DROMANA sisters Mia, Rose, and Ava Holland are about to take on a wave of a lifetime when they compete in the Australian Junior Surfing Titles in NSW this month. The teenagers, who have been surfing on the Mornington Peninsula nearly every day for the past six years, will be among the more than 250 surfers to battle it out on Wollongong’s beaches when the big event is held from 24 November to 1 December.
It will be a milestone moment for the trio whose love for the ocean and drive to succeed have propelled them to rise through the ranks of youth surfing competitions. The junior titles encompass individual divisions for under-14 to under-18 junior men and women, as well as a school surfing division for under-16 to under-19 (MR Shield) junior men and women. Champions in the under-16 and under-18 men and women will also vie for a spot on the Irukandjis Team to represent Australia at the 2025 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.
Mia, 17, Rose, 13, and Ava, 16, who all attend Dromana Secondary College and are members of the Peninsula Surfriders Club, will represent Victoria along with five other surfers from the Mornington Peninsula. Dad Graham Holland, who is also an avid surfer, said he was “super proud”, with he and his wife Sari excited to cheer them on. “They’re super pumped. They can’t wait to basically head up the coast and start surfing the local waves,” he said.
“It’s the second time all three girls have made the girls state team, which is pretty cool, but it’ll be the last time that they’re all together (in the junior titles) as Mia will be too old next year.”
While a win would be a thrill for their family, Holland was quick to concede that it wasn’t everything. “It’s just exciting that all three girls are in the team. If they’re happy and healthy then what’s you care about – seeing them having fun and surfing with their friends. “It’s just about getting out there and doing what you love … but if the results come, they come.”
The girls will join Sara Hickson and Sophie Day, both of Rye, as well as Lily White (Blairgowrie), Sophie Wilkinson (Shoreham), and Harry Cleary (Sorrento) in the national titles, which marks the year’s final major event in the Surfing Australia National Junior Series.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 20 November 2024
