2024 Rip Curl GromSearch Concludes with Thrilling Performances at Great Western Beach, Newquay
The 2024 Rip Curl GromSearch has successfully concluded at Great Western Beach in Newquay, showcasing an impressive display of young surfing talent. Great Western delivered perfect and optimal surf for our Under 16’s, Under 14’s and Under 12’s girls and boys shortboard divisions.
With 110 surfers securing places in the contest, a busy 15 hours of surfing was scheduled. The beach was packed with spectators and athletes throughout the weekend, creating a vibrant contest atmosphere. Recognised by Yann Martin from Rip Curl who commented on the “amazing community spirit”, something the NGB has been working hard to develop.
This year also saw a huge achievement for Surfing England, the governing body, and organising partner Rip Curl with nearly double entry numbers for girls’ divisions.
Outstanding Athleticism
Anyone witnessing the surfing action over the weekend will agree that our British athletes have developed their skills massively, displaying world-class levels of athleticism. This year’s competition saw fierce rivalry and extraordinary performances across all categories. Notably, Lukas Skinner secured a world class heat total score of 17.00, which earned him a 500 Euros prize from contest sponsor Oakley.
Sunny Ingram of the U16 girls was pitted against a very talented first time UK competitor Magnolia Rossi (Italian Grom with British dual Nationality). Magnolia is the 3 times Italian championship winner, so this was bound to be a tough final. Sunny was able to find that perfect wave before the horn sounded, to win and be crowned the Under 16 Girl’s GromSearch Champion.
U14 Girl’s Lila Skinner is quickly following in her big brothers’ footsteps, showcasing talent that you wouldn’t expect from a competitor her age. She had a very close final with competitor Josie Hawke but emerged victorious.
Noah Cerne has continued his winning streak following the 2024 English Nationals U14 boy’s champion title, now taking the win for the 2024 Rip Curl Grom Search UK.
In the U12 divisions, Ellie Hickie has also continued her winning streak, this year earning both titles for the English National champion and the Rip Curl GromSearch champion. Her performance was consistently outstanding throughout the contest.
Harvey Waters in the U12 boys was on top form, throwing and landing some big aerial manoeuvres throughout the contest. The strength and power needed to pull off these moves is something you wouldn’t expect to see from a Grom in this age division. He has a very bright future in the world of surfing.
A big well done to every competitor involved in this contest. The respect being shown toward one another was inspiring.
Local Involvement
Adding to that atmosphere was Skindog surfboards who brought the stoke with his huge collection of demo surfboards for all the Groms to try throughout the weekend. Skindog Surfboards are tried and tested by world champions and are crafted with a huge level of expertise. Thank you, Ben Skinner of Skindog Surfboards, for adding to the stoke on the beach. The beach volleyball tournament you organised was a huge success!
The not-for-profit organisation – 2 Minute Foundation – got all the groms involved in beach clean games. This is such an important focus for us as the NGB for English Surfing, and we know that their involvement across the weekend was a great education in environmental awareness for the younger generation.
RESULTS:
U12 Girls – 1 Ellie Hickie 2 Betsie Reay 3 Martha Edwards 4 Mila Barber
U12 Boys – 1 Harvey Waters 2 Bobby Wilkinson 3 Kai Cruickshank 4 Teijo Boletta
U14 Girls – 1 Lila Skinner 2 Josie Hawke 3 Isabella O’Reilly 4 Callie Cruickshank
U14 Boys – 1 Noah Cerne 2 Jess Heddercott 3 Jack Strutt 4 Harley Miller
U16 Girls – 1 Sunny Ingram 2 Magnolia Rossi 3 Kaja Millward 4 Willow Smith
U16 Boys – 1 Lukas Skinner 2 Jago Tasker 3 Isaac Friend 4 Ruan Mckune
Looking Ahead
The winners of each division from our UK stop, will go head-to-head with other European winners for the European final. Our winning competitors will go against the winning Groms from Spain, Portugal, France, and some Wildcards.
Last year our very own Lukas Skinner went on to win the European stop, progressing him to the world final. He won the world final at Bells Beach in Australia, making him the Rip Curl GromSearch World Champion. Can he win the title 2 years in a row?
This year the European final will be held at Anglet beach in Biarritz, France on the 13th – 14th September.
Our Support and Gratitude for all involved – A Heartfelt Thank You
The success of the Rip Curl GromSearch is a testament to the dedication and passion of all participants and sponsors. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Rip Curl for their unwavering support and sponsorship, enabling us to deliver a memorable contest for them.
We were fortunate enough to have Yann Martin, of Rip Curl Europe, with us and helping throughout the weekend of the contest. This was Yann’s first time in England and he was stoked:
“We are stoked on another great event this weekend at the Rip Curl GromSearch UK stop. We were really lucky to have had great waves and weather with some incredible surfing from all divisions. Big thanks to Great Western Beach for hosting this year’s event, and to Surfing England for running it. You have an amazing community spirit, and we thank you all for being part of the event.”
We would like to say a big thank you to all involved. A huge thank you to all surfers, supporters, media team, judges and event team for being a part of this epic weekend. A big thank you also to our Contest Director, Pauly Jeffrey, who has over 40 years of experience working with the NGB of Surfing in England/ Britain.
Thank you to ITV West Country journalist Bob Cruwys, who came along on Sunday 16th June to film an excellent piece for the evening news. With a key focus on the development of the sport of surfing within England, this piece perfectly captured what we are trying to achieve in terms of the development of our sport on a National and International stage.
Watch his story here: ITV West Country – Coverage of the 2024 Rip Curl GromSearch
It was a phenomenal weekend for UK Surfing, and we cannot wait for next year!
PARTNERS
OAKLEY
In its second year of partnership, Oakley proudly continues its support of the European Gromsearch series.
The best sunglasses brand in the business showcased its latest products for attendees to test and offer exciting prizes to competitors. Oakley rewarded the highest scoring competitor heat total with a €500 cheque! Congratulations again to Lukas Skinner in the Under 16 boys division for scoring a huge 17.00 points, walking away with the prize money.
Lukas has also won the “OAKLEY GRAND PRIZE” where he will embark on an unforgettable journey for two to the Portugal WCT, accompanied by a two-hour coaching session led by former pro surfer, Tom Whitaker.
FCS
The historical GromSearch Partner! Rip Curl is very happy to count FCS again for this new edition! They brought many prizes for the competitors and sets for the Skindog surfboard test center.
A huge thank you to CG Safety Cover for the lifeguard and first aid support. And thanks to Great Western Beach for allowing our contest to run at your beautiful beach.
OUR MEMBERSHIP
Inspired by what you’ve seen and read, and keen to support English Surfing. New members are always welcome to join us! Junior membership is just £18/year and Adult membership £25. Find out about the benefits and sign up here.
CONTACT US
For any Events enquiries, please contact lauren@surfingengland.org
For any general enquiries, please contact info@surfingengland.org
