Let's kid play

In countries like the United States and Australia, where surfing has been in the culture for many years now, kids of grammar and high school age have ample opportunity to integrate their passion for surfing into their scholastic curriculums as part of their physical fitness programmes. During the week they can go to the beach for a surf before school, get coaching and training classes, then surf again after school, in addition to competing in junior surf competitions on the weekends.

Usually those that display extraordinary skill and promise get support from their parents and sponsors by way of surfboards, clothing, accessories, and travelling expenses, and while still being required to attend school and complete their education, can be well on their way to a career as a professional surfer while still in their teens.

Among the many benefits of these type of scholastic programmes is that it instills a sense of responsibility and discipline early on, and while at this age the kids are prone to get a bit wild now and then, the fact is that they know what they should do and usually return to doing it after they've sowed their wild oats.

Here in Bali, sports like soccer and badminton get a big part in the public school sports programmes, but surfing probably has about as much of a chance as a snowflake in hell of being added to the curriculum during our lifetime. No surf classes, no coaching, no health and diet instruction, and not much in the way of discipline or rewards. So for a young surfer in Indonesia, the only option is the private sector.

Thankfully, for several years now Bali-based surfing brands such as Rip Curl, Rusty, Quiksilver and Volcom have stepped up and supported aspiring young surfers by holding yearly competition series' with catchy names like "GromSearch", GromFest, "King of the Groms", and LTKRF (Let the Kids Ride Free) Totally Crustaceous Tour. The word "Grommet" in surf slang is generally used to refer to young surfers under the age of 16.

In these competitions the kids learn how to follow instructions, play fair, wait their turns, and then get rewarded for their performance. There are normally two age group divisions, one for those under 16 years of age and the other for those under 14. Girls are free to compete with the boys in the same ages group, although if there are enough girls at an event the organisers will generally try to create a separate division for them.

These competition events are not only held in Bali but have recently been expanding to include places in Java, Sumatra, Lombok and Sumbawa. Though not as large as Bali, these islands also have surf communities that have developed over the years through surf tourism, and as the kids don't have the means to come to Bali to compete, the surf brands take the competitions to them instead.

The local event winners usually get a free trip to Bali to compete with the other local event winners for the overall series championship created by each sponsor. The series champion in the Under 16 division final is generally rewarded with an all expense paid trip for him/her and a chaperone to either Europe, America, or Australia (depending upon the surf brand sponsor) to compete with other national series winners at the grand finals. In most cases this is the first time these Indonesian kids have been on an airplane, let alone travel to another country. It certainly is an eye-opener and a great experience for them.

They not only experience international travel but they also get to meet kids from all around the world, make new friends, and learn about life outside of their country and island. And being that the surf community is both large and small at the same time, many of their new friends will eventually make their way to Bali and so these relationships can often be maintained for life.

Surfing is undoubtedly one of Indonesia's most undervalued and unrecognised resources…well, by the Indonesian government anyways. The recent Asian Beach Games gave it a bit of a boost in visibility, but I'll still venture a bet that the current President of Indonesia knows that the town he grew up in has a host of good surf spots that draws hundreds of surfing tourists each year, and that at the Rip Curl GromSearch last year an unprecedented four young local girls joined in the competition!


But thankfully, there are those in the private sector of business that recognise the value of investing in the stimulation, nurturing, and rewarding of kids that are attracted to the sport of surfing, and this will continue to help grow the sport in Indonesia and create an career path for these talented and dedicated kids.

The Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Championship Junior Division season just got underway at the beginning of February with the Rusty GromFest in Bali and the Rip Curl GromSearch in Lombok. It's off to a great start, and through the next few months kids in Bali and beyond will get the chance to surf together and compete not only for a trip to another country but also for the year end honor of being crowned the Coca-Cola ISC Tour Junior Champion 2009. You can check isctour for the 2009 schedule as well as for reports and photos from each Coca-Cola ISC Tour event.