Ben Veitch and Ebony Schell crowned State bodyboard champions at WA Gas Bay contest in Margaret River

Local bodyboard veteran Ben Veitch has dominated at the weekend’s WA championships that also saw returning victor Ebony Schell claim her fifth title on the run.

In the Statewide contest held at Gas Bay at the weekend competitors tackled clean and consistent four-foot waves in great weather.

Conditions became more unruly closer to the finals, testing the bodyboarders’ mettle as they duked it out to claim one of seven new State championship crowns.

Veitch used his local knowledge to perfection, catching the best waves in the open men’s final and executing his manoeuvres with precision, organisers said.

Veitch flipped and rolled his way to a two-wave combined total of 15.94 out of 20 to snatch the blue-ribbon event he last held in 2019.

The final pitted the Margaret River wave rider against mates Chad Jackson and Ashden Garret.

“Gas Bay is a premier bodyboard wave and it really showcases our sport,” he said after the contest.

“Critical wave riding with hollow sections for tubes and airs, it doesn’t get any better than competing when the waves are pumping.”

Dual Australian champion Schell from Mindarie claimed her fifth consecutive State title with what judges considered a commanding performance in powerful waves.

Hot off the heels of a good showing in Morocco, Schell took the victory ahead of Dunsborough’s Rio Clarke, posting good and excellent scores with apparent ease.

Schell said she was now chasing her third Australian title as well as heading overseas again to compete later this year.

While Dunsborough’s Jackson failed in his bid for the open men’s category, he was recognised as the stand-out performer across the weekend and defended his over-35s masters State title.

Surfing WA events manager Justin Majeks said Jackson dropped some of the biggest scores of the weekend, “showing the new generation of WA bodyboarders what was possible”.

Jackson ironically bested Veitch in that contest, later saying he was stoked at the win.

“I’ve got a sore shoulder and tender ribs after surfing so many heats, but it’s all worth it when you score waves like we’ve had,” he said.

Yallingup’s Sean Oberholzer defended his over-45s grand masters division title, while Leschenault rider Kyle Schubert snatched his first under-18 junior gong and Dunsborough’s Barry Hammond claimed the drop knee division.