Scholarly Surfers Shred

The South African University championships was one of the few national events to avoid the iron grip of Fifa’s regulations this year. It was moved to Victoria Bay though, a first for the long standing event which has been held at Seal Point for nearly fifty years.

The event was attended by the customary motley crew of students, ready to battle it out for the title of SA University champion in both the team and individual categories. The contest couldn’t have been timed better, with the contestants, organisers and general rabble arriving a day before a big SW swell that combed the Southern Cape. There was plenty of surf around, but the conditions were challenging, and this coupled with the extreme cold was enough to sedate the normally buck-wild bunch, almost.

The standard of surfing was higher than ever, with several sponsored riders competing and proving that talented surfers are indeed wising up and staying in school, instead of chasing the lustre of the WQS. The ladies surfing category also showcased some impressive performances in the solid surf. Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) dominated the men’s category with three of the four finalists coming from them, and their own Clinton Gravett taking the trophy, ahead of UKZN’s Kyle Beach, with Gary Muller and Kyle Jacobs, both of NMMU, placing third and fourth. The women’s category was skilfully secured by an impressive UCT team, with Sarah Nicholson taking top honours after finding her form in the bigger surf, in front of Lisa Auditore (US), Kerry Hodgkinson (UCT) and Jessica Genrich (Rhodes), who placed second, third and fourth respectively.

The final evening was that of both celebration and sadness, as the winning teams toasted to their success and the country mourned a bitter defeat against the feisty South Americans. Luckily for most of the people at USSA’s this year, the reveling was fun enough to make Bafana’s loss bearable, and the vuvuzela’s were found to also work really well for drinking beer.

The event was sponsored by Billabong and hosted by NMMU, and organizers hinted that there is a possibility that the new venue may become a standard in years to come.

Results

Men’s Teams

1. NMMU

2. UCT

3. Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)

4. University of Stellenbosch (US)

5. Rhodes University

6. University Kwazulu Natal (UKZN)

Individual

1. Clinton Gravett – NMMU

2. Kyle Beach – UKZN

3. Gary Muller – NMMU

4. Kyle Jacobs – NMMU

Ladies Teams

1. UCT

2. US

3. NMMU

4. CPUT

5. Rhodes University

Individual

1. Sarah Nicholson – UCT

2. Lisa Auditore – US

3. Kerry Hodgkinson – UCT

4. Jessica Genrich – Rhodes