Saints Boardriders
Kids Club dates for 2023 season
( All subject to weather and sea conditions on the day )
June 3rd 9.00am
June 17th 8.30am
July 1st 9.00am
July 15th 9.00am
July 29th 9.00am
August 12th 9.00am
August 19th 9.30am
Sept. 2nd 9.30am
Sept. 9th 9.00am
Sept. 16th 9.00am
Oct. 1st ( Sunday ) 3.00pm
We held the postponed end-of-season finale last Saturday in pumping waves under a clear blue sky. We could not ask for better conditions, and a large turn-out was guaranteed to witness the competition to be club champion 2022, the post-season presentations and enjoy the promised ” sausage sizzle” afterwards.
There were regular group sessions for the juniors to enjoy, offering a last chance to impress the coaches and maybe claim ‘surfer of the summer’ in the group.
Over in the competition area some keenly fought heats saw a final four boys emerge to contest their final, after five girls had contested their own final.
And then it was up to the clubhouse to learn who the winners would be, and to honour all our young chargers for their efforts this summer. A packed room cheered the awards as our groups acknowledged winners in three categories: surfer of the summer, most committed surfer and most improved surfer. There were medals for all juniors to commemorate the season, and then the contest surfers received their medals in reverse order, leaving Leila and Teddy as our champions for 2022.
And then it was back out onto the putting green for a “sausage sizzle” in the late-summer sunshine. What a day!
Well that was a most satisfactory way to complete our season. Nature’s elements combined to offer us a perfect day to say farewell to summer 2022.
Many thanks to Tesco St. Ives for their generous support to the BBQ. Thanks to St. Ives Brewery ( again!) for their support on every event day. Thanks also to the contest judges and thank you to the club committee for a fine day, and a fine season. Our gratitude to Porthmeor Beach management and to Porthmeor Beach RNLI lifeguards for their support and encouragement over the season. St. Ives Surf School is the rock on which our Kids Club is built and we owe Harris and his crew a debt we can never hope to repay for their unstinting efforts. And, finally, a word of praise for those Dolphin surfers who gave their Saturday mornings to helping the younger groups into waves: Kaz, Ollie, Marley, Kaitlyn and Bridget are names that readily spring to mind!
To all children and parents who participated over the summer – We have relished your company. ” Thank you ” and we look forward to seeing you all again in 2023!
Well, our luck continues to hold and a large turnout of surfers enjoyed fabulous conditions for our first September session of this season. Under warm blue skies we had a fine morning polishing our surfing ready for the end of season bash. There were a couple of absentees as Ollie Tarplee and Caz Phillips went off to Newquay to compete in the BLU longboard event, and it’s pleasing to report that they both made their respective finals, Caz placing third in the Under-18 Boys and Ollie coming fourth in the Under-16 Cadets. Well done guys – we’re proud to have you representing the club! Our banner picture shows Ollie in action at Fistral Beach.
Some pictures below from the club session at Porthmeor:
As we bid farewell to the month, we can reflect on the generous supply of waves Porthmeor has given us in August. Our final session of the school holidays was again blessed with plenty, and our young chargers had a fun hour lapping them up! Here are a few pictures of the action:
Here’s a date for the diary! We are holding a BBQ at the clubhouse for all members and their families on Sunday 14th of August from 3.00pm, courtesy of the generous support of the St. Ives Co-op. Come and spend a couple of hours at the club with your fellow members and shoot the breeze on surfing, club matters, St. Ives life  and anything else that takes your fancy. If you prefer your sausage meat-free we’ve got vegetarian options! There will be drinks too! A small donation towards the cost of food and drinks would be appreciated, but our main aim is simply to share an afternoon with club members and get to know each other better. We look forward to seeing you there, Saints Boardriders committee.
Another 8.30 start on Saturday and the gentlest of waves to welcome us to Porthmeor. I’d characterise conditions as ‘low and slow’ and eminently suited to our youngest surfers. There was ample time to get into a wave and time enough to polish a stance once riding. As the tide shifted out our older groups found their wave size increasing, so all-in-all a very satisfactory day I’d say!
