State's best longboarders to do battle at Possos

THE state’s best longboarders will descend upon Point Impossible this weekend for Round 2 of the 2023 Victorian Longboard Titles, with crucial points up for grabs for both WSL and state team positions.

More than 50 surfers will take to the waters of the Surf Coast on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30, with top performers in the open men’s and women’s field to inch closer to securing a wildcard into the main event of the Bells Beach Longboard Classic WSL event this August.

The two-stop event series is also the exclusive pathway for the state’s elite surfers to be selected into the Victorian Longboard Team, which will compete later this year at the Australian Longboard Titles.

Surfers set to pull on the jersey this weekend include two-time Australian champion Ben Considine (Torquay), 2022 state champion Bea Conroy (Point Lonsdale), 2022 Over 55 Men’s Australian champion Greg Brown (Torquay) and former Australian champion Molly Powell (Anglesea).

Molly Powell surfing in Round 1 of the Victorian Longboarding Titles

With the two wildcard spots still up for grabs, Surfing Victoria chief executive officer Adam Robertson said he couldn’t wait to see who would come out victorious.

“The second round of this year’s State Longboard Titles certainly has a lot on the line.

“A wildcard into an event like the Bells Beach Longboard Classic can be a huge stepping stone for any athlete, along with a huge opportunity to showcase their skills against the best.

“We just saw Xavier Huxtable in the Rip Curl Pro show how dangerous a wildcard can be and how the current crop of emerging Victorian surfers have the talent to take down the best surfers in the world.

“Victoria has historically had a lot of brilliant women’s and men’s longboarders, so it’s nice to be able to host events like the state titles that give them the chance to showcase their ability.”