World Masters Surf Champion Gary Elkerton gives the groms a few pointers in St Ives…

SAS/QUIKSILVER ECO GROM TOUR SUCCESS IN ST IVES

Young surfers (groms!) in St Ives were taught key environmental protection
messages by some of the World’s best surfers at Porthmeor Beach, St Ives
over the Bank Holiday Weekend.

The ECO Grom Tour seeks to ensure surfing groms across the country know the
key steps in protecting their beach from pollution. This includes how to
spot pollution, organizing beach litter cleans and who to contact if they
witness a pollution incident.

Over 20 St Ives Groms were given the chance to surf with and against some of
the best surfers in the world during a fun tag team surf contest where they
teamed up with some of their surfing heroes.

3 times world masters champion Gary Elkerton led a distinguished Quiksilver
team that also includes Welsh ripper Nathan Phillips, Senior British Champ
Gabe Davies, the UK’s hottest junior surfer Tom Butler and Roxy ripper Sarah
Bentley.  The Quiksilver team passed on their knowledge and experience in
wave riding to the next generation but their core message of the day was all
about the need to protect their watery playgrounds for the future.

SAS campaigners and the Quiksilver pro surfers will be cruising around the
country in style with the new Quiksilver bus.  The SAS/Quiksilver Eco Grom
Tour will be stopping off at:

St Ives                                                 29th May
Croyde                                                  30th May
Brighton (campaign stop only)                   31st May
Guernsey                                                1st June
Llangennith                                             2nd June
Bundoran (plus Quiksilver grom series)          4th & 5th June

Each day starts with SAS teaching groms (aged 10-14) why their local beaches
are so important and how best to protect them.  Then a beach clean, with
analysis of the litter and its’ potential impacts.  Groms are shown what
they can do when a pollution incident occurs and the power they have to
bring about change.  As with previous SAS tours, this year’s tour will be
enjoyable as well as educational.  All groms will receive an SAS Eco Grom
Certificate and a Quiksilver goodie bag.

In the afternoon at Porthmeor the groms were divided into teams captained by
Quiksilver pros to take part in a fun surf tag team event. Whilst surf was
small all the groms threw off some cool manoevres with the girls team led by
Sarah Bentley deemed the overall winners. Prizes were awarded before the
team sped off in the Quiksilver bus to the next beach.  Each day starts at
8.30am and finishes at around 4pm depending on the surf!!  If it goes flat
then the Quiksilver team will be treating the groms to an insight into their
training regime, so fun and education is guaranteed whatever the waves are
like.

Andy Cummins, SAS Campaigns Assistant says:  “The St Ives groms were a
fantastic and enthusiastic group to educate and teach. The day was full of
fun and they all really responded to learning about the dangers facing their
waves from pollution.”

Nathan Phillips, Quiksilver pro surfer says:  “We know how important these
tours are for the groms.  Learning about how to protect their waves from
pollution is something they can draw on for the rest of their surfing lives!”