The final day of the 2024 Rip Curl GromSearch Kommetjie/ Witsands started small, windy and inconsistent, but by lunchtime, Cape Town was showing off again, with clear skies, blue water and the cheerful summer sun beating down on competitors and spectators alike.
The conditions were small, but there were fun left and right-handers as the best junior surfers in the country set the waves alight! With four wildcard slots available for the SA Junior Surfing Team Selection Trial, there was an edge of seriousness amongst those surfers eligible for the slots in both the U16 and U18 divisions for boys and girls.
Rory Dace – U16 Boys Division Winner
The Rip Curl GromSearch is focused on the U16 division, which is deemed the Premier Division in these tournaments, and these two finals were intense. The series winners are chosen on the best four out of five events.
In the Premier U16 Girls division, Emily Jenkinson played a tactical game, catching only two waves in the 20-minute final but making both waves count. With a 5.33 and a 4.67, her heat total was 10 points, and she had a clear victory. 2nd placed Leah Lepront needed a 6.33 to get into the lead but couldn’t find another good set wave as the time ran out. Remi Fourieand Louise Lepront were 3rd and 4th.
Emily Jenkinson – U16 Girls Division winner
The Premier U16 Boys division was all about Rory Dace, who showed dominance from the outset. Nathan Taylor wasn’t far behind but couldn’t find a second big score and was relegated to 2nd place, with Ben Esterhuyse and Josh Malherbe in 3rd and 4th.
The next Rip Curl GromSearch takes place at Port Alfred over Easter and is an anchor event of the Port Alfred Easter Festival, along with the Rip Curl Cup Open Specialty Surfing Event.
Rip Curl GromSearch Kommetjie Final Results:
U12 Boys
1st Ethan Schermbrucker
2nd Levi Vosloo
3rd Slayde Shooter
4th Ryder Bertish
U12 Girls
1st Maya Malherbe
2nd Brin Jarvis
3rd Emma Loggenberg
U14 Boys
1st Ben Esterhuyse
2nd Valdemar Gwenin
3rd Sebastion Copson
4th Jedd Du Toit
U14 Girls
1st Camilla Heuer
2nd Leah Lepront
3rd Maya Malherbe
4th Gabriella Von Mollendorff
U18 Boys
1st Levi Epenetos
2nd Luc Lepront
3rd Matt Canning
4th Cooper Smith
U18 Girls
1st Sarah Scott
2nd Anastasia Venter
3rd Louise Lepront
4th Gabriella Herbst
U16 Boys
1st Rory Dace
2nd Nathan Taylor
3rd Ben Esterhuyse
4th Josh Malherbe
U16 Girls
1st Emily Jenkinson
2nd Leah Lepront
3rd Remi Fourie
4th Louise Lepront
Photos by Louis Wulff.
🏄♀️🌊 What an epic finale at the 2024 Rip Curl GromSearch Kommetjie! From small, windy beginnings to sunny skies and perfect waves, the U16 divisions saw intense competition. Congrats to Emily Jenkinson and Rory Dace for their standout wins! 🏆👏 Next stop: Port Alfred for more surfing action at the Easter Festival! 🏄♂️🌟 #RipCurlGromSearch #SurfingChampions #NextStopPortAlfred