Young surfer making waves for Victoria

Phillip Island surfer Lennox Archibald will represent Victoria on the national stage after earning a spot in the state under 14 team at just 11 years old.

Lennox earned the selection through three Victorian state rounds held at Bells Beach, Gunnamatta and Phillip Island, with a breakthrough at Smiths Beach in May sealing his place in the squad.

He managed to reach his first state-level final at the event and finished in third place, recording a two-wave total of about 12 points. Just 0.3 points separated him from the surfer in second, while Lennox remained in contention for the win until the last minutes.

The result was enough to push him over the line for selection in the Victorian team, where he will occupy one of just five spots. He’s among the youngest surfers chosen for the team, with most of his teammates set to graduate from the under-14 division next year.

“It feels awesome to be picked for the team. I’m really excited to get to go up there and compete,” said Lennox.

Lennox’s father, Luke Archibald, said his son had been around surfing for about as long as he’s been on the planet.

Mr Archibald formerly competed himself and is currently the director of Archy Surf Group, which runs the Archy Surf Academy on Phillip Island.

“He’s been surfing with me since he was a little boy,” Mr Archibald said.

“Almost within his first year, I had him on a board, just balancing and stuff like that.”

Lennox decided to first try competitive surfing at the age of seven, where he entered the Phillip Island Boardriders Club’s under-16 division, despite being much younger than most of his opponents.

Despite his age, Lennox finished the season in the top five, beginning a progression from local club events into state competition and now the national stage.

Mr Archibald said Lennox has continued to develop his overall surfing ability, although he’s always been headstrong.

“He’s always been pretty confident in big-sized waves as well as small waves,” he said.

“He just loves surfing, but he’s quite brave.”

“It's just so nice having fun in the water,” said Lennox.

“It's nice having something to do on the weekends.”

Lennox will next compete in the Rip Curl GromSearch on Phillip Island on October 3 as part of the Australian Junior Series.

He’ll then travel to Margaret River in December for the Australian Junior Surfing Titles, where he’ll represent Victoria.

His preparation is far from cruisy though, with a daily physical training routine and regular time in the surf. He also trains in kickboxing through Momentum Martial Arts and participates in jiu-jitsu locally.

Mr Archibald said Phillip Island has developed a strong regional pathway for young surfers, beginning with coaching and introductory competitions before eventually progressing into the Boardriders Club events and the Victorian state rounds.

“There’s a lot of youngsters coming up,” he said.

The future of local surfing looks bright.