The Kowie Boardriders Club
There has been much talk about the upcoming Port Alfred Easter Festival and the two surf tournaments, the Rip Curl GromSearch and the Rip Curl Cup. The two surf tournaments are the anchor events of the Easter Festival, but what actually anchors the sport of surfing in Port Alfred? Let’s check out the Kowie Boardriders Club.
We chatted to current club chairperson Mickey Witthun and contest director/secretary Warwick Heny to get more information on the club.
Current Committee
The Kowie Boardriders Club was formed in 2000, making it 23 years old. The current committee comprises Mickey Witthuhn (Chair), Richard Heny (Contest Director), Carl Wurz (Treasurer), Warwick Heny ( Secretary), and Nick Donaghy ( social media )
They have about 43 active members; out of those, there are six girls.
The club is active, with their King Of The Kowie contest series having three events yearly.
They are also active on the beachfront. They had a beach cleanup last week, initiated by their member Beckie. At last year’s Rip Curl GromSearch, they were active in cleaning and tidying up the beach, as well as assisting Surfing South Africa whenever they could with setting up the contest site as well as dismantling it and packing it away after the day’s surfing. Their assistance was very welcome.
Illustrious Alumni
The Kowie Boardriders Club has an illustrious alumni.
The following have gained national colours over the years: Warwick Heny (In the 90s) and his daughter Lily, recently National Junior colours. Clinton Millard-National colours for Bodyboarding. Anton Wiersma -National colours for kneeboarding. Mickey Witthuhn-National colours for surfing manager. Daniel Emslie national colours. Wayne Monk – multiple national colours.
Local rippers are Warwick, Owen, Lily Heny, Andrew LaVerge, Kye McGregor, Mitch and Bryce du Preez. SA Open surf champion Thomas Lindhorst, Wayne Monk, Andrew Donaghy, and Joao Felizardo, to name a few.
The club has two main sponsors, Mix and Buco.
They are a close-knit crew and have some social functions during the year. They also have a popular weekend away, which they are rejuvenating again. The club vibe is great. They have a series winners social and an AGM which always ends up as a huge social.
Port Alfred Easter Festival
The Kowie Boardriders welcomed the Port Alfred Easter Festival, the two surf events, and the Bodyboarding Challenge with open arms.
Port Alfred is familiar with surf contests and other surf activities. The SA Kneelo Gathering started in Port Alfred many years ago, and now they meet annually nationwide. There were Samsung contests in the past, and Guido’s sponsored several surf tournaments. Oakley brought the Oakley Pro Junior competitions to Port Alfred and the Quiksilver Get Free contests. There was the Royal St Andrews Classic as part of the old City Surf Series.
Rip Curl GromSearch
The Rip Curl GromSearch is now entering its third year at East Beach, and the Port Alfred Easter Festival is a three-year commitment, so there will be surfing contests for the next few years at East Beach, watched over by the friendly surfers at the Kowie Boardriders Club.
Social Media
Kowie Boardriders is on Facebook
Check out the Kowie Boardriders Instagram feed for some red-hot surf photos.
