Crystal Cylinders
Lennox Head’s Mikey McDonagh has finished in fifth position at the 2017 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Hyuga, Japan.
McDonagh’s result in the U/16 Boys was the third-best result for Team Australia and the points gained were an important contribution to keeping Australia on the medal podium up against 41 teams with USA scoring the gold, Hawaii silver, Japan bronze and Australia copper.
Mikey’s surfing was on point but the small and sometimes inconsistent conditions worked against him in his final heat and he didn’t get the opportunity to answer back in the latter stages of the heat.
‘It’s important to adapt to the conditions that are different every heat. The Australian team thrive off the energy on the beach and support each other with some loud cheers, which really helps your performance,’ McDonagh said.
A pack of Lennox Head’s finest groms braved the chilly waters of Victoria and came up trumps with some excellent results at the Rip Curl Gromsearch.
Jai Glinderman won the 14 Boys, Dembe Ryan won the 12 Boys, Nyxie Ryan was runner-up in the 14 Girls and made the semis of the 16 Girls while Harry O’Brien made the semis of the 12 Boys and his older brother Jack finished in the quarters.
Byron Bay’s Joel Paxton, along with Lennox Head brothers Zak and Luke Condon, competed at the Siargao Cloud 9 Surfing Cup World Surf League Qualifying Series (QS) 3,000 event in the Philippines.
While scoring some awesome conditions and amazing tube rides in the excellent waves at the star of the event, Paxton and Zak Condon were eliminated in their first heats in the round of 96 while Luke Condon made it through to the money round of 64, finishing in equal 33rd place and took home US$550 and 360 QS points.
Lennox Head’s Stuart Kennedy is finding late-season form on the Qualifying Series at the Men’s QS 10,000 being held at Praia de Carcavelos, Cascais in Portugal, and has made it through to the round of 16 and into the big points and money rounds.
If he can make it through two more heats he will be back on track on his mission to qualify for the 2018 Championship Tour.
Languishing in 32nd on the Jeep Leaderboard, though, and 63rd on the QS, Kennedy will need a whole lot more of the same to secure CT participation next year.
Adam Melling from Lennox Head finished in equal 37th spot.
