A Woonona surfer has received a wildcard into the surfing masters championship to be held in Central America next week.
Surfers from around the world will compete in the ISA World Masters Surfing Championship, the seventh annual event hosted by Surf City in El Salvador on October 18.
Woonona surfer, Kim Woolridge, 52, was shocked to hear the news of her invitation to compete in the global event.
“Haven’t done a comp since 2016 so I’m pretty excited to be back,” Ms Woolridge said.
“It’s my first time representing Australia since 1991 in my amateur days.”
Ms Woolridge was honoured to represent her country once again and began preparing two weeks ago on the day she received the news.
“It felt very real when our team gear arrived the other day,” Ms Woolridge said.
“Had friends that have done the tour before giving me tips on how to prepare.”
Longboarder Claudia Bogivic, 18, is eager to watch the competition next week after hearing the news a surfer in her local area will be competing.
“So many people from Woonona represent the Illawarra for comps but rarely internationally,” Miss Bogivic said.
“To hear that someone you’ve seen out surfing in the water before is going to represent the country is just amazing.”
The surf for the days are expected to offer nothing but high and bumpy right handers to which will be a challenge that competitors will enjoy.
“I hear about how the conditions can get over in Central America so I’m pretty stoked to watch how the surfers take on the challenge,” Miss Bogivic said.
The ISA World Masters Surfing Championship in El Salvador promises to showcase some of the world’s best surfers from countries including the USA, Brazil, and Japan, creating an exciting atmosphere of international competition.
Ms Woolridge emphasises the importance of versatility and perseverance to local grommies aspiring to go pro like herself.
“You gotta just surf every condition even when it’s terrible and take every opportunity you can.” she said.
Miss Bogivic said that the local surf community was buzzing with anticipation and eager to cheer on Ms Woolridge and celebrate her journey back to competitive surfing.
The event will be live-streamed beginning on October 18th at https://isasurf.org/.
