Hannah Eisen – President PIBC, Mayor Cr Michael Whelan, Scarlett Rennie, Adam Robertson – Surfing Victoria CEO and Angus Kennedy at the announcement of a new event, The Phillip Island Junior Pro, to be held in September.
It was a cold and wet announcement but there were smiles all round at the news the new Phillip Island Junior Pro will be held in September. Bass Coast Mayor Cr Michael Whelan, Angus Kennedy, Scarlett Rennie, Surfing Victoria CEO Adam Robertson and PIBC President Hannah Eisen.
Phillip Island turned on the weather on Monday (11 degrees, rain, gale-force winds) for the announcement of a new surfing tournament.
The Phillip Island Junior Pro will be a three-day event in September ... and hopefully the conditions will be a little friendlier by then!
CEO of Surfing Victoria Adam Robertson, local junior surfers Angus Kennedy and Scarlett Rennie, Bass Coast Mayor Cr Michael Whelan and President of the Phillip Island Boardriders Club Hannah Eisen rugged up and faced the elements for the announcement.
Surfing Victoria said the newly created Phillip Island Junior Pro presented by Bass Coast Shire Council is set to bring the best under 18 surfers from across the country to the Bass Coast Shire this September school holidays.
As a 10,000 point Marquee event on the Surfing Australia National Rankings, the event is only one of four events of this calibre in the country and will provide surfers with valuable rankings points in their quest for a spot in the Irukandjis team heading to the ISA World Junior Surfing Titles.
“It’s very exciting to welcome the Phillip Island Junior Pro to our shores,” said Bass Coast Shire Mayor, Cr Michael Whelan.
“The passionate energy these next generation athletes bring to Bass Coast is contagious, so to see such brilliant new talent show off their skills in our own surfing reserve is always fantastic.
“We’re very proud of our wild, coastal environment down here at Bass Coast, so very much look forward to celebrating our shared love for the ocean with Surfing Victoria in September.”
Surfing Victoria’s CEO Adam Robertson braved the wintery Woolamai weather for the announcement.
“We are so stoked to be bringing a marquee junior rated event to Victoria,” said Adam.
“This event will be an integral part of our junior surfing pathway and give our young aspiring athletes a chance to earn valuable points in their home state.”
Featuring Boys and Girls divisions for Under 18, Under 16 and Under 14, the event will run over the Victorian school holidays from September 20-23, 2023.
The event, expected to bring over 180 junior surfers, will be webcast for the final two days, with further details to come.
Adam said there were wildcards allocated for the event which will give young local surfers the chance to compete.
“We expect three to four in each division will be local surfers.”
He said he hoped the Phillip Island event would help more Victorian surfers competing in the national junior titles.
“It is really competitive to get into junior events and many Victorian kids find it hard to get interstate for competitions, and then they don’t get the points they need.”
The event is scheduled for Woolamai but the final location will depend on conditions on the day, with other beaches across the island also available.
Adam is hoping the conditions are right for competitors to paddle out at Woolamai.
“Here is so good with the wave quality.”
Phillip Island will also host the National Junior Titles in November – an event that is rotated between the states each year.
The Phillip Island Junior Pro is presented by Bass Coast Shire and supported by the Victorian Government Significant Sporting Events program, SurfBetterNow.com and Surfing Victoria.
Entries are now open to eligible junior surfers via www.surfingvic.com/events
