Margaret River challengers to make road trip as junior surfing titles move to Trigg
Fresh from the inspiration of the Margaret River Pro, some of the region's best juniors will head to Perth this weekend for the second round of the WA Junior Surfing Titles.
Some of the Capes surfers, including Ily Fraser and Cowaramup duo Grace Cook and Ace Flynn, will be defending strong wins in the first round which took place in home waters in February.
Eyes will also be on Okie Fraser and Olive Hardy to score victories at this weekend's event at Trigg Beach.
Meanwhile, local surfers would be up against some of their rivals from metropolitan schools as well as clubs as far afield as Geraldton, which hosts round three in July.
'We've got a great run of surf on the way and a solid field of competitors ready to put on a show,' Surfing WA events manager Justin Majeks said.
'It's always nice to host such a big event at our home beach.
'The local energy, the community support, and the chance to showcase the State's best juniors is something we really look forward to.'
The three-day contest will culminate in a finals showdown on Sunday.
To keep up with the scores or watch the action live, visit
www.liveheats.com
and
www.surfingwa.com.au
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West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Margaret River challengers to make road trip as junior surfing titles move to Trigg
Fresh from the inspiration of the Margaret River Pro, some of the region's best juniors will head to Perth this weekend for the second round of the WA Junior Surfing Titles. Some of the Capes surfers, including Ily Fraser and Cowaramup duo Grace Cook and Ace Flynn, will be defending strong wins in the first round which took place in home waters in February. Eyes will also be on Okie Fraser and Olive Hardy to score victories at this weekend's event at Trigg Beach. Meanwhile, local surfers would be up against some of their rivals from metropolitan schools as well as clubs as far afield as Geraldton, which hosts round three in July. 'We've got a great run of surf on the way and a solid field of competitors ready to put on a show,' Surfing WA events manager Justin Majeks said. 'It's always nice to host such a big event at our home beach. 'The local energy, the community support, and the chance to showcase the State's best juniors is something we really look forward to.' The three-day contest will culminate in a finals showdown on Sunday. To keep up with the scores or watch the action live, visit and
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
World Surf League cops backlash after surfers bail on key community event
The World Surf League has copped a blast for not sending any of its athletes to a key annual community conservation event during the Margaret River Pro. WSL traditionally organised for a handful of Championship Tour competitors to attend Nature Conservation Margaret River Region's annual busy bee held in conjunction with volunteers and local junior surfers. While Nature Conservation staff, volunteers, parents and Cowaramup Bay Boardriders grommets attended the May 15 event at Grunters, no athletes came along this year as they had in the past. Although it remained a WSL-supported event as part of its One Ocean partnership, parents and other stakeholders told the Times youngsters were left disappointed and feeling like their genuine conservation efforts didn't matter. Gracetown parent Megan Garnett, who also co-ordinates the Friends of Gracetown conservation group, said many grommets had hoped for more than a free t-shirt. 'The event was a success, but I think it was a bit of a slap in the face,' she said. 'It does make that actually look like a tick-box for WSL and its environmental standing. 'All of us parents and local schools are trying to encourage this idea of being environmental custodians, and when that's not valued by their role models, that makes it twice as hard.' In years past, surfers including Bettylou Sakura and Italo Ferreira joined young talent laying brushing and planting seedlings along the coast. Ms Garrett said the region's young surfers looked up to the Pro athletes and the chance to rub shoulders with them while helping the local environment 'could have meant so much'. Others told the Times it wasn't good enough for WSL to muster local groups when it needed to apply for permits — such as the inclusion of North Point as a location option, bitterly opposed by many surfers — but then pay lip service when the Pro was running. However, a WSL spokesperson said the official surfing body remained committed to working with local groups and residents 'through sustainability and community engagements throughout the WA Margaret River Pro competition'. WSL cited its partnership with Nature Conservation that included junior Boardriders, the Margaret River Coastal Residents Association, philanthropic group Line in the Sand, and the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River. But WSL declined to comment on why no professional surfers were available this year. The disappointing no-show followed complaints from surfers also wondering why the wild cards trial in the lead up the Margaret River Pro was not televised despite everything being in place at Surfers Point. And that negative feedback came on the heels of last week's reports the Karri Karrak Aboriginal Corporation had voiced its own disquiet that objections to using certain important heritage sites near the competition were overruled by the State Government. WSL passed inquiries about the wild cards event to Surfing WA who were unable to comment before deadline. A Nature Conservation spokesperson said talks were under way to avoid the shortfall in the future. 'Nature Conservation felt disappointed for the Cowaramup Bay Boardriders groms who were so pumped to work on country with their surfing idols,' interim manager Cass Jury said. 'We are working with the WSL to come up with a solution for future years that will prevent this disappointment and give the pro surfers an opportunity to contribute to the worthwhile work of the many coastal volunteers who work tirelessly to protect our fragile coastline.' Boardriders spokesperson Keighley Bremner told the Times the event was 'a successful day' but declined to comment on the lack of talent on show. WSL also noted this year it hosted a Capes Coastal Forum during the Pro. 'The forum created a space for community stakeholders to come together to discuss coastline protection,' the spokesperson said. 'The WSL is committed to supporting the community by joining forces with local organisations through workshops, projects, and the WSL PURE Grant program.'
ABC News
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- ABC News
Gabriela Bryan and Jordy Smith claim victory at the Margaret River Pro
A young star and tour veteran have won the Margaret River Pro, with Hawaii's Gabriela Bryan and South Africa's Jordy Smith celebrating after a challenging week of surfing. It is Bryan's second successive win at the Margaret River Pro, and her second win in the World Surf League's Championship Tour this year. Posting a 9.5 and securing the best combined total for the women's series so far, Bryan holds onto the yellow jersey and puts extra space between herself and 19-year-old Caitlin Simmers, who sits at a close number two on the women's world rankings. She told the World Surf League she was still getting used to her status as the competition's front-runner. "Every heat I have with it I'm getting more comfortable," Bryan said. "I have amazing people supporting me and I honestly couldn't do it without them." Simmers is still hoping for her second world title in a row after becoming the youngest to claim one last year. She knocked off the last-standing West Australian, wildcard Bronte Macaulay, in their semi-final heat earlier in the day. It was Macaulay's fourth time making the semi-finals at her home break but she has never made it to finals. But she came out all smiles, to cheers from local supporters. It was the veteran versus the comeback kids in the men's final, with South Africa's Smith eventually securing the win. American surfer Griffin Colapinto charged up the ranks to make both the cut and the Margaret River Pro finals, but Smith's performance was too strong. Smith, oldest in the league at 37, has already had one win this year and currently sits at number one, chasing his first world title. He made the most of the slight swell on offer, less than a week after Main Break offered up some of its biggest waves on record. The Margaret River event has served as a crucial mid-year cut point for the tour, after which lower-ranked competitors are relegated back to the qualifying circuit, a format which has divided surf fans. It was announced earlier this year that the feature would be dropped in 2026, and tour organisers would reintroduce a more traditional cumulative points winner to determine titles for the 2026 season. The Margaret River event will also be held earlier in the tour, with the season-ending event shifted to Pipeline in Hawaii. The tour now moves to California where 11-time world champion Kelly Slater will compete as a wildcard ahead of the world title showdown in Fiji in August.
