OVER 100 of the Australia/Oceania region’s best junior surfers will travel to Port
Stephens this week to compete in the Burton Automotive Pro Junior scheduled for
Birubi beach on Saturday 24 February and Sunday 25 February.
The Burton Automotive Pro Junior is a World Surf League (WSL) Junior Qualifying
Series (1000) event attracting young (20-years and under) talented male and
female athletes seeking valuable regional junior ranking points.
Australia’s two most recent World Junior Champions, 2023 World Junior
Champion Sierra Kerr (Coolangatta, QLD), and 2022 World Junior Champion
Jarvis Earle (Cronulla, NSW) are the top seeds in the female and male events
respectively.
Both athletes claimed victory at the BYD Pro World Qualifying Series (WQS) 3000
surfing event at URBNSURF earlier this month. Sixteen-year-old Kerr will be in the
first heat of the women’s round of 32 at the event, while 19-year-old Earle will hit
the water in the first heat of the round of 64 following the men’s opening round of
72.
But local eyes will be focused on newly crowned U/18 national junior surfing
champion Eden Hasson (Boat Harbour, NSW). Hasson is a regular in the line-up
at Birubi beach and has secured a place in the Australian team contesting the
International Surfing Association titles to be held in El Salvador this May.
And fellow home-grown rising star Jimmi Hill (Anna Bay, NSW), who finished 16th
on the Men’s Junior Tour in 2023, will be hoping for a big performance. Hill was
beaten by Hasson in last December’s final of the Woolworths Australian Junior
Championships at Phillip Island’s Cape Woolamai.
Surfest coordinator Warren Smith said he was excited to see the emerging local
talent have opportunity to surf in a WSL JQS1000 contest on their home beach.
“It’s good to see these young locals doing well in elite competition and we know
they have a lot of local support, and the people from the Port Stephens area love
getting surfside to cheer them on,” he said.
President of Bay Area Boardriders Luke Bartlett said the competition was great for
the area in a range of ways, including the opportunity for young and aspirant
surfers to see just where the bar is being set at a high-level competition which
provides the gateway to the sport’s elite contests. He added that the ongoing
support of Burton Automotive is greatly appreciated by the entire community.
“Bay Area Boardriders would like to give a big thanks to Kim Burton and the WSL
for their ongoing support of surfing in the local area, and for bringing the WSL Pro
Junior and last weekend’s Burton Automotive wildcard trials event to the Birubi
beach in 2024.
Crescent Head’s Mali Adam, who surfs for Merewether Boardriders, has been
allocated the wildcard in the women’s event. Milla Brown (Newport, NSW) who last
year at Lennox Head became the first female ever to win both the U/16 and U/18
events at a WSL event, is one to watch this weekend.
Surfers from the local region competing this weekend include Dom Thomas
(Swansea), Ocean Lancaster (Newcastle), Jackson Woolnough (Lake Macquarie),
and Hughie Vaughan (Bateau Bay). Hawaii’s Jackson Dorian will surf in the
second heat in the round of 72.
Follow the results as the scores drop at the Burton Automotive Pro Junior
on worldsurfleague.com/events/2024/jun/224/burton-automotive-pro-junior/main from 7am Saturday.
For further information call Warren Smith on: 0412127525.
Surfest Newcastle Australia is proudly supported by the NSW Government through
its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Surfest Newcastle Australia 2024 presented by Reflections Holiday Parks is also
proudly supported by Burton Automotive, The City of Newcastle, Reflections
Holiday Parks, crowd funding from the Newcastle business community, and
Newcastle and Hunter Regional businesses.
