A grommets take on day 2 of the Boost Surfsho at Bondi.

Yesterdays hero, Nick Macdonald. Pic: Tom Edwards

It was a day that championed a grommet and an underdog and saw Mick Fanning almost get rejected at the gates. 17 year old Asher Wales
from the Tweed Coast NSW almost had a fairy tale finish today coming in second in the Opens Trials of the Boost Mobile Surfsho at Bondi Beach. He didn’t do too well yesterday in the Juniors so he thought he’d give the opens a crack, which proved a good move indeed for the young grom. The real winner of the day however was Brazilian born unsponsored underdog Alex Chacon, who came out of nowhere to defeat favourite Garret Parkes in the finals. “Now I just gotta find a place to put it”, Alex said later while staring at the large TV he’d just won. Not all pros on the Gold Coast live in big houses on the beach.

Bummed you couldn’t get into the VIP section? You are now. Pic: Tom Edwards

The loser of the day however was top-dog Mick Fanning who almost got denied entry to the event after a security bungle. Here’s how it went down. As local competitor Mick Marjanovic got his pass to get through the gates a certain local grommet attached himself to the veteran, and when some passer by shouted, “is that Mick Fanning?!”, the young grommet couldn’t resist but answer in the affirmative. The dark haired Serbian Marjanovic, by the way, looks nothing like the almost albino Fanning. Soon enough though tourists and spectators huddled round the entry gates to get a photo and signature from mister White Lightning.
Minutes later the real thing arrived to be told “You’re not Mick Fanning”, by the security guards at the check in. Let’s just say the man that we’d all been waiting for wasn’t too amused at getting treated like an imposter by security. Fanning had to phone someone from inside the VIP stands to come out and convince the guards he was in fact the champ himself. Lucky he’s not surfing his heat until the main event tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll get a warmer than normal welcome from security at the gates then that’s for sure.

By Tom ‘The Grom’ Edwards