LOUISE Lepront was the standout of the Ugu Surfriders team in a friendly surf off against a visiting French team at Dairy Beach in Durban last weekend.
She made the final of the girls U14 event, and although she finished fourth, certainly held her own against some tough competition.
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This is especially impressive when one considers she is only 11 years old.
Louise was among five Ugu surfers, including her brother Luc, to be invited by Surfing South Africa to form part of the event.
Luc made the semi-finals of the boys U14 event, while Evan Peyios got as far as the quarter-finals and Evan Spittal the second round.
Some of these surfers have moved up an age group this year, so it was a case of gaining some valuable experience.
The fifth surfer was Kira Attfield, who reached the semi-finals of the girls U14 event.
The Ugu riders thanked Surfing South Africa for the wonderful opportunity and praised the judges and officials for a competition very well run.
There was a friendly, festive atmosphere over the weekend, but there was still very much a competitive edge, with each surfer doing their best to win.
Conditions on the Saturday were described as tough and difficult, with a howling north-easterly wind blast through.
This resulted in surfers needing to treat the rips, currents and blue bottles between the piers with utmost respect.
Some got stung, but there was nothing too serious, thankfully.
The next day the wind abated somewhat and the conditions were a little bit better.
There’s plenty coming up for local surfers.
The Ugu champs will take place at Scottburgh beach on February 22 and 23, comprised of the trials (towards team selection for SA Champs later in the year) and the champs.
Before that, though, there’s the SA Interclub competition which will be held at Dairy Beach, hosted by North Side Surf Club.
They won it in Cape Town last year, meaning they get to host this year.
It hasn’t been held in KwaZulu-Natal for a while, so it presents a nice challenge for local surfers.
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