Crawford College North Coast has always had a large group of enthusiastic social surfers who head down to the beach on a Friday afternoon. However, the competitiveness of the sport has increased significantly, to the point that two teams have entered the KZN Schools Surfing League.
This league promotes team surfing and judging among the 10 schools that participate in the league. In the last competition the A team achieved third position and the B team placed fourth.
Amber Hogg (pictured above), Stevan Rice and Wade Simkiss have already represented KZN at various age-group levels, while the girls are gathering strength at the junior level, with Teal Hogg, Jade Mets and Kelly Simkiss all doing well in the KZN District competitions. Wade Simkiss is looking to improve on his ninth place ranking in South Africa, while Richard Cowan and Luke McCracken are currently rated first and second on the Zululand U16 team.
If all goes well, the school should have seven wave warriors representing various teams at the South African Surfing Champs . . . an outstanding achievement.
The school looks forward to the inclusion of a girls’ team in the female schools division next year. Well done to Brant Collins (HSS & Geography teacher) who, as surfing manager, has been instrumental in the growth of the sport and its consolidation into a competitive unit.