Future stars hit the surf

Local surfer Ellie Harrison will be competing this weekend. (Liam Robertson)

Event five of the Woolworths Surfer Grom Comp presented by Wahu is set for take off this weekend at Ocean Grove main beach.
Over 80 future surfing stars will participate in the event that aims to give surfers their first taste of surf competition in a fun and exciting format.
Regarded as one of the major stepping stones in the development of young Australian surfers, the 10-event Woolworths Surfer Groms Comps presented by Wahu caters for surfers from under-8 to under-14 and will be held in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia over summer. The prestigious event series will also return to Tasmania in 2017/18.
Surfing Victoria CEO Adam Robertson is looking forward to seeing the next crop of talent take to the waves.
“This event is a fantastic way to introduce under-14 surfers to competition. It is fun, safe, and inclusive which allows all levels of abilities to be involved.
“Many of the top surfers in the country have been through this event including Matt Banting, Jacob Willcox, Macy Callaghan and Isabella Nichols. This is the perfect opportunity for young Victorians to start their competitive surfing career.”
As an added bonus, the respective winners of the under-14 boys’ and girls’ divisions from each event will receive an invite to attend an all-expenses paid, three-day Woolworths Surf Camp at the Hurley Surfing Australia High-Performance Centre (HPC).
For the South Australian, Victorian and Tasmanian events, the Woolworths Surf Camp prize will be awarded to the highest place under-14 boy and girl who reside in that respective state.
Each entrant will also receive a Woolworths Surfer Groms Comps presented by Wahu T-shirt for entering, plus a Wahu beach product and there will be plenty of Wahu beach games and give-aways at each event.
The Woolworths Surfer Groms Comps presented by Wahu have helped to launch the careers of many of Australia’s most promising junior surfers with almost 800 children set to take part in the 2017/18 event series.
Heat draws and schedule can be found under the events section at www.surfingvic.com