Birubi Beach will become a battleground for the surfing elite next month.
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While some of the world’s best female surfers compete in the Port Stephens Toyota NSW Pro Women’s QS6000, a group of Australia’s top male competitors will be doing battle just down the beach in the inaugural Men’s QS1000.
The November 2 to 5 NSW Pro will be the final Australian QS event this season.
It will be the last chance for the women to secure points and claim a spot on the 2018 World Surf League Championship Tour and for the men to move up in the WSL Australia/Oceania Qualifying Series rankings.
The Men’s QS1000 will be held directly after the Phillip Island Pro.
Will Hayden-Smith, WSL Australia/Oceania regional manager, said he was “thrilled” the league was able to offer back-to-back pros as a way to finish off the 2017 season.
“This will allow surfers to compete for the 2017 WSL Australia/Oceania regional championship and also to improve their seedings for the start of the 2018 season,” he said.
South Coast big wave surfer Dean Bowen, who is currently sitting 27th in the Australia/Oceania QS rankings, will pull on his past experience at Birubi Beach for the men’s pro.
“Port Stephens has a great coastline for waves,” Bowen said.
“We had a junior event there a while ago and the waves were really fun, I’m looking forward to getting back up there.
“It’s been amazing to have all of these QS events in NSW this year.
“Travelling to compete is so expensive, so to have all of these events close to home is awesome.
“It really gives the Aussies a good opportunity to have a go at making it in competitive surfing.”
Event partners Destination NSW, Port Stephens Toyota and Newcastle Airport all committed additional sponsorship to the NSW Pro, which allowed organisers to include a Men’s QS1000.
The Men’s QS1000, sponsored by the Williamtown-based airport, will comprise of mostly Australian surfers with a handful of internationals. At least 64 QS competitors are expected to surf in the event.
Newcastle Airport CEO Dr Peter Cock said helping to connect surfers and spectators with the NSW Pro action is why they jumped on board as a presenting sponsor.
“Flying into our region is the smarter way to travel. It maximises your time to relax, connect with friends and family, or do business,” Dr Cock said.
“As the proud gateway to some of the best surfing spots on Australia’s East Coast, it made sense for the Newcastle Airport to get behind this event and showcase the greater Hunter’s strengths.”
For the women, the NSW Pro ends a gruelling year of travelling around the world for the WSL Women’s QS.
With 6000 points up for grabs, the women will be hitting Birubi’s waves hard as they try to consolidate a spot on the championship tour.
Philippa Anderson, from Merewether, has been competing in the QS for a number of years, with the dream of elevating herself to the CT.
In 2016, this dream almost became reality, with Anderson only narrowly missing the qualification cut off.
The stylish natural footer’s best result of 2016 came at the final QS6000 of the year.
Anderson said she is hoping to go one better this year and take the win on home soil to achieve her lifelong goal of competing on the “dream tour”.
“This is the last QS6000 event of the year so it is super important,” Anderson said.
“There are only six events of this size in the season so a solid result at a couple of them is essential.
“There are a handful of girls all needing a big result here, so it is sure to be exciting.
“Having the final event of the year in Australia is great, but the fact that it is so close to my home is amazing.
“I surf at Birubi a bit and it can get really good. It’s a great setup for a contest and it will be awesome to see the world’s best out there.
“I’m really glad this event has come together and can’t wait for it to get underway.”
Anderson will be up against at least seven World Championship Tour surfers in the NSW Pro Women’s QS6000 including Joanne Defay, Sage Erickson, Tatiana Weston Webb, Coco Ho, Bronte Macauly, Keely Andrew and Pauline Ado.
Joining the QS6000 and QS1000 components of the NSW Pro will be the Port Stephens Open Women’s Challenge and the PRD and Kaos Surf Cadet Cup.
Both events will give amateur and promising junior stars the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in surfing.
Divisions in the PRD and Kaos Surf Cadet Cup comprise of under-10, under-12, under-14 and under-16 boys and girls.
“Kaos Surf is extremely excited to be involved in bringing such a major event to our local area, especially with it book-ending the 2017 Women’s QS season,” Kaos Surf owner Tony Bainbridge said.
“It's an honour to be working beside WSL, Surfing NSW, Burton Toyota and all the other sponsors making this event possible.”
Bruce Gair, principal of PRDnationwide Port Stephens, said the NSW Pro is “great for us to support”.
“We love getting involved in the grassroots of surfing and encouraging young surfers to head towards a fun, safe and healthy sport or even a career in professional surfing,” he said.
Also read:
Port Stephens Toyota NSW Pro events
Women’s QS6000
When: Thursday, November 2 to Sunday, November 5
Where: Primary bank, Birubi Beach
Men’s QS1000
When: Thursday, November 2 to Sunday, November 5
Where: Primary bank, Birubi Beach
Port Stephens Women's Challenge
When: Friday, November 3
Where: Secondary bank, Birubi Beach
PRD and Kaos Surf Cadet Cup
When: Saturday, November 4 and Sunday, November 5
Where: Secondary bank, Birubi Beach