The boardriders club built on community

THANKLESS mornings in the biting cold, the reward of a post-surf beer and plenty of hoots and hollers have helped shape the Jan Juc Boardriders Club (JJBC) into one of the Surf Coast’s most distinctive surf communities.

A decade on from a simple conversation in a cold garage between three local surfers, the club has grown into a 200-strong collective built as much on camaraderie as competition.

Founded in 2016 by Casey Egan and Jack and Tim Stevenson, JJBC was born out of a desire to bring “fun and spirit” back into surfing at a grassroots level.

“We had grown up in the local surf community and had all moved around in our early 20s for work and travel, but found ourselves back in Juc surfing daily together,” Egan said.

 

“We realised how lucky we were to grow up in such a tight knit surfing community and felt, as the town had grown so much, maybe it was missing that element of a strong community-led boardriders club.

“We all loved growing up in Torquay Boardriders, but noticed the club had gone on to become a huge national powerhouse for competitive surfing and junior development. This wasn’t really the surfing we were interested in doing.

“We felt there was an opportunity to create a club that was more about the social aspect than the result outcomes.”

That idea struck a chord immediately.

More than 70 surfers turned up for the club’s first event – a chaotic, wind-lashed day of heavy surf.

“I remember we looked at each other and just said ‘We’re going to have to get our s**t together here’,” Egan said.

“It didn’t help that our first contest at Juc was as big as I’ve ever surfed it.

 

“After that first event we knew we had started something special and everyone that attended had a great time. Most of those original crew are still rocking up to every event, which is a great sign we are upholding that same atmosphere year after year.”

Getting the club off the ground required navigating a bit of red tape, including consultation with Torquay Boardriders Club founding member Ross Slaven and Surfing Victoria.

“Surfing Victoria were amazing,” Egan said. “They understood the gap we saw, how big the town had become and knew we were creating something little different to the normal.

“We also went and chatted to Ross – his sons Tyler and Curtis were with us as original members.

 

“We basically felt like if Ross gave us his blessing that’s all that mattered, and thankfully he totally understood our angle, so we powered on.”

From the outset, JJBC has leaned into a deliberately “blue-collar” identity – a contrast to the more polished, high-performance image often associated with Torquay’s surf scene.

“Starting the club around the importance of having fun and the social aspect of surfing always being more important than the competition result, has really allowed us to be more blue collar,” Egan said.

“I think some clubs around Australia are more interested in running boardriders like a business and banking money for a rainy day.

“We prioritise always ensuring our members are having a great time and giving back to our community.”

That ethos has extended across generations, something Egan counts among the club’s proudest achievements.

“One of our goals with JJBC was to create a tight knit community in the surf, not just on event days, but every surf,” Egan said.

 

“It’s something that we [the founders] were fortunate enough to have growing up in Jan Juc and we felt it got a little lost as the town grew.

“We hope these connections the young crew can form at JJBC across such a wide generation gap gives them the confidence to become the surfer and the people they want to be.”

Now in its 10th year, the club is also making its mark competitively, recently posting its best-ever result at the Australian Boardriders Battle, while expanding its women’s and junior divisions.

Club president Dane Carollo said the balance between fun and performance remained central.

“Our ability to have fun and surf as a team really shines through,” Carollo said. “There’s a strong ‘no one person is bigger than the team’ mentality which has taken us to the big stage recently.

“At the end of the day though, we’re not taking it too seriously. It’s just nice to spend the weekend at the beach, as come Monday morning, everyone’s got to go to work.”

 

Plans are already under way to celebrate the 10-year milestone, with the club aiming to mark the occasion in a way that reflects its roots.

“We’re working on the plans at the moment,” Carollo said. “It’s going to be a good chance to put on something special for our members and supporters.

“In 10 years’ time, all I could hope for is that it’s still based around having a good time, loving where we live and the fun side of surfing.

“There’s also going to be a whole generation of the founder’s kids coming through, which will be exciting.”