Young surfers’ achievements rewarded
SIX young South African surfers were honoured for their achievements at the Sea Harvest Surfing Excellence Awards in Woodstock.
With the award comes a sponsorship of R10 000 each, which the surfers will be able to use to cover travel and transport costs to surfing contests around South Africa this year, according to brand manager at Sea Harvest Nazli Philander.
The awards ceremony was attended by Surfing SA deputy president Bruce Anderson, 2017 SA surfing champion and national team member Brandon Benjamin and Surfing SA staff.
Among the winners was S’nenhlanhla Makhubu, from Chesterville, Durban. She produced excellent results on the 2017 SA Surf Tour that saw her qualify for the SA junior team, which participated in the ISA World Championships in Japan.
Her goals this year are to earn her national colours again and to win the Under16 division at the SA Junior Championships.
Caitlin October, from Noordhoek, who took part in her first SA Grommet Games as a 10-year-old, has represented Western Province at the SA Junior Championships several times and won numerous events. This year she will compete in several World Surf League (WSL) events while also completing an ISA coaching course.
Zia Hendricks, 12, from Pellsrus, near Jeffreys Bay, earned recognition for reaching the finals in the Under-12 division at the SA Grommet Games and at the SA Junior Championships. She was the top-ranked surfer in her division on the SA Surf Tour, and this year aims at retaining her title to win the SA Junior Championships.
Dellin Hendricks, also from Pellsrus, qualified as a member of the SA Junior Team that competed in the ISA World Championships in China last year. He won the Under-16 title at the SA Surf Tour in Cape Town and represented the Nelson Mandela Bay District at the SA Junior Championships in Jeffreys Bay.