Major sponsors 4 TSB Women’s Surf Fest

Major sponsors jump on board TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival

All the major sponsors of the 2010 TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival have once again jumped on board with financial and contra support for the 2011 event scheduled for April 26 to May 1, 2011.

Significant funding is required to run the festival, most of which is re-injected back into the local economy, and there is also the prize money to raise for the Dream Tour event which has a US$100,000 purse, says Craig Williamson, Executive Officer for Surfing Taranaki who host the event.

“Our major sponsors have backed the next festival as they recognised that the 2010 event received great community support and presence during the heats and finals, and also online following it via our website, Twitter and Facebook pages,” says Mr. Williamson.

“So I’m pleased to announce that the event is once again supported by the TSB Community Trust, the TSB Bank, Venture Taranaki, Dow Agro Sciences, ZM and the Radio Network, AWE, the New Plymouth District Council, and others who are yet to be confirmed.”

Including Taranaki’s own Paige Hareb, the festival will bring the top 17 women surfers in the world on the ASP Women’s Dream Tour to the region as well as New Zealand’s best female surfers who will be competing in the New Zealand Women’s Open age group divisions and main event.

With the winner of the Open again going through as the wildcard entry into the ASP event, it’s an extraordinary chance for a Kiwi to take on and possibly beat the world’s best, as young Sarah Mason did when she defeated world champion Stephanie Gilmore in her round 3 heat in the inaugural festival earlier this year.

Unsure if she would make the 2011 ASP ‘Dream Tour’ due to her cumulative point scoring in 2010 events, Paige Hareb is “overwhelmed” to be on the tour for the third year in a row and competing in her home town next year following the results from the final event of this year’s tour – the O’Neill Women’s World Cup in Hawaii today.

“I’ve been super unlucky with some close results this year so it’s been an anxious week waiting to see if I would make the 2011 ASP tour,” reveals Paige.

“I’m overwhelmed to be back on the tour for a third year. While I can always work on my technique more, I’m confident about my surfing and feel I’m up there with the best of them.”

“With Hareb again performing in front of her home crowd for the Taranaki event, The TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival will inspire another generation of young female surfers to reach her international standard,” says Mr. Williamson.

“That inspiration comes from Paige as well as all the ASP women competitors who are sure to put on another amazing display of progressive surfing, whatever the conditions.”

Even though all major supporters are back on board, Surfing Taranaki still requires further significant sponsorship so it can enhance the festival and run the raft of community events planned around the competition days.

“Because New Plymouth is a surf city and Taranaki is a surf region, our focus this year is to give the community even more opportunities to engage directly in surfing and with the festival itself, which is extremely exciting” says Mr. Williamson.

“For example, we’re planning to hold ‘learn to surf’ lessons, a ‘surf with the pros’ afternoon for young surfers, expression sessions, sandcastle building competitions, we will do some foreshore protection and dune re-planting, and I can also confirm that we are going to be holding a surfing clinic for the disabled in association with the Halberg Trust, Sport Taranaki and members of the New Plymouth Surfriders Club.”