The Under-18 divisions of the Woolworths NSW Junior State Titles pres. by Ocean and Earth got underway today with some of the state’s most promising young surfers hitting the playful two-to-three foot conditions.
Sunny Whitby-Otto (Merewether) put some early scores on the board finding a handful of fun righthanders in his opening Under-18 Boys heat. The Novocastrian natural-footer set an early precedent in the heat attacking big sections and as a result posted an 8.50 and an 8.67 to amass a giant 17.17 two-wave heat total to leave his opposition chasing two-wave combinations of scores to take the top spot.
Koda Killorn (Maroubra) followed a similar trajectory to Whitby-Otto posting an excellent 8.73 wave score in his opening Under-18 Boys round one heat. Killorn will make his next appearance in the third round.
Byron Stapleton (Avoca) and Benny Wilson (Narrabeen) went toe-to-toe and blow-for-blow in their opening Under-18 Boys heat with both surfers trading off a handful of decent scores for critical manoeuvres, however the Central Coast surfer was able to gain the upper hand thanks to a respectable 14.60 two-wave total and take the win ahead of Wilson by a 0.6 margin.
Gabi Spake (Collaroy) made her intentions clear in the Under-18 Girls with the Northern Beaches surfer notching up a giant 14.33 two-wave heat total. Spake surfed well beyond her years in the heat, surfing with a healthy mix of power, style and grace to post the previously mentioned two-wave heat total.
April Davey (Kirrawee), Kyla Whitfield (Warriewood), Milli Allport (Shelly Beach), Jasmine Mccorquodale (Bateau Bay) and Charlize Everitt (Boomerang Beach) also claimed first round victories and sealed themselves spots straight into the third round.
The event will see some of NSW’s best junior surfers competing for a coveted state title when the event kicks off from the 5th – 12th August 2020.
Unlike previous years, where all qualifiers for the Woolworths NSW Junior State Titles pres. by Ocean and Earth were determined by eight individual regional titles, the 2020 event will invite all junior competitors to enter in their respective age divisions.
The last two days of the event will comprise of the NSW School Surfing Titles.
2019 will be the ninth year Surfing NSW will combine the NSW School Surfing Titles into the event.
Competitors will be vying for an NSW Junior Title and in turn, earn their position into the upcoming 2020 Australian Junior Surfing Titles, which will take place in Queensland at the end of the year.
Former competitors in the NSW Junior State Titles pres. by Ocean and Earth include current World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) surfers Owen, Mikey and Tyler Wright, Sally Fitzgibbons, Matt Wilkinson, Wade Carmichael and Connor O’Leary.
The daily schedule and location will be confirmed via the event hotline at 6:45am each day. The event hotline is 0458 247 212.
The event will be fully mobile in the Coffs Harbour area with Macauleys, Park Beach, Diggers, Gallows and Sawtell all venue options.
The Woolworths NSW Junior State Titles pres. by Ocean and Earth will adhere to strict COVID-19 policies and regulations outlined by the NSW Government.
All Surfing NSW events are in line with the current NSW public health order and we work with Sport NSW and NSW Office of Sport on all plans. Surfing NSW have developed a COVID safety plan to ensure the safety of all staff, participants and local stakeholders.
Please click here for our regularly updated Surfing NSW events COVID safety plan.
For further information on our protocols and guidelines please refer to the https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/public-health-orders.aspx and Office of Sport website here.
The Woolworths NSW Junior Titles pres. by Ocean and Earth will be proudly supported by Woolworths, Ocean and Earth, Coffs Harbour City Council, Mothernest, Reflections Holiday Park and Surfing NSW.