Surfing Australia News Summer 2013-2014 | Page 4

Welcomes W elcome to the latest Surfing Australia News. The great news as we go to press is Mick Fanning’s incredible third World Title. Mick has been a bit of an unsung hero of Australian surfing, but with three World Titles he joins the ranks of the truly greats. 2013 was a great year for Australian surfing, and we look forward to an even bigger year in 2014. Surfing Australia recently launched mySURF.tv – our news and entertainment IPTV portal. Already surfers across Australia (and the world) are tuning in for the latest news and information on the world of surfing and new content will be continually refreshed throughout the year. Later this month is the Be the Influence Australian Boardriders Battle National Final – to be held at Cronulla over the Australia Day weekend. The culmination of a national boardriders club competition, this promises to be the biggest club competition since the days of the Surf League 20 years ago, and is a great acknowledgement of the grassroots nature of the sport of surfing in Australia. Surfing Australia would like to acknowledge our supporters and stakeholders from the Australian Government and Australian Sports Commission, the surf industry, our corporate sponsors and our State members. May I personally also add my congratulations to our hard working (and ever expanding) group of committed employees responsible for the on-going success of Surfing Australia. W elcome to the Summer 2013/14 magazine for Surfing Australia. 2013 was a year of celebration surrounding our 50th year anniversary and now we head into the new year with some exciting new programs. MySURF.tv was officially launched on December 1st and early indications of audience engagement are very exciting. Make sure to check out the new IPTV surf channel at mySURF.tv. The inaugural Be the Influence Australian Boardriders Battle National Final is all set for Australia Day weekend at Cronulla and 16 lucky clubs will share in the $75,000 prize money. Sincere congratulations to Mick Fanning on his third World Title win in spectacular circumstances in Hawaii. Our Hurley Surfing Australia High Performance Centre stage 2 extension is now open for business and the team are busy preparing Australian athletes for the exciting new ASP World Tour surf season ahead. As we head into the 2014 Summer surf season we wish all Australian surfers the very best whether it be to catch their first wave as a 5-year-old Vegemite SurfGrom or to win their first World Title on the new look ASP World Tour. We hope you enjoy the magazine and thanks for your support. Andrew Stark Norm Innis OAM Chief Executive Officer Chairman Contributors RABBIT BARTHOLOMEW 1978 World Champion, Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew was one of the most explosive performers on the world pro tour from its inception in 1976. He’s the surfer’s surfer who has used his popularity for the betterment of the sport through coaching, team management and administration. It’s because of the efforts of individuals such as Bartholomew that Australia remains one of the great surfing nations. TIM BRIMBLECOMBE Tim Brimblecombe moonlights as Surfing Australia Communicatio