Gisborne Boys' High School always has a top competitive group of surfers who compete locally as well as internationally. This is because our boys have a core of older Gisborne surfers who are mentors , role models and supporters in and out of the water. It’s also a sport in which more parents are becoming envolved to help out with the competitive side of things.They also realize that its not such a bad option hanging around a beach all day.
Most of our surfers belong to the Gisborne Board Riders Club.They have monthly competitions as well as having a few developmental and training programmes.
The better surfers also travel NZ and do various Grom and Junior comps, as well as surfing at the NZ Nationals to vie for an NZ title. Some of the luckier ones or those who can afford to travel go to Australia and surf in age group comps in the Gold Coast area. All of this could lead to being selected to surf in a New Zealand team, allowing them to compete at the highest level and travel to some exotic location.
Some of the GBHS old boys being Maz Quinn , ex WCT and World Junior Champion, Jay Quinn U18 World Champion, Blair Stewart, Damon Gunness, Bobby Hansen and more recently Buck woods and Johnny Hicks.
At GBHS we coach learning to surf at The YR 9 and 10 camps. We also have a fun day to compete for house points.We compete annually at the Secondary School Surfing Champs in Raglan. As well we have our own GBHS Surfing Championships to select the top Junior and open Surfing champion.
2009
This year we were left with a good core of junior surfers, all very competitive..
The senior boys being Adam Cranston and Charlie Brown.
Charlie enjoys more success on a long board rather than a short board. How ever of late he has shown that he more than capable of competing well on the later, making short board finals in the local Board Riders comps. Charlie Will hopefully give the NZ long Board Circuit, juniors , a good nudge in 2010.
Adam has had mixed results in competitions. He is a powerful, quick surfer who needs a little more luck and patience to get better results.
Adam has gained international experience, having competed against the worlds best juniors in both Australia and Bali.He will have gained invaluable knowledge from being involved.
Adam also traveled for a few weeks by himself through Indonesia, exploring new waves and going to places that he had only dreamed about.
Some of our juniors are, Adam Grimson, Jacob Kohn, Jack and Dougal Hunt, Jamie and Jonny Curle, Kale Isaac, Jules Craft, Sunny Brown and Duncan Milne.
Most of the above Boys Competed in the NZ Secondary Surfing Championships in Raglan.
After much controversy we were the 2nd best team in NZ. Two of the boys made finals, Adam Grimson Won the U14 and Jules Craft was 4th.