The Surf Sport Series round three is set to kick off tomorrow morning at Aldinga Beach. We are starting to get to the pointy end of the Series, and due to the tight competition this year all of the Series Titles are still there for the taking.

This weekend could either make or break the athletes, all hoping to have a good hit out to secure vital points in the series.

We spoke to Series Title contenders Caitlin Sheehy and Ethan Rump about the Series this far.

“Chiton was a fantastic event. It really suited me as an athlete as I love the big surf and the possibility of a race changing so dramatically towards the end.” Miss Sheehy said.

Miss Sheehy also believed the venue was great for the development of the up and coming athletes.

“Especially the youth to get down into challenging condition like that and race to just get some experience under your belt and get your mind working as well as your body to make quick decisions about surf.” She said.

Mr Rump agreed that Chiton made for a great venue for round two.

“I enjoyed it, the waves required everyone's skills to be tested and the racing was very competitive.” He said.

However, he is excited for what Aldinga Beach will bring this weekend.

“The racing has been great fun so far in the series and Aldinga is a beach I have not raced at before so should be a good experience.” He said.

Mr Rump is currently sitting in third place and is a series contender for the Series Board title; he is currently 6 points behind front runner Ben Zuill.

‘After my first race at Chiton, I was not sure if I could, however after a good start in the final I knew I was in for a shot.” He said.

Mr Rump knows that he will need to out paddle the Zuill brothers if he wishes to take the top spot.

“The board has many competitors and we all have a great rivalry. Ben and Matt are the first that come to mind of my biggest rivals. Ben has a good lead and would be hard to close but i would like to bridge the gap in the next couple races.” He said.

Caitlin is also currently sitting a close third in both the board and ski series leader boards.

“I think I probably have a better chance at boards as I've never really been a big ski paddler but I guess you can't count yourself out until the race is over, so we will see.” She said

However Caitlin knows there is some fierce competition in the open arena this year.

“There's some really strong underage girls coming through especially on the board, your likes of Soph Zuill and Ali Hettner, so it's great that the girls comp is building up which makes it a lot more exciting race day and you never know who's up for taking it out on the day !” She said.

Allyson Hettner is the current front runner for the Board Title, with one point difference over club mate Sophie Zuill.

“It's a pretty tight field with only a couple points between all of us but I would love to get up there and take out the board. If not the season is quickly approaching and I'll have my sights set on some races over summer!" Miss Sheehy said.

The short format high intensity competition is set to be a challenging event for all athletes involved. The ‘M format’ this weekend is set to challenge the athletes as they battle it out for the Titles. Get along to Aldinga Beach this Saturday to check out all the action.

Current Series Titles Leader Boards

MENS SURF SKI TITLE
BEN ZUILL 75
JAYDEN ELLIS 73
GLENN RYPP 73
CHRIS KITHER 72
MATT ZUILL 70
DANNY RYAN 69
WILLIAM SCHETTER 66
STEVE DALTON 66

FEMALE SURF SKI TITLE
LILY WARRICK 76
ELENA DAVIS 74
BRITTANY JESSUP 72
CAITLIN SHEEHY 72
ANNEKA KIDD 69
FRANCESCA KIDD 40
ROXANNE PENA 34
BELLA C 34

MENS BOARD TITLE
BEN ZUILL 78
MATT ZUILL 75
ETHAN RUMP 72
WILLIAM SCHETTER 69
JAKE MCKENZIE 66
RYLAND NEWBERRY 64
SEAN MCKENZIE 61
ZAYN BUTCHER 59

FEMALE BOARD TITLE
ALYSON HETTNER 76
SOPHIE ZUILL 75
LILY WARRICK 73
CAITLIN SHEEHY 73
ANNEKA KIDD 69
PIPER CUNNINGHAM 66
BRITTANY JESSUP 63
KATE PARIS 55

YOUTH MALE BOARD TITLE
JED FFRENCH 75
ETHAN BEDFORD 70
DARCY SMITH 69
ZACK BUCK 66
JEREMY EVANS 65
THOMAS SMITH 61
SAMUEL HORNIBROOK 55
ANGUS HIGGINS 51

YOUTH FEMALE BOARD TITLE
TEAH CHARLTON 80
LUCY DERBYSHIRE 75
KAYLA ROE 71
JADE BENN 67
ELOISE MERCHANT 63
PAIGE CORBETT 59
ALEX HIGHETT 55
GABRIELLE CARR 38