Surf's Up: Surfing Intervarsities 2013 | Tom Roche

Tom Roche offers a personal insight to the 2013 Surfing Intervarsities, the most successful incarnation of the competition to date. Charts‘’Have you checked the forecast?’’ was the most repeated set of words in the lead up to the weekend. A week out and things were looking grim. The north-west devil wind was forecast to blow hard onshore into the bay with swell a plenty. ‘’That wind is going to drop off, I just know it’’ replied John convincingly every time concerns were expressed regarding the competition site. Safe to say I was extremely worried. Some of Ireland’s best young surfers were heading south to compete in the Intervarsities and incontestable conditions were simply not an option. So we waited. A myriad of charts, knots and degrees were poured over hour after hour. The Earth Science students became the go to men for meteorological predictions. By Wednesday morning news had broken that the wind was starting to drop off. The low pressure system began to move slowly further away from Ireland’s south west. By that evening it was game on. Green light. Gear was starting to get packed into the vans, most importantly the marquee. Which was a massive project to take on considering Brandon Bay is one of the windiest places on the planet. They had recently held the Red Bull Storm Chase with windsurfers taking on 70+ knot winds. All prizes had been finalised, RipCurl, AOR Surfboards, Sea Sessions Music Festival and Jamie Knox Watersports providing the essential kit for the weekend.ContemplationIt was an early morning to get down the competition site to get the marquee and tents set up for the weekend ahead. Breezy and we were holding a 40 foot long tent in our hands. Ideal. It took hours but we got the venue looking like a proper contest site just before dark. Registration that night brought all the teams together in Spillane’s. The magic sauce was slowing with teams socializing. Topics of conversation included isobars and low pressure systems, accurately measuring wave heights and the ‘’talent’’ on show at IVs. Summer plans were recited, with trips to Indo, Costa Rica and Portugal discussed, others just looked forward to some Summertime slab hunting off the west coast. The Sligo lads continued to ponder well into the night, they were the last out in the door in the small hours of Saturday morning.Sun, waves and ravesOn Saturday morning, the whole of the village of Castlegregory woke to nervous anticipation of what was to come. Would the forecast deliver? We opened our eyes early to see the one of the most beautiful sights the world has to offer. Crisp blue skies as far as the eye could see, barely a breath of wind and the sun rising with its rays glistening off the snowy tops of Mount Brandon. Corduroy lines of swell crashing into the banks at Dumps creating highly contestable conditions. Brandon Bay had delivered in all its glory. The scene was set. The dunes were packed with the teams and spectators. The DJ was spinning the tunes. The sets were rolling in. The man-made hooter from the contest van sounded and off started the competition in the Open Men category. The champion elect Cillian Ryan representing Waterford IT entered the arena, with a masterclass of rail to rail surfing, winning his heat without breaking a sweat.Limerick IT and Lahinch local Damien Conway, fuelled by the Dutch on the golden sands of the bay, cruised through to his opening heat as if he hadn’t left Spillane’s Pub the previous night. The competitors discussed the ever changing conditions with the turn of the tide from the beach-side sauna set up for some post-heat defrosting. Yes, a beach-side sauna. Imagine the novelty and pure ridiculousness of it.The Men’s competition closed for the day with the sun setting over the mountains with the finalists being decided in mind-bendingly high standard semi-finals to the delight of the watching crowds on the dunes who had been transfixed by the day’s surfing. The men left standing for Sunday’s final were Messrs Ryan, Conway, Rory Touhy of Sligo IT and Louis Martin of NUI Galway. The inevitable fall of darkness allowed the masses to regroup for the night ahead. All the teams returned to the competition site for the evening session under the starry Kingdom sky. The marquee and DJ drew the party-goers for a night to remember, if anyone could.Glory or bustThe next morning drew a collective sigh of filthy hangovers and tennis elbow from the previous night’s constant raving. It was finals day. The business end of the competition.  The wind had picked up and temperatures plummeted overnight leaving bumpy conditions for the conclusion. The smaller categories of Men’s and Women’s longboard, bodyboard and novice were decided, despite not being the main events they were crucial deciders in the outcome of the team competition.The Women’s Open final saw a 1-2 for NUI Galway with Clare McMorrow taking the win with Rossnowlagh’s Tahlia Britton taking the runners-up prize. UCC took out 3^rd and 4^th with Emma O’Donnell and Rachel O’Mahoney, a fantastic achievement no doubt being both 1^st years and UCC didn’t have any female competitors the previous year in Strandhill.The final heat of the day was the Men’s Open final with contest direction Pascal giving mahalos out to the competitors over the speakers before the main event commenced. Pre-competition favourite and Emerald Surfwear team rider Cillian Ryan taking the victory and along with it a new weapon of choice hand crafted by local shaper Alan O’Riordan. The west coast took unsurprisingly took a 1-2-3 in the team standings with NUI Galway 1^st, Galway-Mayo IT 2^nd and Sligo IT 3^rd. UCC finished in 4^th place, a vast improvement on their 8^th place finish last year and with a young side it could be a sign of big things to come for the south coast college. Hard work behind the scenes paying dividends.Setting the standardThe 2013 Irish Surfing Intervarsities was an outstanding success. ‘’Best IVs ever’’ exclaimed Liam Grant, Longboard Winner and NUIG captain. His sentiments were echoed across the board. ’’Yesterday was one of the best days of my life!’’ said Mike from UL, ‘’The general craic and atmosphere around the Surf IV's was fantastic and the weather made it seem as if Summer had hit already. The cherry of the cake was the Beach party later on at night! My God was that epic! Never been with such a brilliant laid back crowd on a night out! Great tunes, great people and overall Great time!’’. ‘’Nothing like I’d ever seen before in Ireland.’’ said WIT’s Cillian Ryan. There’s some big boots to fill.