LOCALS are being urged to throw their support behind this year’s Akwa Surf Single Fin Competition to help raise funds for Will Chapman.
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Along with encouraging surfers to sign up as soon as possible, organiser Kurt Nyholm is calling on the community to head down to Mollymook Beach to watch the fun on Saturday, August 18.
“Everything is coming together heaps good so far,” Kurt said.
“It’s going to be an awesome event.
“We try our best to make it a fun day for the whole family – you don’t have to be signed up to surf to be in the fancy dress comp and there will be face-painting and a sandcastle comp for the kids.”
To add to the atmosphere of the ‘70s-style event, all surfers and spectators are asked to don their best ‘70s-esque gear for the day.
There will be great prizes on offer for the best dressed, with prizes awarded to the three best-dressed men and the three best-dressed women on the day.
Surfing on the day will be a tag-team event and Kurt said organisers would be mixing it up, creating teams of surfers from all walks of life.
“The comp is a real team event,” Kurt said.
“The teams help to build that sense of community.”
This year’s surf event will see all surfers take to the water on custom created, colour-coded boards.
Created and donated by local shapers Dylan Perese, Mark Rabbidge, Michael Mackie and Kirk Bierke, the boards will be passed between the surfers throughout the day and then raffled off at the presentation night at the Commercial Hotel, kicking off at 8pm.
The popular and hilarious iron man competition will be back again.
Previous year’s competitions have seen entrants eat a cold pie, paddle out into the surf then return to shore to drink a warm beer – all with the imagined stomach-aching results.
This year Kurt has something as equally stomach-churning planned for the competitors and said the event is sure to give spectators a few laughs.
“They are so competitive about the event,” Kurt said.
“They go that hard for it – it’s always funny to see.”
The event will also include a series of raffles, with tickets now available at Akwa Surf and on the day and winners to be announced at the presentation.
Prizes in the raffles include a McTavish mal valued at $1350, a surf trip valued at $3,500 and a painting by local artist Fernanda O’Connell valued at $2000.
Kurt said he had received a great response from businesses and suppliers with dozens of prizes donated for the day.
All funds raised through the event will go to Will Chapman and family.
To sign up to surf, visit Akwa Surf before Friday, August 17 at 5pm.
Places are limited to the first 80 surfers to sign up and beach entries for the surf competition will not be taken on the day.
Entrants in the ironman comp can register with Akwa Surf or can sign up on the day.
To find out more, call in to Akwa in Milton.