Surf Canada will join the world’s best 18 and under surfers in Huntington Beach, USA to stake their claims as World Champions at the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship, Oct 26 – Nov 3.
Canada’s girls team is made up of sisters Mathea (U-18, U-16) and Sanoa Olin, (U-18, U-16) joining Aqua Bruhwiler (U-18), Anna Chamberlain (alternate), and twin sisters Jasmine (U-16) and Serena Porter (U-16). The boys side features Jeffrey Spencer (U-18), Aiden Chamberlain (U-18), Boston Leier (U-18) alongside Reed Platenius (U-16), Finn Spencer (U-16) and Wheeler Hasburgh (U-16).
“We are very excited with the progress and development of this very talented group of emerging young surfers,” stated Surf Canada executive director Dom Domic. “Each one of them is fired up to prove themselves against the world’s best and we are all eagerly anticipating the start of competition this weekend.”
Canada is riding a wave of momentum following last month’s ISA World Surfing Championships, where both the men’s and women’s teams turned heads with impressive performances against World Surf League competition.
The event, which is presented by Visit Huntington Beach, will feature 343 surfers representing 44 nations, matching the record number of teams that participated at the 2018 edition that also took place in Huntington Beach.
The VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship is the premiere World Championship for crowning 18 and under Surfing Gold Medalists.
Each nation can field a team of up to 12 competitors, consisting of three U-18 Boys, three U-18 Girls, three U-16 Boys, and three U-16 Girls. Surfers compete individually, earning points according to how far they arrive in the competition that sum to their team total, which determines the Team Medalists.
In 2018 the ISA continued its dedication to promoting gender equality and adopted a format that featured equal slots for boys and girls. The increased slots for girls lead to a record female participation in the event. In 2019, 42% of the competitors are girls, a strong stride towards the ultimate goal of equal 50/50 participation between genders.
ISA President Fernando Aguerre said:
“We are excited to once again bring the world’s best junior surfers back to the iconic surf destination of Huntington Beach. We gather over 300 surfers to represent their nations, contest Gold Medals, and celebrate the joy of surfing as a global community.
“The Huntington Beach Pier has played host to numerous milestone moments in the history of Surfing, and crowning World Champions this year will add to this rich legacy.
“Most of the world’s best surfers have risen through the ranks of this global ISA event, with many earning Gold Medals. Stars such as Brazil’s Gabriel Medina and Australia’s Steph Gilmore first proved themselves as ISA Junior World Champions before heading off to conquer the sport as adults. Keep an eye out for many future stars shining out on the waves during the week of competition.”
