grom’s grin a winner

Dunsborough grommet Kade Martin came third in the under-10 division of the Medewi Beach Rip Curl Gromsearch in Bali last month.

The 10-year-old said he had been training hard for the event by “surfing every day” at favourite spots Yallingup main break and Injidup car park.

The Margaret River High Performance Centre product said he had improved his turning and balance since working with coach Jarrad Davies preparing him for the contest.

Kade said the waves were “really nice” and despite the onshore wind, there was no close-outs.

“I was pretty stoked because I won the semi with my final wave; I was coming third and then I got a 6.50 and won it,” he said.

Parents Paul and Ali Martin said their holiday to Bali was made all the more special by Kade’s success in the event.

But that’s nothing compared to Kade’s bragging rights after he beat two of his friends in the competition.

“There was a bit of, ‘How you goin?’, after I won the semi-final,” he said.

The surf-obsessed grommet is now looking forward to the Taj Small Fries event in January, when he will step up an age group.

“I’ll be going up against the under-12s, so it’ll be tough but I’m looking forward to it.”

With aspirations to one day join the World Surf League, Kade is studying John John Florence and Julian Wilson but first he’s focused on the Yallingup Boardriders’ event tomorrow.