ANTON Pain’s schooling life at Great Lakes College has been topped with strong placings in the Australian National Wave Sailing Competition at Ballina.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Pain finished second in the juniors and third in the adult armature.
In the juniors Pain took advantage of a split decision that went his way.
Unfortunately he did not have the same luck in the final and finished in second place.
“The conditions were just good enough for jumping as you need good power and speed for that and I managed to get one reasonable jump in the semi final,” Pain said.
“I had a split decision against me in the final and as I was also competing in the amateur section it was a busy day for me.
“Unfortunately the weather was only really any good for the comp on one day, but the organisers did a great job of fitting in so many heats in the time we had.”
Event organisers were also on the lookout for sharks after recent sittings and attacks.
A jet ski patrolled the area throughout the competition.
Wave sailing is judged similarly to surfing with the addition of scoring on jumps which include foreword loops and table tops.
Pain describes the sensation as feeling two awesome sensations at once.
“The feeling of catching a wave is something most of us have experienced when surfing,” he said.
“But with a sail as well, it gives you so much power and drive to be able go at insane speeds and fly through the air as well as do bigger turns on the wave.”
Now that school is done for Pain, he is saving up for a trip to either Brazil or Maui in Hawai’i.
He plans to work as a shipwright labourer at his sister’s business in Sydney.
Once overseas Pain hopes to get work as a windsurf instructor.
“I hope to windsurf every day for maybe four months, which will bring on my windsurfing well and ready to compete again,” he said.