Burke bears region’s hopes

Barbados Junior Champion Josh Burke will represent the Caribbean, Central and South America at the Quiksilver King of The Grom surfing contest which starts tomorrow in Hossegor in south-western France.
The 16-year-old wave rider is one of 15 surfers from around the world chosen to represent their respective regions for the event, slated to run until October 7.
They will be meeting the already selected elite Quiksilver team riders such as Kanoa Igarashi of California, Leo Fioravanti of Italy and Jack Robinson of Australia.
The contestants had to produce and submit their own 90-second video to the organizers of leading apparel brand Quiksilver. The general public viewed online and voted for their favourite surfer.
The videos with the most votes were then viewed by a panel of judges and chosen based on the ability of the surfer and the video production.
Burke, who is sponsored by Billabong, LIME, Epi-Dry, reef, Nixon, Dakine, Futures, VZ and Burkie Boards by Rich Price Designs, has been successfully competing internationally for the past three years.
The former St Winifred’s student has also appeared in international surfing movies and magazines, including on the cover of the latest edition of Surphang Magazine.
Burke has not only being doing well in the water but also in the classroom. He passed all seven of his Caribbean Examinations Council subjects, gaining three distinctions.
He will now pursue a career in professional surfing while seeking a degree in business management and marketing at an online university. (PR)