Wednesday October 30, 2024
Australia’s finest young surfers hit up the new URBNSURF for the highly anticipated Rip Curl GromSearch National Final, presented by Sun Bum. The best junior athletes in the country battled it out in the perfect waves of URBNSURF Sydney to see who could win the prestigious title of GromSearch National Champion.
Adding to the excitement, U16 division champions Ben Zanatta Creagh and Rosie Richardson have earnt the incredible opportunity to represent Australia at the Rip Curl GromSearch International Final, to be held in Bali from November 13-17, 2024. They will surf against other young elite talent from across the global GromSearch platform with the chance to add their names to an unparalleled list of surfing legends who have won the title of International GromSearch Champion.
Two-time world champion Tyler Wright joined the crew in Sydney to witness the next generation of Australian surfing talent, and her presence seemed to inspire competitors and lift the performance level. “I’m so impressed with the level of surfing here. I remember loving the GromSearch events as a junior, but don’t remember the level of surfing being so high” commented Wright. “Everyone is ripping and the future of Australian surfing looks to be in great hands!”.
Ben Zanatta (Dee Why, NSW) stormed to a convincing win over a stacked field in the U16 boys division. Leading the qualifying round with a division high 9.50 (out of 10) point ride, he locked in an equal high 8.83 point ride in the final to hold off strong challenges from Jesse Fergusson (Coolangatta, Qld) and Lachlan Arghyros (Kingscliff, NSW). Zanatta commented “This is my last GromSearch event as I move out of the age division. My aim was to finish on a high and win the National title, so I’m stoked to achieve that and I can’t wait to represent Australia in Bali against the rest of the world.”
Rosie Richardson (Gold Coast, Qld) had a nervous wait in the final before eventually being crowned GromSearch National champion. After locking in an event high 9.67 as her first score, she had a relatively low 4.87 second score and needed to wait for other competitors to determine if she had enough. Late charges came from Alice Hodgson (Kiama, NSW) and Lani Cairncross (Illawarra, NSW), but Richardson had done enough with her exceptional first score and took home the tilt and the trip to Bali.
With Champions also crowned in the U14s and U12 divisions, the first GromSearch event in the URBNSURF Sydney pool was a great success and organizers are already in plans to repeat the occasion next year. The Sun Bum outstanding performance award was won by Maddison Kenchington & Tully Crumpton for their inspiring performance over the event.
The Rip Curl GromSearch series provides a fun and engaging environment for young surfers from around the country to meet with friends, develop their skills whilst having fun along the journey. As athletes progress to finals the elite level of competition comes into play, with many previous GromSearch competitors going on to the WSL world tour.
The iconic Rip Curl GromSearch series is regarded as a launchpad for surfing superstars, with surfing royalty including Steph Gilmore, Gabriel Medina, Carissa Moore, Tyler Wright, Crosby and Griffin Colapinto, Caroline Marks, Jack Robinson, Filipe Toledo and many more coming through the series. The fact that GromSearch finalists have won the last 17 WSL Women’s World Titles and 5 of the 6 medallists at both of the last two Olympic Games is testament to the legacy of this International event.
For more information, visit here.
Results
Under 16 Boys
1st - Ben Zanatta Creagh (Dee Why, NSW)
2nd - Jesse Fergusson (Coolangatta, Qld)
3rd - Lachlan Argyros (Kingscliff, NSW)
4th - Ocean Lancaster (Merewether, NSW)
5th - Jai Nield (Coolangatta, Qld)
6th - Caden Francis (Coolangatta, Qld)
Under 16 Girls
1st - Rosie Richardson (Gold Coast, Qld)
2nd - Alice Hodgson (Kiama Downs, NSW)
3rd - Lani Cairncross (Illawarra, NSW)
4th - Lucy Darragh (Gerringong, NSW)
5th - Savannah Rielly (Caloundra, Qld)
6th - Kanon Takahashi (Currumbin Alley, Qld)
Under 14 Boys
1st - Locana Cullen (Avalon, NSW)
2nd - Kade Kelly (Newcastle, NSW)
3rd - Luca Martin (Coolangatta, Qld)
4th - Jaggar Phillips (Narrabeen, NSW)
5th - Harvey Colivas (Long Reef, NSW)
6th - Kaoni Aguiar (Avalon, NSW)
Under 14 Girls
1st - Talia Tebb (Avoca, NSW)
2nd - Rose Holland (Gunnamatta, Vic)
3rd - Amelia Craike (Coolangatta, Qld)
4th - Navah Holmes (Currumbin Alley, Qld)
5th - Maddison Kenchington (Coolangatta, Qld)
6th - Evie Wilson (Noosa, Qld)
Under 12 Boys
1st - Thomas Bourke (Coolangatta, Qld))
2nd - Billy Daniel (Coolangatta, Qld)
3rd - Sonny Leong (Cronulla, NSW)
4th - Maverick Macgugan (Avalon, NSW)
5th - Tully Crompton (Currumbin Alley, Qld)
6th - Hayden Mee (Merewether, NSW)
Under 12 Girls
1st - Mila Grainger (Bungan, NSW)
2nd - Ily Fraser (Margaret River, WA)
3rd - Everly Morgan (Milton, NSW)
4th - Estella Carbonelli (Jan Juc, VIC)
5th - Evie Bawden (Noosa, Qld)
6th - Kobi Lana Partridge (Coolangatta, Qld)
Photo: 2X World Champion Tyler Wright with Junior competitors, PC Ben Hamilton
Report and Photos: Surfing NSW