February 28 - March 5, 2016: Issue 253
FOUR NEW CHAMPS CROWNED AT THE INAUGURAL AUSTRALIAN OPEN OF SURFING SYDNEY GROMMET CHALLENGE AT MANLY
Ben Walsh (Curl Curl, NSW) - Under 16's Boys Winner - Photo by Ethan Smith/Surfing NSW
Sunday, February 28, 2016
The inaugural Australian Open of Surfing Sydney Grommet Challenge saw a day of non-stop excitement, with four new champions crowned after a series of exciting finals in picturesque four-foot waves at Manly Beach.
Ben Walsh (Curl Curl, NSW) ensured a title would remain on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, claiming the Under-16 Boys final. The local surfer peaked perfectly in the blue-ribbon battle, catching a handful of punchy waves that allowed for a variety of beautiful manoeuvres. Runner-up Finn Hill (Avoca, NSW) showed moments of brilliance and remained within striking distance of taking the title, however Hill failed to clock up the required 6.91 wave score (out of a possible ten points) needed to take the win.
Kirra-Belle Olsson (Avoca, NSW) couldn’t start her Under-16 Girls final any better, catching an excellent wave in the opening minutes to deliver a series of critical turns and collect an 8.33 wave score. The Central Coast goofy-footer showed no signs of slowing down over the course of the 20-minute final, posting a handful of more respectable scores, which put her opposition on the ropes, requiring excellent scores and two-wave combinations in excess of 14.84 to take the lead.
Winter Vincent (Manly, NSW) shut the door on his opposition in the opening minutes of the Under-14 Boys, nailing a series of excellent wave scores in excess of 7.50. Vincent put himself in the perfect position over the entirety of the 20-minute affair, putting pressure on his opposition and leaving his closest rival Codie Jeffery (Phillip Island, Vic) requiring a near-perfect 9.64 wave score to steal the top-spot.
Sage Golsbury (Cape Woolamai, Vic) made her journey to Sydney worthwhile, taking out a nail-biter of a final in the Under-14 Girls. Golsbury and Cedar Leigh-Jones (Avalon, NSW) both remained in striking distance of the title and in the dying seconds of the final, Leigh-Jones was able to clock a 7.73 wave score, which fell slightly short of the score required for her to take the crown. When the final hooter sounded, Golsbury took the title by a 0.27 margin.
Former World Surf League (WSL) World Championship Tour (CT) surfer and local North Steyne Boardriders member Dayyan Neve (Manly) earned himself a wildcard into the upcoming Australian Open of Surfing Qualifying Series (QS) event thanks to taking out the local trials event. Neve notched up a 14.33 heat total to take the victory ahead of fellow North Steyne Boardriders member Beau Mitchell.
Live event coverage of all the competition will be webcast at www.australianopenofsurfing.com
General information is available at: www.australianopenofsurfing.com • #ausopenofsurf
RESULTS AND HEAT SCORES
Under-16 Boys
1 – Ben Walsh (Curl Curl, NSW) -14.4
2 – Finn Hill (Avoca, NSW) – 13.67
3 – Jay Brown (Cronulla, NSW) – 9.44
4 – Arch Whiteman (Avalon, NSW) – 5.27
Under-16 Girls
1 – Kirra-Belle Olsson (Avoca, NSW) – 14.83
2 – Bodhi Leigh-Jones (Avalon, NSW) – 11.30
3 – Tru Starling (Collaroy, NSW) – 6.43
4 – Anne Dos-Santos (Dee Why, NSW) – 5.84
Under-14 Boys
1 – Winter Vincent (Manly, NSW) – 16.80
2 – Codie Jeffery (Phillip Island, Vic)
3 – Jarvis Earle (Cronulla, NSW)
4 – Saxon Reber (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Under-14 Girls
1 – Sage Golsbury (Cape Woolamai, Vic) – 13.93
2 – Cedar Leigh-Jones (Avalon, NSW) – 13.66
3 – Ellie Harrison (Barwon Heads, Vic) – 11.00
4 – Nyxie Ryan (Lennox Head, NSW) – 9.40
Local Trials
1 – Dayyan Neve (North Steyne)
2 – Beau Mitchell (North Steyne)
3 – Austin Ware (Queenscliff)
4 – Jarrod Sullivan (Queenscliff)
Owned and operated by IMG, with the support of the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, and Manly Council, the 2016 Australian Open of Surfing is expected to draw crowds in excess of the 255,000 people who flocked to Manly for the event in 2015.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN OF SURFING BACKGROUND
The 2016 Australian Open of Surfing, owned and operated by IMG, will run from 27 February – 6 March.
The nine day, one-of-a-kind festival will bring together some of the world’s top athletes in surfing and skateboarding combined with two days of live concerts on the music stage, art/photo installations and interactive sponsor displays – all taking place on iconic Manly Beach, Sydney.
All events are free and open to the public.
Live event coverage of all the competition will be webcast at www.australianopenofsurfing.com and live on Channel Nine on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th March and Fox Sports 4th – 6th March.
