Eden Walla + Lukas Skinner Take Out Rip Curl GromSearch Final
Today, one of the world’s most exciting young male surfers is from the United Kingdom.
Finals day at the Rip Curl GromSearch brought waves sharp as splintered bone. Conditions that would have you chomping at the bit to draw comparisons to a skatepark, if you’re the sort who compares waves to skateparks.
But then came the Icons heat — Rosie Hodge and Stephy G set to trade blows on a flawless, head-high right. But as soon as Steph’s toes hit the water, so did the wind. A cosmic coincidence, or a nudge from the universe suggesting it’s time for Steph to hang up her competitive boots?
Today had everything you’d want from a grom event in Bali: solid waves, paddle battles, Molly Pickles in the booth, and Dedi Gun prowling the sand with a mic.
Dedi, sporting a sailor’s hat and unable to stop fidgeting, was the commentator’s version of Italo Ferreira, while Molly Pickles cruised around in a giant moon boot. An unlikely couple, but both settled into world-class form behind the mic. Chaotic crosses, a few tech hiccups — but it was all handled with grace and humour. Take notes, aspiring mic wranglers.
Ziggy Mackenzie rolled into the event as the reigning U/16 world champ, and if that wasn’t enough, she’d already made a name for herself as the smallest hellion in the Padang Cup back in August.
She was all aggression today, no fluff, and Eden Walla was right there with her.
In their respective semis, both came out swinging. Ziggy’s turns were brutal, sharp, and full of intent — one slash in particular that echoed Molly Picklum’s infamous Sunset mallee, while Eden had flashes of Caity Simmers’ riot at Trestles. They were bound to meet in the final.
Unfortunately, as it goes, the final clash was set in conditions that didn’t do either girl justice. Neither had the canvas, nor the brush, to really lay down the masterpiece they’d hoped for. Eden found the cleaner waves, stayed on her feet, and, in the end, walked away with the crown.
The rise of young women in surfing is the most exciting thing to happen around here in a while. But somewhere in that storm, the dust managed to bury a genuine prodigy from the land of scones, monarchs, and high society pretensions.
Lukas Skinner clinched the boys’ title today, and he did it the hard way — coming from behind in every heat he surfed to get it done. With an air game and make-rate Yago Dora would envy, he posted excellent scores across the board, including a perfect 10 in his semi-final against Ben Creagh.
“He’s the best hope that England’s ever had, and the best hope right now from the entirety of Europe,” offered an unfamiliar voice from the booth. Hard to argue with that.
In the final, Lukas faced the reigning U/16 Euro Champ, Dylan Donegan. The wind was up, and neither of the boys gave a damn about looking pretty. Both got scrappy, and both stacked 18-point heat totals.
It took until the final two minutes for Lukas to get the score he needed — a corked-out straighty that almost kissed another 10. Snatched the win right from Dylan’s grip, but if you’ve seen any of the day’s highlights, you’d know Lukas is a thief deserving of the prize.
Today, the world’s most exciting young surfer is from the United Kingdom. Who would’ve thought?
Big props to both Eden and Lukas — a GromSearch title is no small feat. Stats don’t lie: the CT beckons.
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