Mid West trio compete in Yallingup for the 20th annual Taj’s Small Fries junior surf comp

Three Geraldton locals competed at the 20th annual Taj’s Small Fries surf competition hosted by surfing legend Taj Burrow at Yallingup Beach, going up against some of the best junior surfers in the country.

Edel Rodden, Cruz MacDonald and Corbyn Gordon all competed down south last week representing the Mid West in WA’s most prestigious junior surfing competition.

After claiming the under-14 boys State title, MacDonald moved up to under-16 boys division at Yallingup. An impressive win in his first heat, securing a score of 9.21, saw MacDonald get his campaign rolling.

Topping his first heat winning score, MacDonald came out in his second heat with a win scoring an impressive 12.33. Unfortunately, MacDonald would get knocked out of the comp in his third heat scoring 8.80.

Rodden scored a solid 9.31 in her only heat at the event in the girls under-18 division with fellow Mid West local Gordon scoring a 5.53 in his heat in the under-12 division.

Coach Keith Roffman said he was proud of his athletes competing in the most prestigious junior surfing competition in WA.

“Taj’s Small Fries is always a great opportunity for our athletes to compete with some of the best in not only WA but the country,” he said.

“Awesome to see them out there having a crack.”

A new points system in place has ensured only the best of the best are eligible to compete, making the event a high-ranking comp in WA for juniors.

“The new system has attracted surfers from all over the place making it harder for our athletes but they did great,” Roffman said.

“There will be plenty more opportunities this season to secure points and just compete.

“Taj’s Small Fries is a great way to get the season off and running and hopefully something that Mid West talent can continue to compete in for years to come.”