The Victorian State Titles for both Shortboard Masters and Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) Surfing divisions concluded this weekend along the Surf Coast, with competitions held at Point Impossible and Jan Juc.
In the inaugural Over 30s Open Shortboard Division, Phillip Island’s Jarvis Cininas delivered an impressive performance, capitalizing on clean, head-high waves at Jan Juc. Cininas secured first place with a heat total of 14.67 out of 20, besting local competitors Tim Birnie and Cahill Bell-Warren who finished second and third, respectively. Luke Breeling from Dromana and Torquay’s Ross Dart placed third and fourth.
Torquay’s Tiffany Riggs successfully defended her title in the Over 40 Women’s Division, maintaining control for most of the final. Despite a late surge from Clair Eldridge of Portland, who scored a 7.00 ride in the final minutes, Riggs held on to claim the State Title.
Other notable champions included Johnny Hawken (Over 40 Open, Jan Juc), Andrew Hyde (Over 50 Open, McCrae), Craig Lloyd (Over 55 Open, Armstrong Creek), Michelle Fincher (Over 55 Women, Phillip Island), Rowan Sapwell (Over 60 Open, Torquay), and Kim Shannon (Over 65 Open, Melbourne).
Saturday’s SUP Surfing events saw top paddlers from across Victoria competing in near-perfect waves at Point Impossible. Matt Takle from Torquay continued his dominance by claiming his fifth consecutive Open Men’s SUP Surfing Title. Takle set the pace early with a near-perfect 9.50 ride, finishing the final with a heat total of 16.33.
Sandy Ryan of Phillip Island, returning to competition after several years, took second place, while Rick Pettifer and Steve Toy rounded out the podium in third and fourth place.
A highlight of the weekend was the return of the Under 18 Girls heat, held for the first time since 2018. Torquay’s Willa Webb topped the field with a heat total of 12.33, followed by Jan Juc’s Tulleah Close in second with 6.17 points.
Additional Saturday champions included Sandy Ryan (Over 40 Open, Phillip Island), Lucy Bell (Over 40 Women, Sandringham), Brendan Ryan (Over 50 Open, Port Campbell), John Takle (Over 60 Open & 9ft Over 60 Open, Torquay), Gwen Carbone (Over 60 Women, Ocean Grove), Liam McCafferty (9ft Open & 9ft Over 50 Open, McCrae), and Emma Webb (9ft Open Women, Torquay).