Congratulations
In 2024, Freshie Masters stalwart, Sigi Hill, made it to the New Zealand National. Championships and stated, ‘you’re not going to find a better event’.
In 2026, John Landells, James Coates & Simon Phin headed to Ohope for the 2026 NZ Nationals and, can confidently confirm, – ‘the kiwis do it better and do it in style’.
John, James & Simon all joined Taylors Mistake SLSC after a long family connection with the club for John and his twin brother, Andrew. However, ‘The Freshie Boys’ were well known on the beach.
The 2026 AON NZ Nationals were held over four days, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with Masters on the Thursday. The efficient & effective running of the event saw Masters start at 8am sharp and finish at 1145am – albeit Double Ski’s pushed the event out to 1210pm. But heck, what a run.
Surf Teams 1st, Board Teams 1st, Taplin 3rd and a handful of Individual medals between John, James & Simon.
Highlights? A warm, collegiate, and friendly race line. Nothing was too major, and everything was handled with a helping hand. A Tee for each competitor and a Master’s Function sealed the day for all concerned.
The water was warm; the sun shone for the duration of the Nationals, and Kiwi beer is cold and hard to beat.