Excitement is building in classrooms and playgrounds across Western Australia, as the 2022 SunSmart WA School Surfing Titles prepares to splash down around the state, bringing students and schools together for the largest participation-based event of the year.
The SunSmart School Surfing Titles offers a unique opportunity for students, both male and female, to surf and bodyboard with their schoolmates and peers in a safe, relaxed, and fun environment. Close to a thousand secondary students will pull on their wetsuits and take part in five regional and five metropolitan qualifying events scheduled to take place over the next two weeks.
The SunSmart School Surfing Titles not only provide a unique steppingstone for students to reach higher levels of competition after completing learn to surf courses, but they also allow schools to integrate surfing and bodyboarding into their curriculum.
The winning schools qualify to compete against the best surfing schools from around the country at the Australian Junior Surfing Titles scheduled to run on North Stradbroke Island, QLD in late November.
Students will compete in teams of two, lining up in junior (Under-16) and senior divisions (Under-19), with divisions catering for boys and girls in both surfing and bodyboarding.
“The SunSmart School Surfing Titles continue to grow in popularity year on year,” said Surfing WA Events Manger Justin Majeks. “With so many schools now offer surfing as part of their physical education or outdoor education programs, students get to take what they learn at school to the beach.”
Margaret River Senior High School will once again be the team to beat in 2022, hungry for a record 17th consecutive Champion School Title.
Margaret River Senior High’s surf-academy boasts a swag of highly accomplished surfers including; State Champions Ruby Berry (Under-16 Girls), Olive Hardy (Under-14 Girls) and Ace Flynn (Udner-14 Boys) to name just a few who will represent their school.
Despite Margaret River’s dominance over the years, many other regional and metropolitan high schools are tipped to challenge them in 2021, including schools from as far north as Geraldton and as far south from Esperance and everywhere in between.
Surfing WA is thrilled to again join forces with long-term partner Healthway, to deliver the SunSmart health message to key demographic throughout Western Australia. Healthway through SunSmart has been integral to the development of surfing programs in WA over many years through their support of events and initiatives such as this.
“Through our partnership with Surfing WA, we are able to provide young Western Australians with pathways to continue their surfing journey, and also deliver important messages on how to stay sun safe to students who spend a lot of time outdoors,” Lotterywest and Healthway CEO Ralph Addis said.
For more information on the SunSmart WA School Surfing Titles best sure to check out www.surfingwa.com.au and www.schoolsportwa.com.au
Competitors are encouraged to interact via Instagram: Follow @surfing_wa and use the hashtags #SunSmartSurfing
Regional Qualification Dates:
Mid West: Wednesday 27th July – Geraldton
Peel: Friday 5th August – Mandurah
Bunbury: Wednesday 10h August – Back Beach
South-West: Thursday 11th August – Margaret River
Great Southern: Friday 12th August – Denmark/Albany
Metropolitan Qualification Dates:
Metro: Monday 19th – Friday 23rd August – Trigg Beach
State Final:
Friday 26th August – Trigg Beach
About SunSmart:
Established in 1988, SunSmart is one of the longest running – and most successful – skin cancer prevention programs in the world. Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. Each year over 2,000 Australians die from skin cancer, and two in three Australians will be diagnosed by the age of 70. It is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australia – and it can be almost entirely prevented with good sun protection. People are reminded to check the UV Index when they are exposing their skin to the sun and to protect themselves when the UV index is 3 or higher. Visit myUV.com.au for your UV forecast and to download the SunSmart App.
