For the first time, Box Beach has a queen – Kira-Belle Olson.
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Olson, from Avoca, won the inaugural women’s division of the 2017 Burton Automotive King of the Box surfing competition, held at Box Beach in Shoal Bay on August 19-20.
Abbey Paxton, from Byron Bay, placed second while Jasmine Sampson, from Anna Bay, and Elle Clayton-Brown, from Corlette, came in third and fourth.
Nic Squires, Josh Stretton and Brent Symes took out the open men, juniors and legends sections respectively.
King of the Box finished on Sunday with “perfect” four to six feet of surf.
A big crowd braved the cold to witness the “best semis and finals ever seen in the history of the event”, organiser Terry McKenna said.
Squires, from Scarborough (near Wollongong) and Mitch Dawkings, from Nelson Bay, went blow for blow in the open men’s division.
Squires squeaked past Mitch by 0.10 point to claim the title.
“I have a long history with the wave,” Squires said.
“My nan used to live up here when I was young so I used to sneak down and get tubed as a kid.
“So I feel like I have an affinity with the wave.”
Dawkings wooed the crowd with his positioning and deep tube rides, but Squires’ “ballistic backhand” was just too strong in the end.
Kurtis Herman, from Nelson Bay, and Rohan Watts from Belmont placed third and fourth respectively.
The junior finals was a see-saw affair with Stretton, from Anna Bay, winning his first crown.
Ross Cadden, from Forster, Joel Buxton, from Norah Head, and Eddy Hamaty, from Bulli, placed second, third and fourth behind Stretton.
Symes won the legends division.
McKenna said the 2017 King of the Box was “another resounding success”.