Kerr rides wave to success

A FUTURE star of surfing looks set to challenge the top names in the sport after standout performances in the World Junior Championships.

Tweed Heads surfer Sierra Kerr made a name for herself last year when she was crowned junior world champion.

Celebrations continued with wins across multiple events when the season finished in November.

Kerr was dominant in 2024 and will likely appear in more events on the Championship Tour and Challenger Series this year.

She has just reached the quarter-finals of the junior world championships in the Philippines where she went down in a narrow loss against five-time national junior champion Arena Rodriguez.

Kerr is using the junior championships and her time at the Philippines to fine-tune her skills for the season ahead.

“The waves have been fun, and the locals are super nice,” she said.

“I had experience surfing at the CT level last year, so it’s been cool to take the experiences I’ve had there and apply them here at the World Junior Championships.”

She had no time to rest with the next round of competition now running at Pismo Beach, California.

The 17-year-old divides her time between Australia and the United States with Tweed Heads one of her main surfing spots.

She trains at the Surfing Australia High Performance Centre at Casuarina when she is home.

Her father Josh Kerr was on the men’s championship tour for several years.

He has helped her become an aerial specialist and one of the best junior prospects across the country.

She was the Australia/Oceania Pro Regional champion in 2023 and Surfing Australia Rising Star award winner in 2021.

Next month, she will have the chance to compete closer to home with the Gold Coast Pro at Burleigh Heads.

It has been a fruitful surf break for Far North Coast surfers in recent years.

Lennox Head duo Mikey McDonagh and Nyxie Ryan won events there last year in Qualifying Series and Challenger Series competition.