Despite attracting considerable community backlash in the lead up to the event, organisers of the 2020 NSW Surfmasters Titles at Boomerang Beach have said the annual four-day contest went off without a hitch.
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Held from Thursday, July 30 to Sunday, August 2, the event attracted close to 150 of the best surfers 35 years and older from around NSW.
Well aware of the community's concerns regarding COVID-19 transmission, Surfing NSW media, communications and operations manager, Ethan Smith, said the organisation did everything it could to ensure the event was as safe as possible.
He also said a number of compliance checks were carried out across the four days.
"We had numerous visits from both uniformed and non-uniformed police and they all seemed to be quite happy with how we were running it," Mr Smith said.
"Everyone was keeping their distance, no one seemed to be hanging at the beach for an extended period of time."
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After earlier indicating she wouldn't be competing, local Pacific Palms' surfer Mel Bartz turned around and not only entered the over-35 women's division, she took it out for the second year running.
Bartz dominated the punchy righthanders on offer at her local beach, posting a number of near-perfect scores on her way to a convincing win.
Recently retired professional surfer, Corrimal's Nic Squires, claimed victory in the over-35 men's division ahead of Tweed Heads' Christian McCall.
Other division winners included Cameron Sharpe, Brett Bannister, Chris Homer, Rod Baldwin, Neil Cameron and Sandra English.
It's been successful for the last nine years.
- Ethan Smith
Mr Smith said the event once again enjoyed quality waves, but it was too early to say whether it would return to Boomerang Beach for a 10th year in 2021, given the opposition it had received this year.
However, he indicated both the competitors and the organisation had a fondness for the location.
"If everything was back to normal, I don't see why we wouldn't," Mr Smith said.
"It's been successful for the last nine years."
Local surfer and business-owner, Kirk Owers, who led the call for the event to be cancelled, still felt it shouldn't have gone ahead.
"Not long after we asked them (Surfing NSW) to can it, the Queensland premier declared all of Sydney a COVID hot spot," he said.
Mr Owers plans to approach MidCoast Council about the way sporting events are sanctioned in the area, saying local residents should have a greater say in what events are held in their backyards.
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