You only had to look at the face of Lennox Head surfer Ocea Curtis to see how much the Soundboks Oz Grom Open means to local competitors.

While the 17-year-old bowed out in a nail-biting girls’ Pro Junior quarter-final on Friday, Curtis remained upbeat about both her performance and her future in the sport.

“It is always one of my favourite comps just because it is at home,” she said.

“This one means a lot, but quarter-finals is a good result. I am happy with it.”

Curtis said the standard of competition at the annual event continues to make it one of the highlights of the junior surfing calendar.

“There are kids from all over Australia, even international. It is definitely one of the best competitions,” she said.

“These Pro Juniors kind of lead up to see if you can make worlds and that is one of my goals for this year.”

Curtis arrived at her home event in career-best form after a breakout season that has established her as one of Australia’s most promising young surfers.

In April, Curtis captured her maiden WSL Pro Junior title at North Narrabeen, defeating local favourite Ruby Trew in the Surfboard Empire Pro Junior final. She backed up that performance by claiming the Under-18 Girls title at the prestigious 20th annual Occy’s Grom Comp at Snapper Rocks, dominating the final in pumping conditions. Curtis has also represented Australia as part of the gold medal-winning team at the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships.

Held at Seven Mile Beach from July 7 to 12, the Soundboks Oz Grom Open is one of Australia’s premier junior surfing competitions, attracting around 200 of the nation’s best young surfers, along with international competitors. The event features Under-14, Under-16, Under-18 and WSL Pro Junior divisions and is regarded as one of the country’s leading pathways to elite surfing.

Founded in 2012 by the Lennox-Ballina Boardriders Club, the Oz Grom Open has helped launch the careers of numerous surfers who have progressed to the World Surf League Championship Tour. It is also one of only a handful of 10,000-point national junior ranking events and delivers a significant boost to Lennox Head and the Ballina Coast during the busy school holiday period.

Competition continues over the weekend, with champions to be crowned on Sunday as Australia’s next generation of surfing talent battle for national ranking points and valuable experience on one of the country’s most recognised junior stages.

Main Photo: Lennox Head surfer Ocea Curtis following her quarter final at Seven Mile Beach on Friday.