PICTURES: North coast surf pair have 'amazing' time as Scots jump up rankings after world championships in Brazil
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North coast surfer Craig Mclachlan helped his Scottish junior teammates climb off the bottom of the world rankings after a successful competition in Rio de Janeiro.
The nine-strong Scottish squad – which also included Portskerra’s Olivia Mackay – competed against 365 of the best junior surfers in the world, representing a record 46 nations, in this years’ International Surf Association (ISA) World Junior Surf Championships.
Team Coach Craig Sutherland said: “The team climbed from bottom of the rankings to 27th in the world so I’m very proud of them, particularly as we are one of the only nations that selects our team solely from homegrown talent.
“All the kids surfed so smart and were mixing it with the big guns. There were some losses, some wins but just an incredible effort from all of them.”
Helping elevate Scotland’s score in Rio de Janeiro was Murkle-based Craig Mclachlan, who competed in the Boys U18’s. Craig won both his Repecharge heats to make it into Round 3 of the main draw - and finished the competition ranked an exceptional 33rd in the world.
Craig, who trains with North Shore Surf Club in Thurso, said “My experience in Brazil has been amazing, we’ve all been cheering each other on and I’ve definitely felt a whole lot of support between the team.”
The 18-year-old was pitted against fellow Scottish surfer Finn Clark in one of his heats, and said this was one of the highlights of the tour. Seventeen-year-old Finn, from Edinburgh and Borders Surf Club, agreed. He said: “It was good to see all the team doing so well. My highlight of the trip was being able to share a heat with my good friend Craig.”
Also gaining extra points for Team Scotland during the eight-day contest were Fraserburgh-based Callie Cruikshank and Lola Mitchell.
A key part of the event is the union of surfers and nations. This is recognised in the opening ceremony when representatives from each team mix sand from their own country together with those of all competing nations.
Scotland’s rep Olivia Mackay (16), also a member of North Shore Surf Club, said: “I did the sand pouring for Scotland which felt really special. The atmosphere during the opening parade was so alive and was amazing to be part of. We were wearing our kilts and it was so nice to see other teams in their home kits too.”
The event is considered one of the toughest in the junior surf calendar and a pathway event for future Olympians with 16 out of the 40 Tokyo 2020 Olympic surfers previously claiming ISA World Junior Medals.
In order to prepare for the tough competition, the squad regularly started their day with 6am surf training, followed by body conditioning, pool training, video analysis and tactics.
The squad is hoping that their success will inspire other Scottish youngsters to take up the sport and keep pushing the standards up.
Coach Craig said: “Kids can get into surfing through surf clubs and surf schools and progress into competitions via the Scottish Surf Federation (SSF) junior series events. Selection for the national squad is made from performances at these events which then enable selected kids to compete in events such as the British Cup, European and World Championships.
“There are so many exciting opportunities for the kids to compete with the best surfers and make new friends from around the globe.”
Team manager Russel Cruikshank added: “Our team selection process only allows homegrown talent and it’s great to be providing opportunities to our young athletes who train all year round in the harsh Scottish environment.”
The team are hugely grateful for all the support they received from friends, family, local communities, the Scottish surfing community and sponsors to help raise the funds to compete.
Key sponsors of the Scottish team are Malcolm Group, RWE Camster Wind Farm Community Fund, Baillie Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund, Stena Drilling, Lost Shore Surf Resort, North Highland Initiative, GMG Energy, Gray and Adams, Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm, North Berwick Rotary, Thurso Rotary, Broch Rotary, Zenith, North Berwick Trust and Tern Alpha Charity Fund.
