Two of Western Australia’s best junior surfers, Cruz Uros and Leila Fraser, represented the state at the Woolworths Surfer Groms Comps National Final camp, which was held at Surfing Australia’s Hyundai High Performance Centre last weekend.
The event brought together 20 talented young surfers from across Australia for a three-day camp that focused on surf coaching, video analysis, and various activities at the HPC, concluding with an exciting round-robin-style surf-off.
Cruz Uros (Dunsborough) who emerged victorious in the Under-14 Boys division at the eighth stop of the 2023 Woolworths Surfer Groms Comps series at Trigg Point said: “The Woolworths camp is awesome! I am pretty lucky as this is the second time I have been, and like the first time, I really enjoyed it! I am super grateful for the opportunity and thanks a lot of to Surfing Australia and Surfing WA for making it possible! The coaches are awesome, they are very good at pointing out key things for us to work on. We also got a chance to surf with Morgan Cibilic and George Pittar, and do a couple of heats judged by an Olympic judge – that was pretty sick. The venue is great and everyone at the HPC is super kind! I also got the chance to see some friends from over east and meet new ones! This was my last year at the Woolies Surfer Groms Comps so I made some great memories!”
Leila Fraser (Margaret River) who won the Under-14 Girls division at the Trigg Point competition said: “Every single coach was absolutely amazing and had some super helpful things to say! I feel like I got a ton of things out of the camp as well as many new friends! We worked a lot on dealing with pressure, and I think that will take a lot of pressure off me in future heats. After most surfs we did some video analysis and each got a few technical things to work on. We were also able to go on the trampolines to help us with airs. Overall, the camp was amazing! Hope to go back to the HPC sometime soon!”
The Woolworths Surfer Groms Comps series is considered a major steppingstone in the development of young Australian surfers. This series consists of 10 events, catering to surfers aged from U8 to U14, held across Australia, including Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia. Winners of the U14 Boys’ and Girls’ divisions from each event are awarded invitations to take part in the all-expenses-paid camp, providing them with a unique opportunity to further develop their skills and passion for surfing.
