This past weekend St Clair Beach hosted the first round of the 2021 South Island Grom Series, which became a lot more exciting with a 5m stormy swell forecast and gale-force winds to accompany it. Somehow the curves of the St Clair coastline managed to take the sting out of the ominous forecast on Saturday.
Instead of horizontal spray, the waves were actually not too bad and at least contestable throughout the day. So from 7am until 7:30pm the gathered grommets from throughout the South Island battled in the waves and notched up some adventurous outings. It was really cool to see some of the kids as young as 10 take on the conditions and make the most of it. The event actually attracted more girls than boys ... a real testament to the work done by groups like the Soul Sisters and the many great female role models leading the sport right now.
Two of those, Ava Henderson and Jaya Reardon, put on a dazzling display in the Under 18 Girls final. Ava managed to clinch the win in the dying moments of the heat. Her brother, Nixon, then continued his strong surge forward to claim his first ever South Island Surfing Association win in the Under 18s.
An event like this requires all hands on deck. It seemed everyone got behind it to make this happen – a pretty nice moment to see the community pulling together and to make it happen safely. This is the first event in New Zealand that I've seen a water safety team in play and it made a huge difference – especially at high tide when the competitors entered and exited via the St Clair Pool fence. Way safer than running the gauntlet between the surging tide and the seawall.
A huge thanks must go to Exit Surf and Esplanade Surf School for making this event happen from a financial support perspective. Support them right back and you'll be helping to keep community sport thriving. Lastly a huge thanks to all the competitors and their families who make the sport of surfing such a vibrant, warm and welcoming community.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Want to give someone a head start in surfing? Our friends Jason, Evie and Hamish at the Esplanade Surf School are holding their famous School Holiday Surf Program again this year. It's like the cheat sheet for surfing and will take you, over three days, from beginner to having the confidence to paddle out on your own. Check it out here.
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