By Grace Knight
After a two-year lull due to Covid-19, the invitation only Australian Surf Championships are back this weekend at Port Macquarie on the New South Wales mid north coast.
After a semi-final finish in the Queensland State Titles earlier this year, I received the coveted wildcard entry and will be putting it all on the line in the hope of making my dream of becoming national champion a reality.
The title is a huge honour to hold in competitive surfing. To have your name engraved on the trophy alongside past winners such as Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore is something every surfer strives to achieve.
The event window runs from August 5-22 with a forecast of sunshine, one metre swell and moderate offshore winds.
The 17-day event covers a range of disciplines including shortboard, longboard, para-surfing and body boarding.
The last time this event took place was in 2019, when World Championship Tour surfer India Robinson was crowned the Open Women’s winner.
The Australian Surf Championships are always one of the best events of the year and after a 24-month hiatus I am looking forward to competing against my friends and idols, such as Robinson.
Working closely with coaches, I have been training tremendously hard in a bid to showcase my surfing prowess, and in doing so, I hope to make my supporters and the Bond community proud.