ALMOST 100 young groms faced tricky conditions over three-days of competition in the inaugural Surf Reflections Junior Series, held in Bonny Hills on 6-8 February.
Formerly the Cadet Cup, the Rainbow Beach event is now seen as one of the starting points for the nation’s best surfers.
Aged just 12, Alanni Morris from North Shelly Boardriders scored the double win of the Under 14s and Under 16s girls.
“The surf was small and not that great but I just tried to stay busy,” she said.
“if I wasn’t catching a wave I’d move in on the bank to try and get something there.”
Port Macquarie surfer-to-watch Harry Stephens was one of the 12-strong local contingent.
He finished fourth in the Under 16s boys.
Other locals competing were Aliyah Cormack (girls Under 14s), Lucy Hazell (Under 16s), Sunny Butler (Under 16 boys), Lennox Tate (Under 14 boys), Asher Winters (Under 16 boys), Albi Winters (Under 14 boys), Boaz Davy (Under 16 boys), Leo O’Rafferty (Under 14s), Beau Hall (Under 14s), Zeke Woollam (Under 16s) and Sebastian Hickey (Under 16s).
Surfest founder Warren Smith said competitors performed well in the consistently challenging conditions.
“The strong north-easterly made competition quite tough, with wave selection proving crucial in the small and bumpy conditions,” he said.
“But the kids took it in their stride.”
Pro surfers Matt Banting and Jarvis Earle were on hand to mentor the juniors ahead of their heats.
The Surf Reflections Junior Series has grown over the past two years and is a 5500-rated event on Surfing Australia’s National Series calendar.
The weekend’s winners were:
Under 14s girls: Alanni Morris (1), Everly Morgan (2), Cleo Beesley (3), Coco Wooley (4).
Under 14s boys: Max Goold (1), Clement Piellard (2), Noah Kornek (3), Nixon Vaughan (4).
Under 16s girls: Alanni Morris (1), Olive Morriss (2), Rubylee Neill (3), Arabella Georgeson (4).
Under 16s boys: Hugo Spierings (1), Sandon Vowels (2) Brynn Spierings (3), Harry Stephens (4).
The series continues at Urunga/Hungry Head on 8-10 May and in Tuncurry/Forster on 1-15 November.
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