Winners & Grinners… With contests going on up and down the coast, we can’t do this newsletter without mentioning them…or gloating about some of Team CM’s successes! ___________________ This Issue: The Medallists – Firsts, finalists and personal bests, the Classic Mal team stood their ground and pulled some magic out of the hat against some of the world’s toughest opponents. Mother Ocean – She can be a fickle mistress. When she smiles, it’s big and wide, but she can be merciless when her fury’s flying. Spot the warning signs, the good times, the forecasts and the choice spots. Ever Patient - Mitch Surman has been bumped twice now, poor fella. He’s been doing a cracking job over the last few weeks so, as well as the comp rundown we finally bring you Mitch Surman, in black and white. Mitch Surman – on the nose or off the tail, he’s a ripper… (photo: Andrew Carruthers)	Newsletter :: April ’10 :: ___________________ Classic Champions The badge of Pride is shining brightly on our epaulettes right now. Brett White, Kathryn Hughes, Claire Norman, Jai Lee and, as we will tell you later, Mitch Surman all stood tall against the opposition, with a collection of results to make Ma and Pa White a pair of proud parents! It started north of home, with Brett taking out the honours at the Reef 2 Beach Classic at Agnes Water, before coming home to Noosa for the Festival Of Surfing. But even after longboarding’s biggest annual event had passed, more kudos was to be had at the Malfunction, south of the border at Kingscliff.
	Reef2Beach: Often fickle in the swell department, this year’s Reef2Beach Classic turned on, to mark itself as a standout over the event’s history. Glassy, three-foot waves gave contestants plenty of scope to display their prowess and our team took the trophies by storm. Brett White was the event’s standout, confidently surfing to victory in both his divisions, the Open 9 and the Nose Rider. The grommets did an outstanding job too, Zac Southgate-Smith scratching second place in the juniors. But hats off went to Kathryn Hughes. Kat Dog has soldiered away in the juniors for some years, but this year she tipped the age scales, progressing to the open division – and what an inaugural effort. Kat Dog’s honed skills stood the test and got her the Open #1 trophy. That’s some nice work KD! Zac also got a 5^th place against his adult peers in the Nose Rider and the Old Mal. Nice work team…
	Jai Lee – noseriding into the finals Katdog surfed above and beyond for a third in the Opens	Noosa Festival & Beyond: Kat Dog again came up with an impressive result in the Noosa Fest Open Women’s division, a third, up against some very stiff competition, barely denied another 1^st by Sam Walker and Sharon Jackson. Jai Lee made a covert assault on the Nose Rider division, coming up with a 4^th. Christian Wach pulled his usual mind-blowing tip antics, with Taylor Jensen and Harrison Roach creating a spectacular three-way tussle with Jai in his wake. And lastly, Justin Healey took leave from his army posting to defend his Old Mal crown. But a year out of the water, while not diminishing his natural talent, had blunted his edge just enough to allow a couple of contenders to edge through. But a medal position is still an outstanding accomplishment against some very impressive competition.
Be Humble: It doesn’t matter how familiar you are with your local surf spot or the ocean in general. When you least expect it, she can up and whup you, taking you by surprise and placing you in a potentially life-threatening position. Likewise, on your first day off in a year, you can load up, drive the half-hour and get your hopes up only to find mush. Here’s a coule of ins and outs for predicting and playing safe: - Rip it up: Rips can be your best friend or worst enemy. They can be tricky to spot, but darker, deeper water with smaller waves are often a telltale sign. Also, viewing from above, you can sometimes see a distinct outward flow. You can use the rips as an express route out the back, but they can also take you where you don’t want to go. If you’re drifting the wrong way, paddle parallel to the shore until you’re out of the current. - Reefs: They may make perfect waves but they’ve got a bite to be reckoned with. Getting out, look for a channel or watch the entry strategy of locals. Take your time and watch a few sets roll through to work out the best time to make your entrance. Also, watch out for urchins and barnacles – a set of booties can be priceless, even in tropical water. - Crowds: The unfortunate reality can sometimes be as lethal as it is frustrating. If you have to surf with a pack, paddle out well clear of the lineup to avoid fin chops and be aware of all around you. Obviously, don’t drop in – it can be as dangerous to you as it is to others. But if someone drops in on you, educate them, don’t berate them - kind words have a much better effect than harsh language and keep the lineup friendly. - Swells: Surf within your ability. It can be tempting to make like Laird and paddle out in the biggest swell of the year, but if you’re not up to it, you’re a liability to yourself and others. - Soothsaying: Salty seadogs can turn their nose to the wind and tell you the high tide, wind direction and swell height three years hence. But here are a couple of facts t help you get your timing right – every break works differently on different tides so ask a local and check the