Power surfer pair North Shelly’s victory today shows that their club is doing something very well in producing a group of high performing junior surfers. The club were recently crowned national champions in the Australian Boardriders Battle and had a strong contingent of athletes competing this week in the Central Coast Pro Qualifying Series and Pro Junior events.

Southern cloudy conditions were no problem for the dynamic youngsters of The Pines, Avoca Beach. They’ve made messy two-to-three-foot surfing fun and rippable as they continue their quest for a spot at the World Junior Championships later this year.

The women’s peloton battled tough conditions and rain all day. It was Ellie Harrison (Torquay), Charli Hurst (Port Kembla), Molly Picklum (Shelly Beach) and Sierra Kerr (Snapper Rocks) who dominated the tricky waves and secured their place in the Pro Junior final.

Ellie Harrison entered the final looking the most dominant in her semi with a massive 15.50 total, including an excellent 8.50 in the opening minutes. The Victorian dynamo had her hands full with the rest of the competition, however, as CT surfer Molly Picklum showed her claws in a fiery split final, while Charli Hurst and Sierra Kerr were also kept busy.

In a back-and-forth finale with numerous lead changes, it was Picklum’s experience that saw her land two strong scores in the final half of the run to take the overall victory.

She was able to do some damage on a long left turn and get a 7.00 ride to put her lead too far ahead of her fellow competitors.

Picklum will now be aiming for his Championship Tour debut at Bells Beach and heading into the event with plenty of confidence and steam thanks to his great results here at Avoca.

“It’s great to get a win here at Avoca and finish with a second place finish yesterday in the QS 3000,” Picklum said. “Winning here against amazing surfers is amazing especially at home. Going into this I was dealing like I would in a CT and QS and felt like I was able to execute my strategy which I’m really proud of, I feel like I got to polish up some aspects of my surfing here at home at the events and I’m looking forward to seeing Bells in a few weeks.

Charli Hurst finished in second place, third to Ellie Harrison and fourth to Sierra Kerr.

The Pro Junior Men’s draw set up a clinic and made conditions favorable as they battled for critical points in a bid to qualify for the World Junior Championships.

The four stars of the event in Lennix Smith (Jones Beach and Southbridge), Lake Mac Pro Junior Champion Marlon Harrison (Snapper Rocks), Central Coast powerhouse Joel Vaughan (North Shelly) and Kobi Clements (Long Reef ) reigned supreme in their semi-final clashes. and secures a place in the final.

The men’s final was a lot of fun with surfers throwing everything at the conditions.

Showcasing his mature rail game and aerial game, Joel Vaughan was far too good for his fellow competitors as he featured strong scores of 7.17 and 6.87.

Vaughan was unstoppable throughout the Pro Junior draw after falling out of the QS 3000 draw at the start of the event. He had come out with a vengeance to regain his top form after appearing in this week’s proceedings as the number one surfer in the Australia/Oceania regional rankings.

“I’m honored to have released the Pro Junior here at Avoca and to have some great waves in the event so close to home,” Vaughan said. “After my loss in the QS a few days ago, I was keen to try to reset and surf as good as possible. It’s a great feeling to win my first Pro Junior and keep riding in the QS 5,000 at the Tweed Coast Pro and the Surfest in Newcastle.

Kobi Clements was second, Marlon Harrison third and Lennix Smith fourth.

Competitors will now set their sights on the Tweed Coast Pro Junior which is due to start next Friday (March 25).

The 2022 Central Coast Pro Junior is proudly supported by Regional NSW along with Mad Mex, VW Amarok Vans & Utes and Kayo Sports.

The 2022 Vissla and Sisstrevolution Central Coast Pro presented by Mad Mex will take place at Avoca Beach from March 14-19 with the Central Coast Pro Junior from March 17-19. For more information, results and live stream go to at www.worldsurfleague.com or download the free WSL app.

2022 Vissla NSW Pro Surf Series Event Schedule

EVENT 1: CARVE Great Lakes Pro – February 22 – 25 WSL QS1000
EVENT 2: Gage Roads Port Stephens Pro – March 27 – 1 WSL QS1000
EVENT 3: Mad Mex Maroubra Pro Presented by. By NG Farah March 4 – 6 WSL QS1000
EVENT 4 Men: Vissla Central Coast Pro Presented by Mad Mex – WSL QS3000 March 14 – 19
EVENT 4 Women: Sisstrevolution Central Coast Pro Presented by Mad Mex WSL QS3000 March 14 – 19

The Vissla NSW Pro Surf Series 2022 is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its major tourism and events agency, Destination NSW. The series will also be proudly supported by CARVE, Mobys Beachside Retreat, Barrington Coast Council, World Surf League, Destination NSW, Surfing NSW and Vissla.

For more information, visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

About WSL

Established in 1976, the World Surf League (WSL) is home to the best surfers in the world.

A global sports, media and entertainment company, WSL oversees international touring and competitions, a division of studios creating more than 500 hours of live and on-demand content, and through its affiliate WaveCo, the home of the largest high performance man-made studio in the world. wave. Based in Santa Monica, California, WSL has regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific and EMEA.

The WSL crowns the men’s and women’s surfing world champions every year. The Global Tours and Competition Division oversees and manages more than 180 global competitions each year across the Championship Tour, development levels including Challenger, Qualifying and Junior Series, as well as longboard and big wave properties.

Launched in 2019, WSL Studios is an independent producer of unscripted television projects, including documentaries and series, that provide unprecedented access to athletes, events and locations around the world. WSL events and content are broadcast on linear television in over 743 million homes worldwide and on digital and social media platforms around the world, including WorldSurfLeague.com.

WaveCo includes the Surf Ranch Lemoore facility and the use and licensing of the Kelly Slater Wave System.

WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences and stories to inspire a growing global community to live with purpose, originality and excitement.

For more information, visit WorldSurfLeague.com.