WA Longboard champions crowned at Parry Beach in Denmark after three days of competitive surfing

Passionate surfers from all corners of the State converged on Parry’s Beach, west of Denmark, last weekend for the hotly contested WA Longboard Championships. The popular spot failed to disappoint in delivering perfect swells for competitors who travelled to the Great Southern from as far as Exmouth, Dunsborough and Esperance to try and secure a spot at the Australian Longboard Titles. Thirteen surfers were crowned winners in divisions ranging from ambitious under-18s to the seasoned over-70s. Parry Beach provided two days of near-perfect longboard conditions. However finals day served up challenging conditions for competitors, with a large and powerful swell making life difficult across all divisions. Hometown hope Keith Lingard finished fourth in the men’s over-60s while Albany’s Tony Harrison was runner-up in the men’s over-70s. Trigg’s Anthony Spencer took the open men’s title honours after scoring a terrific score of 18.17 out of a possible 20 to defeat Gabbadah’s Scott Trew (13.8). Maddie Barrett, hailing from Cottesloe, clinched the open women’s State title after her win in the final, scoring 12.67 to hold out runner-up Georgia Young (9.63). The men’s and women’s over-40s crowns were won by Dane Quirk (Exmouth) and Shae Sheridan (Dunsborough) respectively. Fellow Dunsborough surfer Paul Burke won two finals, his victory in the men’s over-45s and over-50s handing him State glory in each category. Quirk was made to work hard for his title, scoring 11.7 to edge out Trew (11.37) in a thriller. In a tightly contested over-50 women’s final, Green Head’s Samantha Vanderford (21.93) narrowly edged out Amanda Curley (19.4). Osborne Park’s Dave Smith triumphed in the men’s over-55 final and also clinched the WA title, Brent Moss from Esperance scored 27.61 to win the men’s over-60s decider from Barrie McKinnon (25.64) while Judy Dann secured the over-60 women’s State title. McKinnon, from Dunsborough, claimed the men’s over-65s title after winning the Denmark final. Stan Davies of Daglish claimed the men’s over-70s final with 18.76 to beat Harrison on 13.33 and Davies walked away the State champion. The under-18 junior longboard division was dominated by Cowaramup’s Kai Flynn, who became the State titleholder with his final victory. Surfing WA events manager Justin Majeks commended the participants, acknowledging the unique bond shared by WA’s longboarding community.“Congratulations to all our champions and national title qualifiers,” Majeks said. “It’s been another amazing showcase of longboarding here in Denmark and the performances across all divisions have been truly exciting and inspiring.”Spencer’s remarkable 10-point ride earned him the West Coast Suspensions Wave of the Weekend.