Geraldton surfers Max Marsden and Kate McKenzie fall short of Pro-berth in tough conditions

Geraldton surfers Max Marsden and Kate McKenzie missed out on a Pro berth as they fell in the heats of the Think Mental Health WA Trials over the weekend. In testing conditions following multiple days of strong gusts and heavy rain, 4-5 foot swells were on offer for the field of 24 surfers who hoped to earn a spot at the Margaret River Pro. Marsden entered in round two needing a top-two finish in his heats to progress through to the next stage. There were few waves on offer but a 5.50 had him in second place then he backed up with a 5.20 on his third wave. However, that turned out to be his last wave as Macklin Flynn dropped in and grabbed second place on his last wave with a 6.83 to knock Marsden out of the tournament. McKenzie, 14, was one of the youngest surfers in the field and struggled to find rhythm in tricky conditions. Her first heat saw her combine for 3.14 off two waves while heat two was a disaster only able to get up on the board once for a 0.50 as she bowed out. It was a tough day for all surfers, with 6.33 set by Olive Hardy in heat one turning out to be the highest-scoring wave in the women’s event. Local surfers Jerome Forrest (Margaret River) and Bronte Macaulay (Gracetown) claimed victory at the trials to earn their spot at the Pro along with runner-up Jack Thomas (Yallingup) after Jack Robinson withdrew with a knee injury.