RipCurl Gromsearch - 2 Down 2 To Go

With two events completed in the Rip Curl GromSearch, things are starting to heat up. The groms are hunting out a trip to Bells Beach Australia to represent New Zealand at the international GromSearch final. The top four surfers in the Under 16 boys and girls get invited to the national final which will be held in conjunction with the Rip Curl Pro in February. The winners of the finals will be awarded entry into the international event at Bells which is held in conjunction with the Rip Curl Pro – Bells Beach, Victoria Australia next Easter!

Gisborne is the stage for round three of the New Zealand series. Groms will come from far and wide after a relatively quiet winter period event wise. New Zealand’s top juniors including Paco Divers (Sandy Bay), Ryan Hawker (Piha), Billy Stairmand (Rag), Tim O’Conner (Mnt) and Paige Hareb (Tara) will use the event as a final hit out before heading to the World Junior Championships only three days later.

Contested over six divisions, there will be a stack of happy groms making the most of the school holidays. For the Under 14 and Under 12 boys and girls, competition will be fierce as each one of them looks to stave off their counterparts. Best of friends on land turn into nothing more than a colour in the water and a mere rival standing in their way of progression to the ultimate prize.

The Under 14 Boys will be out to knock Ryan Hawker off the top perch that he has held all year long. It will be a tough ask for the likes of Stefan White (WGM), Mathis Smith (Tara) and local Adam Cranston who have not been able to snatch a win from Hawker all year. It is a different story for the top four Under 14 Girls with all having secured a win this year. However it is a late charge from Maddy Phillips (Piha) that has seen her take out the last three events ahead of the likes of Grace Spiers (WGM), Renee Pearson (Gis) and Annie Stuart (Auck).

For the Under 12s, Tane Wallis (Piha) will want to get the number one spot back from Ben Poulter (Waihi Bch) after missing the last event while Ben’s sister Alexis will look to make it three in a row and narrow the gap between her and current number one Grace Spiers.

Entrants can obtain entry forms from the official Surfing New Zealand website - link below.

Source: Surfing New Zealand

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