2 September 2024 – Kuta, Bali: The first-ever Canggu Community School (CCS) International Surfing Competition concluded yesterday evening with an awarding celebration for the finalists and winners at the Mamaka Hotel Rooftop. Over 70 boys and girls from 18 years of age and under participated in this exciting weekend event, which was blessed by 2-3 foot waves and great conditions, giving the young student-athletes a perfect forum to join together in camaraderie and competition together with their friends and families.
The best and most consistent performer during the weekend was undoubtedly Imari Hearn (Wolsey Hall Oxford), who took home not one but two first place trophies for winning both the Under 16 and the Junior (under 18) female divisions with equally strong surfing on both her forehand and backhand. She breezed through the Under 16 final, but found herself challenged by Kya Jo Heuer in the Junior final, who held highest single wave score of the final and was just needing a medium score to overtake Hearn for the win.
“I won all my heats up until the final, so I was feeling some pressure for sure, said Hearn. “After winning the Under 16, I had to go back and change my mindset again from winner to trying to win again for the Junior, so like completely refocus. But I just told myself to have fun, as I think that’s the best way to do any surf comp…just relax and surf every wave…and it worked out pretty well. So happy to win especially here at a beach break, which I’ve never done before, and to win two divisions…it’s almost unbelievable. I won’t forget this ever.”
When asked how she enjoyed the event and the format, she replied, “I really liked how they had a non-elimination round in the beginning, so like a warm up, and it overall was so much fun with everyone there, getting hot dogs, drinks, t-shirts, hanging out, it was all great. And of course winning, made it even better!”
Winning the most impressive female in the event was 10 year old Konami Oe (Torami Primary School), who competed in both the Under 16 and Under 12 divisions and made it to both finals, displaying skills beyond her years and earning the best performer award from the judging panel, for which she received a Redz surfboard as a reward.
Competition in the male divisions was expectedly fierce, as there are so many young talented surfers coming up, so the list of highlights are too many to mention them all, but here are the top two:
In the Under 12 division final, Rocco Rigliaco (CCS) jumped out to an early lead and held it until the two minute mark, when Darma Wisesa (SD1 Negiri Seminyak) launched and landed an amazing aerial for an 8.33 score (out of a possible 10 points) to take the lead and eventually the win.
In the Under 16 division final, which saw three competitors from Legian and one from Kuta battling it out on the challenging low tide conditions, it was Kuta’s Aditya Somiya (Taman Rama Intercultural School) who posted the event’s highest (almost perfect) single wave score of a 9.17 for a massive layback hack, which saw him take a well-deserved win.
This groundbreaking event was aimed at uniting young surfers from the various schools in Bali and beyond in a fun and relaxed but also professionally structured competition, and ASC’s Tipi Jabrik felt it met that goal, saying, “As a parent that has kids that go to school and surf, I’m really happy to see CCS doing an event like this, as here in Bali, surfing is part of the culture and the lifestyle, and it can be used to influence and train kids positively. I hope we can see more schools doing this type of thing in the future, and again thanks to CCS and the event sponsors for making this happen. The ASC is always ready to help with these types of activities, and we’re thankful to CCS for inviting us to participate.”
Canggu Community School’s Ben Voborsky was very pleased at the conclusion of the event, saying, “As the school of choice in Bali, we were looking for a way to enhance our core values of learning respect, balance and engagement, and this was a way to invite the Balinese and the Asian community to come together in that way, and it turned out amazingly well. It’s great that we are able to provide these pathways for our students where they can get a great education as well as pursue their surfing goals. We had a lot of families here, so it was indeed a great community building experience…and we look forward to seeing everyone again next year!”
In addition to the surfing competition, there were fun beach games with prizes as well as free coaching tips from ASPA’s (Asian Surfing Performance Academy) Mickey Sudena, and the weekend wrapped up with an awarding party at the nearby Mamaka Hotel Rooftop where the winners and finalists received awards and prizes from event sponsors and supporters as well as a round of applause for a job well done from the audience.
To view the schedule, heats, and look at all the scores, check Live Heats https://liveheats.com/events/274442/
Click here to download photos from the event:
Contest Results
Under 12 Girls
1.Fiona Alexandra Fuante
2.Tasia Belyaeva
3.Dian Septiari
4.Konami Oe
Under 12 Boys
1.Darma Wisesa
2.Rocco Rigliaco
3.Shia Jabrik
4.Rafeal Hiroshi Setiadi
Under 16 Girls
1.Imari Hearn
2.Paris Narendra
3.Konami Oe
4.Marshanda Nikijuluw
Under 16 Boys
1.Aditya Somiya
2.Riki Uemura
3.Oscar Glossop
4.Ken Uemura
Junior Women
1.Imari Hearn
2.Kya Jo Heuer
3.Nala Rabik
4.Costanza Di Lisi
Junior Men
1.Made Nesa
2.Taro Nashino
3.Rendra Attard
4.Theo Radcliffe
Canggu Community School was the primary sponsor of the Canggu Community School International Surfing Competition, with additional supporters and sponsors including Corner House, Mamaka by Ovolo, Plus Industries, Redz Surfboards, Spunk Surf Wax, Indosole, Finns, Waterbom, Mason Adventure and Mason Elephant Part & Lodge, Body Factory Bali and Mandiri.
The Asian Surf Cooperative provided the technical and media support, in cooperation with the Halfway Kuta Boardriders managing the beach venue.
Follow the Asian Surf Cooperative on Instagram @asiansurfco and on the website at https://asiansurf.co/
For more information about the event, please contact:
Canggu Community School
Agnes Jessica
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +6281283130924
Asian Surf Cooperative
Adi Wiraguna
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +447360962320 (WA)
About Canggu Community School:
Canggu Community School (CCS) is a leading international school in Bali, providing a balanced and holistic education from Early Years to Year 13. Emphasizing core values of learning, respect, balance, and engagement, CCS offers an engaging international curriculum that includes arts, physical education, multiple languages, and innovative learning. Accredited by CIS, WASC, IB, and SPK the school nurtures well-rounded individuals prepared for global challenges. CCS is committed to fostering a supportive and dynamic environment where students thrive academically, physically, and emotionally.
