PORT Macquarie will play host to some of the state’s best junior surfers over the next seven days for the NSW state titles.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
From Friday, local duo Judd Brown and Marcus Whillock along with Taree’s Chelsea Green will fly the flag for the region in the under 18 boys’ and girls’ divisions.
Green regularly trains in Port Macquarie.
Whillock is in good form after claiming a third-place finish at last month’s longboard titles while Green and Brown are two of the best up-and-coming surfers from the region.
Brown will hope to equal his performance at last year’s state titles where he progressed past the early stages of the competition.
“Last year I made round four so that’s my first goal and then we’ll see what happens after that,” he said.
“Hopefully I can get through a couple of rounds.”
While Brown is unlikely to pursue a career on the world tour; he knows there are other pathways to making a career in the sport.
“The world tour isn’t really my goal, I just like expressing myself in the water through free-surfing,” he said.
Some of the best surfers around the world started their careers in free-surfing where points are not awarded on the basis of how many turns are completed.
But Brown has set himself a goal of progressing to the next stage at the completion of the seven-day event.
“My main goal is to make it to the Australian titles and you need to get to the finals here first,” he said.
The teenager acknowledged he learnt a lot about his tactics in the water at last year’s state titles.
“The other guys have a better strategy in the water than I do, so that’s something I need to work on,” he said.
“Priority in the water is a big thing.”
The event will be fully mobile in the Port Macquarie area with Town Beach, Flynns Beach, Lighthouse Beach, Rainbow Beach (Bonny Hills) and North Haven Beach all venue options.
Surfing NSW media and communications manager Ethan Smith said the three teenagers would represent the region well.
“You don’t get any better representation for your area than these three,” he said.
“I haven’t seen much of Marcus, but he’s pretty proficient on a long board and if he can throw a short board around half as well he’ll be tough to beat.”
Smith said Green and Brown continued to improve with every competition.
“Judd is just a natural talent and he might not hit his stride in a competitive scene, but he’s definitely one to look out for,” he said.
“Chelsea represented NSW in the Australian titles last year and has a really good track record.
“All three of them should go really deep into the competition.”