Elliot Paerata - Reid has surfed to ninth place at the Quiksilver King of the Groms internaitonal final.  The event, which caters for surfers under the age of 16, is held annually in conjunction with the French Quiksilver Pro ASP World Tour event.  The event hosts the top 18 groms from around the world who compete in a man-on-man format similar to the ASP event.

On departing for France with his Mum by his side Elliot said "It's a dream to be going and a dream to be competing, I still can't believe it."  Well, little over 40 hours later, he found himself living his dream, immersed in some of the most famous beach breaks the world has to offer whilst rubbing shoulders with the best surfers in the world.

Elliot placed third in his first heat losing to Leonardo Fioavanti (ITA) and Pat Schmidt (USA).  Using the All Blacks style of play as motivation, Elliot went out in his second round heat and 'threw the ball around', caring less about his opponents.  His efforts resulted in him nailing a second placing and progression into the third round.

Elliot then lost to Josh Moniz (USA) in a close battle that saw the American surfer get the nod after he caught the best wave of the heat for the only high scoring ride.  Josh finished with an 11.0 point heat total besting Elliot on 8.94 points and ending the Kiwi's title aspirations.

Despite feeling sorry for leaving his Dad back home admist the New Zealand winter, Elliot felt "honoured" to represent New Zealand and experience one of the biggest surfing events in the world.

You can check Elliot's two heat highlights packages by going to the event website and clicking videos.