With the wild and woolly weather of Saturday it wasn't looking good for the Chloe Byron Memorial Comp on Sunday; but someone up there flicked the switch with the wind settling and the sun shining for the annual event. The men had a great turn out of both young and old competitors but the big surf seemed to have scared off a few of the ladies. Before each heat all of the competitors had to shake their groove thang, a delight for some stage ponies but horror for others. For those of us who didn't get our feet wet, not only did we get to laugh at the below par dance moves we were also entertained by the tunes being belted out and MC Henry Brycki's comedic antics on the microphone. A gold coin donation for an endless supply of jambalaya and crusty bread; could it get any better? If you were one of the guys dominating the raffle, then yes!
The surf was solid and closing out but that didn't stop the longboarders of all ages including the little junior burgers. All of the kids walked away with a bag full of goodies and a huge smile, but there could only be one winner for the main events. Taking out first place for the men was last year's winner Kevin Halt, with Bronte's Nicola Atherton topping the ladies' final. While winning the event is something special, the biggest round of applause was reserved for two heart felt presentations. The first, in honor of an award Chloe had won herself, 'The gutsiest effort' award was presented to Jennifer Reynolds and the 'Aloha spirit' award was given to a well deserving Z-Man. The Aloha spirit is a great way to sum up the day. Smiles all around, donations from the community and a wonderful show of support for a wonderful family.