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Less than a week after her groundbreaking performance at Snapper Rocks, winning her second Challenger Series event and earning a Perfect 10 along the way, 16-year-old Erin Brooks (CAN) has very quickly shifted her focus to the left of North Narrabeen. Brooks has shown her ability on long, barreling righthand point but is keen to remind the world of her ability going to the air on her frontside.
“I’m so excited to be here at Narrabeen and competing on lefts because that is my frontside,” Brooks said. “This wave is a bit like Snapper in that it has opportunity for everything: barrels, turns and airs. I like going for frontside airs, so I’m keen to push myself at this event and go for some more big scores. It sounds like there will be plenty of lefts all week, which is great news. My goal is to qualify this year so I need another big result here to take the pressure off heading into the rest of the season.”
Brazilian young gun Samuel Pupo (BRA) finds himself in a similar position to that of this time last year. Pupo has just been relegated from the CT, bounced back with a Final berth on the Gold Coast, and now comes to Sydney, hoping to back up his great start to the CS season and lock in a spot inside the top 10 to take the pressure off when the CS leaves Australia.
“Last year, I had a great first event, then came here and lost in my first heat,” Pupo said. “I am really focused on getting through that first heat because I don’t want to need a result in the last event of the year. I want to qualify early and not have stress on me all season. It’s good to be back here, and I’m excited to surf some different waves. It’s a great location, and it should be an exciting week of competition.”
Axel Curotta and Anne Dos Santos Win Local Trials
Over the weekend, the Local Trials event was run at North Narrabeen in wild conditions for a group of Northern Beaches and New South Wales surfers. In the end, Manly duo Axel Curotta (AUS) and Anne Dos Santos (BRA) won and will now compete in their first-ever Challenger Series event.
Curotta will take on form surfer Josh Burke (BRB) as well as Tully Wylie (AUS) and Ryan Huckabee (USA). Brazilian-born Dos Santos will do battle with former CT competitor Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) as well as veteran Philippa Anderson (AUS) and Jessie Van Niekerk (RSA).
North Narrabeen livewires Dylan Moffat (AUS) and Jordy Lawler (AUS) have also been awarded wildcards into the main event and will be looking for big results on home soil after both competitors missed Challenger Series qualification in 2024.
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