WHAT do you get when you stage a junior surfing competition without the established names in the sport in Barbados?
New talent and new faces on the podium.
This was the situation when the Barbados Junior Surf Club held its first Hough Capital Management (Barbados) Ltd Family Fun Day and Super Grom Fest at Surfers Point, Christ Church, on Saturday.
In a little bay that offered up one to two-foot waves, there were no big manoeuvres or slashing cutbacks.
Standing out on the day was Dylan Downie, who not only won the Under-12 Division but surfed his way to finals of the Under-18 Boys and 14 and Under Division as well.
Another standout surfer was Jacob Burke, son off Alan Burke, who seemed destined to follow not only in his brother Joshua’s footsteps, but in his father’s as well. He took the title from Che Allan, who finished second.
Under the rules of the competition which made the top four surfers in a division ineligible to compete in that division, Allan was not allowed to compete in the Under-12 Division which he has dominated throughout the year.
Meanwhile, keeping in the all in the family was Jacob’s sister Jodie, who took the title in the Under-18 Girls’ final.
Special mention must be made of all the girls in that final as they each took to the water with only five hours of surfing under their belts.
The event also featured a junior long board division, in which the “established” names showed off their skills in walking the board and hanging ten, and a parent-child tag team event.
Dane Mackie, better known for his forays on the shorter form, emerged winner, while Alan and Jacob Burke took the title in the tag team event.
Alan Burke, who helped to conceptualise the event, said it “materialised really, really good today”.
“We’re going to see quite a few new faces on the podium. It’s not going to be the same kids all the time and that was the whole idea behind this super grom fest.
