It’s all systems go for the 20th Jeff Wilcox Memorial bodyboarding competition following confirmation the event would go ahead in 2018.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With financial and personal issues hampering the planning stage, it was decided to cancel this year’s event.
Event director Aaron Dodds described the event as “one of a kind” and was excited for its return.
“There’s nothing else like it in Australia or the world,” he said.
Aaron believed the smooth running of previous competitions was due to the close proximity of Great Lakes beaches.
If wind and swell direction becomes an issue, events can be moved to another beach.
Surfing awareness and education sessions as well as art, music and food stalls will feature at the 2018 event.
An international contingent has taken to the water in recent years such as Japan’s Yukihisa Yamada and South Africa’s Joshua Kleeve.
World champions in the women’s, master’s, and drop knee categories have also competed in the past and are expected to feature in next year’s instalment. Aaron said the competition held great significance in the bodyboarding community.
He called for “like-minded” events to be held in the Manning Great Lakes area in the future and for local businesses to support them.
The event was established in 1990 following the death of 14-year-old Jeff Wilcox.