About 80 groms took to the waves at Rainbow Beach over the weekend in the inaugural Reflections Cadet Cup.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The two-day event is a partnership between Reflections, the largest holiday group in NSW, and Surfest, the biggest surfing festival in the Southern Hemisphere.
The competition saw boys and girls competing in Under 12s, Under 14s and Under 16s categories.
Crescent Head's Joey Silk took out first place for the U16 boys, with Hat Head's Chelsea Darling being titled the winner of U16 girls.
Winners of each category were announced during a presentation on Sunday afternoon, February 11.
Maverick Macgugan (North Avalon) took out the Under 12 Boys category, and Coco Woolley (Boomerang Beach) won the Under 12 Girls category; Hamish Harrigan (Coffs Harbour) won the Under 14 Boys, and Mali Adam (Merewether and Port Macquarie surfboard clubs) in the Under 14 Girls; Joey Silk (Crescent Head) in the Under 16 Boys, and Chelsea Darling (Hat Head) in the Under 16 Girls.
Surfest coordinator Warren Smith said the Reflections Cadet Cup had drawn a highly competitive field in the teen ranks and witnessed history in the making with the surf talent at Rainbow Beach.
"The whole weekend was a fantastic showcase for these young surfers who will be tomorrow's champions, and the night-time entertainment on this most wonderful stretch of the NSW coastline was the icing on the cake," he said.
"The cup really tests the kids on their surfing ability, their fitness and their mental aptitude to what they're doing in their preparation."
Contest organiser Ian Bell said the cup provided a great opportunity to promote tourism within the area.
"The Bonny Hills community has gotten behind the event, which is really great," he said.
The Minister for Sport, Lands and Property, Steve Kamper, said it was great to see the debut Cadet Cup draw the cream of teen surfers to the area, boosting patronage of local businesses and tourism services.
"The fact that there was such strong demand for entries for the inaugural Reflections Cadet Cup shows just how healthy surfing is as a sport and how important events like this are to regional communities," Mr Kamper said.
Full list of results:
Under 12 Girls
- First place - Coco Woolley
- Second place - Isabel O'Boyle
- Third place - Sage White
- Fourth place - Matilda Harrigan
Under 12 Boys
- First place - Maverick Macgugan
- Second place - Sonny Leong
- Third place - Conor O'Boyle
- Fourth place - Bali Dobson
Under 14 Boys
- First place - Hamish Harrigan
- Second place - Zeke Woollam
- Third place - Luca Martin
- Fourth place - Kade Kelly
Under 14 Girls
- First place - Mali Adam
- Second place - Penny Fletcher
- Third place - Lily Sain
- Fourth Place - Maggie Winn
Under 16 Boys
- First place - Joey Silk
- Second place - Benji Lowen
- Third place - Joe Rocco Sommerville
- Fourth place - Mateus Leal
Under 16 Girls
- First place - Chelsea Darling
- Second place - Halo Banfield
- Third place - Alana Fletcher
- Fourth place - Avalon Vowels
