Just 45 minutes from the beachside town of Pacitan, the boyhood home of Indonesia’s current president Susulo Bambang Yudhoyono, Pantai Srau proved to be a perfect fit for a GromSearch event, with a day filled with fun, games, beach cleaning and education in addition to the serious competitive surfing side.
In the Under 16 Division the stakes were especially high, as the top two finalists would be receiving an all expense paid trip to Bali to compete in the GromSearch South East Asian Final, which will take place at Kuta Beach during the annual Rip Curl Surf and Music Festival on October 20-21.
Of the 17 groms from Cilacap, Pangandaran, Pacitan, and Batu Karas who valiantly battled it out for the Ticket to Bali on Sunday, it was 14-year-old Dian Hardiyanto from Pangadaran who came out on top. In the 20 minute final went to work early, catching the first wave and constantly prowling the lineup looking for scoring opportunities, then punctuating his intentions with a high scoring combination of turns and an aerial to finish off just a minute before the final horn. Runner up Suprianto from Pacitan was more selective, his local knowledge seeing him choosing the best waves and getting in some great maneuvers, but he ran out of time against the busy Dian.
When asked how he felt about his win Dian replied, “I’m very proud to be the winner today. The waves were great and it was fun to surf this place, and I’m lucky I won over Supri, who is the local here.” Last year Dian won a GromSearch event at his home break of Batu Karas, so is a repeat winner.
“Yes I have been a GromSearch winner before,” said Dian, “three other times I think, but I’ve never won the Final in Bali yet. I really want to be the overall champion this year and go to Australia, so I’m going to practice lots so I can win in Kuta.” Looks like he is getting the year started right, so let’s see if he can make his dream come true in October. All the finalists received Rip Curl GromSearch trophies, Rip Curl gear, Skullcandy headphones, and Shapers accessories such as grips and leashes.
In the Under 14/Micro Grom Division, there were four little groms with big brave hearts that paddled out to take on the waves, all from Pacitan. All made it safely to the outside for the start of the heat, but shouts from the beach had them all scrambling as a big set was spotted. All but 8-year-old Raka, who turned towards the beach and started paddling! The crowd on the beach gasped as they watched him get tumbled over the falls and held under for a few seconds. But when he came up he shook it right off and got back on his board and started paddling, but this time to the inside where he nabbed a couple foamies that got him a 3rd place trophy and a goody bag full of Rip Curl, Skullcandy and Shapers loot.
This Rip Curl Grom Search in Pacitan was held in cooperation with the Pacitan Surf Club and combined with the PSC’s annual Hidden Point Surf Competition, with the event being officially opened and blessed by Vice Regent Prayitno. As the representative for the Regent, he spoke about the Regent’s dedication and support of surfing and hoped that it would continue to grow and bring more tourists to visit this beautiful place.
The Hidden Point Open Division competition was highly contested by the 16 surfers from Pacitan, Batu Karas, Pangadaran, Cilacap, Jogjakarta, and Carita, but in the end it was Sapri from Batu Karas that took top honors over Latif from Carita and Didin Flores from Pangandaran. They all went home with very cool “Kris” trophies, cash and great Rip Curl, Skullcandy, and Shapers goodies.
The day’s activities included an educational program designed by the Bali-based environmental group GUS where the kids were given brochures and told about the importance of keeping their beaches and homes clean and properly disposing of their trash. A beach cleaning game followed, with prizes for the three that collected the most and best quality trash.
Several live bands played mostly reggae style music during this memorable day at the beach, creating a chilled out and relaxed atmosphere for the spectators that had come so far. To make sure they went home completely happy, a special highlight after the awards presentation was the Samalona band taking to the stage with Heru, the lead singer from the popular Jojga band Shaggy Dog, mixing things up with some high-energy tunes to complete a perfect day at Srau Beach. The other bands included Poli Ponic from Ponogoro, Wake Up Tomorrow from Jogja, and Bron Is from Wonogiri.
The next stop on the 2012 Rip Curl GromSearch SEA tour will be world famous Lakey Peak in Sumbawa on the 22nd of April, a surf destination that has already produced some of Indonesia’s finest young surfers including Rip Curl team riders Oney Anwar and Andre Anwar.
Follow along with Rip Curl as they continue to Search the planet for the hottest boy and girl groms!
Rip Curl GromSearch #1 – Pacitan Contest Results
Under 16 Division
1. Dian Hardiyanto (Pangandaran, West Java)
2. Suprianto (Pacitan, East Java)
3. Deni Mencos (Batu Karas, West Java)
4. Aji (Pacitan, East Java)
Under 14 Division
1. Wiwid (Pacitan, East Java)
2. Galuh (Pacitan, East Java)
3. Raka (Pacitan, East Java)
4. Joko (Pacitan, East Java)
Rip Curl Grom Best Performance Surfboard Award – Wiwid from Pacitan
Coca-Cola ISC Best Potential Talent Custom Surfboard Award – Galuh from Pacitan
Expression Session Winners
Best Maneuver – Civ Setiadi
Best Trick – Dian Hardiyanto
Bottle Game Winners
1. Gayung
2. Husen
Piggyback Race Winners
1. Gayung and Sapri
2. Latif and Ade
Beach Cleaning Winners
1. Vera
2. Nana
3. Hatman
The Rip Curl GromSearch Series is sponsored by: Beach Hut, Skullcandy, GUS and Shapers, with media support by TRAX Magazine, Alam TV Bali, SurfTime Magazine, Lines Magazine, Magic Wave Surf Community Newspaper, Balibelly.tv, Surfersvillage.com, and Baliwaves.com.
Already in its 9th year, Rip Curl’s GromSearch series is the longest running competitive junior surfing series in South East Asia, having started in Bali back in 2004, and has produced several of Indonesia’s best surfers including 2010 Indonesian Open Champion Putra Hermawan and wunderkind Oney Anwar, the only Indonesian to win an ASP pro junior event, the Dripping Wet Pro Junior 2010 in Sydney Australia.
The Rip Curl GromSearch Series is sanctioned by the Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Championships, and all contestants receive ISC Junior Division Championship points at each event. The Under 16 year old surfer with the most points accumulated through all junior events at the end of the year will become the Indonesian Junior Surfing Champion.
2012 GromSearch Schedule:
GromSearch #1: March 4th Pacitan, East Java
GromSearch #2: April 22nd Lakey Peak, Sumbawa
GromSearch #3: June 10, Padma Beach, Bali
GromSearch #4: September 8, Phuket, Thailand
GromSearch Final: October 20-21, Kuta Beach, Bali
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