charts – tides advance roughly 50mins per day, so a 1pm high one day will be closer to 2pm the next – low pressure makes swell, so if you see a 400 isobar pattern on the 10pm weather, call in sick the next day – wind travels from high to low pressure systems, so very roughly speaking, if there’s a low offshore and a high inland, you’ll get offshores all day – the greater the variance between pressure systems, the stronger the wind, so a 1050mb high and an 800mb low, it’ll be howling. - If it smells bad… Pollution is one of the worst problems affecting surfers and our ocean today. Surfing near outfalls or on beaches that are closed can lead to all sorts of ear, eye or gastric problems. So if you see schools of round, brown fish or if the water has a nasty green hue, go safe, stay clear. Next Month: More about safety – cuts, chops, earache and cholera! Doctor Tom brings you the diagnoses on surfing nasties. Classic Malibu Cnr Gibson & Eumundi Rd Noosaville QLD 4566 Ph: (07) 5474 3122 www.classicmalibu.com.au Email: info@classicmalibu.com	Mitch Surman - Tomorrow Today - From strength to strength. These would be the best words to describe Mitch Surman’s surfing life in 2010. The East Coast has witnessed Mitch’s prowess in competition for several years as he has moved up through age divisions and through the ranks of Australia’s finest. But this year, the young Maroochydore ripper has stamped his mark and booked his ticket on the bus to the Next Big Thing. Lip-whacking quad assault – home break session, Mitch-style They may seem a dime a dozen, grommets that is, especially during the summer holidays when thousands of the little buggers surf circles around you, making you feel every bit of your age and more. But it was clear in those formative years that there was something a might bit different about Mitch. Starting off on the front of his old man’s longboard, he soon wanted to take his own steps at about the age of nine. “I started out on my mum’s hibiscus eight-footer. It looked pretty gay! Then dad bought me a shortboard but I really didn’t like it much, so he got me a mal.” Despite these questionable craft that challenged his sexuality, Mitch knew where he wanted to go from the outset, always erring on the side of performance. “I always got the lightest I could get, and in a thruster or two-plus-one set up [but] I’ve always liked seeing a big board doing a big turn. A shortboard looks more explosive - I really like that, so I’ve always wanted to do that on my longboard. I try to keep the same length, but narrower and thinner and as high performance as I can.” In this pursuit of maximum responsiveness, Mitch has continually developed his board design, with the omnipresent collaboration and expertise of Peter White. Whilst Mitch’s surfing is definitely in a highly distinct and unique vein, following much more the shortboard route in manoeuvres and yet still holding on to the traditional styling of noseriding and plus-nine boards, there is another thing that sets him apart and it lies beneath the water’s surface… Mitch’s boards, almost exclusively, are quad fins. With the vast majority, if not all, of his peers riding thrusters or a two-plus-one setup, this may seem like a strange choice, but he has proved time and again that four fins are every bit as good as three. “One day I just thought I’d have a go [on a quad]. I got on it and it went quicker than ever, so I quickly got Pete to shape me one up and I haven’t ever really gone back to a thruster.” Citing speed as the major drawcard to his four-finned quiver, it has definitely been proven to be the most suitable board for his style. The only drawback he can see is that on larger waves the boards can slide out a little. But a larger set of fins soon rectifies the problem and Mitch is back on top. 2010 has given Mitch a nudge into the big leagues. Having been a good friend of Bryce Young for several years, a few subtle hints to Bryce’s dad, Nat, a major ambassador of surf label, Oxbow, in Australia soon found Mitch a new sponsor. Proving himself though ’09, Mitch was granted a wildcard slot into the world title event held in the Maldives last October. This year is giving him another chance at the worlds, a wildcard berth granted at the 2010 Hawaii event. This is an exciting prospect multifold for him, obviously as a great step in the progression of his career but also as his first venture to the Islands. A swathe of solid results across the last few years have opened eyes to Mitch’s surfing and with Californian, Japanese and Australian events, as well as the Hawaiian contest will hopefully take him the final step into realm of professionalism. But one foot remains firmly on the ground. “I’m a third year apprentice carpenter. This year I really just want to finish my trade. I’ve only got another year and a half, two years max, so I’m going to try and get that out of the way so that I can do what I want to do. I’ve always wanted to have something behind me because surfing’ not going to be there forever.” So take note, that name is Mitch Surman, not Sir-Nam – you heard it here first, and he’s on the up and up. Next Month: Winter’s Coming: Jackson Winter as another young upstart we have seen grow from a whippersnapper into a ripper. Having made the move to the chill waters of NZ, he is rapidly becoming a scary name for any surfer to draw in their heat – and he’s yet another proud member of Team CM.