THREE young Mornington Peninsula surfers have signalled they are contenders for state-level recognition following the first round of the Victorian State Junior Surfing Titles at Gunnamatta.
While mainly west coast surfers dominated during the two-day contest (16, 17 February), brother and sister Sara and Lucas Hickson and Sarsha Pancic showed the peninsula’s young surfers are a growing force.
Sara Hickson, of Rye, won the under-14 girls division. Her brother Lucas came second in the under-14 boys; Sarsha Pancic, of Blairgowrie, was third in the under-14 girls.
While surfing her way to third place Pancic scored 9.43 for a wave, giving her the highest single wave score in her division.
Surfing Victoria said Pancic, 12, who won her way into the semi-finals, was “able to put the other girls in her heat in a combination situation and hold a stranglehold of the highest scoring wave of the day, which is a whopping achievement for one of our up and coming female surfers”.
Despite a record number of entries in the under-14 girls division, Sara Hickson was able to put together a heat total of 15 out of 20, including an eight and a backup seven point ride in the “pumping rip bowl conditions”.
Isla Huppatz (Jan Juc) came second, Pancic third and Eva Bassed (Sandy Point) fourth.
The under-14 boys was won by Willis Droomer (Torquay), Lucas Hickson second, Jack Bassett third and Isaiah Norling fourth.
Results: www.surfingvic.com
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 26 February 2019
