Arnette Australian Junior Surfing Titles

Surfing Australia
Coolum Beach Queensland
28 Nov - 5 Dec 2009

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Arnette Australian Junior Surfing Titles of to a great start at Coolum Beach

Australia’s top juniors motivated to win here, just like today’s crowned three time World Champion Stephanie Gilmore did in her junior years!

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 29 November, 2009 : - - Coolum Beach Queensland – Around 200 of Australia’s top junior surfers began their week long campaigns today on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast chasing the prestigious Arnette Australian Junior Surfing titles.

All these competitors needed no better motivation as to the importance of these titles than to realize that Stephanie Gilmore, who today won her third consecutive ASP World Title, is a previous Australian Junior Surfing champion!

The blue-ribbon divisions of under 18 Boys and Girls opened the event today in fairly tricky windswept 1m surf at Coolum Beach.

Seventeen year old Central Coast NSW surfer Wade Carmichael set the standard in the opening heat of the day with a powerful win that included the day’s top scoring ride of a 9.33 (out of a possible 10)  to take the easiest of wins over fellow NSW surfer Jordi Watson (Currawong/Sth Coast NSW) who also advanced in 2nd place in the four surfer heats.

“I’d love to win an Australian Junior title” said Carmichael after the heat. “It’s my final year as a junior surfer so this is my only chance and the history of surfers who have won this event makes you realize just how important it is – one heat win is good, but there’s a long way to go here and I’ll just focus on surfing hard and doing my best.”

Tyler Wright comes into this event in the under 18 Girls as the defending champion and also the highest decorated junior surfer ever!

Consider her record to date which includes World under 16 and under 18 titles, multiple Australian Junior titles and even a win at the highest level of the sport when she won an ASP World Tour event at 14 years of age in 2008. Wright started in good form today winning easily with a two wave heat tally of 11.74 (out of a possible 20),  but was not the top scoring Girls 18 divisional winner – there’s a number of great talents in the under 18’s clearly  keen to take on Wright including today’s top scoring heat winner Felicity Palmeteer (Perth/WA) who won her heat with a tally of 14.84.

All states appeared to enjoy success today with Victorians Mitch Baker and Nikki Van Dijk taking solid wins, WA’s Jake Fawcett and Laura Macaulay  impressively winning their heats and Queensland surfers Tim MacDonald, Thomas Woods and Amiya Doyle all winning through.

With marginal conditions for the opening rounds it was fortunate that no surfers are at this stage eliminated from the event. Surfers who placed 1st and 2nd today go through to round two, while the 3rd and 4th placed surfers will be forced to battle through repechage rounds.

The Australian School Surfing divisions also began today with the MR Shield and All Stars divisions incorporating a unique teamed pairs surfing format which will determine Australia’s top schools in surfing by the end of the week!

Better surfing conditions are forecast for mid week but like all elite young surfers, winners today were able to make the best of the wind-effected surf.

Tomorrows action is expected to start early at Coolum.

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Event Brief:
Australia’s best junior surfers will be competing for prestigious Arnette Australian junior Surfing Titles across under 18 and under 16 Boy and Girl divisions. These surfers have been selected to represent their states via rigorous state junior surfing rounds. Winners of Boys 18 and 16 divisions and 18 girls will automatically be selected into TravelSim Team Australia which will travel to New Zealand to compete in the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games at the Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championships in New Zealand next January. The Australian Junior Titles includes Australian School Surfing Association (ASSA) divisions utilizing unique teams surfing representing their schools and their states.

Previous Australian Junior Surfing Champions and Australian School Champions include  -  Tom Carroll, Damien Hardman, Pam Burridge, Mark Richards, Wayne Lynch, Joel Parkinson, Cheyne Horan and today’s crowned  three time World Champion Stephanie Gilmore!

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Steve Robertson

Junior Contests - Surfersvillage