Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time to gain the rewards.
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When Port Macquarie surfing prodigy Kayle Enfield just happened to walk past the family’s lounge room, little did he know his ticket to the big time was just around the corner.
Mum Loren was on the phone to organisers who were offering a place at the national junior surfing titles.
Despite her best efforts at putting him off the scent, the teenager soon worked out what the discussion was about and the goofy-footer will now head to South Australia.
Enfield is now primed to test himself against the best junior surfers in the country from December 1-8 at Victor Harbour.
Mrs Enfield, however, was quick to point out the answer was never a straight ‘no’, but rather a way of seeing how much her son wanted to go.
“It was never a ‘no’, but more ‘how can we make this happen’,” she said.
It will be his first appearance on the national stage, but an opportunity too good to refuse.
“Originally I didn’t know about it until they called mum in the lounge room, I overheard it and knew I could figure out a way to get there,” the teenager said.
“I made the decision in my head to get the money myself and work hard for it because I knew it was a really good opportunity and one I couldn’t really turn down.”
With the help of a number of local businesses along with his school, Enfield raised the required amount to make the trip to South Australia.
“In my mind, I love to give everything a shot and so I wasn’t going to back down on this,” he said.
“I was thinking of a way in how I would get there, financially and time wise, but it’s all worked out really well and now I’ve got to train up and be ready for it.”
Enfield is believed to be the first Hastings Secondary College Port Macquarie Campus student to qualify for the national titles.
“This is my first national title event so it will be a bit different,” he said.
“The skill level that everyone is up to will be nothing that I’ve seen before, so I guess I’ve got to prepare for that and hope my skills and my ability is good enough to compete there.”
He admitted he was simply satisfied to be competing – anything more was a bonus.
“I’ve got to surf how I want to surf, relax, find the good waves, but have fun out on the water and be okay with whatever happens,” he said.
“I know it’s an experience and I’ll learn from it; I’m happy to go and give it a shot.”
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