Capes surfers score big at Geraldton’s final WA Junior Surf Titles

More local juniors have claimed State championships at the weekend’s Junior Surfing Titles held at Geraldton’s Back Beach.

In clean, mid-level surf, Augusta’s Ruby Berry, Dunbsorough’s Kade Martin, and Cowaramup’s Ace Flynn all came out top in their divisions, joining Capes junior stars Olive Hardy and Maverick Wilson in the team set to represent WA at the Australian Junior Surf Titles in Queensland later this year.

About 100 competitors took to the water for the third and final stop on this year’s junior tour, with Geraldton turning on good conditions with light onshore winds for the multiple venues on the Batavia coast.

While Berry lost out in the Under-18 Girls to Denmark’s Isi Campbell, who also won in Margaret River in March, she powered through to snatch the State Title in the Under-16 Cadet Girls division.

Spending most of her holidays competing in the finals of the Skull Candy Oz Grom Open in Lennox Heads, NSW, Berry carried that form into Geraldton, picking off great waves and using her powerful rail game, defeating Campbell as well as Cowaramup’s Grace Cook.

“I’m so excited to have won the 16-Girls State title,” she said after the event.

“I had a bit of a shocker at Trigg. Coming from Margs and reef breaks like Flat Rocks where there’s so much power behind you, sometimes it’s nice to get back onto the beach breaks and build your own speed and flow.”

Martin, from Dunsborough, shone bright during the 25-minute final of the Under-16 Cadet Boys despite surfing up one division.

Scoring a combined total 13.74, he bested in-form Capes surfers Okie Fraser, Reef Lange and Remy North.

Surfing WA events manager Justin Majeks said Martin “displayed the hallmarks of a future champion” posting a key 8.17 and backing it up with a 5.57.

Martin said he benefited from his recent competitions on the east coast.

Ace Flynn claimed a solid win in the hotly-contested Under-14 Grom Boys division, capturing his maiden State title in the process.

Majeks said Flynn clicked into “perfect sync” with the waves at Flat Rocks and at Back Beach and was on fire in the final, posting a highlight 8.50 ride on the day.

“This is my first State title and I’m so stoked,” the junior said.

North impressed the judges in his victory in the blue-ribbon Under-18 Boys, after recently returning from competing in events on the east coast.

Finding his groove early, the Yallingup charger bested the other juniors, including Cowaramup’s Macklin Flynn, with a two-wave combined total of 13.74.

A second-place result for City Beach’s Jesse Siedmiogrodzki saw him crowned the State champion on competition points.

Next on the calendar are the WA School Surfing Titles, won 16 years in a row by juniors from Margaret River Senior High School.