Wylie to lead Torquay Boardriders in 2024

TORQUAY Boardriders will have a former open men’s club champion leading the club in 2024, with local star surfer Tully Wylie taking over as president.

Mr Wylie was elected at the club’s Annual General Meeting in December, taking over from Harry Mann who has stepped down due to moving overseas after a four-year tenure.

The incumbent president has been on the general committee of the club for the last three years.

Competitively, Mr Wylie has represented Torquay Boardriders in the Australian Boardriders Battle and Victorian Teams Titles on numerous occasions and is a past Victorian Open champion.

He also competed in the prestigious Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in 2022 after winning the local wildcard.

Mr Wylie said he was eager to continue the great direction the club is heading in.

“Having been at the club since I was so young, this is an amazing honour,” he said.

“Past club presidents Cahill Bell-Warren and Harry Mann have been taking me to meetings for the last few years and really showed us younger folk how it all goes and how to be involved.

“The club is moving in such an epic direction both in and out of the water, and I’m so excited to just run with that.”

Mr Wylie flagged a finals finish at the Australian Boardriders Battle (ABB), the continual push of their social division and a record-breaking Bells Beach Easter Luncheon as goals for 2024.

“We certainly think we can mix it with the best clubs in the country, and making a final at the ABB at Burleigh in March is a big focus,” he said.

“On paper, we have one of the best teams and while it’s really hard to beat any club, we have the belief we can get to the podium.

“Our social division was very successful in its debut season in 2023, so we look forward to pushing it again with our less competitive surfers.

“The Bells Luncheon is also a cracker and we are ramping up our preparations up for it. We can’t wait to raise some big funds to support our club.”