WWA Freestyle Comp Write-Up

We’re proud to introduce you to WWA’s Freestyle division! A visionary idea from Ben Severne coupled with Windsurfing Western Australia’s (WWA) knowhow were fused together through Alistair Bentley and James McCarthy-Price’s neurotic desire to get the WA Freestylers together to showcase the states’ talent.

The virgin event was a raging success with 15 of the state’s best Freestyle frothers making the sojourn down to Mandurah to stake their claim at the cup.

The event was kicked off by some mind-blowing freestyle coaching by ex-Vass instructor Alistair Bentley and PWA Freestyle Queen Laure Treboux.

The purpose of the WWA Freestyle event was to improve the quality of freestyle locally as much as to crown the state’s biggest freestyle frother! Paradigms were shifted and kookisms booted in exchange for an informative and succinct tips by the instructors. Then it was off to the pancake-like flat water behind the sheltered reef’s at Avalon Beach.

Conditions were rough as the sailors braved gusty conditions and Alistair’s commentary. Nevertheless the event heaved-to and the stoked sailors hit the buttery smooth water under the awesome guidance of WWA’s President Tim Brazier. Competition was tight with local shredders Peter Staszcynski and Max Ploumis setting a high level!

The crowd of local Mandurah spectators swelled throughout the day as heats advanced to the penultimate semi’s. The frothers left standing were Peter Staszcynski, Alistair Bentley, Laure Treboux and James McCarthy-Price.

The level was fierce and the crowd and sailors were treated to the latest freestyle tricks and flips. Just before the heat the wind wavered. Tensions increased as the last standing shred-rats fought it out in the last of the days wind. Impressive performances by James ‘Curly’ McCarthy-Price and Peter ‘Redeye’ Staszcynski were eclipsed by the incredibly skilled and unfaltering performances by freestyle shredders Alistair Bentley and Laure Treboux.

Neptune vs Aphrodite, Gillard vs Abbott, Bentley vs Treboux. The clouds amassed and the thunder growled as accredit the unfathomable faceoff between the freestyle dominators. Competition was intense with the incredible talent of the two sailors apparent from the first two minutes of competition. Bentley drew the first blow met by swift response in the catlike Treboux. The crowd was initially treated to a Q & A style heat with each trick met with swift and more-tweaked response by the other competitor followed by an all-out battle royale; more extreme moves than Gangnam style! The faltering wind meant that stamina’s were fast depleted with the heat strongly favouring consistency.

In the end… it was Aphrodite! The Queen of freestyle Laure Treboux had ousted Bentley in a no-rules show of extreme freestyle-ness! The diva was swiftly crowned with the WWA Freestyle perpetual trophy* and showered the crowd with a large bottle of hard-won champagne*.

The motley crew of frothers then packed up and dispersed leaving nothing but footprints, and a rabid desire to train their spinny-winny’s to hail supreme in the upcoming WWA Freestyle comp. Yew!