World's largest Grom surf festival to return

The next generation of young surfers will again have the chance to rub sandy shoulders with surfing world champions at the end of September at Barton Lynch's 2013 'Hurley BL Blast Off presented by beecraft' surf festival.

Now in its eighth year, children aged 14 years and under (with some surf experience) can head to Sydney's Northern Beaches for a jam-packed four-day surfing festival full of instruction, activities, competition and surfing greats.

With 350 spots available, the Hurley BL Blast off is the largest single grommet event in the world.

In 2013 the school holiday fun will run from Monday 23rd to Thursday 26th September at Palm Beach - with Whale Beach and Avalon the back-up venues depending on surf conditions.

There is the potential that each day can be held at a different break adding an element of adventure and surprise to the event. The event also features a unique format that focuses on coaching and performance improvement rather than wave scores.

The first 14 and under surf event and competition of its kind in Australia, the Blast Off is all about providing the very best pre-junior surfing experience for groms.

The event is held on weekdays during the school holidays so youngsters get a good run of the beach; there's a focus on fun over competitive stress - and everyone gets at least two chances to surf before elimination. And, in the spirit of improvement and enjoyment, all kids are offered advice and coaching (from World Champ Barton Lynch) no matter their age or experience in a supportive and fun environment.

Speaking about the festival that he founded, Lynch explains "getting the opportunity to give back to young surfers is one of the things I love most, and Blast Off is the perfect platform to do just that. It's important that young kids can learn and compete with the focus on fun."

With the warmer spring weather kicking in, the Blast Off surf festival is a great way to keep kids active, and budding junior surf pros will get a real chance to show off their skills, talk to the champs and meet other like-minded kids.

Surf legends such as Layne Beachley, Tom Carroll, Rabbit Bartholomew, Damien Hardman, Laura Enever, Harley Ingleby and Terry Richardson as well as Barton Lynch, of course will all be part of the festival again in 2013.

The competition itself is broken up into age and gender categories from 6yo to 14yo (although kids as young as 3 and 4 also participate), with everyone receiving a goodie bag for participating, with awesome prizes for those ranked 1st to 6th.

The divisions are 14s, 12s, 10s, 8s, and 6s for both girls and boys with the judging and coaching panels made up of ex pro surfers, coaches and expert surfers to give participating kids the best advice and direction to take their surfing into the future.

Hurley Australia Chief Executive adds "Blast Off gives kids an amazing opportunity to learn from some of our country's best surfers.

"And it's a great chance for the whole family to enjoy the beach and take part in some relaxed competitions and have an awesome active holiday experience. Hurley is proud to support this fantastic event that offers 350 kids the chance to become a part of Australia's thriving surf community."

More information is available at www.blblastoff.com.au

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