New talent could cause upsets at WA junior state event

An unprecedented amount of new competitors for the first of three deciding rounds for the junior state championships has been more than welcomed by contest organisers and officials for this weekends event. New talent has been unearthed thanks to a talent search during the last six months scouring local, North West and South West beaches in the state to educate up and coming youth in competition surfing. The programme which was initiated by Surfing Western Australia has been met with open arms by parents and competitors alike. 

“The need to introduce new competitors into the competition circuit was discussed late last year and we decided to travel to regional areas to help promote this.  By having surf offs (small contests) it gave youth who never had competed before the opportunity to do so and we were all quite surprised by what was discovered”, said Surfing Western Australias high performance junior coach Mark Clift,  “We found youth that did not realise they were more than good enough to compete in the contest scene and we have now seen a huge number increase in all age divisions for this year” he added. 

First year competitors in the next three events have the chance to not only take out the overall state championships, but also In 2005, the Best First Year Competitor in the Xtreme Surf & Sk8 State Junior Series will win themselves a brand new custom made Hot Buttered Surfboards shaped by Boyd Purdy.  The surf board will be awarded at the end of the year at the Surfing WA Presentation Night.  

Hot Buttered were enthusiastic to encourage young surfers to take the next step into State level competition.  Eligibility for the prize is for first year competitors in the State Junior Series.  It will be based upon their performance in the events and the overall improvement in their free surfing ability. 

West Surfing Products have also announced their support of Junior surfing in WA and at the end of each event of the Xtreme Surf & Sk8 State Junior Series, West Surfing Products will have special awards with the West Surfing Products Best Manouvre – for the guys and West Surfing Products Wave of the Day – for the girls award.

To top the Series off, the Most Emerging Male and Female surfer at the end of the Event Series will be awarded a 1 year West Surfing Products sponsorship. In addition to the support of the Xtreme Surf & Sk8 State Junior Series, West have also announced their sponsorship of the new West Surfing Products Pro Junior division in the Odyssey 20/20 State Open Series where prize money and prizes will be up for grabs. 

Juniors will also have the chance to be nominated for The Coca Cola Rising Star Award.  The award is presented to one junior surfer within each discipline who has demonstrated their ability, talent and sportsmanship over the year.   For each State Series event, one outstanding surfer is named Coca Cola Junior Surfer of the Event, and from these individuals the overall Rising Star is chosen.  

The award recognizes emerging surfers who the Board of Surfing WA see as the potential future stars of our sport and encourages them to achieve their goals and potential.  

The state surfing tittles have been in operation since 1963 nurturing the growth of competitive surfers to prepare them for their assault on the world surfing circuit.  Some of the past competitors and title holders in these events include Taj Burrow, Mitch Thorsen, Damon Eastaugh, Josh Plamateer and Jake Paterson.  

Source: Global Surf News

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