Winter Vincent (Manly, NSW) - Photo by Ethan Smith/Surfing NSW
Kirra-Belle Olsson (Avoca, NSW) - Photo by Ethan Smith/Surfing NSW
Bodhi Leigh-Jones (Avalon, NSW) - Photo by Ethan Smith/Surfing NSW
Cedar Leigh-Jones (Avalon, NSW) - Photo by Ethan Smith/Surfing NSW
Australian Open of Surfing Sydney Grom Challenge winners (Under 16 Boys) - joined on stage by NSW Premier and Member for Manly Mike Baird and Manly Mayor Jean Hay on Sunday - Photo by Ethan Smith/Surfing NSW
Australian Open of Surfing Sydney Grom Challenge winners (Under 16 Girls) - joined on stage by NSW Premier and Member for Manly Mike Baird and Manly Mayor Jean Hay on Sunday - Photo by Ethan Smith/Surfing NSW
Australian Open of Surfing Sydney Grom Challenge winners (Under 14 Girls) - joined on stage by NSW Premier and Member for Manly Mike Baird and Manly Mayor Jean Hay on Sunday - Photo by Ethan Smith/Surfing NSW
Australian Open of Surfing Sydney Grom Challenge winners (Under 14 Boys) - joined on stage by NSW Premier and Member for Manly Mike Baird and Manly Mayor Jean Hay on Sunday - Photo by Ethan Smith/Surfing NSW
SYDNEY GROM CHALLENGE HEATS UP AHEAD OF AUSTRALIAN OPEN OF SURFING AT MANLY
Jamie Thomson (Narrabeen, NSW) - photo by Ethan Smith/Surfing NSW
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Manly Beach came to life today as some of Australia’s most promising Under-16 Boys surfers engaged in a series of epic battles in heavy five-to-seven foot waves as part of the Sydney Grommet Challenge; all part of the 2016 Australian Open of Surfing.
Jamie Thomson (Narrabeen, NSW) stormed into the next round of the Sydney Grommet Challenge claiming back-to-back victories across the first and second rounds of the event. Thomson performed explosive turns together with ease in the difficult conditions and clocked up two heat totals in excess of 11.00 points (out of a possible twenty points).
Connor Lee (Redhead, NSW) showed a healthy combination of bravado and power to post a 9.17 wave score in his round one exchange. Lee, managed to scratch into a mammoth righthander that allowed for a flurry of critical forehand snaps. As a result, closest rival Reese Lawson was left requiring a near-perfect 9.51 wave score to steal Lee’s lead.
Beau Buckpitt (Culburra, NSW) made light work of the shifty lineup posting an impressive 14.34 heat total in his opening heat. The South Coast natural-footer linked together a chain of exciting forehand snaps to move through the heat, followed by a respectable 11.93 heat total in the second round of the event.
Other Under-16 Boys standouts included: Zac Paterson (Avoca, NSW) , Zack McMahon (Evans Head, NSW), Ryan Donohoe (Collaroy, NSW), Arch Whiteman (Avalon, NSW), George Pittar (Manly, NSW) and Tas Grainger (Collaroy, NSW) who all posted heat totals in excess of 13.00 points in either the first or second round.
Owned and operated by IMG, with the support of the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, and Manly Council, the 2016 Australian Open of Surfing is expected to draw crowds in excess of the 255,000 people who flocked to Manly for the event in 2015.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN OF SURFING BACKGROUND
The 2016 Australian Open of Surfing, owned and operated by IMG, will run from 27 February – 6 March.
The nine day, one-of-a-kind festival will bring together some of the world’s top athletes in surfing and skateboarding combined with two days of live concerts on the music stage, art/photo installations and interactive sponsor displays – all taking place on iconic Manly Beach, Sydney.
All events are free and open to the public.
Live event coverage of all the competition will be webcast at www.australianopenofsurfing.com and live on Channel Nine on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th March and Fox Sports 4th – 6th March.
Sydney Grom Challenge – new division for aspiring stars
In Surf Stadium, it’s not just the current stars the sport fans will be able to see at Manly but also the stars of the future.
On the opening weekend of the Australian Open of Surfing, Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th February, an exciting new division will be contested. The AOS Sydney Grom Challenge will see 90 surfers, all aged under 16, contest four divisions with winners crowned on the main stage Sunday afternoon.
The four divisions are:
• Boys Under 16
• Girls Under 16
• Boys Under 14
• Girls Under 14
The addition of the AOS Sydney Grom Challenge to the event schedule now sees the greatest talents in surfing spanning three generations – from grommet to legend – competing at the birthplace of professional surfing, Manly Beach.
Report and Photos by Ethan Smith / Surfing NSW
Ben Walsh (Curl Curl, NSW)
Ryan Donohoe (Collaroy, NSW)
Finn Hill (Avoca, NSW)
Tas Grainger (Collaroy, NSW)
Report and Photos by Ethan Smith / Surfing NSW