The second event in the Burkie’s Junior Surfing Championships was held at South Point on Saturday, March 28th. Once again, conditions were ideal for the young surfers with consistent waves in the 2 – 4 ft range. Ché Allan took top honours in the 10 and Under Division while Andrew Rose was second, Zander Venezia third and Jack Degruchy fourth. The Under 12 Division was won by Gavin Fernandes while Dane Mackie was second, Che Allen third and Joshua Burke fourth. Dane Mackie turned the tables in the 14 and Under Division taking top honours while Gavin Fernandes was second, Adrian Williams third and Joshua Burke fourth.
The event was sponsored by the Tile Gallery.
Barbados’ National Junior Surf Team returned home two weeks ago after competing at the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in Salinas, Ecuador, placing Barbados among the top nineteen nations in the world in Junior surfing, ahead of Ireland, Germany , Mexico, Jamaica, Italy, Morocco, Canada, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
The small team of five (5) talented Junior surfers – Lewis St. John and Jordan Heaselgrave in the Under 18 Boys Division, Jordan Heaselgrave in the Under 16 Division and Ametza Nicholls, Chelsea Tuach and Chelsea Roett in the Under 18 Girls Division racked up a creditable 1, 548 points at this contest, demonstrating that though small in size, Barbados is a force to be reckoned with on the world stage. Both St. John and Heaselgrave surfed their way to the fourth round of the repercharge in the Boys Under 18 and Under 16 Divisions respectively, while Nicholls and Tuach made it to the third round of the Repercharge and Roett to the second round of the Repercharge in the Girls Under 18 Division.
Australia emerged the 2009 World Junior Surfing Champions for the third consecutive year, while Hawaii was second, Brazil third and USA fourth.
The 2009 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships were truly a triumph of the love for surfing, gathering 28 teams from around the world marking the largest junior surf event of the year with nearly 300 junior surfers surfing almost 5,000 waves in 270 heats over eight days with the conditions in Salinas remaining good throughout . The athletes have now all gone home knowing that they have represented their countries well, worn their colors, waved their flags and done it all while doing what they love most, surfing.
Meanwhile, at the ISA Team Managers’ meeting in Ecuador, the Barbados team received the good news that two of its members, Jordan Heaselgrave and Ametza Nicholls, were recipients of the prestigious 2009 ISA Surf Scholarships. Also receiving the Scholarship from Barbados was Jade Niccolls. These three talented surfers join thirty seven other junior surfers from around the world as ISA ambassadors for the betterment of surfing. For Ametza Nicholls this is extra special as she is the recipient of this award for the second consecutive year. The BSA extends its heartiest congratulations to Ametza, Jordan and Jade and wishes them a year of success!
The next event on the BSA Calendar is the School Surfing Championships which take place this week-end – April 25th (and April 26th, depending on entries). Option 1 is Brandens and Option 2 is South Point. The Divisions to be contested are Under 10, Under 12, Under 16 and Under 19 Boys and Girls. For BSA members the entry fee is $25 for the first Division and $15 for each additional Division. For non-members, the entry fee is $35 and $20 for each additional Division. Entries close at 8:00 am sharp for an 8:30 am start. Please note that Caddies will be allowed in the water only to ensure the safety of the younger, more inexperienced surfers but NO physical assistance (pushing) will be allowed.
The top four placed competitors from each school will receive points for his/her school. The defending Champions, the St. Winifred’s School, will be looking to retain their title but will have to fight off a strong challenge from close rivals Queen’s College, the St. Michael School, Codrington College and the Ursuline Schools who are also expected to have strong teams and be in contention for the N.K.M. School Challenge Shield.
The Barbados Surfing Association will also be presenting awards to the Junior Champions in each Division. So please come out and support our young surfers in what promises to be a very exciting event!!
Meanwhile, the National Surfing Championships are just three (3) weeks away – slated for May 9th and 10th : Option 1 Brandens; Option 2 – Parlour. So mark your Calendars!! The Raffle launched to support the Juniors travelling to the WJSC in Ecuador will be drawn at this event – and each competitor who enters will have a chance at winning one of the fabulous prizes.