The South African National Long Boarding Championships took place two weekends ago and the Macgregor family was there in full force: three generations of them to be exact.
The South African National Long Boarding Championships took place two weekends ago and the Macgregor family was there in full force: three generations of them to be exact.
David Macgregor, a journalist for the Daily Dispatch, his two children, Cuan and Kye, and his father Stuart, all surfed together at Seal Point near St Francis in the Eastern Cape.
The Macgregor family have been surfing together for years according to Cuan. Since both boys were young they have been surfing in Port Alfred, Eastern Cape, where East Beach is their local break. “There are pictures of us on surf boards when I was about three, so we’ve been surfing for a while,” he said.
The Macgregor family surfed last year, but unfortunately Kye could not participate as he was far too young. But since Kye could join in this year, the competition was “astronomically more enjoyable” said David. “It was great having both my boys there. Even my dad was surfing in the senior section, so it was really special to have the whole family together.”
Cuan and Kye are both at Graeme College in Grahamstown, where they get a bit of leeway, when it comes to the school’s strict sporting regime due to their skills in the water. “My two boys are at Graeme and I have to say, the school is very supportive of their surfing, they do not have to take part in other sports besides water polo so they have time to get down to the beach,” he said.
Despite sustaining an injury before the contest,,t David won first place in the Kahuna division, the age group between 45 and 50. His oldest son, Cuan, got third place in the U18 division and his youngest son, Kye, at 11-years-old, came 3rd in the U14 division.
“I really have to say a huge shout out to my wife Gill. She is the one driving us to and from all these competitions we take part in. Sometimes we are in the car to Port Alfred as early 6am and only finish at 6pm,” said David.
Kye, the youngest of the aquatic family, also competed in the RVCA competition which is specifically for juniors. Since starting to compete on the national-stage Kye, despite his young age, has shown serious potential for the future and is now being sponsored by Billabong.
Cuan has also attracted some attention, as he has been selected to join Team13, a team of surfers selected by world-renowned, South African long boarder, Matthew Moir.
