The European Junior Surfing Championships kick off this week and run until October 4th. For the first time ever, the event is being held in Ireland, at the beautiful reef break of Bundoran. For many UK surfers, this will no doubt feel a little more ‘at home’ than previous events further south in Portugal. In a series of UK and Irish catch-ups, we first caught up with Craig ‘Suds’ Sutherland, Head Coach of the Scottish Junior Team.
Words: Joel Gray
Above: Callie Cruickshank part of a really strong British and Irish female-new crew.
Hey Craig, first things first, are you guys fielding a full team this year at the 5th Euro Juniors?
Yep, we’ve got a full team this year. In the U16 girls, we have a couple of first-time competitors in the comp, with Rosie Moore and Erin Paterson from Belhaven Surf Club (BHSC), alongside the experienced Callie Cruickshank from Broch Surf Club (BSC).
In the U16 boys, we’ve a similar experience level, with Joel Christopherson (BHSC) and Kai Cruickshank (BSC) competing in their first Euros, alongside the relative veteran, Gabe Noble (BSC).
The U18 girls sees Erin and Callie back in again, alongside Lola Mitchell (BSC).
In the U18 boys, we have Rudi Forrest in his first international, alongside Tam Hood and Charlie Pugh (all BHSC).
In the longboards, there is Ansel Parkin and Freya Pilarska, both competing in their first international event.
Above: Scottish Junior Team Head Coach Craig 'Suds' Sutherland on site in Bundoran.
As a team, what are your aims for the event?
We’re aiming for an even better finish than the last Euros, where we finished 10th. We are one of the only teams with exclusively homegrown talent. We’re really proud of how the surfers have been training and surfing, and I think we’ve got a great team spirit, especially as all the kids surf and compete together at home. It’s overall probably one of the best teams we’ve had, so I have confidence in them to do well. And the effort and attitude are never in doubt.
Above: Kai Cruickshank represents the new school of Scottish surfing.
Any individual goals you want to share, and also, what’s your team preparation been like?
I expect all our athletes can achieve their goals (we’re keeping those secret), given the work they’ve been putting in at our training camps, during their own surfs and with the input they’ve been getting from Nomad Physiotherapy for physical training.
We have been training at Lost Shore and then arrived early at Bundoran to get experience of the varying conditions. It’s had a reasonably familiar feel, with our crew being pretty used to steeper waves and reef breaks.
Any non-Scottish surfers that you think we should also keep an eye on?
Most nations have found good surfers eligible to represent them, but I especially like seeing the UK crew doing well and pushing each other, given that they have to endure some challenging weather and dig deep to keep going through the winters. The local Irish crew have been impressing me, so I’d think they could have their best Euros.
