South Africa’s best junior surfers put down the school books for a weekend of rain, fun waves and splashes of sunshine in Mossel Bay. The Boss Of The Moss Pro Junior contest went down on the weekend at Innerpool and was the first junior event of the year to be run with the priority system.
“The lighties were killing it despite the first day being difficult with the rainy weather and the onshore” said Captain Kai who had a front row seat all event from the commentating booth. “Standouts for me were definitely Adin Masencamp, Ford Van Jaarsveldt, Luke Slipjen and Jose Faulkner. They are all surfing so well. Kai Woolf fought quite a challenge to claim the win in both the u/16 and u/18 girls divisions, which is an incredible achievement. Sarah Ingram is a relatively new girl putting up her hand and Anna Jelema Butler was also ripping.”
Surfers and spectators sprawl out in the sun at the contest site.
Jose Faulkner slices through the chop.
Unlike the parents back at the soggy camping spots, young surf groms don’t seem to mind the weather and onshore. When the floodlights were switched on for the G-Shock night surfing expression session they were chomping at the bit to get back out there after a day of surfing. Thoughts of the seal island and shark-cage diving activity just around the corner were forgotten as the groms paddled out in the dark and lit up beneath the floodlights.
Relieved juniors back on the rocks after a session under the stars.
Sunday saw lighter winds and warm sunshine for the action packed finals day. Some exceptional surfing went down as the tide and the swell filled, allowing the juniors to do damage on the right-hand point break walls. The contest is a great platform for the surfers to get back into the contest mind space with some major junior events coming up in the next few months.
“The Boss of Moss was a really good event for the national team members to gauge themselves before heading to the World Junior Games next week,” said legendary surf coach and contest organiser Llewelyn Whittaker. “But what is also really awesome about the event is that it attracts not only the best junior surfers from all over the country but also those who are in it for the fun. They are not chasing valuable PST points but rather coming for the experience and the vibe of the event. All in all everyone enjoyed the event and left with big happy smiles.”
u/16 Boys winner – Max Elkington
Kirsty McGilivray swoops back into the pocket.
The ladies prepare for the leap.
Jake Elkington carves a bumpy face.
u/18 Boys winner- Adin Masencamp
Sophie Bell keeps an eye out for Peanut…
u/12 Boys Finals
1st Alex Townsend
2nd Kyra Bennie
3rd Christian Venter
4th CJ Posthumus
u/14 Boys Finals
1st Mitch Du Preez
2nd Tide Lee-Ireland
3rd Aya Gericke
4th Nate Spalding
u/14 Girls Finals
1st Kayla Nogueira
2nd Summer Sutton
3rd Kelly Fenton
4th Caroline Brown
u/16 Boys Finals
1st Max Elkington
2nd Eli Beukes
3rd Ryan Lightfoot
4th Luke Slipjen
u/16 Girls Finals
1st Kai Woolf
2nd Sarah Ingram
3rd Kirsty McGillivray
4th Nina Haramse
u/18 Boys Finals
1st Adin Masencamp
2nd Joshe Faulkner
3rd Jordy Maree
4th Ford Van Jaarsveldt
u/18 Girls Finals
1st Kai Woolf
2nd Sophie Bell
3rd Anna Jellema Butler
4th Taghiti Gericke
*Images By: Fabian Coetzer
Well done to Lu Whittaker for all the hard work to make the event happen. Thanks!