Rip Curl GromSearch
Presented by Snickers

Gold Coast Australia
11 - 15 December 2006

Unknown Sunshine Coast Surfer Steals the Show on Day One of the Rip Curl GromSearch on the Gold Coast!

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 11 December, 2006 : - - Exciting new talents often appear from nowhere at the Rip Curl GromSearch National Series events and 16 year old Caloundra surfer Ash Tutton burst onto the scene today with a huge heat scoring winning performance. Tutton posted the days highest scoring single wave (9.7 out of 10) and the days highest heat tally, based on his two top scoring rides of 18.43 out of a possible 20! 

He managed to upstage and out score many of the high profile grommet’s here on the Gold Coast enjoying the great 1m waves at Duranbah Beach and following his heat win, many were asking, where’s Tutton from and where’s he been hiding? 

“I’ve competed a bit on the Sunshine Coast but I have missed a lot of these events as I’m often overseas surfing in Bali! That’s the biggest scores I’ve received in a heat so hopefully I can keep scoring big and do well here, I feel confident I can match it with the rest of the surfers but we’ll see!”  

Some big names in Australian junior surfing also relished the conditions lead by recently crowned under 18 Australian Junior Champion Sally Fitzgibbons (Gerroa/Sth Coast NSW) who wasted no time posting an outstanding 9.7 ride to easily win her opening round heat. Some of her top turn moves were as good as anyone saw at Duranbah today and she’s clearly surfing with added confidence following some big national wins over the past month. 

“It’s holiday time for me and I’m just enjoying surfing up here in the warm waters. The event was on so I thought I’d go in it. If I win, well I’ll go to the national final at Bells but I’m not fussed to much, just enjoying surfing on the Gold Coast!”  

Fitzgibbons is building quite an incredible record at junior level nationally and internationally and she’ll clearly be the surfer to beat in the 16 and under Girls division. Sydney surfer Laura Enever is likely to be her biggest challenger along with Sunshine Coast’s Dimity Stoyle who both posted excellent opening round heat wins.

A record number of 200 of Australia’s very best young surfers are here to compete in this event which will run all day every day right through to Friday afternoon.  

Rip Curl events manager Mark Flanagan said the entry levels highlighted GromSearch’s success - “Every year the entries increase which reflects the quality of the series. It caters for the elite and it also encourages all of the enthusiastic young surfers to have a go and have fun. It’s great to see so many kids enjoying the surf!”  

The event is mobile right along the Gold Coast and with northerly winds expected tomorrow there’s a strong chance it will relocate to the northern beaches around Surfers Paradise. 

The 16 and under Boy and Girl winners here will go onto the National GromSearch Final at Bells Beach next Autumn  and from there, winners go to  the International GromSearch Final which runs as a specialty event  at Bells Beach during the World Championship event at Easter! 

Today’s SNICKERS® wave of the day award went to Ash Tutton! 

Previous reports:
# 1 : Oz's best head to Gold Coast for Rip Curl GromSearch
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

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Steve Robertson

Groms - Surfersvillage