Billabong Club Challenge Readies For Bay Boardriders

New Zealand’s number one surf brand Billabong has laid down the gauntlet to all boardrider clubs in New Zealand. Invite our team of surfers to one of your club contests, beat us in a tag team format competition and take the cash.

It is a new concept that will see a combination of the fifteen Billabong team riders in New Zealand travel around the country and join in with local boardriders clubs at a community level in a very fun yet competitive environment.

Host clubs will invite the Billabong team to one of their club days and form their best team of surfers to take on the national Billabong team. The club will walk away with $1,000 should they be talented enough to win the tag team event.

The first Billabong Club Challenge takes place with Bay Boardriders at Mount Maunganui on the 28th of March.

“It is great to see Billabong supporting surfing at a community and club level” commented Bay Boardriders President James Jacobs. “They are the most prominent surf brand in New Zealand and we look forward to challenging them for the win”.

The Bay Boardriders Club have one of the strongest pools of talent in New Zealand and Jacobs suggested their club could “clean up”.

The confidence of the Club President is warranted with the likes of top national surfers Tim O’Connor, Nick White, Alex Dive, Laura Rishworth and Mark Dovey amongst their ranks.

Billabong’s leading team rider and coincidentally also a Bay Boardriders member, Matt Hewitt was stoked when he heard about the new concept. “The idea is cool. It is a good way to get around the country and see what boardrider clubs have got on offer. And if they can beat us, they get to walk away with the cash for the club” commented Matt Hewitt from Tahiti.

Hewitt is in the middle of an ASP Pro Junior event where he has progressed through to the final twelve surfers. He along with Buck woods (Gis) who is also at the event will be two surfers that Billabong will hope to have back in New Zealand to bolster their talent pool for the challenges.

“Tag team format events are fun and it will definitely make it interesting on the day. I haven’t been back in New Zealand much this summer but I am looking forward to competing at the Billabong Club Challenge if I am back in the country” commented Hewitt.

Tag team events are relay-styled competitions that take one hour to complete. Teams comprise of five surfers (3x Open Men, 1x Women and 1x Under 20 Men). The teams must elect an order for their five surfers to compete. The first surfer enters the water and catches three waves with his best two counting toward the team total. Once catching their allotted waves, each surfer must exit the water, tag their team mates and repeat the process. All surfers must be back at their team tent within the allowed 60 minutes to avoid penalties. Each team also has a ‘whammy’ surfer whereby all three waves count toward the team total.

The Billabong Club Challenge will be filmed and posted on internet. The clip will have an invite asking any clubs who would like to challenge Billabong to write to them and tell them dates for their next club day. Billabong will in turn decide on the next challenger.

The Billabong team in New Zealand comprises:

Matt Hewitt
Buck Woods
Sam Willis
Blair Stewart
Blake Myers
Keone Campbell
Ben Poulter
AJ Matthews
Felix Dickson
Ben Kennings
Dune Kennings
Peri Matenga
Jessica Santorik
Grace Spiers
Bianca Sansom
Gabriela Sansom

For more information on the Billabong Club Challenge please contact AJ Matthews at Billabong on 021 2416227 or email aj.matthews@billabong.co.nz.