“Let’s be the Greatest”

They were pre-event favourites and seven-time SURFTAG champions, and the pressure was on to defend their title and represent their famous beach. Yet the women’s crew from North Narrabeen Boardriders took it all in their stride to dominate the final of the SURFTAG women’s event at South Curl Curl.

Tru Starling, who’d had an ordinary start to the event, face-planting in an early heat, was the star of the final. “It’s pretty special,” Starling said. “We sat down beforehand and said to each other, ‘We have seven titles, let’s go for eight. Let’s be the greatest.’”

Squally cloud-showers on the horizon begat phosphorous rainbows while a blustery off-shore breeze made for clean, three foot waves, yet such is the break at South Curl Curl, the waves can spring up wherever they want like underwater Whack-a-Moles.

The final began slowly. Four surfers caught just two waves in the first 10 minutes. Starling was on one of them, recording 8.67 – the third-highest score of the day – after a long and searing ride of cutbacks before jamming it at the end. She got plenty for her second wave too, 6.83, doubling and producing a two-wave score of 22.3 – the third-highest two wave score of the day.

It’s part of the tactics of this format. Do earlier surfers take their time and look for big numbers? Or should they ‘dump and run’ and take what they can so that those who follow have time to score. With good surfers waiting on the shore Starling said, “It’s stressful” waiting for a ‘perfect’ wave. “You don’t want to let anyone down and not give someone an opportunity.” 

She needn’t have worried. Teammate Kyla Whitfield scored 5.07 from a long and fluid left-hander and followed it up with an 11.66 power wave.

Sydney Chevalier and Gabi Spake of Long Reef did their best but couldn’t amass big numbers on power waves. Alysse Cooper would not give up. She scored 8.33 on a power wave to help Queenscliff into second. But when North Narrabeen’s Ruby Trew – who’d earlier scored 9.67 which an onlooker described as “solid backhand snaps and carves, committed surfing” – ripped off a 12.4 power wave, it was a question only of how far.

“Elle Northie could win here without getting her hair wet in the final,” event organiser Steve Harrison declared of North Narrabeen’s No.5. With 20 seconds to go Northie decided she wanted in, plunging into the surf to indeed get her hair wet, before a photographer’s drone caused panic in the official marquee. Descending towards the sea, apparently out of battery, the operator’s remote control was useless. Yet something, perhaps instinct, kicked in and the whirly-bird soared high back into the sky before returning home of its own volition.

Then the air raid siren signalled the end of the heat. North Narrabeen had won their 8th SURFTAG women’s championship, winning by 16.42 points from Queenscliff (39.83), Long Reef (23.9) and North Shelly (23.3). North Narrabeen veteran Bell Hardwick, who’s been involved in all eight championships, paid tribute to coach Matt Cattle and the greater club, saying “That one was pretty special.”