SportGibraltar

Surfing: Gibraltar's surfers lay the foundations for a successful Surfing and Bodyboarding Association (GSBA)

A new surfing association has been started in Gibraltar, to help serve the community and promote the sport of surfing on the Rock.

Organisers say the Gibraltar Surfing and Bodyboarding Association (GSBA) will seek to create interest in wave-riding sports and give free lessons to kids who are attempting it for the first time.

A meeting was held at the Bayside Sports Centre lecture room to elect a committee and approve the constitution, already prepared by founder members.

The meeting was well attended by the majority of the original surfers of Gibraltar and some interesting points were raised, not least the need to train up coaches through national governing bodies, to enable them to undertake surf coaching in a way which is both safe and controlled.

Unfortunately, as elected chairman Andy Warr pointed out, this would mean raising funds so that professionals could be brought to Gibraltar to give lessons on how to become proper surfing instructors.

But this raised another issue – in order to become a surfing coach accredited by the British Surfing Association the person must have a Royal Surf Lifesaving Award which unfortunately is not issued in Gibraltar. So it was decided to try to co-ordinate with tourism heads to bring in a person from the UK to give this course and award the qualification to all the surfers and lifeguards interested.

However, both these qualifications – the RLSA and the BSA Level 1 Coaching certificate – could probably be given by the same person as the GSBA has made contact with the BSA based in Newquay, Cornwall and they have agreed to send over a professional for a week to train the Gibraltar crew.

In the meantime it was decided to try to get the opinion of the people of Gibraltar through a survey and pressure the Government to allocate a certain area of the beach throughout the summer season.

Weekend surf trips are also on the cards for the near future when young and old can have a chance to get firsthand experience of the sport. It will consist of an overnight stay, camping in a prime surfing spot in one of the main surfing beaches of the Costa de la Luz, with surfing instruction and camping included in the price.

In the future there are also possibilities of getting affiliated with a European or international organisation which could lead to competition and further recognition for Gibraltar’s athletes.

One of the founders of the association, Andy Warr, a social services child carer, says, “Surfing has become a big part of my life and given me opportunities to travel and see the world. It keeps me healthy, makes me aware of the need to take care of the environment and helps me relax from the working week. I would recommend this sport to anyone regardless of age or sex.”

For any further queries or information on forthcoming meetings please contact Andy on 5401 1363.
Source: Vox.gi

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