Australia News Winter 2017 | Page 80

PLAY VIDEO THE Tasmanian Premier, Will Hodgman MP Min- ister for Sport and Recreation recently ad- vised Surfing Tasmania of their successful application and the granting of $10,000 from the 2017 State Grants Program. These funds will go towards state, regional and boardriders club coaching activities and pub- lic programs like the successful Let’s Go Surfing sessions. Tasmania’s Director of Coaching/Junior Development Jo Goldfinch has released her plan for a revamped Develop- ment Squad Program which will be regionally based utilising our Level 2 Surf Coaches. It is planned to kick this off midyear as a lead-up to the national junior titles in December. The program will see the best junior surfers in each region come together regularly for strength, conditioning and surf skills development in a positive effort to lift the base standard of potential state team surfers. Hurley Surfing Australia High Performance Centre (HPC) coach Samba Mann recently spent a weekend in Tassie with the state’s top juniors. Samba enjoyed beautiful autumn con- ditions at several locations where they experienced ideal con- ditions for the activities. 078 | Issue 16 // Winter 2017 Pic Samba Mann and Development Squad members. Tasmania’s dominant juniors Stella Gibson and Lachi Robinson were selected to represent Tasmania at the Surf- ing Australia National U16 MR/Layne Beachley Development Camps in May/June at the HPC in northern NSW. Tasmania’s major daily newspaper and Southern Cross television both featured major stories on the lucky two surfers. The boom year for North West Boardriders continues. Not content with winning their first nudie Australian Boardriders Battle State Final and representing Tassie at the Newcastle final in February, they were announced as the second high- est BRC ticket sellers in the Toyota Monster Raffle with nearly $2000 in sales. To top that off they sold the winning ticket to local surfer and club member Richard Knox who received a new Toyota Rav4. Another Tasmanian, Dean Walker won a Woolworths $500 Gift Voucher. Surfing Tasmania assisted in the successful running of the recent Tasmanian Schools Surfing Championships held at Clifton Beach on April 3. More than 250 students from public and private schools and colleges attended. The TSSA has now affiliated with STAS as its 6th and biggest boardriders club.