Billabong Grom Series Lines Up East Coast Swell

• Dune Kennings. Image by PhotoCPL

The Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge is now into it's sixth year and is entrenched in the development pathways of young New Zealand surfers as they try their hand at competing, many of whom start careers at these very events.
The honours board for the three event series reflects a whose who of New Zealand surfers with the likes of Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour surfer Paige Hareb (Tara) starting out at these very events. Paige Hareb won the Under 16 Girls Division in 2006 before going on to compete internationally and qualify for the World Tour only two years later.
2009 National Open Men's Champion and winner of the first ASP Australasia Pro Junior Series event for 2011, Matt Hewitt (Mnt), is another to sharpen his teeth in these events winning the Under 16 Boys Division in 2007, two years later going on to win the most prestigious title in New Zealand surfing.

• Ella Williams. Image by PhotoCPL

This years crop of surfers will be aiming high and will use those surfers who have gone before them as motivation to push on in the sport of surfing. Billabong and Pacific Blue will give the series winners of five divisions a helping hand with free trips to Australia and entry into the Billabong Occy Grom Comp to be held on the Gold Coast later this year.
Crazy Sony prizes will also be awarded for the highest heat scores and highest wave scores for both the boys and the girls as well as best manoeuvre of the event.
With a New Zealand Junior Surfing Team set to be named in six weeks time, eight of the entrants this weekend will be out to impress ahead of team selection as well as take home the first grom event of the year.
At the other end of the spectrum will be a large number of budding surfers who will be entering one of their first national surfing events. For these young boys and girls the weekend is also about having fun, learning new surfing skills and meeting other young surfers from around the country.
For all entrants, the fun will be loaded into the two days with each competitor walking away with a goody bag filled with sponsors gear.