Webb wins at Australian Titles

JAN Juc’s Emma Webb recently won the 10ft Longboard division at the Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) Australian Titles at Philip Island.

It was the first time the 10ft Longboard category had been part of the tournament, combining traditional longboarding with SUP surfing.

Webb dominated the category and had a particularly excellent final, posting a score of 15.90 to comfortably eclipse the other competitors.

Webb said conditions improved over the course of the five-day competition.

“It was pretty big and messy and wild for the first few days but by the time it was finals the waves become a lot nicer and cleaner.

“I caught three nice waves and was able to make the most of what was on offer.”

Webb also competed in the Open Division, where she reached the semi-finals.

She said the quality of competition across the tournament was high.

“It was a super high standard, the surfing. I haven’t seen many people SUP in really big waves before, and they made it look really amazing.”

Webb said that while there was plenty of SUP talent in Victoria, the discipline was yet to become as popular as in the more northern states.

Surfing Victoria and VicHealth have recently launched a new Coasting for Teens program that will run in Barwon Heads as well as other locations over the summer.