Kobie Enright's cutbacks were a feature at Coolum, where she registered her first Pro Junior win for the year.
Kobie Enright's cutbacks were a feature at Coolum, where she registered her first Pro Junior win for the year. John Andrews/WSL

Surf Scene: Tweed surfer beats world junior best

vanessa.horstman

THE Subway Juniors competition as part of the WSL Pro juniors' circuit will have their final event of the popular seven-part Australian Series this weekend, May 6-7, more than likely at Duranbah Beach.

The national series kicked off in January at Bells Beach, Victoria, and has had events at Cronulla, NSW; Avoca, NSW; Trigg, WA; Kiama, NSW, and Sunshine Coast.

The super-popular series that was successfully launched by Surfing Australia and has 2012 World Champion Joel Parkinson as Ambassador has proven to be a great springboard for future champions. Most notably is Point Lookout, North Stradbroke Island World Junior Champion Ethan Ewing, who won last year's Subway series and is now on the WSL World Tour.

As such, the Subway Championship is the Australian Pro Junior circuit and is linked into the World Surf League Pro Junior circuit with a shot at the WSL World Professional Junior title in January 2018.

At the previous round at Coolum Beach, Sunshine Coast, held in testing onshore conditions, two new champions emerged.

Tweed Heads' Kobie Enright caused the biggest upset in the 18 & Under Girls to take down the number one seed and World Junior women's champion Macy Callaghan. In the quarter-final super heat, Enright came out on top, eliminating event favourite and 2016 World Junior champion Callaghan in a tight battle.

Enright continued to impress the judges with her renowned combination of style and power to overcome former Cabarita surfer Sophia Fulton in the final to clench the trophy.

"I've been taking it heat by heat all day. The waves weren't too during my heat so I was just hoping for the best waves.” Enright said.

"I'm pretty stoked, this is the first final I've made at a Pro Junior this year. The Gold Coast is home for me so I'm really looking forward to the last event of the series.”

Enright caused a big upset at the Subway Junior Pro  at Coolum Beach to take down World Junior Champion Macy Callaghan .
Enright caused a big upset at the Subway Junior Pro at Coolum Beach to take down World Junior Champion Macy Callaghan . John Andrews/WSL

Caloundra's Reef Heazlewood is one of the latest rising stars to make his mark and is touted as a future WSL World Tour competitor similar to Ethan Ewing.

Heazlewood kicked things off early in the day and lit up the stage in his quarter-final against Jack Murray (Lennox Head, NSW). Heazlewood impressed the judges with an incredible display of aerial manoeuvres on the low tide and was rewarded accordingly with the highest two wave combination score of the competition, a 19.10 (out of a possible 20.00).

In the boy's final, Heazlewood trailed, but was quick to respond with the highest single wave score of the competition, a 9.80 (out of a possible 10) to lock in his victory over Avoca Beach's Sandon Whittaker (Avoca Beach, NSW).

"Sandon got some good scores out there. I was a little stressed when I was behind but I knew I'd been able to get some solid scores. I just stuck with my game plan and it paid off.” Heazlewood said.

With three firsts, Heazlewood is now at the top of the event series leader board going into the final event on the Gold Coast.



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