Taranaki surfer Skylar McFetridge surfed to her first national win at the second event of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge held at Whangamata today.
McFetridge was joined by Sol Fritchley (Mnt) and Lola Groube (Pau) as winners in their respective divisions today. Fritchley backed up his stunning win at the first event of the series held at Mount Maunganui and 10-year-old Lola Groube won her first ever national event in the Under 14 Girls Division.
In the Under 16 girls McFetridge started out with a 6.5 point ride, but then found herself chasing local surfer Pia Rogers who took the lead. Late in the final McFetridge posted a 4.37 point ride for the lead before a final-high 7.0 point ride to cement the final.
McFetridge has featured in three finals this season, narrowly missing a national title at Westport before a third place finish at the first event of the Billabong Grom Series. Today she credited the win to her Taranaki team mates who provided support all day through to the win.
Local surfer Pia Rogers finished in second overall with event one winner, Leia Millar (Piha) finishing in third and Sophia Brock (Mnt) rounding out the final in fourth.
Fritchley backed up his stunning win at the first event of the series winning the Under 14 Boys Division today with a 10.40 point heat total. Frtichley’s flow won over in the final slicing away at the small 0.5m waves as the tide pushed in late in the afternoon. Runner-up Vitor Kokemper (Mnt) went one better from the first event with a runner-up finish today posting a 9.17 heat total behind Fritchley. Indica Corcoran (Mnt) was the third Mount Maunganui surfer in the final finishing in third place ahead of first-time finalist Indy Chave–Hefferman (Whangarei) in fourth.
Lola Groube was the stand-out all day in the Under 14 Girls Division winning all three match-ups including the final with a 10.7-point heat total. Opting to surf a righthand rip bowl on her backhand, Groube used her smarts to nab several good waves and smash them to the beach. Piha’s Kyra Wallis held second place throughout the final and a critical forehand reo late in the final secured her runner up finish ahead of India Kennings (WGM) in third and Dunedin’s Tessa Gabbott in fourth.
Day two of the event will see the Under 18 Boys and Girls in action as well as the Under 16 Boys Division. Cyclone Dovi is expected to increase the swell on day two with strong offshore winds in the forecast.
The final event of the series takes place at Piha at the end of February (26-27 February). The 2022 edition of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge is split into three divisions ranging from Under 14, Under 16 and Under 18. It is the 17th year that Billabong has sponsored the series in partnership with Oceanbridge who has been a proud supporter of junior surfing in New Zealand.
Report: Ben Kennings/Surfing New Zealand
Photos: Derek Morrison
Gallery: Day 1, Whangamata Grom Comp 2022
Full Results from Day 1 Billabong Grom Series
Whangamata
Saturday February 12, 2022
Under 16 Girls Division Round 1
Heat 1
Pia Rogers (WGM), 7.5, 1, Sophia Brock (Mnt), 3.9, 2, Amanda Gouldsbury (Tara), 2.9, 3, Isabella Milne (WGM), 2.77, 4
Heat 2
Skylar McFetridge (Tara), 8.97, 1, Leia Millar (Piha), 8.23, 2, Rewa Morrison (Dun), 4.07, 3, Jess Sinton (Mur), 1.73, 4
Under 16 Girls Division Final
Skylar McFetridge (Tara), 13.5, 1, Pia Rogers (WGM), 9.8, 2, Leia Millar (Piha), 7.84, 3, Sophia Brock (Mnt), 5.27, 4
