Corey Ziems wins 2014 Chiko QCC Series
The famed Currumbin Alley
lived up to its reputaion as
a world-class wave during
the 2014 Chiko Alley Classic,
where the event was blessed
with a sandbank that allowed
for some of Australia’s most
talented surfers to put on a
world-class show.
Record entries allowed for two
huge days of competition that
just so happened to fall over
the ANZAC day long weekend, with spectators attending in their droves to watch the
action unfold.
Up-and-comer’s, serial QCC
campaigners and former surfing champions all took to the
Alley with gusto and proceeded to fight it out for the
$3,000 winner’s cheque and
the all-important QCC series
points.
The competitive fire was
fuelled a little more with the
introduction of the $1000 prize
for the biggest aerial of the
event, courtesy of local retailer
Bruce Lynton Land Rover.
Two-time World Junior Champion, Jack Freestone may
have taken home the thousand-dollar boost, however it was Burleigh Heads’
Thomas Woods who, after
years of competing in the
QCC, chalked a win for himself on the hallowed sands of
Currumbin Alley.
The 2014 Chiko Queensland Championship Circuit
moved on up into its 3rd stop
- the Chiko Sunshine Coast
Pro and it did so in unprecedented conditions at Coolum.
Former World Championship
Tour Surfer Michael Campbell
came out of retirement to pull
on a Chiko Rashie and line up
against former sparring partner, and 2012 QCC Champion
Nathan “Hog” Hedge.
Despite both former World
Tour Surfers placing highly in the event, it was two-time
World Junior Champion Jack
Freestone who lifted the first
place trophy.
With the win Jack boosted
himself into number one on
the 2014 QCC ratings with the
final event, the Chiko Burleigh
Classic just two weeks away.
Coming into the final event of
the series, the Chiko Burleigh
Pro, top seeds Jack Freestone
and Thomas Woods, both opted to chase the WQS through
Brazil and onto Mexico, leaving the door wide open for
Nick Vasicek to retain his QCC
title and potentially take his
first win of 2014.
Burleigh Heads served up
near-perfect conditions for
the opening day of competition with plenty of infamous
Burleigh barrels on offer for big
scores and entertaining wipeouts. Locals Nick Callister and
12-year-old Maddy Job put on
masterful displays of surfing,
but unfortunately did not survive the opening rounds of
competition.
Sunshine Coast surfers Kai
Hing and Dave Reardon-Smith
looked to be on a collision
course with the finals all
throughout the second day of
competition, but Miami’s Tim
Macdonald was determined to
better his 2nd placing in the
Chiko Sunshine Coast Pro and
did so with the win at Burleigh,
taking home a cool $4000 for
his efforts.
With Reardon-Smith relegated to 4th place in the Burleigh
final, it was Currumbin’s Corey
Ziems with the points in 2014
as