RUMBLE 2021 MONEY BOWL: Results, recap and photos

RUMBLE ON THE REEF: Mackay’s Sugar Bowl was definitely full of sugar last night! On Friday 24 September the 2021 Queensland Bowlriding Championships served up some of Australia’s best in a feast of bowlriding wizardry. Year after year this event delivers and last night was no different.

The night kicked off with a bang as Australia’s next crop of female rippers in the Under 12 division let fly. A notable absentee from this division was Heili Sirvio who decided to take on the Open Women’s division, which left the other division heavy weights Arisa Trew, Mel NC and Coco Crafter to battle it out with Arisa establishing her dominance with some insane aerial work.

The 12 & under boys division skated like miniature men dropping bangers worthy of the Opens division. The final culminated in an epic battle between 7 year old sensation Louie Daiguchi, speed wizard Noa Barnes and master blaster Jacob Hanson. Little Louie’s technical ability on and above the coping being the difference, with Noa and Jacob sending it to the moon with their air game.

Boys 16 & under was expected to be a dual between favourites Jake Thatcher and Lukas Byers, but with Lukas taking a heavy slam in his first run (which he got up and walked away from) he was unable to continue. It left Freddie Hazelton and Reese Hall to try and trump Jake’s dominating runs but even Freddie’s giant airs weren’t enough to stop Jakie’s above the lip wizardry.

The Masters was a throw back to all things old schoool with back to back champ Chris Enwright getting it done again this year, Marcio Godhino Brandini coming second and John Dickenson rounding out the medals.

The Open Women’s was a showdown between seasoned pro Taniah Meyers, young rippers Abby Shanahan, Heili Sirvio, street queen Haylie Powell as well as crowd favourite and A-team member Mikayla Senior. Taniah’s contest prowess came to the fore with a run to get the job done. Heili just pipping Abby in a close battle of the future stars of women’s bowl.

That left the big boys to wrap things up in the blue rippon event. Nixen Osborne wooed the crowd with his signature hand plants, Mashy Howse let fly with some of the mostexciting skating seen all week and Jorge Tichbon lit the place alight with his barefoot mastery! But with a field that consisted of skaters that could all win it on their own right it became a battle of Australia’s best youngesters Ash Wilcomes, Freddie Arnold, Jack Lewis and Charlie Holland.

Charlie, the dark horse of the event, skated like a season veteran for the third with Freddie and Ash blasting run for run for the gold. Ash’s last run was bowlriding perfection which set the scene for Freddie’s last run. He lit the crowd up with a run that left everyone guessing as to who should take the title, but came up short by a mere 0.67! If you could have handed out two gold medals these two both deserved to stand atop the lot.