JERSEY’S finest young surfers have joined ranks with Guernsey’s to send a strong Channel Islands team to Portugal, for the start of EuroSurf Junior 2024 today.
Staged in Santa Cruz, Portugal, 17 teams and 211 competitors will battle it out over five days of intense surfing to be crowned Junior European Champions.
Team manager Andy Cummins, whose daughter Maina is set to compete in the U18 Girls bracket, said: “Everyone has been working extremely hard for this competition.
“It’s been on our calendar for a while and we’ve been building towards it all summer.
“Now it’s here, all the athletes are just excited to get out there and test themselves against the best.”
Cummins and coaching colleague Dan Harris, both members of the Jersey Surf Club, have built a squad over the past two years, coaching and training them with the goal of sending a full and strong side to this competition.
“Previously, our seeding was very low as we have not sent a full team for many years.
“Myself and Dan Harris are especially happy that we managed to work hard and build a squad to take to the championships.
“It’s been a lot of hard work from a lot of people, especially from the children and parents and the Jersey Surfboard Club.
“We have a really, really young team and some great surfers, but this is just the start.
“We have a six-year plan in place, which we are now two years into, with the aim to continue taking a full team to the European championships made up of Jersey and Guernsey young surfers.
“Our team is made up of some outstanding young talent, who have already competed in and won big tournaments.
“I and the rest of the coaching team have so much faith in them and we can’t wait to see how they get on.”
The Jersey Surfboard Club would like to thank Rossborough Insurance, who donated £2,000 to the team to cover kit.
The club also have a “Just Giving” page, set up to help fund these trips, as this trip alone has cost nearly £30,000, which is primarily paid by parents.
