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Region’s young stars line up for Wavefest

Albany Advertiser

Some of WA’s best young surfers will hit the waves off the south coast this weekend for the Junior Wavefest.

The annual competition runs on Saturday and Sunday at local beaches with divisions for a range of ages.

Albany Boardriders president Peter Bolt said the event would be held at either Nanarup, Ocean beach or Parrys beach, depending on the wave and weather forecast.

Bolt said it was a great opportunity for youngsters to take part in a competitive tournament.

“Most participants come along to have some fun with friends, meet new friends, test their surfing skills against their peers and pick up a few coaching points,” he said.

“The youngster surfers have a go in non-competitive heats with ‘push-in’ encouraged and cele-brated.”

There are divisions for boys and girls, ranging from under-10s to under-18s, and there will also be a non-competitive division and push-in event for rookies. Meanwhile, Albany surfer Pemba Spargo reached the final of the under-18 junior girls’ division in the opening round of the WA Junior Surfing Titles at the weekend.

Pemba was among a strong Great Southern contingent at the first round of the WA titles, held at Surfers Point in Margaret River.

In the under-18 girls, Pemba finished third in the four-person final after scoring 7.26 points, bettered by local Jamaica Selby (9.13 points) and victor Emma Cattlin (11.5).

Denmark’s Noah Amess also impressed at the event, narrowly missing a finals berth.

Noah, competing in the under-14 grom boys’ class, was knocked out in a thrilling semifinal, with less than a point separating the top three.

However, only two surfers could progress to the decider and Noah was the unlucky competitor in third place.

Albany’s Evie Dupuy and Holly Minter made first-round exits in their respective divisions, while Gianluca Gutierrez also competed.

Round 2 will be held in Mandurah in May.

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