Win for women: crowd funding lifts Surfest

After losing major sponsorship and dropping to 1000-point level this year, the Surfest Women's Classic will return to the top WQS rating in February 2016 after a crowd-funding campaign secured 73 $1500 shares.

Surfest chief Warren Smith said the result was an amazing show of support from the Hunter business community for women's surfing.

Smith said Colin Law, the regional executive manager for the Commonwealth Bank, was the driving force behind the online crowd-funding campaign and deserved great credit for the success.

Smith believed it was the first time any surfing contest had been financed through crowd-funding.

 Law has been involved with Surfest through sponsorship for the past five years and was pleased the idea was a success. 

‘‘We are all but there. We’ve invoiced all 73 and we’ve got 45 of those paid,’’ Law said. 

‘‘It’s been really well received. 

‘‘We had 30 to 35 committed before we went to the media with the concept, and the remainder have been snapped up quick, which is great.’’

All 73 shares  will go into a draw to become the naming-rights  sponsor of the contest.

All shareholders will be invited to a breakfast function on Friday, October 9, at Marina Views on Newcastle Harbour where the naming-rights backer will be drawn.

Each shareholder also gains two tickets to a cocktail function the week of the contest and is allocated a surfer. 

The businesses with the top four finishers in the event share a prize pool of at least $10,000.

 AAP reports:  Mick Fanning has boosted his surfing world title quest with a victory over old foe Kelly Slater to go through to the  quarter-finals of the   Trestles event in California.

Second-ranked Fanning advanced by defeating the 11-time world champion 16.1 to 14.9 in their fifth-round battle on Saturday.

An all-Australian battle in the women’s event dealt Sally Fitzgibbons’ title chances a hit when she was beaten by  Dimity Stoyle.