Under 14 Boys Division Round 1
Heat 1
Kiedis Baskerville (Auck), 6.34, 1, Hamua Tau (Chch), 5.76, 2, Sam Prins (Hbay), 3.80, 3, Lennox Jennings (Whiti), 3.53, 4
Heat 2
Olli Jacobs (Mnt), 7.47, 1, Jaxon Willows (Mnt), 6.73, 2, Tazman Walden (Ahipara), 6.20, 3, Levi Gillies (Auck), 3.03, 4
Heat 3
Zeke Pregert (Piha), 9.50, 1, Joel Kirk (Pukehina), 6.96, 2, Josh Scott (Auck), 2.57, 3, Jay Tingle (Pau), 0.00, n/s
Heat 4
Jude Jeffery (Auck), 10.44, 1, Kash Baskerville (Auck), 4.24, 2, Noah Officer (Piha), 3.37, 3, Lee Takurua (Tara), 2.43, 4
Under 14 Boys Division Round 2
Heat 1
Jack Higgins (Dun), 8.40, 1, Jordie Luke (Tara), 7.87, 2, Finn Norris (Wgtn), 6.10, 3, Kiedis Baskerville (Auck), 5.56, 4
Heat 2
Tai McKenzie (Chch), 9.74, 1, Vitor Kokemper (Mnt), 9.67, 2, Jesse Frazerhurst (Auck), 8.93, 3, Hamua Tau (Chch), 3.70, 4
Heat 3
Olli Jacobs (Mnt), 8.34, 1, Theo Denton (Auck), 6.33, 2, Zen Mouldey (Mnt), 6.07, 3, Keanu Woods (Mnt), 3.07, 4
Heat 4
Indy Chave (Auck), 12.60, 1, Sam Frazerhurst (Auck), 8.50, 2, Jaxon Willows (Mnt), 5.53, 3, Keo Morrison (Dun), 4.90, 4
Heat 5
Indica Corcoran (Mnt), 10.17, 1, Sonny Lyons (Kaik), 8.00, 2, Beau Broadhurst (Ohope), 5.33, 3, Zeke Pregert (Piha), 4.27, 4
Heat 6
Sol Fritchley (Mnt), 10.77, 1, Beau Rogers (WGM), 7.4, 2, Kai Shearer (Tara), 6.47, 3, Joel Kirk (Pukehina), 5.07, 4
Heat 7
Remy Sale (Mnt), 11.50, 1, Beau Fitzgibbon, 8.30, 2, Jude Jeffery (Auck), 3.93, 3, Connor Cummins (Auck), 1.40, 4
Heat 8
Maceo Thompson (Piha), 8.27, 1, Kash Baskerville (Auck), 3.74, 2,Noah Gabbot (Dun), 3.34, 3, Solomon Ryan (Auck), 3.00, 4
Under 14 Boys Division Quarterfinals
Heat 1
Sam Frazerhurst (Auck), 7.64, 1, Theo Denton (Auck), 7.17, 2, Jack Higgins (Dun), 5.13, 3, Tai McKenzie (Chch), 4.2, 4
Heat 2
Vitor Kokemper (Mnt), 9.13, 1, Indy Chave (Auck), 8.44, 2, Olli Jacobs (Mnt), 7.33, 3, Jordie Luke (Tara), 6.57, 4
Heat 3
Sol Fritchley (Mnt), 11.67, 1, Indica Corcoran (Mnt), 8.86, 2, Beau Fitzgibbon, 7.74, 3, Kash Baskerville (Auck), 3.1, 4
Heat 4
Remy Sale (Mnt), 9.57, 1, Sonny Lyons (Kaik), 7.03, 2, Maceo Thompson (Piha), 6, 3, Beau Rogers (WGM), 4.16, 4
Under 14 Boys Division Semifinals
Heat 1
Vitor Kokemper (Mnt), 11.67, 1, Indy Chave (Auck), 9.23, 2, Sam Frazerhurst (Auck), 7.73, 3, Theo Denton (Auck), 6.56, 4
Heat 2
Indica Corcoran (Mnt), 14.10, 1, Sol Fritchley (Mnt), 12.34, 2, Remy Sale (Mnt), 10.57, 3, Sonny Lyons (Kaik), 9.47, 4
Under 14 Boys Division Final
Sol Fritchley (Mnt), 10.40, 1, Vitor Kokemper (Mnt), 9.17, 2, Indica Corcoran (Mnt), 8.67, 3, Indy Chave (Auck), 6.00, 4
Under 14 Girls Division Round 1
Heat 1
Madeline Tod (Mount), 5.9, 1, Poppy Entwisle (Chch), 5.53, 2, Bonnie Lynch (Gis), 2.6, 3, Megan Luke (WGM), 1.33, 4
Heat 2
Tessa Gabbott (Dun), 6.17, 1, India Kennings (WGM), 6.13, 2, Lani Frazerhurst (Rag), 5.73, 3, Darcy Sullivan (Mnt), N/S
Heat 3
Lola Groube (Pau), 10.1, 1, Kyra Wallis (Piha), 8.53, 2, Portia Millar (Piha), 5.4, 3, Sacha Sanders (Piha), 3.77, 4
Heat 4
Alani Morse (Orewa), 8.66, 1, Lenka Cargill (WC), 5.9, 2, Izzy Evans (Mnt), 4.4, 3, Torah Kennings (WGM), 3.4, 4
Under 14 Girls Division Semifinals
Heat 1
Kyra Wallis (Piha), 8.9, 1, Tessa Gabbott (Dun), 4.73, 2, Madeline Tod (Mount), 3.4, 3, Lenka Cargill (WC), 2.93, 4
Heat 2
Lola Groube (Pau), 12.8, 1, India Kennings (WGM), 8.77, 2, Alani Morse (Orewa), 8.73, 3, Poppy Entwisle (Chch), 7.93, 4
Under 14 Girls Division Final
Lola Groube (Pau), 10.7, 1, Kyra Wallis (Piha), 6.73, 2, India Kennings (WGM), 4.44, 3, Tessa Gabbott (Dun), 4.27, 4