Saxon Reber (AUS) and Jahly Stokes (AUS) have taken top honours at the 2023 Lake Mac City Pro Junior World Surf League (WSL) event at Redhead Beach in New South Wales. Finals Day saw super clean yet inconsistent surf in the two-to-three foot range.
Lake Mac City Pro Junior 2023 Finalists. - WSL / Paul Danovaro
The regional Pro Junior Series season's second event attracted over 100 of Australia and Ocenaia's best 20 and under surfers, with 19-year-old Saxon Reber (AUS) from North Steyne leaving it till the last minute to claim victory in the men's. The goofy foot was fortunate to get the score he needed to win on his last wave in the dying minute of the heat. He rode that wave right to the beach, stepping off onto the sand and edging out Queensland's Cameron Macdougall by one-third of a point.
"This is my best result at this level," Reber said. "It was tricky out there, definitely tricky. It would pulse and then slow down and then pulse again. I got pretty lucky on that last wave. It was Bit nerve-wracking taking off knowing you need a score. I was fortunate enough for it to give me two sections out the back and then link up. I did a turn on the inside and was pretty happy with that."
Saxon Reber. - WSL / Paul Danovaro
In the junior women's, 16-year-old Jahly Stokes (AUS) from Kawana Beach on Queensland's Sunshine Coast claimed her second Pro Junior title following her maiden win on the Gold Coast last May. She said the conditions at her home beach weren't often like those on offer today.
"Most of the time, we get small waves, not far out the back. There's a lot of onshore winds up there, whereas today we had some clean faces," Stokes said. "The waves here today were tricky, but when you got the good ones, it was fun. The left-handers were the go."
Jahly Stokes. - WSL / Paul Danovaro
Stokes will step out of the competitive spotlight for the next six months, opting to travel with her family to Western Australia and Indonesia to "work hard on my surfing."
The Lake Mac City Pro Junior will run from February 25 - 26.
Saxon Reber and Jahly Stokes Take Top Honours at Lake Mac City Pro Junior
WSL
Saxon Reber (AUS) and Jahly Stokes (AUS) have taken top honours at the 2023 Lake Mac City Pro Junior World Surf League (WSL) event at Redhead Beach in New South Wales. Finals Day saw super clean yet inconsistent surf in the two-to-three foot range.
The regional Pro Junior Series season's second event attracted over 100 of Australia and Ocenaia's best 20 and under surfers, with 19-year-old Saxon Reber (AUS) from North Steyne leaving it till the last minute to claim victory in the men's. The goofy foot was fortunate to get the score he needed to win on his last wave in the dying minute of the heat. He rode that wave right to the beach, stepping off onto the sand and edging out Queensland's Cameron Macdougall by one-third of a point.
"This is my best result at this level," Reber said. "It was tricky out there, definitely tricky. It would pulse and then slow down and then pulse again. I got pretty lucky on that last wave. It was Bit nerve-wracking taking off knowing you need a score. I was fortunate enough for it to give me two sections out the back and then link up. I did a turn on the inside and was pretty happy with that."
In the junior women's, 16-year-old Jahly Stokes (AUS) from Kawana Beach on Queensland's Sunshine Coast claimed her second Pro Junior title following her maiden win on the Gold Coast last May. She said the conditions at her home beach weren't often like those on offer today.
"Most of the time, we get small waves, not far out the back. There's a lot of onshore winds up there, whereas today we had some clean faces," Stokes said. "The waves here today were tricky, but when you got the good ones, it was fun. The left-handers were the go."
Stokes will step out of the competitive spotlight for the next six months, opting to travel with her family to Western Australia and Indonesia to "work hard on my surfing."
The Lake Mac City Pro Junior will run from February 25 - 26.
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