The Rip Curl GromSearch, a competition for surfers under 16, is traditionally held simultaneously in Brazil, Australia, Indonesia, South Africa, New Zealand, the U.S. and Europe, with the finalists, male and female, facing off “somewhere” in the spring. But this year, for its 20th anniversary, the GromSearch will be taking place in France, Portugal, the U.K. and Spain. Then, as usual, the finalists will battle it out “somewhere” in the spring of 2020. However, there will also be this time a “wildcard round” in Peniche, Portugal, just before the Rip Curl Pro Portugal in October 2019, for young surfers placing second to fifth in the initial competitions, as well as for young Dutch and Italian surfers. The anniversary edition will also have an environmental angle. Instead of water bottles, the organizers will be providing drinking fountains where reusable bottles can be refilled. There will also be recycling bins. Created in 1999 in Torquay, Australia, the Rip Curl GromSearch has uncovered such surfing prodigies as Stéphanie Gilmore and Gabriel Medina. This year's sponsors are Smith Optics, Citroën and the surf-gear brands FCS and Gorilla.

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