Explosive Performances Displayed At Penguin Parade On Day 1 Of The Phillip Island Junior Pro Presented By Bass Coast Shire Council

Day 1 of the Phillip Island Junior Pro presented by Bass Coast Shire Council commenced today with outstanding surfing on display.

It was a classic Victorian day with rain in the morning and sunshine and blue skies throughout the rest of the day. Due to a large swell hitting the Island, competition was moved to the Penguin Parade which provided protected right hand double ups all day long.  

The Under 16 boys started the day with explosive performances and big scores being displayed in critical sections. The excellent surfing started early with Felix Byrnes (Merewether) completing a variation of four sharp and critical backhand attacks to receive an 8.50 point ride (out of a possible 10 points). 

Heat 3 was a standout of the 12 opening round heats of the Under 16 boys with Max Mcgillivray (Evans Head) exhibiting a clear difference in approach to the rest of his competitors. He started off the heat with a massive two turn combo that showed a clear commitment to the biggest sections in the lineup. The judges rewarded this commitment to the wave with a 9 point ride. 

This excellent ride earned Mcgillivray the Surf Better Now wave the day on Day 1.

“I saw that wave and it had a good double up on it and it gave me the opportunity to do a couple of big turns which was sick,” said Mcgillivray

Continuing on this aggressive approach Mcgillivray went all out on a huge close out section earning a 6.88 point ride for the one forehand re-entry. With his competitors already in a combination situation he went from strength to strength connecting an outside wave all the way to the inside to receive a 7.28 point ride and the convincing heat win.

“I had a good game plan as I got my landmarks in my free surf this morning,” he added.

“It’s such a great event, so fun, and it’s such a nice place as well!”

With the high tide filling in on the right hand point break the waves shifted closer to the corner of the beach. Joey Silk (Crescent Head) noticed this shift and decided to capitalise on the better shaped waves. Starting off his heat with a couple of mid 5 point rides, Silk gained more momentum as he took off on more waves.

Going into the back half of the heat he found his way onto a nicely shaped double up which allowed him to tee off on multiple forehand carves and then finish with a powerful re-entry. 

This earned Silk a 7.25 point ride and a substantial lead over his competitors. With the momentum of his last wave, he went on to smash out a 6.35 point ride to end the heat on a 13.60 combined total and a spot in the quarterfinals.

“I saw a few nice little waves so I thought that might be a better option,” said Silk.

“I wanted to get a good wave to really show what I can do” he continued.

Another great day is expected for Day 2 with a 7:15 am check in for a 7:30 am start at Penguin Parade with all divisions on standby. The schedule will be posted on Surfing Victoria socials and the competitor’s WhatsApp tomorrow morning. 

Live scores and schedule is available via www.surfingvic.com/phillipislandjunior 

The Phillip Island Junior Pro is presented by Bass Coast Shire and supported by the Victorian Government Significant Sporting Events program, Carve Sunglasses, Buell Wetsuits, GLOBE, SurfBetterNow.com and Surfing Victoria.