The Mandurah Board Riders will be hoping to discover their next wave of future surfing stars when their juniors hit the water for round one of the annual Summer Series this Sunday.
Around 50 youngsters will paddle out looking for the best wave to get them off to a perfect start in the series, with both boys and girls age groups running from under 8s through to under 16s.
Surfers will pile up points from every round of the season to go towards their standing on the overall leaderboard, which will decide the winners at the end of the six-leg series in March.
The competition aims to develop Mandurah’s junior surfers as they progress towards state, national and even international events.
New Mandurah Board Riders president Simon Wroth, who has taken over the reigns following Brian Williams’ five-year stint at the helm, said it was an exciting time for the club with plenty of young guns coming through the ranks.
“This summer competition is all about developing our younger guys so when they’re old enough to go to state events they’re ready for that level of surfing,” he said.
“It’s important to get them in the water competitively at a young age – surfing is an Olympic sport now so who knows how far they can go?
“We’re really devoted to our juniors. They’re a huge part of our program and we’re really excited for the summer.”
The competitions are designed to give youngsters as many surfs as possible.
A location for Sunday’s opening round is yet to be decided, with a final call to be made the day before competition depending on swell conditions.
Heats are expected to kick off about 7am.
For more information on the event or the Junior Summer Series in general, visit the Mandurah Board Riders Facebook page.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