First session of a new season. Heavy surf, lots of rippy water moving and a cross-shore wind. Coach Navin posted an advisory that tiny tots and nervous types might want to begin their summer at the next session. On the morning, around seventy surfers arrived ready to rumble. There was a good number of adults and experienced juniors on hand to help, both in the water and with the hectic check-in as newbies were introduced to Kids Club for the first time. St. Ives Surf School coaches were keen to meet their new charges and get down to business. It was great to see progress in the older groups from where we left off last summer. Some of the new Dolphins have obviously spent the winter in the water and were keen to bust out the moves. Meanwhile the Nemos and Dorys went through the familiar ‘getting to know you ‘ beach routines before hitting the white water waves for that important introduction to riding a board, the wipe-out and the smiling recovery from a ducking. As we wrapped up the session back up the beach the consensus among surfers, parents and coaches was that a good time was had by all! Can’t wait for the next session!
The early season fine weather has turned our thoughts to the Saturday morning surf club for our junior members. With only one week to go to our first session, here is the calendar of the coming season. Follow our Facebook page for notices and announcements as the summer progresses, and if you are participating please arrive early at check-in to enjoy the full surf experience.
That’s All Folks … was the farewell line as the cartoons finished on TV back in the day, and today’s blog signals the end of the Saturday Kids Club for another season. We left it in style with the largest attendance of the summer. While the younger groups worked with their coaches in polishing their techniques, the more advanced surfers had a chance to compete in a knockout under the professional judging rules and taste the experience of putting on the coloured rash vests and going head-to-head with their peers. Our first few pictures show some of those juniors working on their stances.
At the same time competition got underway for the seniors with the clubhouse balcony offering a fine view for our judges to score the waves in each heat.
Competition was fierce as the rounds progressed, and both the boys final and the girls required a close checking of the scores of our judges before the winners could be ascertained. In each case there were three surfers within a point of winning at the end of the contest.
Kaitlyn took the honours in the girls event, securing her first title after making the final on several occasions in the past. Our banner picture shows our newly-crowned champion receiving her trophy from the chairman. Teddy, likewise, took home the boys trophy, a well-earned result after some near-misses in the past.
We then repaired to the clubhouse to make the presentations and to celebrate the achievements of our youngsters this season. Each group awards accolades in three categories; Surfer of the Summer, Most Improved Surfer and Most Dedicated Surfer. There were more than a few damp eyes among coaches and parents as some of these presentations were made, and a real delight in everyone in the room to share in the joy of our young recipients.
The last picture shows Teddy receiving his trophy from our chairman to the general acclaim of the room.
In closing, I must offer the heartfelt thanks of Saints Boardriders to St. Ives Surf School for hosting those Saturday sessions, coaching our youngsters and for organising a splendid end-of-season competition yet again. Thanks also to our judges and to the morning admin desk and photographer for keeping the day in focus. Wood Paper Scissors made the wonderful medals which our participants were awarded on the day, and these greatly enriched the experience of our young chargers and help us celebrate our membership of the club. Porthmeor Beach have fed us and welcomed us warmly this year and many previous years, our gratitude to them is deep. The contribution of the parents is also a factor in building the spirit of the club and we are blessed with some great support in that department.
We look forward to re-convening around the beginning of June 2022 to welcome everyone back for another season of Kids Club and another summer of Saturday surfing!
As we reached the penultimate session for the season, it was felt that we should get a team photo as we were ready early for the surf. Of course, there are quite a few members missing, as any Saturday in the holiday season presents; but our banner picture has a fair few of the class of 2021.
The surfing itself was very good on the day – sweet little waves that allowed most kids to stroke themselves in with time to get up on the board. Our Sharks may have felt deprived of the bigger stuff that they prefer, but i did see some of them practicing cross-stepping and tandem riding and generally enjoying a longboard kind of vibe, so I’d say that all tastes were catered for on the morning.
Some pics of the proceedings below:
