State Champions Decided In Excellent Conditions At Jan Juc For The 2024 Victorian Masters Titles

It was a typical Victorian day down at Jan Juc Beach for the 2024 Victorian Masters titles with a mix of weather throughout the event. However competitors were greeted by 3-4 foot sets rolling through with a light offshore wind. The Over 60 Men put on a show from quarters to finals, as did the Over 35 women who produced excellent surfing. 

As the finals began, all eyes were on the water as the Men’s Over 60s division took to the waves. To start the heat, a perfect set rolled through the lineup with Martin Rennhackkamp (Lara) finding the best of the set, teeing off on multiple forehand hacks to receive a 7.33 point ride and take an early lead. Grayme Galbraith (Jan Juc) went on the hunt for some inside runners, picking up a 5.50 point ride for a tidy two turn combo. This put Galbraith into the lead with a low scoring back up ride.

As the heat progressed, it was anyones to win, with all scores being very close. It was only a matter of time before someone capitalized on a set wave. Heading into the five-minute mark, Rennhackkamp regained his lead with a quick turn out the back, but he left the door open for his competitors to overtake him. Then with a minute to go, it was all looking to go Rennhackkamp’s way as he secured a solid left-hand ride out the back to consolidate the win with 10.50 points.

Placing in second was Grayme Galbraith with Kim Shannon (Melbourne) and Rowan Sapwell (Torquay) coming in third and fourth.

“I’m super stoked to take out the final,” said Rennhackkamp.

“I was looking for those long running rights and then got a left as a backup wave,” he continued.

“For a competition the waves were amazing and there was a good spirit between all of us out there.”

In the Men’s Over 55 division, Stuart Engel (Portland) went on a dream run as his smooth, flowing style picked up multiple excellent rides throughout the day. However, it was in the final that Engel really shone, locking into a swooping carve on his first wave and finishing off strongly to score an 8.00 point ride. His momentum continued into the back half of the heat as he improved his situation by laying into a couple more big forehand carves to take out the final with a combined total of 16.53 points.

On the other side of the draw in the Over 35 womens, the final was set up to be a highly contentested one. The one to beat looked to be Tiffany Riggs (Torquay) as she put on a solid display of surfing in the earlier rounds, scoring a 9.33 point ride. As the competitors paddled out amid an onshore squall they faced tricky conditions with impressive skill and resilience.

To start the final, Jade Ogilvie (Point Lonsdale) and Angie Reiter (Torquay) split the peak, with Ogilvie starting strong by tagging a few backhand hits to score a 6.00 point ride. She quickly backed this up with an even better 6.93, showcasing a variety of carves and snaps. Midway through the final, Hannah Trigger (Merricks North) threw her hat in the ring with a big carve to lip line floater combo, earning an 8.17 point ride and putting her in close contention for the win.

Riggs, the earlier round’s favorite, made a late run finding a steep left and executing two backhand snaps to score a 6.83. However, Trigger was able to solidify her lead with a backup wave on her paddle back to the peak, completing multiple forehand slashes to the beach. With a combined heat total of 14.04, Hannah left the rest of the competitors needing scores of 7.00 points and above to challenge her lead. As the clock ran down, none of the other surfers could find the opportunity to overtake her, securing Hannah’s victory in the challenging conditions.

“It feels great to take the win, I was kinda surprised as I knew I got one OK wave but I was paddling so much I wasn’t sure,” said Trigger.

“It was really fun surfing with the girls but to be honest in the final I hardly even saw anyone because we were just paddling,” she continued.

“The day was really good and the sun stayed out most of the day so it was perfect really.”

Placing in second was Riggs on 13.10 points with Jade Ogilvie and Angie Reiter coming in third and fourth.

After their wins, Hannah Trigger as well as Martin Rennhackkamp and Stuart Engel will be representing Victoria, along with others, in the 2024 Australian Surf Championships at Port Macquarie, NSW.

For full results and scores visit www.surfingvic.com/live.

Finals Results:

Over 60 Men

1st – Martin Rennhackkamp (Lara), 10.54
2nd – Grayme Galbraith (Jan Juc), 8.50
3rd – Kim Shannon (Melbourne), 7.70
4th – Rowan Sapwell (Torquay), 6.27

Over 55 Men

1st – Stuart Engel (Portland), 16.53
2nd – Craig Lloyd (Armstrong Creek), 12.57
3rd – Raymond McIntosh (Jan Juc), 10.13
4th – Jason Agosta (St. Andrews Beach), 9.97

Over 50 Men

1st – Arthur McKenzie (Cowes), 16.16
2nd – Raymond McIntosh (Jan Juc), 14.33
3rd – Mark Walker (Seaford), 9.06
4th – Clayton Allen-Ankins (Marshall), 4.04

Over 45 Men

1st – Arthur McKenzie (Cowes), 15.47
2nd – Mark Miccoli (Patterson Lakes), 14.77
3rd – Craig Lloyd (Armstrong Creek), 9.07
4th – Jason O’Loughlin (Jan Juc), 8.90

Over 40 Men

1st – Joel Reid (Blairgorwie), 15.77
2nd – Tim Birnie (Jan Juc), 15.20
3rd – Hayden Bleazby (Torquay), 13.07
4th – Luke Beerling (Rye), 9.40

Over 35 Women

1st – Hannah Trigger (Merricks North), 14.04
2nd – Tiffany Riggs (Torquay), 13.10
3rd – Jade Ogilvie (Point Lonsdale), 12.93
4th –  Angie Reiter (Torquay), 6.20

Over 35 Men

1st – Tim Birnie (Jan Juc), 15.00
2nd – Joel Reid (Blairgorwie), 12.64
3rd –  Luke Beerling (Rye), 7.67
4th – Hayden Bleazby (Torquay), 6.33

Single Fin / Over 50 Women

1st – Mark Miccoli (Patterson Lakes, Single Fin), 15.50
2nd – Michelle Fincher (Ventnor, Over 50 Women), 9.50
3rd – Jamie Reichelt (Balnarring, Single Fin), 6.93
4th – Grant Price (Fairhaven, Single Fin), 3.77

The Victorian Masters Titles is supported by Park Lane Holiday Parks, Danny Green’s Coward Punch Campaign, VicRoads Community Safety Grants, Cancer Council Sunscreen, earLAB and Surfing Victoria.