GromSearch to return to its birthplace

THE RIP CURL GromSearch series is set to hit the water again at Jan Juc.

The event series will kick off at Jan Juc on September 17, giving competitors from all over Australia the opportunity to put their best surfing on show at the birthplace of the GromSearch event series.

An interrupted event schedule over the past few years has competitors and event organisers thrilled to have surfing events back on the agenda.

“We are stoked to welcome the Rip Curl GromSearch back to Victoria this year and I’m looking forward to seeing the next generation of Victorian surfers go up against the rest of the country,” Surfing Victoria chief executive officer Adam Robertson said.

“This event is a vital part of our performance pathway for up-and-coming junior surfers, and it gives locals a chance to go up against their peers from other states and improve their competition skills against some of the best.”

The Rip Curl GromSearch series began as a single day event in 1999 at Jan Juc and has since developed into a world-wide series providing young surfers with the opportunity to surf with friends and test their skills against the best junior talent in their country.

The impressive list of previous GromSearch competitors now competing on the elite WSL world tour is a true testament to the quality of the series.

WSL World Tour surfers to come through Gromsearch include seven-time women’s world champion Stephanie Gilmore, three-time men’s world champion Gabriel Medina, 2021 world champion Italo Ferreira and 2017 world champion Tyler Wright.

GromSearch competitors have won the past 14 WSL women’s world titles while on the men’s side, four of the five surfers in the 2021 WSL Finals format were former GromSearch finalists.

Event presenting partner Rip Curl are also stoked to have the event series back after the pandemic forced cancellations in both Victoria and NSW in 2021.

“After the uncertainty of the past few years, we’re looking forward to putting on some epic events for the next generation of talent in Australia,” Rip Curl event manager Mark Flanagan said.

With a strong result in the Victorian series event, surfers will score a spot in the national final, to be held at URBNSURF in Melbourne in March 2023.

Entries are now open for the first stop of the GromSearch series at Jan Juc.

To register, head to surfingvic.com