Gisborne's Jaxon Pardoe charges at the Gisborne Junior Surf Pro held at Kaiaua Bay over the weekend. Pardoe made the final of the Under-14 boys' division. Photo / Cory Scott
Gisborne's Jaxon Pardoe charges at the Gisborne Junior Surf Pro held at Kaiaua Bay over the weekend. Pardoe made the final of the Under-14 boys' division. Photo / Cory Scott
“Hometown” hopefuls made their presence felt but had to bow to the superiority of outside talent at the Gisborne Junior Surf Pro held on the East Coast over the weekend.
A showcase of New Zealand’s best junior surfing talent in three age groups came to a climax with Theo Morse, of Raglan, and Ariana Walker, of Mount Maunganui, claiming top honours in the Under-18 divisions.
The Sequence Surf Shop Gisborne Junior Pro was held over the weekend at Kaiaua Bay, 10 kilometres north of Tolaga Bay.
On Sunday, surfers were treated to textbook conditions of glassy, shoulder-high waves.
Gisborne’s national champion Jaxon Pardoe, competing in the U14 boys’ division, impressed with a single-wave score of 8.5. It was the highest of the round and earned him a $100 cash prize for the biggest manoeuvre of the division.
Pardoe made the final, where he placed fourth with a best-two-waves score of 9.27. Ffeon Clifford (Mount Maunganui) won with 11.44 from London Cockerill 9.90 and Louis Macquet 9.77.
The U14 girls showed resilience and skill in choppier conditions. Hawke’s Bay’s Scarlett Gray stayed composed through the bigger sets to win with 9.33 from Nami Marsden 6.00, Gisborne’s Madeline Smith 3.93 and Alba Clifford 3.03. Smith won the $100 biggest manoeuvre prize.
Kyra Wallis, of Piha, opened with a powerhouse 8.33 ride in the U16 girls’ division early in the day to earn the $100 biggest-manoeuvre prize. She maintained her form to win the final with 12.60 from Indi-Lee Ruddell on 6.83, Alani Morse 6.27 and Brooke Mathews 2.23.
Te Waiotu Fairlie was among those flying the Gisborne flag at the Gisborne Junior Surf Pro. Photo / Cory Scott
The hotly contested U16 boys’ division was won by Mount Maunganui surfer Sol Fritchley, who posted a 5.40 ride in the dying moments to lift him to 12.23 and victory from Indica Cororan on 11.77, Remy Sale 10.77 and Kentaro Mitchell 9.84.
Sale’s spectacular 9.0 wave in the semis won him the biggest manoeuvre award.
As conditions became more challenging late in the day, the U18 girls rose to the occasion.
In a thrilling final, Walker’s consistency earned her the title on 11.06 from Sage Fritchley 0n 9.84, Lenka Cargill 6.00 and Grace Gundry 5.90.
The U18 boys showed raw power and polished style with Christian Fougere earning the $100 biggest-manoeuvre prize for an early-morning critical closeout hack.
The final was packed with high-energy performances.
Morse claimed the title with dynamic, high-impact surfing in his 13.56 total, Tao Mouldey was a close second on 12.16, Zade Pitkeathly was third on 9.66 and Taimana Marupo fourth on 6.60.
The Gisborne Junior Pro provides young surfers with competitive experience on a national stage. It is seen as an investment in grassroots surfing, helping to foster the next generation of New Zealand champions.
