Zac Franich: Surf Life Saving GM on the Whangamata Classic

The Whangamata Classic is the pinnacle event to start off the Surf Life Saving summer, with lifeguards travelling from all over the country and beyond to take part. 

Zac Franich is the general manager of sport for Surf Life Saving and he joined D'Arcy to discuss the event. 

LISTEN ABOVE  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Let's talk some surf life Saving. The fucking Mattak Classics happening.
It's this weekend pinnacle event for lifeguards right across the
MOTU beginning of the season. Zach Farinich is their general
manager for sport of Surf Life Saving It joins us
now to talk about it Morena, Zach, So what are
we looking at? What do we got in front of you?

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Well, we're very excited to deliver the fun Mattar Classic,
which is in its fifteenth year. This year we see
two days of racing here which has attracted over five
hundred surf lifeguards from across the country and from international
and from international countries to attend the events. And this
is where you'll see New Zealand's fit as fast as
lifeguards going at it across beach events, ocean events and

(00:53):
also the surf boat events. So an exciting spectacle really
making this the sport with the difference.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
You're looking at a number of different disciplines across the day.
He touched on them before. What are they how do
they work? Just give us the basic sec What are
we looking at? Here be plenty of beach bunnies, you
know exactly what's going on, but there'll be also land lubbers.
Not myself, we have absolutely no idea.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
So all of the events we deliver the base essentially
off racue simulation type activities. So we have some beach
events like your beach Sprint, which is just a straight
sprint down the beach beach flags some people might be
familiar with. That's where you lie down, you know, a
whistle of blows and the persistance they spin around and
die for flags. It's an elimination type event. Then use

(01:40):
there's a traditional swim board and ski type events as
well as your iron Man event which some people might
be familiar with from the College Integrain series televised from Australia,
as well as the surfboat events, which is that the
four people in a boat with a sweet standing on
the back. So yeah, a huge array of events on
this weekend. Conditions looking great and it should be some

(02:01):
fantastic racing.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Do you have to compete and everything as part of
the team. Does everybody have to have a crack?

Speaker 1 (02:07):
No?

Speaker 3 (02:08):
No, you can so individual events. People pick and choose
which ones they want to do. There are a number
of relay options and real events on offer where again
like team club sorry will submit a number of teams,
but no, this is these events are really up to
specialists and generalists alike. And yeah, again really really excited

(02:29):
with the numbers.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
We're saying, fun With Classic. Where does it sit in
the grand scale of events here in New Zealand? How
important is it?

Speaker 3 (02:36):
So this is our largest event pre Christmas. We have
over five hundred participants from over twenty eight well from
twenty eight clubs from across the country. Fortunately, we've got
some international teams competing who are in town for last
week's International Souf Rescue Challenge. Out of them mount but yeah,
the Funatar Classic it is. It is the pinnacle events

(02:57):
pre Christmas. It's the first real hit out for the season.
So a good chance for people to sort of test
themselves against the competition to see how, you know, see
how they how they went training has been paying off?

Speaker 2 (03:07):
What's the price? Do they win a top half at
the end of it? What are they competing for?

Speaker 3 (03:11):
Bragging rights? Bragging rights from the line here And I
think you know, like any athletes, you always want to
go out and make every post and winner, but be
able to be able to turn up to the first
first major e end of the season and really laid
on the line. That sets up a pretty formidable foundation
for the bigger events coming into the back end of
back end of summer, including Eastern Regional Champs which is

(03:32):
the end of January and National Champs in March.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Where is the power base, Zach. Where are the best
surf life savers dwelling at the moment?

Speaker 3 (03:41):
Well, we generally have. There are stronghogs over all over
the country. There's some really strong clubs in Auckland's Taranaki,
Gisbon and christ Church. But currently the power base has
been in the Bay Plenty with the lights of Mount
mung and Noi previously. However, Ulmanu is the current national
champion when it comes to top club and they've got

(04:02):
a very strong program backed by an incredible coaching staff
Corey Hutchings and Dannie Richards. So yeah, a lot of
a lot of talents across the country, but currently, yeah,
the Bay Plany clubs are pretty hard to beat.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
Now, the sports side of it is brilliant. This is
something that I'm sure the athletes love fully engaged and
I mean we know Hutchings' that's a very well known
name in the industry. As far as what you actually
do though, surf life saving, this is a bit of
fun on the side, But what you do on the
beach every day throughout summer, that's the anchor, isn't it
that this is an extraordinary thing that these volunteers do.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yeah, that's right. Everyone competing this week and every senior
lifeguard sorry, every senior athlete as a qualified trained lifeguard,
and all of them give up their time to make
sure their local communities are safe. It really does make
surf life saving the sport with the difference. Not only
are these are these guys and girls read hot at
what they do, but they're just their outstanding people. They're

(05:02):
great kiwis giving up their time to make sure to
make sure the communities are safe.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
Verlet hail from Beck Fridich. Thanks so much for joining us,
wishing you the best for the whole summer, and again
to all of you out there putting in this Mahi.
New Zealand should be massively appreciative of that because you
save our souls during the summer. Cheers Jack for.

Speaker 1 (05:23):
More from the all Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave. Listen
live to News Talk set be on Saturday mornings, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio