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CURRARONG’S Riley Watson joined close to 100 surfers in the under 16s and under 18s divisions during the weekend’s Kiama Subway Summer Surf Series in clean two-foot peaks at Werri Beach.
It was a good experience for surfers like Riley.
Organised by Surfing Australia, the series will be held around Australia this summer with NSW hosting five of the 13 events.
The new series was created to fill a competition void, which exists at a crucial point in the development of Australia's leading junior surfers.
It represents an important link in the ‘pathway to the podium' developed by Surfing Australia.
The aim of the series is to help young Australians continue to develop their passion for surfing, whether it be professionally or recreationally and carry on to enjoy a lifetime of surfing.
Ambassadors for the series are ASP World Tour competitor and 2012 World Champion Joel Parkinson and leading ASP World Tour female competitor Laura Enever.
Billie Melinz (Coalcliff) showed both style and flair in the Under-16 Girls final, throwing down a lethal mixture of frontside snaps and carves, which allowed her to get the upper hand against her fellow finalists.
The under 16 boys final saw multiple lead changes over the course of the 20-minute heat with all surfers locking in a handful of decent wave scores. However, Sandon Whittaker (Avoca) managed to snatch the win in the dying minute of the heat when he posted the score required to move ahead of his fellow finalists.
After claiming two runner-up finishes in previous NSW Subway® Summer Surf Series events, Kirra-Belle Olsson (Avoca) managed to break the runner-up curse and claim the title in under 18 girls.
Local South Coast surfer Luke Wrice (Coledale) managed to execute a series of critical aerials in the under 18 boys final.