Rip Curl GromSearch 2008 Lights Up Pacitan in East Java

The Search for Indonesia's best grommet began on Sunday the 10th of November in the scenic coastal town of Pacitan in East Java, which just happens to be the birthplace the current president of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. On the Saturday before it was raining and cloud for much of the day, but on Sunday morning the sun poked through the clouds and lit up the white sand beach for a great day of surfing and fun for the 28 grommets and the local people who had never witnessed such an event before.

The kids started lining up at the Rip Curl tent before 7 am, amped and ready to put on their jerseys and paddle out in the 1-2 foot surf. With the semi-clear skies and small but glassy surf, it was perfect grom conditions. And for many of them it was their very first contest experience!

During a break for lunch, the crowd was treated to a tow-in session where they could see Rip Curl Team riders Pepen Hendrik, Made "Garut" Widiartha, and Yoga "Mega" Semadhi do some airs and big slashes. Afterwards many of the kids came up to the riders and got them to sign their surfboards and even their clothes. It was the first time most of the kids had ever seen pro surfers other than in a magazine, so it was a real treat for them. In addition, they all got copies of SurfTime magazine, Magic Wave surf newspaper, and a booklet from GUS about how to care for their environment.

Not only receiving goody bags full of cool Rip Curl products, the winners of the Under 14 and Under 16 received a free Trip to Bali to surf in the GromSearch National Finals at Kuta Beach in October. And the overall winner of the Indonesian GromSearch series in the Under 16 division will get a trip to Australia in 2009 to compete in the World GromSearch finals at Bells Beach.

The next GromSearch event will be at Kuta on the island of Lombok on March 23rd, so all you groms get signed up now!