THE best young surfers from throughout NSW converged on Lighthouse Beach last weekend for the National Roads and Motorists’ Association (NRMA) NSW Junior State Titles.
The Under-16 and Under-18 champions crowned in punchy one-to-two foot beachbreak peaks at Lighthouse Beach on Friday.
Jackson Giles (Maroubra) fought a hard battle with fellow event standout Kalani Ball (Stanwell Park) to take out the Under-18 Boys NRMA NSW State Title. Both surfers locked in a series of excellent scores and until the final five minutes, Ball looked set to take the title, however Giles was able to sneak past his fellow competitor with an impressive 6.87 wave score (out of a possible 10 points) and claim the prestigious win. Giles is the second Maroubra local to win the event in as many years, with fellow Maroubra local Monty Tait winning the Under-18 title on home soil in 2013. In the same year, Giles also unfortunately missed out on qualifying for the Australian Junior Titles by one spot.
“I’m so stoked to take this out especially since I had a shocker in the earlier rounds and only just made it through,” Giles said.
“The waves weren’t as good as the previous two days, but I figured if I just stuck to catching the lefthanders, then I could use my backhand to get the points I needed. Kalani was ripping all day, so I knew I had to do something special to beat him. It’s great to take the title back to Maroubra, too.”
Holly Wawn (Newport) bagged her third NSW Junior Title in as many years when she took down an all-star cast in the final of the Under-18 Girls. Wawn, managed to link together a chain of stylish and technically sound forehand snaps to lock in a 16.83 heat total (out of a possible 20 points), which consequently left her fellow competitors in a combination situation. Runner-up Paris Whittaker (Caringbah) put up a valiant fight in the tightly contested final, but ultimately fell short, while Kobie Enright (Tweed Heads) claimed third and Tess Mawson (Manyana) finished in fourth.
“It’s a pretty cool feeling to be able to get three NSW Titles in a row,” Wawn said.
“It was my goal to take the win, so to achieve it feels pretty good. All the girls in the final were surfing incredibly well all event, so I knew they’d be tough to beat. The focus is now on the Aussie Titles as well as the upcoming six-star WQS event in California I’m going in.”
Jack Murray (Lennox Head) took down an in-form Sandon Whittaker (Avoca) to claim the Under-16 Boys final. Despite locking in the only perfect ten-point ride and the highest heat total of the event in the Under-16 semi-finals, Whittaker was unable to find waves that had the same scoring potential and had to settle for second place behind Murray who locked in a 15.34 heat total. Morgan Ciblic (Merewether) finished the heat in third while Marlon Newling (Avalon) claimed fourth.
Macy Callaghan (Avoca) added another feather to her already bulging cap, when she took out the Under-16 Girls final. After claiming the Under-16 NSW Schools Title earlier in the week, Macy engaged in a tight battle with reigning Under-16 Girls NSW champ Billie Melinz (Coalcliff) in an effort to claim the prestigious title. Billie put up a valiant effort, locking in a 7.17 wave score, but was unable to find a vital backup score to claim the victory and ultimately had to settle for the runner-up spot.
All finalists have cemented their position in the NSW Team for the upcoming Australian Junior Surfing Titles in Yallingup, Western Australia in December.
RESULTS:
Under-18 Boys
1 – Jackson Giles (Maroubra)
2 – Kalani Ball (Stanwell Park)
3 – Fraser Dovell (Avalon)
4 – Jamie Krups (North Curl Curl)
Under-18 Girls
1 – Holly Wawn (Newport)
2 – Paris Whittaker (Caringbah)
3 – Kobi Enright (Tweed Heads)
4 – Tess Mawson (Manyana)
Under-16 Boys
1 – Jack Murray (Lennox Head)
2 – Sandon Whittaker (Avoca)
3 – Morgan Ciblic (Merewether)
4 – Marlon Newling (Avalon)
Under-16 Girls
1 – Macy Callaghan (Avoca)
2 – Billie Melinz (Coalcliff)
3 – Alyssa Lock (Tweed Heads)
4 – Alysse Cooper (Queenscliff)
Under-14 Boys
1 – Keanu Miller (Bulli)
2 – Mikey Mcdonagh (Lennox Head)
3 – Caleb Tancred (Avoca)
4 – Jay Brown (Lilli Pilli)
Under-14 Girls
1 – Kirra Belle Olsen (Copacabana)
2 – Bodhi Leigh-Jones (Avalon)
3 – Nica Frayne (Mona Vale)
4 – Madison Poole (Lambton)
Under-12 Boys
1 – Lennox Chell (Avoca)
2 – Benny Wilson (Narrabeen)
3 – Winter Vincent (Manly)
4 – Hunter Weston (Lennox Head)
Under-12 Girls
1 – Cedar Leigh-Jones (Avalon)
2 – Bella Grainger (Collaroy)
3 – Nyxie Ryan (Lennox Head)
4 – Charli Hurst (Windang)
Schools
Under-19 Boys
1 – Chris Zaffis (Angourie – McLean High)
2 – Jared Hickel – (Cronulla – De La Salle)
3 – Zac Wightman (Skennars Head – Xavier Catholic College)
4 – Nathan Cook (Forresters Beach – Terrigal High)
Under-19 Girls
1 – Holly Wawn (Newport – Sydney Distance Ed)
2 – Macy Callaghan (Avoca – Copacabana)
3 – Kobie Enright (Tweed Heads – Lindesfarne Anglican)
4 – Paris Whittaker (Caringbah – Sydney Distance Ed)
Under-16 Boys
1 – Luke Wrice (Coledale – Bulli High)
2 – Samson Coulter (Balgowlah – St Augustines)
3 – Luke Condon (Lennox Head – St Johns College Woodlawn)
4 – Mikey Mcdonagh – (Lennox Head – Southern Cross School)
Under-16 Girls
1 – Macy Callaghan (Avoca – Kincumber High)
2 – Alysse Cooper (Queenscliff – Mackellar Girls)
3 – Kirrabelle Olsen (Copacabana – Kincumber High)
4 – Kobie Enright (Tweed Heads – Lindesfarne Anglican)
