WARRAIN BEACH, CULBURRA BEACH (Saturday, 2 December 2017): The 2017 Surf Dive n Ski Australian Junior Surfing Titles has concluded today with six new Australian champions being crowned in sizey four-to-five foot surf at Warrain Beach.
Noah Stocca (Peregian, Qld) will be taking an Aussie Title back to the Sunshine Coast, thanks to an impressive performance in the Under-18 Boys. Stocca showed little restraint in the punchy surf, hammering giant sections with gusto to post a 7.93 scoring wave and a 7.00. West Australian surfer Cyrus Cox (Margaret River, WA) remained hot on Stocca’s heels over the duration of the final, but was unable to find the 7.93 score needed to take the win.
Piper Harrison (Coolangatta, Qld) still seemed to be carrying the same momentum she had when she took out the recent Phillip Island Pro WSL Qualifying Series event, bagging herself the Under-18 Girls Australian Title. Harrison attacked the punchy lefthanders in her heat to be rewarded with a 14.00 heat total which gave her the upper hand against fellow Queensland competitor Sasha Baker (Mudjimba, Qld) who took out second place.
Grayson Hinrichs (Bondi, NSW) became the first male surfer from Sydney’s eastern suburbs to take out an Australian Junior Title since Bronte’s Tom Whittaker back in 1996 when he claimed the Under-16 Boys final today. Hinrichs gained the edge over his fellow competitors in the exciting final thanks to an outstanding 15.33 two-wave heat total. Event standouts Seth Van-Haeften (Margaret River, WA), Arch Whiteman (Mona Vale, NSW) and Codie Jeffery (Newhaven, Vic) all remained within striking distance over the duration of the final, but were unable to find the excellent scoring waves required to steal the victory.
Thanks to a near-perfect 9.33 wave score, Molly Picklum (Shelly Beach, NSW) was able to gain the upper hand against her opposition to claim victory in the Under-16 Girls final. Picklum executed a chain of gigantic backside snaps to post the aforementioned score (the highest score of the day), followed by a 6.37 to round out her 15.70 two-wave heat total. The heat total meant that Sage Goldsbury (Cape Woolamai, Vic), Emma Cattlin (Yallingup, WA) and Raya Campbell (Coolangatta, Qld) all required excellent scoring waves to take away Picklum’s lead.
Jarvis Earle (Cronulla, NSW) showed the same level of promise seen from prominent Cronulla goofy-footers like Connor O’Leary, Andy King, Richard Marsh, Gary Green and Mark Occhilupo, when he took out the Under-14 Boys division. Earle posted an excellent 8.67 scoring wave for an extraordinary left-hander, which he proceeded to smash apart and link together a chain of innovative turns and snaps. When the heat wrapped up, Earle got the nod with 14.67 heat total to claim the win against West Australian native Solomon Pogue-Englert (Gracetown, WA) who notched up a valiant 14.06 total and finished in second.
Ellie Harrison (Barwon Heads, Vic) posted an impressive 14.34 heat total to take victory in the Under-14 Girls division. Harrison surfed well beyond her years in the final, nailing an eclectic mix of backside turns to take the win ahead of Queensland’s Grace Kama (Elanora, Qld) who claimed the runner-up position.
All results can be found at www.australianjuniorsurfingtitles.com
Prime location for the event is Culburra Beach and Crookhaven Heads with back up locations of Seven Mile, Shoalhaven Heads, Tilbury Cove, Culburra Beach, Cudmirrah Beach, Sussex Inlet, Narrawallee Beach, North Mollymook Beach, South Mollymook Beach, Rennies Beach, Ulladulla and Racecourse.
All teams, families and coaches are advised to ring the event hotline (0458 247 212) by 6.45am on the days of competition to confirm location and running order.
With past winners including World Champions Steph Gilmore, Chelsea Hedges, Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson, Mark Richards, Tom Carroll and Damian Hardman, a win in this year’s event is a legitimate stepping stone to world stage glory.
The 2017 Surf Dive n Ski Australian Junior Surfing Titles is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. The event will also be supported by City of Shoalhaven, Hydralyte Sports, Woolworths, Toyota, mySURF.tv, School Sport Australia, Surfing NSW, Surfing Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport.
Results:
Under-18 Boys
1 – Noah Stocca (Peregian Beach, Qld)
2 – Cyrus Cox (Margaret River, WA)
3 – Max McGuigan (Maroubra, NSW)
4 – Jack Haslau (Margaret River, WA)
Under-18 Girls
1 – Piper Harrison (Coolangatta, Qld)
2 – Sasha Baker (Mudjimba, Qld)
3 – Kiara Meredith (Barrack Heights, NSW)
4 – Anna Toohey (Sunshine Coast, Qld)
Under-16 Boys
1 – Grayson Hinrichs (Bondi, NSW)
2 – Seth Van-Haeften (Margaret River, WA)
3 – Arch Whiteman (Mona Vale, NSW)
4 – Codie Jeffery (Newhaven, Vic)
Under-16 Girls
1 – Molly Picklum (Shelly Beach, NSW)
2 – Sage Goldsbury (Cape Woolamai, Vic)
3 – Emma Cattlin (Yallingup, WA)
4 – Raya Campbell (Coolangatta, Qld)
Under-14 Boys
1 – Jarvis Earle (Cronulla, NSW)
2 – Solomon Pogue-Englert (Gracetown, WA)
3 – Touma Cameron (Suffolk Park, NSW)
4 – Marlon Harrison (Coolangatta, Qld)
Under-14 Girls
1 – Ellie Harrison (Barwon Heads, Vic)
2 – Grace Kama (Elanora, Qld)
3 – Cedar Leigh-Jones (Whale Beach, NSW)
4 – Lilliana Bowrey (Tewantin, Qld)