Grommies Go For Broke at Stop One of the GromSearch Snow Series
The pros get a show of how it’s done at Perisher Parks!
Over 120 grommets under the age of 17 came out on Sunday morning to put on a show for some of the best snowboarders and skiers in Australia.
It was a bluebird day and conditions couldn’t have been better – a light dusting of the freshly groomed park at Yabbie Flat Mini Terrain Park overnight, and warm sunny morning on the mountain. Rip Curl team riders Nate Johnstone, Matt Cox, Alex Ooks, Cameron Waddell, Tommy Waddell and Fletcher Dobson-Harper showed up to judge the performances and hand out gifts and prizes, while the kids were cutting laps of the park for three solid hours.
Now, we know that there are a lot of talented under-17 snowboarders and skiers coming out of Australia – but you’d be hard pressed to find a group of more talented and tenacious groms than those that came out on Sunday. Kids as young as age six were doing laps and trying to nail 360s, frontflips, double flips – you name it, they tried it. Everyone competing at Yabbie Flat Mini Park was, quite simply, going for broke.
Nate, who had just finished a follow-cam run with one of the youngest groms at the event, was stoked to see the talent and the excitement. “Man, I love this! They’re absolutely sending it! I mean, I just did a follow-cam with a six-year-old and he went for a 360!” And Matt Cox, who came up the mountain with Nate, echoed the sentiment. “It’s events like this that I grew up on – it’s what made me froth out on snowboarding. And these groms… they’re frothing!”
Matt, who’s only 19 and has already reached an elite level in global snowboarding, was absolutely psyching. Even before the first horn blew he was out in front of the jumps, personally grooming them with a rake. When queried, he simply responded… “Of course I’m grooming! Grommies gotta have fun!”
Throughout the day each of the judges chose one rider to win a larger prize in the prize pool – the one rider they thought absolutely nailed it, whether it was landing a trick or simply having the most fun. Needless to say, being a judge on Sunday was no easy task.
Sam Logan, a 12-year-old skier from Sydney, won a Mini Mood Canvas Backpack stuffed with a pair of Rider Junior Mountainwear Gloves, a Merino Mountainwear Tube, sunglasses and more, for going hard at his fives all day long. Ocean Roberts, a 16-year-old snowboarder, landed a double flip and got to take home a kitted out F-Light Snow Backpack and a Rolla Beanie. And Ryder Woods, a skier who’s only six years old, nailed a lazy boy slider on the box (dripping in steeze) and scored himself a brand new Enigma Junior Mountainwear Jacket.
And it didn’t end there – the awards kept on rolling throughout the day, with groms showing the pros what they had, pushing the limits, and taking home the goods.
Stop One of the GromSearch Snow Series, held at Yabbie Flat Mini Park at Perisher, was a huge success – and that, well, that’s all thanks to the groms that came out, and the team riders who were there to cheer them on.
Congratulations to all of the entrants – you sent it!
The next stop of the RipCurl GromSearch Snow Series will be held at Buller Resort in Victoria on Sunday, July 30th. All entrants under the age of 17 are welcome!
