Safety First With Cancellation of Final Billabong Grom Event

Comment Share Posted on Thursday March 11th 2010 at 11:21 a.m. Tweet

The final event of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge scheduled to take place at Piha this weekend (13th – 14th March) has been cancelled due to the big swell and strong unfavourable winds.

Throughout the week organisers have been monitoring what is expected to be the biggest swell of the year to date for the West Coast. The swell is forecast to peak on Friday night at around five metres and remain big throughout the weekend. The swell is also accompanied by strong southwest winds which will make conditions treacherous at Piha, already known for it's powerful waves.

"It has been a long week of weighing up all the factors" commented Billabong Events Manager AJ Matthews. "We want to provide a good playing field for the kids competing in our events and this weekend was a long way from that. Safety is a big factor and with the swell that is coming, we could not be sure that everyone's safety would be assured" added Matthews.

The cancellation of the event is a far cry from the second event of the series when lack of swell forced the postponement of the Whangamata leg. It was possible for that event to be rescheduled to a later date however with a packed schedule through to the end of April there was no option but to cancel the event of the series.

The decision was compounded by the fact that the winners of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge receive a trip to the Billabong Occy Grom Comp courtesy of Pacific Blue. Therefore the top surfers in the series needed to know if they had won the trip to Australia or if they were required to enter the high-status event early to ensure a place in the draw. A postponement of up to a month would hinder this process.

With the final event of the series having been cancelled, the series champions will be awarded to the current ratings leaders across the six divisions. Excluding the Under 12 Girls, all division champions receive an airfare courtesy of Pacific Blue and entry into the Billabong Occy Grom Comp scheduled for July.

In the Under 16 Boys it is the consistency of Gisborne's Adam Grimson with two runner up placings that has him leading the ratings and heading to Australia. Grimson was part of the New Zealand Junior Surfing Team who competed at the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship at Piha this year. The Occy Grom Comp will be another chance for the young goofy foot surfer to gain international experience.

The Under 14 Boys representative will be Dune Kennings (WGM) after securing a first and second placing in the series. Kennings competed at the event in 2009 placing seventh and will hope to improve on that result in 2010 before he moves up to the next age group.

Manu Scott - Arrieta (Sandy Bay) was a clear stand out in the Under 12 Boys Division winning both events of the series here in New Zealand. His big challenge will be to emulate his success over in Australia come July when he competes on the international stage for the first time.

The Under 16 Girls representative will be Ella Williams (WGM) after securing a first and a third in the series. Williams has already competed at the Occy Grom Comp on two occasions before with her best result being a fifth placing in the Under 14 Division in 2009.

Gabriela Sansom (Auck) will represent New Zealand in the Under 14 Girls Division after winning both events in her division this year. Sansom will be another first time international competitor and she will be hoping to gain as much experience as possible at the event in Australia.

Please see below for the top five rated surfers in each division of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge.

Under 16 Boys
1, Adam Grimson (Gis)
2, Ben Poulter (Rag)
3, Paul Moreiti (Mimiwhangata)
4, Peri Matenga (Mnt)
5, Patxi Scott-Arietta (Sandy Bay)

Under 14 Boys
1, Dune Kennings (Whmata)
2, Jordan Griffin (Mnt)
3, Korbin Hutchings (Gis)
4, Elliot Paerata - Reid (Piha)
5, Mahorahora McLeod (Waitara)

Under 12 Boys
1, Manu Scott-Arrieta (Sandy Bay)
2, Taine Craig Ranga (Waihi Bch)
3, Kehu Butler (Mnt)
4, Tane Bowden (Whmata)
5=, Travis Morton (Waihi Bch)
5=, Braedyn Louie (Piha)
5=, Isaac Kettle (Tara)

Under 16 Girls
1, Ella Williams (Whmata)
2, Alethea Lock (ChCh)
3, Gabriella Sansom (Auck
4, Bianca Sansom (Auck)
5, Ella Spiers (Whmata)

Under 14 Girls
1, Gabriela Sansom (Auck)
2, Dayna Story (Gis)
3, Hannah Kohn (Gis)
4, Milly Crewe (Muri)
4=, Bianca Sansom (Auck)

Under 12 Girls
1, Milly Crewe (Muri)
2, Britt Kindred (Muri)
3, Lily Spiers (Whmata)
4, Sarah Wilson
5, Paige Penny (Gis)

For more information on the series please contact Ben Kennings at Surfing New Zealand on 021 2278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz. Alternatively contact AJ Matthews at Billabong on 021 2416227 or email aj.matthews@billabong.co.nz.

The Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge is brought to you by Billabong, Oceanbridge, Sony, Pacific Blue, Von Vipper, Kustom and NZ Surfing Magazine.

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