This week sees the annual opportunity for a selection of the UK’s elite surfers to don their home countries colours and wave their flags with pride, all as part of the The 2013 European Surfing Championships. This years event will be held between the 13th-22nd September in The Azores, with teams from Wales, England & Jersey making the journey with the prospect of European glory at the forefront of their focus.
Otherwise known as Eurosurf, it will be staged on Santa Barbara beach on the North shore of the mid Atlantic island archipelagos largest Island of São Miguelgears.
The teams to represent Wales, England and Jersey are as follows:
|
Division |
WALES |
ENGLAND |
JERSEY |
|
OPEN |
– Harry Cromwell
– Rhys Poulton – James Jones – Alex Morris |
– Luis Eyre
– Miles Lee Hargreaves – Isaac Marshall – Matt Harwood |
– Matt Chapman
– Ben Chapman – Alex Vibert
|
|
WOMEN |
– Jo Dennison
– Amy Murphy
|
– Ellen Harding
– Laura Crane
|
– Shelly McFarling
– Delia Baker
|
|
LONGBOARD |
– Martin John
– Connor Griffiths |
– Zak Lawton
|
– Ben Skinner
– Josh LeMarquand |
|
SENIOR |
– James Jones | – James Mitchell | – Sam George |
|
MASTER |
– Greg Owen | – David Renaud | – Scott Eastwood |
|
WOMEN’S BB |
– Olivia Smedley | – Megan Jones | |
|
MEN’S BB
|
– Rhys Poulton
|
– Alex Winkworth
– Aaron Dinham |
– Clint Loak
– Eduardo Estoril |
|
Staff (Not all traveling)
|
Manager: Hugh John/Linda Sharpe Judges: Corrinne Daniel
|
Manager: Pat Renaud/Ben Marshall
Judge: Kerry Powell Coach: Dave Renaud |
Manager: Josh Evans
Coach: George Sohl
|
Over the past few months the Surfers and their management have carefully constructed training, publicity and fund-raising campaigns to arrive in the Azores as healthy and ready to perform as possible, both physically and financially. Due to the lack of funding , the trip relies on self funding by the surfers and management, and as such all have partaken in campaigns to publicise and fund their trips. The self funding aspect of these trip’s always provides unique challenges to the team’s, but one’s that can often make them a stronger unit, or in Jersey’s case, knock each others heads off….
Surfing GB wish all the team’s the best of luck for the event and will be keeping a close eye on results via the event website: http://www.eurosurfing.org/index.php/events/eurosurf-2013-acores
The Facebook pages and websites of the countries may also shed light and information on the event and the surfers progressions so keep up to date here:
Wales: https://www.facebook.com/groups/253777041367727/ & http://www.welshsurfingfederation.org.uk/
