Thursday marked the first official day of the APP World Surfing Tour’s Main Event- the *Gran Canaria pro-am* here in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Youth Divisions Inspire Crowd in Looming Swell
Perhaps the greatest part of the competition for Day One of the APP World Tour’s final stop here in Gran Canaria was when the youth took to the water. The APP World Tour stands out as a World Title event in that it encourages the younger generations to take the main stage with our Pro athletes for a live competition with full media coverage.
And what a day it was! The two youth divisions included an Under 18 competition and an Under 16 Round featuring some of the finest talent our world has to offer of up and coming talent on the Surf SUP scene.
Pro athletes and spectators alike gathered on the boardwalk to watch as, first, the Under 18 division took to the water in an overhead swell to make a name for themselves and capture a title. Energy, skill and tenacity all marked our future generation’s driving power out there in the surf in an inspiring display of performance. At the final horn, it was clear that standout Juan de los Reyes was the winner. He was followed by Leonardo Gimines in 2nd, Fernando Serra in 3rd, Daniel Cesar Ferlin in 4th and Arthur LeMenn, who also participated in the Under 16 category, in 5th. A great showing by all athletes!
The Under 16 category was no less impressive, perhaps even more so considering the size of the swell and the courage of these riders. Taking 1st place was Daniel Cesar Ferlin. 2nd went to Arthur LeMenn. 3rd place was won by hometown native and son of waterman legend fame Bjorn Dunkerbeck,
Liam Dunkerbeck who is clearly following his father’s big footsteps at the early age of 15. 4th place was awarded to Hugo Gonzales to round out the Under 16 podium spots.
Watch Friday’s broadcast LIVE starting at 8AM at www.appworldtour.com
Written by: Evelyn O’Doherty