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| Elliot Paerata - Reid - Image Cory/NZ Surfing Magazine |
Maz Quinn’s Quiksilver King of the Groms presented by Don’t Let The Sun Get Under Your Skin has New Zealand’s best young surfers fired up for their last national event of the season.
The event, originally scheduled for late March was postponed due to lack of
swell. However, this weekend (28 – 29
April) the surf looks set to pump at Gisborne with an easterly swell set to
slowly decrease throughout the weekend.
Offshore winds are forecast which will make the surf perfect for the
grommets.
The King of the Groms comes hot on the heels of New
Zealand’s best juniors having been representing New Zealand at the World Junior Surfing
Championship at Panama. The team only returned to New Zealand today with members from
the Under 16 Boys Division as well as local surfer Jasmine Smith set to lock
straight back into competitive mode after an arduous 60 hours of being in
transit.
Up for grabs in the Under 16 Boys Division is an invite and all expenses paid
trip to the international final of the Quiksilver King of the Groms held in France during
late September. At this event the best
young surfers from around the world go head-to-head as part of the Quiksilver
Pro that also caters for the best surfers in the world.
New Zealand team member
Elliot Paerata – Reid (Piha), the highest placed surfer in the Under 16 Boys
Division at the World Junior Champs (17th) has won the New Zealand
King of the Groms event for the past two years and will be hoping to make it
three in a row this weekend.
Also back from the Worlds and no doubt riding high on confidence will be Jordan
Griffin (Mnt) and Harrison Whiteside (Chch).
They will be joined by a swag of groms who have been based back here in New Zealand
working hard with the aim of a good result at the final event of the season.
In the Under 16 Girls Division, Gabriela Sansom (Auck) will make a return to
more familiar territory after having won the New Zealand Women’s Open at
Taranaki two weeks ago. Sansom went on to compete against the best female
surfers in the world including defending world champion Carissa Moore (HAW) and
four time World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS).
A star struck Sansom placed 13th at the event with the experience
something that she will never forget.
Sansom will be joined by her sister Bianca along with New Zealand representative Smith
and local Gisborne friends Abby Falwasser - Logan and Dayna Story as the
favourite surfers in their division.
Maz Quinn’s Quiksilver King of the Groms presented by Don’t Let the Sun Get
Under Your Skin also includes the Under 14 and Under 12 Boys Divisions.
Twelve year old Mount
Maunganui star Kehu
Butler has entered all three boys divisions lining himself up for a massive
weekend of surfing and a tilt at claiming all three titles. With a focus set on the Under 12 and 14 Boys
Divisions, Butler will face off against the
likes of the Farr brothers from Taranaki as well as Tane Bowden (WGM), Manu
Scott – Arrieta (Sandy Bay), Ben McCulloch (Gis) and Isaac Kettle (Tara), all surfers of which have shown some great promise
through the summer of events.
The event also sees prizes being awarded for the highest heat score, highest
wave score and the best air.
Maz Quinn himself will be present at the event and keeping an eye on the talent
of our young surfers. Quinn spent his
whole life surfing the very coastline where the event is to be held. The playground led him to become New Zealand’s
most successful male surfer having qualified for the 2002 ASP World Tour.
Action will take place from 8:00am on both Saturday and Sunday. Organisers will assess conditions at several
beaches before confirming the event location early on Saturday morning.
King Of The Groms Honours Roll
Under 16 Boys Division
2005 Ryan Hawker (Piha)
2006 Ryan Hawker (Piha)
2007 Ryan Hawker (Piha)
2008 Alex Dive (Mnt)
2009 Ben Poulter (Rag)
2010 Elliot Paerata – Reid (Piha)
2011 Elliot Paerata – Reid (Piha)
Please see below for the top five ranked surfers in each of the divisions
contested at Maz Quinn’s Quiksilver King of the Groms presented by Don’t Let
The Sun Get Under Your Skin.
Under
16 Boys Top 5
1, Elliot Paerata - Reid (Piha)
2, Dune Kennings (Whmata)
3, McKenzie Bowden (Whmata)
4, Jordan Griffin (Mnt)
5, Mahorahora McLeod (Waitara)
Under
14 Boys Top 5
1, Kehu Butler (Arataki)
2, Manu Scott-Arrieta (Sandy Bay)
3, Isaac Kettle (Tara)
4, Taine Craig Ranga (Waihi Bch)
5, Daniel Farr (Tara)
Under
12 Boys Top 5
1, Kehu Butler (Arataki)
2, Tane Bowden (Whmata)
3, Lee Ririnui (Mnt)
4, Jared Gebert (Ohope)
5, William Barnes (Mt)
Under
16 Girls Top 5
1, Gabriella Sansom (Auck)
2, Jasmine Smith (Gis)
3, Dayna Story (Gis)
4, Claudia Fraser (Auck)
5, Bianca Sansom (Auck)
Further
Information
For further information on Maz Quinn’s Quiksilver
King of the Groms please contact Surfing New Zealand’s Ben Kennings on 021
2278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz.
Alternatively please contact Quiksilver Marketing Manager Maz Quinn on
021367629 or email maz.quinn@quiksilver.com.au.
Imagery
High resolution action images of the surfing will be available to media free of
charge courtesy of New Zealand Surfing Magazine.
Event Hotline
The Surfing New Zealand
event hotline is 0211134506. This will
be updated daily at approximately 7am with venue, divisions contested and
conditions for the day.
Partners
The Maz Quinn Quiksilver
King of the Groms event is proudly sponsored by Quiksilver, Roxy, Don’t Let The
Sun Get Under Your Skin, DC Shoes, Surfers Skin, Pro Lite, Sticky Johnson and NZ Surfing Magazine.
Surfing New Zealand Newsletter
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Newsletter.
Follow the event Live!
Live results will be feed to the SNZ website via twitter so stay tuned with up
to date results. Alternatively follow
the action via the SNZ
Facebook and SNZ Twitter.
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Ends
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