|
Rip
curl GromSearch at Kata Beach
2011:
THAILAND’S SECOND RIPCURL
GROM SEARCH CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS
on Saturday, September 10, 2011
Kata Beach local
Panu Visedsombut
repeats as
Rip Curl GromSearch
Thailand champion
September 10, 2011
Kata Beach, Phuket,
Thailand –
Thirteen-year-old
Kata Beach surfer
Panu Visedsombut
braved heavy winds,
rain and storm-surf
conditions to win
the Rip Curl
GromSearch Thailand
for the second year
in a row on
Saturday.
Visedsombut won
every heat he surfed
in on his way to the
final, and also
netted the highest
heat total of the
day. He takes home a
Thailand GromSearch
record 10,000 Thai
Baht for the
victory.
 |
Visedsombut edged out his close
friend, and fellow Kata Beach
boy, Banjo Schneider, 11, in the
final. Finishing in third place
was Pumin Chamnan, 12, also from
Kata, and in fourth was
Chongchet Sroison, 16, who came
all the way from Kamala, on the
other side of Phuket island.
Dark storm clouds moved in over
Kata Beach just before the start
of the four-man final, bringing
rain and gusting winds of up to
40 knots that nearly blew down
the contest site. But the
Thailand groms would not be
denied, and made the most of the
challenging conditions and
punchy 3-foot beachbreak.
|
 |
“It was tough out there for the
final,” Visedsombut said. “It
was very windy, and it was
difficult to make it outside
because there were so many waves
coming. It was much more of a
challenge than last year, so I'm
proud to have won again this
year.”
As the top two placing surfers
at GromSearch Thailand,
Visedsombut and Schlider have
become the first-ever Thai
surfers to qualify for the
GromSearch National Finals,
which will be held during the
Rip Curl Surf and Music Festival
at Kuta Beach, Bali, on Oct.
8-9. The young Thai surfers will
square off against the top
finishers from other GromSearch
events in Java, Lombok, Sumbawa
and Bali for the opportunity to
compete in the Grom Seach World
Finals, held in conjunction with
the Rip Curl Pro WCT event at
Australia's legendary Bells
Beach.
“Panu and I surf together at
Kata Beach whenever there are
waves,” Schlider said. “I'm very
excited we get to go to Bali
together to surf in the National
Finals and show everyone that
there are good surfers in
Thailand.”
|
Thirty boys and girls, ranging in age
from five to 15, entered into this
year's event. The groms came from all
over the island of Phuket, and even from
as far away as mainland Thailand.
Several international kids, on vacation
in Thailand with their families,
participated as well.
“This is the only youth surfing event in
Thailand,” said event judge and Rip Curl
Thailand team rider Jamie Smith. “There
are a lot more grommets surfing here in
Kata Beach this year than last, and this
event is a big reason why. It's a great
opportunity for them.”
The most popular opportunity available
on the beach Saturday was Rip Curl's
Surfboard Test-Drive Center. Brand-new
boards in all shapes and sizes, from top
shapers like DHD, Tokoro, T. Patterson
and Phil Byrne, were available to try
out for free all day. The racks of the
Test-Drive Center were empty pretty much
all day, as local kids and adults were
constantly checking out boards to take
out surfing.
Another highlight of the day was the
Expression Session put on by Rip Curl
Indo team rider Garut Widiarta, who came
to Thailand to help judge the
competition. Most of the people gathered
on the beach had little or no previous
exposure to surfing. Widiarta put on an
electrifying performance of progressive
surfing in the beachbreak peaks that
left the crowd awestruck.
“The waves are kinda windy, but it's
really fun out there,” Widiarta said
afterward. “The wave kind of reminds me
of Kuta Beach back in Bali. Before this
trip, I had never been to Thailand, and
didn't know if they really had surfing
waves here. But now I know they do, for
sure.”
Rip Curl
GromSearch Thailand 2011 results:
1st – Panu Visedsombut (Kata Beach)
4.25*
2nd – Banjo Schlider (Kata Beach) 3.75*
3rd – Pumin Chamnan (Kata Beach) 2.75
4th – Chongchet Sroison (Kamala) 2.75
*qualify for GromSearch National Finals,
Oct. 8-9, at Kuta Beach, Bali.
Photos and video from GromSearch
Thailand can be found on Rip Curl Asia's
Facebook page,
Log on to tag yourself
and your friends.
Here some more exciting shoots
of the event
click on images to enlage - click again to reduce
|
About
the Rip Curl GromSearch
The Rip Curl GromSearch Series is a
global search for the most talented male
and female under-16 surfers. Rip Curl is
forever searching for the best way to
look after the most important surfers –
the grommets! It's all about giving male
and female groms the chance to surf with
their friends in a fun environment. At
the same time, it gives them great
competitive experience and allows
selected winners to compete for a trip
to the Grom Seach World Finals, held in
conjunction with the Rip Curl Pro WCT
event at Australia's legendary Bells
Beach. The GromSearch program has seen
some awesome talent over the years,
including past winners Stephanie
Gilmore, Ben Dunn, Mason Ho, Matt
Wilkinson, Jessi Miley-Dyer and Alana
Blanchard, along with Indonesian surfers
Garut Widiarta and Oney Anwar. Do it up
at your local beach with the Rip Curl
GromSearch in 2011!
|
 |
The
2011 Rip Curl GromSearch Series is
sanctioned by the Coca-Cola ISC
(Indonesian Surfing Championship) Tour.
All contestants receive ISC Junior
Division points at each event. The
Under-16-year-old surfer with the most
points accumulated through all junior
events at the end of the year will
become the Indonesian Junior Champion
for 2011.
The 2011 Rip Curl GromSearch Series is
sponsored by ESS (Eat Sleep Surf), Skull
Candy, TRAX, GUS, Hai Magazine, Magic
Wave, and OZ Radio Bali.
DON'T
MISS OUT:
Our latest video is released
by
phuketps
(+66 8 74628697)-
click here for
"NAUTILUS
SURFING MANIACS"
at Kata Beach Phuket
- Another MUST SEE !
|
