Port Macquarie will hope to replicate their bodyboarding Teams Challenge success when the 35th anniversary of the annual competition hits the water at Town Beach on June 10-11.
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The local lads, led by captain Shayden Schrader and supported well by Jones Russell, Damian King, Brodey Brockmann and Chase O'Leary want to go back-to-back.
They will also have the youngest rider in the field in 14-year-old Chase Thompson.
Port Macquarie held off Newcastle to the tune of 78-73 in 2022 to claim Port Macquarie's first title since 2018. As a result, association president Dan Little said they had taken preparations for 2023 seriously.
"The Port boys want to take it out and they want to go back-to-back. They've been training together which is unusual and normally it isn't like that," Little said.
"It's so competitive. Teams is so competitive. It's the only event in the world like it, so to ring the bell at preso means a lot."
Port Macquarie will be joined by another nine teams - including the Port Old Boys - which make up the 10 aiming for the title of being the best team in bodyboarding.
The other eight are Newcastle, Newcastle Old Boys, North Central Coast, Port Stephens, Forster, Mandurah, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
Little said while there was also prizemoney at stake, the camaraderie was the driving force for the event.
"It's about being in a team and surfing together to win the competition because most bodyboarding or surfing competitions are individual, whereas this is not," he said.
"You've got to support your team and if someone's down you've got to pick them up."
The event continues to grow and Little indicated there might have to be some difficult decisions made in coming years as more and more clubs look to compete.
"I had a team from New Zealand ringing me up and Victoria and South Australia also want to put teams in, but how big do you go," he said.
"I can max it out at 12 teams, but it's getting to a point where it's really hard to fit everyone in."
And while there was merit in extending the event to a third day, Little said the Sunday night presentation is the most important part of the weekend.
"It's where you have everyone together... it doesn't happen anywhere in the world where you have 100 competitive bodyboarders together for a celebration," he said.
All the action starts from 7am on Saturday and Sunday.
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