The Her Wave Teams Classic is set to return in 2023, with North Shelly Beach named as one of the two sites to host the series.
Following the successful launch last year of the Australian-first female surfing series, Surfing NSW will bring it back this year, with the support of the NSW Government.
Jones Beach at Kiama will also host the series.
The Her Wave Teams Classic aims to increase female participation and support across the state through events that focus on fun, skills development and community.
It aims to encourage girls and women of any age and ability to sign up and enjoy the ocean.
Each event will provide more than 200 females with the opportunity to showcase their skills thanks to a $156,000 grant from the Government’s Regional Events Acceleration Fund.
Minister for Sport Alister Henskens said the fund is supporting the growth of existing regional events and attracting new major domestic and international events to regional NSW.
“Sport, and surfing in particular, is a huge part of our coastal communities and by attracting these major events to our state, we are driving tourism and creating enormous economic benefit,” Henskens said.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast and Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch said the Government was throwing its support behind Surfing NSW’s Her Wave Teams Classic.
“We want to see more and more women hitting the waves and showcasing their skills, whether they’re beginners on the board or seasoned surfers,” Crouch said.
“Surfing is a huge part of our coastal communities.
“Investing in the Her Wave Teams Classic is not only great for local surfers but will attract more visitors to town, putting more heads on beds and injecting money into the local economy.”
The series series will take place at North Shelly March 10-11 and Kiama from March 31-April 2.
Surfing NSW General Manager Kate Cass said it was great to see the event return to Kiama for the second year in a row and visit North Shelly for the first time.
“This series and the sport of surfing have the amazing ability to connect women from all walks of life, so it is a great privilege that Her Wave has the opportunity to further inspire interest in the sport in a fun and inclusive way,” she said.
“This is going to be a very special event for both the Central Coast and Kiama which will see the local restaurants, cafes and accommodation benefit from the increased visitation of the Her Wave community to our beautiful regional areas.”
Surfing NSW CEO Luke Madden said regional coastal towns across the state continue to see increased participation in female surfing.
“The 2022 Her Wave Teams Classic events received such an incredible response,” he said.
“The events were oversubscribed, with teams from boardrider clubs, surfing groups, sporting teams and even universities.
“This support from the NSW Government allows us to build on a great foundation, expanding the event by an extra day and delivering more opportunities for female participation in surfing as the interest continues to grow.
“We are excited to lock North Shelly in as a location for 2023.
“The region currently hosts Australia’s number one boardrider club and has a very strong existing women’s surfing community.
“I am excited to see the Challenge Her Team’s Classic events continue to support and nurture female participation in surfing whilst also driving much-needed tourism to regional wave-rich locations.”
The Her Wave Teams Classic events do not run like a typical surf event.
Instead, the structure has been carefully curated to increase participation and boost confidence.
The event will host teams of eight surfers and will follow a surf teams format of competition with a twist.
The teams of eight surfers will comprise four longboard surfers and four shortboard surfers.
A number of Her Wave festivities, workshops and clinics will be run in tandem with the surf competition, open to the community as well as both recreational and aspiring surfers.
North Shelly surfer and Female Boardrider Competition Director Halle Hunt said she can’t wait to be amongst the action.
“I am so stoked to know that Her Wave is coming to North Shelly,” she said.
“I was a part of the Her Wave events last year and saw first-hand the incredible atmosphere and infectious fun that everyone on the beach had the entire time.
“We have a great community of female surfers on the Central Coast, but it is events like Her Wave that bring everyone from far and near closer together.”
Head to the Surfing NSW Her Wave website to find out more about the events and register a team.
Source:
Media release, Jan 25
Surfing NSW