Best junior surfers gather for Phillip Island Junior Pro

OVER 170 of Australia’s best junior surfers have descended on Bunurong Country for the inaugural Phillip Island Junior Pro presented by Bass Coast Shire Council.

The four-day competition officially kicked off on Wednesday, with surfers putting it all on the line to secure the 10,000 rating points up for grabs.

The event is one of only four in Australia with this high point allocation, providing athletes with an opportunity to grab vital points in their quest for a spot on the Australian Irukundjis team heading to the ISA World Junior Surfing Games.

Top seed in the Under 18 Girls division and former Jan Juc local, Isla Huppatz (Gold Coast, QLD) is looking to cement her spot atop the national rankings with a solid result at Phillip Island.

“I like coming to Phillip Island, the waves are always fun and its such a beautiful place!

“The waves are really raw and powerful and should be really fun.

“Hopefully I can get a good result in some good waves.”

Victorian hopeful and former ISA World Junior Champion Willis Droomer (Jan Juc, VIC) said he is looking forward to surfing in front of a home crowd.

“I’m pumped to compete at Phillip Island.

“There are some amazing waves over there and to be able to compete in front of a home crowd will be heaps of fun.

“I missed out on some of the bigger events up north, so this will be a good chance to get some points for the National Rankings.”

Surf fans from across the country will be able to tune in to the final two days of the event thanks to a new partnership with Kommunity TV.

Competition is set to begin tomorrow morning with an opening ceremony and traditional smoking ceremony at Penguin Parade at 7.30am before competition kicks off at 8.30am.

Daily calls for competition on start times and locations will be distributed via Surfing Victoria’s Instagram page.

Live scores and schedules are available via www.surfingvic.com/phillipislandjunior