Competitors in the U18 and U16 Men’s and Women’s divisions put on impressive performances in pumping conditions at the YETI Australian Junior Surfing Titles. Day 5 saw quarterfinalists decided in three-to-four foot waves at Woonona Beach.
Contest Director Jeremy Barnett said: “Surfers were greeted with silky three-to-four foot swell this morning, with light northwest offshore winds. The day kicked off with the U14 Boys Round 3, where Jaggar Phillips (Narrabeen, NSW) took advantage of the pristine conditions, scoring a heat total of 13.75 (out of a possible 20).
“In the U14 Girls, Talia Tebb (Kincumber, NSW) impressed with a heat total of 14.50, while in the U18 Women, Isla Huppatz (Bilinga, QLD) posted the highest single wave score of the day—a massive 9.25 (out of a possible 10). Local talent Sammy Lowe (Thirroul, NSW) continued to shine, delivering a heat total of 14.66 in the U18 Men.”
Isla Huppatz said she was thrilled to make the quarters.
“I was pretty excited because the waves were cooking. There were 10 minutes to go, and I didn’t really have a good score yet. I was getting a little nervous, just waiting for the right one, and then it came. I saw the sections and did a carve and two snaps, waited for the end turn, and then just hit it. I still needed a backup because Ava (Arghyros), Grace (Gosby), and Kaleisha (Launders) are all such good surfers, and with such good waves out there, I knew they could easily get a score just as good as mine.”
In the end, Huppatz and Kaleisha Launders (Margaret River, WA) both progressed.
Fletcher Kelleher (Freshwater, NSW), who advanced in the U18 Men with scores of 7.15 and 7.95, said: “I got a couple of set waves, and they kind of just bowled up. It’s been pretty fun out here the last couple of days. It’s pumping—I’ve never seen Woonona this good. I come down here a fair bit. It’s awesome that we get to surf in such good waves, and everyone is stoked. It’s a great comp. It’s got the best bank I’ve ever seen. The lefts are coming off the point, and the rights are going back into the corner. So, yeah, it’s really fun.”
Stella Green (Kawana, QLD), who advanced after scoring in the dying minutes of her heat, said: “My strategy was to get two quick waves and try to back it up, but then, at the end, it just got so hectic. Everyone was getting such good waves, and I just tried to stay calm. I tried not to watch them and just focused on what I was doing.”
Earlier in the day, the U14 Grommet divisions hit the water.
Ethan Anderson (Margaret River, WA), who caught a wave on the buzzer to progress to Round 4 in the U14 Boys, said: “I got lucky at the end. I could see it was a good wave. I did a turn at the start and a snap on the end section.”
Eve Campbell (Tomakin, NSW), who won her Round 3 heat in the U14 Girls, said: “My favourite wave was when I got a good end turn. You can hit the lip way easier and do a more vertical turn. You’ve got to commit.”
With the competition cut short due to threatening thunderstorms and heavy rain, the last five heats have been rescheduled to run tomorrow.
The swell is expected to drop, and more rain is forecast.
For the heat draw and full results, please visit LiveHeats.
About the YETI Australian Junior Surfing Titles:
The YETI Australian Junior Surfing Titles encompass individual divisions for U14-U18 junior men and women as well as a school surfing division for U16-U19 (MR Shield) junior men and women.
Champions in U16 and U18 men and women will earn a spot on the Irukandjis Team to represent Australia at the 2025 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.
Every winner will also join a prestigious honour roll alongside current and former world Tour competitors, including Stephanie Gilmore, Molly Picklum, Sally Fitzgibbons, Laura Enever, Tyler Wright, Nikki Van Dijk, Coco Cairns, Owen Wright, Joel Parkinson, Mick Fanning and Reef Heazlewood.
This year, the finals action will be broadcast live on Surfing Australia’s YouTube channel. Watch live on:
Event website https://australianjuniorsurfingtitles.com.
The YETI Australian Junior Surfing Titles are proudly supported by YETI, Destination NSW, Destination Wollongong, Surfing NSW, BLACKROLL, Wollongong Surf Leisure Resort, KJ Scaffolding and Surfers for Climate.
Images: Aaron Hughes
Jaggar Phillips won his Round 3 heat in U14 Boys. Credit: Aaron Hughes / Surfing Australia
Isla Huppatz posted the highest single-wave score of the event so far. Credit: Aaron Hughes / Surfing Australia
Lucas Deffenti from Miami, QLD, puts on a display in the pumping conditions. Credit: Aaron Hughes / Surfing Australia
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