Get your paddling arms in shape and get on board an event that’s about to redefine the concept of surfing for a good cause.

On Saturday, April 1, the Mornington Peninsula surfing community will host a unique surf competition at Shoreham with a simple goal – to raise money for the Disabled Surfing Association’s Mornington Peninsula Branch (DSAMP). It doesn’t get much more community than this. 

Registrations are open and excitement is building, with the major prize a $2000 travel voucher from JetStar. All funds raised at the inaugural DSAMP Champs event will help fund DSAMP’s two annual events for surfers with disabilities, held at Pt Leo.

The DSAMP Champs is no ordinary surfing competition. It’s designed to create the ultimate level playing field for all competitors. As organiser Rod Jones from The FirstReef Project team (essentially an organised group of Peninsula surfers with big hearts, looking for innovative ways to support surfers with disabilities) explains, all entrants will surf on identical boards – 10’ soft longboards - and wait til you hear about how you can win!

“There are some very good surfers down here who would dominate the competition so we were very keen right from the start to make sure it wasn’t a normal competition,” Rod explains. “We’ve come up with a fun concept where it’s a team competition, each team has four surfers, and so long as all team members paddle out, catch one wave and stand up, your team qualifies for the prize draw.” So yes, the winning team, plus second and third prizes, will ultimately be drawn from a hat.

Maladiction Longboarders (a club of devoted surfers from the Mornington Peninsula - www.maladiction.org) came up with the prize draw idea and will run the event; Jetstar is on board as the major sponsor via its Community Grant Fund; Trigger Bros are donating the second prize (a Trigger Bros Surf Pack) and third prize is dinner for four at Stillwater at Crittenden, donated by Peninsula Speech Pathology Services.

There are also a bunch of fabulous and fun minor prizes:, for the highest team score, longest noseride, best wipeout, most outrageous manœuvre, best costumes, paddle race winner and beach volleyball winner. The minor prizes include an iPad from Telstra Frankston, wine packs, beer packs, a surf wear pack from Bass Surfboards, and a Gonadman pack from Mark Sutherland!

Entry is $200 per team, register at www.firstreef.weebly.com or ring Rod on 0438 458 064, and for more on the DSAMP visit www.disabledsurfers.org/vic/morning-peninsula-branch