news, local-news, ryan hardy, millie chalker, forster bodyboarding club, blueys beach, reeflex wetsuits, matt barron memorial, shane chalker, great lakes advocate
Despite looking like joining the growing list of sporting events in the area cancelled by bushfires, the free coaching clinic organised by Forster Bodyboarding Club for Saturday, November 16 went ahead – albeit a day late. Professional bodyboarder and guest coach Ryan Hardy flew to Port Macquarie on Friday, November 15, but due to heavy smoke in the area, the plane was unable to land and was forced to return to Brisbane. Luckily he was able to fly back on Saturday and the club simply rescheduled the clinic to the following day. It was held at Blueys Beach alongside Forster Bodyboarding Club’s last monthly contest for the year. Club secretary Rhonda Chalker said around 30 people of all ages and skill levels took part. “Everybody was just so stoked,” Mrs Chalker said. “He’s just really amazing at coaching.” Club member Millie Chalker, who is sponsored by Ryan’s wetsuit brand Reeflex, also helped out on the coaching side of things, lending a hand to the younger participants. “It was so great to coach alongside someone as passionate about bodyboarding as Hardy,” she said. “Seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces as they caught waves was priceless.” Related: The club decided to cancel the grommets, cadets and women’s divisions of their contest so the members could focus on picking up as much as they could from one of the greatest bodyboarders of all time. The advanced participants also took part in a video coaching session. And it wasn’t just the participants who enjoyed the clinic, with Ryan himself commenting on how much he enjoyed the experience. “It was a great opportunity for me to meet up with some Forster locals of all ages to share my skills and love of bodyboarding,” he said. “The natural surrounds of Forster’s local beaches and townsite are among some of the best in the world and it’s great to see the Forster Bodyboarding Club making the most of it.” Following the success of the event, Mrs Chalker said the club planned to get Ryan back for another coaching clinic next year, with the aim of developing their younger members as much as possible and encouraging more people to take part in the sport. On the contest side of things, Port Stephens’ bodyboarder Nathan Price took out the opens division ahead of Jeremy Coombes. Adam Cheers won the drop-knee division while Shane Chalker came out on top in the masters. Youngster Hayden Pisani also had a great day, winning the juniors and backing it up with a second place in the drop-knee and a third place in the opens. The club will hold its presentation at the Bellevue Hotel on Friday, December 13 from 6pm. A number of members will also travel to the Central Coast this weekend to take part in the Matt Barron Memorial, which is the final leg of the 2019 Memorial Triple Crown. Forster Bodyboarding Club Round Nine Results Masters 1st Shane Chalker 2nd Chad Pisani 3rd Aaron Burke 4th Craig Peterson Opens 1st Nathan Price 2nd Jeremy Coombes 3rd Hayden Pisani 4th Chad Pisani Juniors 1st Hayden Pisani 2nd Paddy Omalley 3rd Christian Sheehy 4th Millie Chalker DK 1st Adam Cheers 2nd Hayden Pisani Stay ahead with local news by signing up for the Great Lakes Advocate newsletter here.
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