Jasmine Sampson and Jimmi Hill will fly the flag for Port Stephens when NSW Vissla Pro Surf Series lands at Birubi Beach next month.
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The Anna Bay pair believe they have an edge over the other 150 other Australian and New Zealanders set to compete in the Surfers Rescue 24/7 Port Stephens Pro, as they know the Birubi break like the back of their hand.
"Surfing here every day, it gives you extra confidence going into your heats because you know your environment," Sampson, 21, said.
"When you go out there, it's you against the ocean. But being our home break, we have the advantage of knowing what the waves are going to do, even on a bad day."
Sampson has been a competitive surfer since she was 13 and is working towards a spot on the professional circuit.
Currently ranked 30th in the World Surf League's women's qualifying series (QS), Sampson plans to compete in a number of QS events up and down the east coast this year, including the Port Stephens Pro, to earn series points and climb the rankings.
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Staying consistent is key to Sampson, whose goal for the 2022/2023 surf season is to "take each heat as it comes" and make the quarter final in every event she enters.
She hopes next year to make the international challenger series.
Hill has been surfing since he was 2 years old. Currently 11th in Surfing Australia's under-16 boys national rankings, the 15-year-old will begin moving into a new competition pool this year as he has aged out of most junior events.
Hill said he is looking forward to competing in the Port Stephens Pro, a QS 1000-point event that is open to all ages.
"I'm heaps keen. It's going to be heaps of fun," he said.
Following the Port Stephens Pro, Hill will trial for a place in Surfest, being held in Newcastle in February and March.
He is looking forward to the Rip Curl GromSearch national final being held in Melbourne in March.
Last year he finished the GromSearch in second place for under-16 boys and earned national qualification for the final. He will also begin competing on the pro junior circuit this surf season.
The Port Stephens Pro will be staged a Birubi Beach from Friday, February 27 to Wednesday, March 1.
One Mile Beach will be the backup location for the elite World Surf League event, with the competition shifting between the two beaches depending on the swell each day.
Sampson and Hill, who are members of the Bay Area Boardriders Club, said a benefit of the Pro being staged in Port Stephens was that it gave juniors from the area a chance to see a professional surf event in action in their own backyard and hopefully inspire them to pursue competitive surfing.
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Ellie-Marie Watts
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
