So that’s us wrapped up at our second stop on the Junior Surf Series. South Shields Board Riders delivered a great atmosphere for a fast-paced morning of surfing, meaning we now have our first set of qualified athletes for the Caravan and Motorhome Club English Nationals, being held in October.
And what a day! The sun was out, rewarding those who had travelled not only from the south of England, but also from Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Portugal. It was great to see such a strong turnout of surfers and such a high level of surfing in challenging conditions. The smaller waves required technical surfing and an ability to find the right pockets, and so many surfers delivered great performances — especially Betsie Reay, who achieved the highest score of the contest with a 7.00. Ellie Hickie also showed some excellent surfing throughout the day, using powerful turns in conditions where generating speed and power can be challenging.
It was great to see surfers from other British nations travelling for the competition, with Kai Cruickshank putting in a strong performance and only narrowly missing out on first place to Swansea surfer Ryan Croucher, who surfed excellently and found the critical sections when it mattered most.
Credit must also go to every surfer who competed throughout the day, with all divisions showing determination, progression, and great sportsmanship in difficult conditions.
We are pleased to announce the winners of each division:
U14 Girls
1st: Ellie Hickie
2nd: Betsie Reay
3rd: Martha Edwards
4th: Willow Craxton
U14 Boys
1st: Ryan Croucher
2nd: Kai Cruickshank
3rd: Ollie Phillips
4th: Bobby Smith
U12 Girls
1st: Katarina Roth Gale
2nd: Natalie Karbus
3rd: Kaleia Peres
U12 Boys
1st: Sullivan Reay
2nd: Noah Burdett
3rd: André Moraes
4th: Blake Davies
It is always so nice to have opportunities like these to bring the community together for some friendly competition. A huge thank you must go to South Shields Board Riders for hosting our Junior Surf Series and putting on such a great event. We are always incredibly appreciative of our clubs and their volunteers — their time and commitment to surfing does not go unnoticed, and we are grateful for the support they give to all our junior surfers.
Thank you also to the Boardmasters Foundation for sponsoring our Junior Surf Series and helping us create more entry-level competition opportunities for younger surfers. Thanks also to 10 Over Surf Shop for their continued support.
Onto our next stop with Croyde Surf Club on 27th June!
