Lennix Smith’s summer of surfing is set to continue later this month, with the teenager preparing to jet off to Hawaii for a unique surfing experience.
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The Barrack Heights surfer will travel to the North Shore of Oahu as part of a sponsorship arrangement with Billabong, where he will have the opportunity to spend two weeks living and surfing with some of the world’s best junior surfers.
As someone who lives and breathes surfing, Smith can’t wait to step on to the plane.
“I go to Hawaii in two weeks, just to hang out at the Billabong House and surf for two weeks,” Smith said.
“It’s a lot of fun. All kids from over the world will be there, one of my friends from Queensland, a few kids from other nations.
“I go over there for a camp once a year, I get to hang out with boys I haven’t seen in a while and surf on the North Shore.”
The opportunity comes after Smith completed a successful summer with victory in his own backyard at the Gromsearch National Finals in Woonona.
Surfing what he described as some of the best waves in Australia, the 13-year-old produced some incredible waves to topple his more-fancied rivals and take out the competition.
Smith was in form heading into the competition, having won the Taj’s Small Fries competition in Yallingup, Western Australia, just days earlier, but he still admits he didn’t expect to take out the Gromsearch finals.
“I was so happy to win, I didn’t think I’d even get to the final. The best kids in Australia were there, it was a super hard competition, I’ve been surfing against those guys most of my life.
“The waves were really good and I was able to catch a few really good waves and finish them off.”
Once he returns from Hawaii, Smith will direct his attention towards one of Australia’s biggest junior surfing competitions, the Occy’s Grom Comp, named after surfing legend Mark Occhilupo.
“I’d like to win the Occy up in Queensland. It’s one of the biggest competitions in Australia and is really fun, all of my mates will be there.”