Kids today have opportunities like never before
to truly enhance their skills on a board from the getgo thanks to Surfing Australia’s Sport Development
Pathway.
The pathway’s benefits are becoming more and
more apparent through the likes of groms such as eight
year old Sunshine Coast frother Landen Smales.
Landen is amongst the first batch of grommets to
make his way through the development pathway and is
coming up trumps.
The Peregian Beacher can proudly call himself
an inaugural participant of the Weet-Bix SurfGroms
program.
At the age of just five and knee high to a grasshopper,
parents Brent and Nat Smales, like an increasing
number of parents, opted
to put the little tacker in our
SurfGroms program.
“I wasn’t really into nippers
so when we heard about the
SurfGroms program we got
Landen and his brother and
sister into the local classes,”
said Brent.
The Weet-Bix SurfGroms
program
features
five
distinctive
levels
of
achievement involving games and lessons that cater to
both 5-8 year old divisions and 9-12 year old divisions.
Landen has completed the 5-8 year old program,
acing the advanced level five component.
“Learning all about surfing with SurfGroms was
really fun with all my mates and our coach Ben Stokes
who was a frother and always encouraged me to get
out there,” he said.
Now armed with a solid skill set and knowledge
that will allow him to progress to the next phase of
his development, Landen has been competing in the
Wahu Surfer Groms Comps and for his club, Coolum
Boardriders.
“I love the Wahu Surfer Groms comps run by Surfing
Australia because I get to catch up with all my mates up
and down the coast and play heaps of fun games on the
beach and win cool prizes. Plus we get to travel and surf
different breaks which is also ‘heaps’ fun,” Landen said.
Landen has already achieved outstanding results,
winning the Wahu Surfer Groms Coffs Harbour U8’s,
placing 2nd in the Wahu Surfer Groms Sunshine Coast
U8’s and 3rd in the Wahu Surfer Groms Gold Coast
U8’s.
Add a win in the eight and under division at the BK
Memorial with two perfect tens in the final, and victory
at the Billabong Parko Grom Stomp in the ten and under
division, his resume is already swelling with impressive
results.
As part of a group of lucky groms, Landen was
selected to spend a day at the Quiksilver Pro on the
Gold Coast in January this
year, spending time with
the likes of four time World
Champion Mark Richards
and free surf legend Craig
Anderson.
The group was given
access to the competitor’s
area where they met current
Aussie WSL competitors.
“It was sick! Mick, Julian,
Parko and Bede were all so
nice to me and my brothers and sister, they were really
encouraging, chatting about all things surfing. They are
all very down to earth cool people,” Landen said.
Training with Brad Lee at Elite Surf Coaching on
the Sunshine Coast twice a week, Landen has started
his mission to conquer airs, as he aims to continue his
growth as a surfer.
Landen is already thinking about the future and is
keen to get stuck into the Subway Surf Series in a few
years.
“Now I’ve completed my Weet-Bix SurfGroms up to
level 5 I can't wait until I'm a bit older for the Subway
Surf Series, which looks awesome.” What a champ.
LANDEN
BIG
RESULTS
.COM
SPRING 2015 ISSUE 13 | 13