Surfing Australia News Spring 2015 | Page 52

Australia’s best young shredders are lighting up beaches around the country after the Subway® Surf Series began in fun Spring conditions on the Sunshine Coast in mid October. In its second year, the series has continued to support the na tion’s best young surfing talent and in 2015/16 has a new and exciting association with the World Surf League (WSL). The 10-event series includes seven qualifying Subway® Pro-Juniors and three non-qualifying Subway® Surf Series events. Ambassador Joel Parkinson said he was thrilled to be part of the Subway® Surf Series for another year and said the new association with the WSL would help launch young surfing careers onto the world stage. “I’m stoked the junior surfers participating in the Subway® Surf Series will gain greater recognition for their talents and Subway is fueling them to go achieve their dreams. It’s fantastic to see opportunities like this exist now and provide that crucial link for surfers moving up the ranks,” Parkinson said. The WSL sanctioned Subway® Pro Junior events, which includes 18 and under boys and girls divisions, 50 | ISSUE 13 SPRING 2015 forms part of the 2016 WSL Australasian Junior Qualifying Series (JQS), providing the winning athletes with an opportunity to win a coveted world title, at the WSL World Junior Championships in early 2017. “WSL Australasia is thrilled to be partnering with Subway® and Surfing Australia for our Junior Qualifying Series next year,” said WSL Australasia Tour Manager Will Hayden-Smith. “The seven events from January to April will be the perfect training ground for our young surfers to prepare to become professional athletes as they compete at a variety of world-class surf beaks around Australia.” The winners of the three non-qualifying events, catering to both 18 and under and 16 and under girls and boys divisions will attend a Subway® Surf Camp at the Hurley Surfing Australia High Performance Centre at Casuarina. Surfing Australia CEO Andrew Stark said the Subway® Surf Series is a critically important national junior surfing program and part of the Surfing Australia sport development pathway. .COM