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First ever Watergate Bay Surf Club exchange
by George Mojo
17/02/2007:// Seven young surfers Cornwall have been selected for the first ever Watergate Bay Surf Club Grom exchange programme.
The team will travel to the Errant surf camp in Lanzarote for a week at the end of March and all participants will receive invaluable, intense personal surf coaching as well as developing a number of new life skills.
The groms will later host a group from Lanzarote, with plans to make the project an annual event.
The scheme has been enabled as a result of the efforts of a group of the young Watergate Bay surfers who have spent the last few months enthusiastically creating and presenting a funding bid to the Our Money Your Dream initiative, Cornwall's operating name for two exciting funds that have been given by the UK Government through the Department of Education and Skills.
The team had to write and submit their bid and then make several presentations to a local district panel made up of fellow youngsters, aged 13-19.
As a result, the Our Money Your Dream committee has granted nearly £6,000 to fund the 2007 exchange programme and sponsors 121 Surf Coach, Explore South West, Lucia Griggi Photography and Excess EneRGy Communications will provide further services to help the young team achieve their goals.
Youngsters Harry Timson, Jack Hughes, Josh Piper, Holly Donnelly, Josh Hughes, Aiden Wright and Jack Latham Byrne have all have all been selected for the programme as a result of their commitment to the Watergate Bay Surf Club and their determination to succeed in the surf industry.
They will travel out to Famara in Lanzarote where the average water temperature will be between 20-23 °C and air temperature is between 20-25 °C.
Amongst the breathtaking volcanic landscape, the famous waves of La Santa, El Quemao and Ghost Town will test all the young groms and push them to new technical levels.
A team of coaches and co-ordinators will accompany them and Josh Hughes of Newquay-based Action Sports Productions has been invited to video the whole project.
Many of these participating groms may not otherwise have the chance to travel overseas or receive advanced surf coaching in warmer waters if it were not for this invaluable project.
The groms will be coached throughout the week and will be expected to assist surf lessons as part of their work experience module.
They will also be expected to organise a fun contest at the end of the week and take turns to cook, ensuring that alongside their improving waves skills, they are also learning a number of important life lessons outside of the water. The youngsters have committed to helping raise money to fund hosing the lanzarote group and for further exchange programmes in future years.
Chris Thomson , UK Director of surf travel specialists Errant, the lead sponsor for the programme, said: "This is a brilliant opportunity for these young surfers. They all work hard all year round and surf hard right through the winter but because of cold UK conditions, it is hard to give them continual coaching through the winter.
"The chance for them to go to Lanzarote means that they'll have a whole week honing and developing their skills with long periods of time in the water. They're all at critical points in their surf careers so this is perfect timing as it means they'll be improved and in strong shape for the all important UK contest season when it kicks off in early spring," he added
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