Billabong Grom champs crowned at Mount Maunganui

Billabong Grom Champions Kyra Wallis (Piha), Remy Sale (Mnt), Pia Rogers (WGM), Leia Millar (Piha), Tao Mouldey (Mnt). Absent Spencer Rowson (Tara). Photo: Coastal Surf.

Six champions were crowned at the final Billabong Grom Series at Mount Maunganui on Sunday.

After having been relocated from Piha due to the cyclone devastation, the event, presented by Oceanbridge, was hosted by Mount Maunganui for the second time in the series.

The series attracted 377 participants. After 186 heats there were six overall champions and twelve event winners across the three events highlighting the depth of talent through the junior age groups.

Taranaki's Spencer Rowson won the final event of the series and with that, the Under 18 Boys Division title while Pia Rogers' third placing this weekend was enough for her to win the Under 18 Girls Division.

Tao Mouldey from Mount Maunganui was one of three surfers that won more than one event across the series and he claimed the Under 16 Boys Division alongside Leia Millar from Piha who also won two events.

Remy Sale, also from Mount Maunganui had to settle for runner-up in the Under 14 Boys Division on Sunday but that was enough to see him take the overall series alongside the most dominant surfer of the female surfer, Kyra Wallis from Piha, who won all three events and remains undefeated this season.

In Sunday's action it was 12-year-old Lola Groube who won the Under 16 Girls Division claiming her first win of the season.

Scoring a 9.15 point heat total in the final was enough to outpoint her opponents for the win.

'It is my first win this summer so I am happy to beat the other girls in the final today,” says Lola.

'It was hard in our final, the conditions weren't that good and there were lots of close outs,” says Lola, whose strategy was to get two quick waves and put the pressure on her opponents.

'Then I only needed a four-point ride to get into the lead and I managed that toward the end of the final."

Finishing runner up in the final event of the series was Maya Mateja from Raglan. Maya held the lead in the early stages before being overtaken by Lola with the Raglan surfer unable to find the waves that allowed more than one turn.

Lola's older sister Chloe finished the final in third place ahead of Alani Morse from Raglan in fourth.

Local Mount Maunganui surfer Tyler Stenzel put on a stunning display in the final of the Under 16 Boys Division surfing to a 14.55 point heat total which was enough to claim the Volkswagen Highest Heat score of the Day Award.

'Super stoked to get the win today, it is the first time I have won in the Under 16 Boys Division too,” says Tyler.

'It was a good close final, my first wave set me up and gave me confidence and then I could throw everything at it later in the final,” says Tyler, who got the better of the high scoring final which saw series winner Tao Mouldey finish second on 12.80 points and Tava Santorik on 12.60 points. Theo Morse finished fourth in his second final of the series.

Kyra Wallis from Piha made it a clean sweep of wins in the Billabong Grom Series with her third win this weekend to go with her win at the National Championships. It was a close final today with Kyra getting the better of a low scoring affair with a 7.65 point heat total ahead of her friend Poppy Arkle (Piha) in second, Indi-Lee Ruddell (Whngrei) in third and local surfer Maddie Tod in fourth.

Over 120 young surfers from around the country converged on Mount Maunganui this weekend after the evnet was relocated from Piha due the cyclone damage.

Full results and updated rankings can be viewed at www.Liveheats.com/SurfingNewZealand.

2023 Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge Series Champions:

Under 18 Boys Division – Spencer Rowson (Tara)

Under 18 Girls Division – Pia Rogers (WGM)

Under 16 Boys Division – Tao Mouldey (Mnt)

Under 16 Girls Division – Leia Millar (Piha)

Under 14 Boys Division – Remy Sale (Mnt)

Under 14 Girls Division – Kyra Wallis (Piha)

Each of the three events in the series attracts upward of 130 surfers. It is the eighteenth edition of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge.

The series offers up many surfers first taste of events, pitting themselves against their mates and taking in a fun two days of surfing and developing their skills in the ocean. Participants also team up for their boardrider clubs with the top five surfer's results from each club going toward overall club rankings.

The 2023 edition of the series draws on a long history of fun with all of New Zealand's current crop of elite surfers having taken part including Richard Christie (Gis), Paige Hareb (Tara), Billy Stairmand (Rag), Mount Maunganui's own Kehu Butler and Ella Williams (WGM).

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