Surfing star Josh Szele

TALENTED Warilla youngster Josh Szele performed beyond his 10 years when he took out the under 12s division of the Rip Curl Grom Comp in Lake Macquarie earlier this month.

The Oak Flats Public School student comes from a strong surfing family where his Mum Janelle, Dad Ritchie and younger brother Jarrod all surf.

Josh remains humble about his achievements preferring to hit the waves rather than talk up his success.

His parents are understandably proud of the effort put in by Josh and believe surfing is a great opportunity for him to gain in confidence.

The overall picture is he is happy within himself so he can build up to bigger and better comps, Ritchie said.

Winning is more of a confidence boost for him.

Josh took home $200 worth of prizes from the Rip Curl Comp including a medallion and clothing.

I was excited for the good surf, he said about the competition.

He was at a loss to explain where his commitment to the sport comes from.

I just like it, he said.

He hopes to take his surfing as far as he can, aiming to turn professional in the future.

Josh has a surfboard sponsorship with Raw Surfboards in Primbee, who provide all of his boards.

Josh trains once a week at North Wollongong with Vaya and Tony of Pines Surfing Academy however hits the surf as often as possible.

The Szele family can be found down the beach at least five times a week, sometimes everyday.

Janelle said the surfing community can be a close knit one. Families travel from all over the state to compete in different competitions.

She said the faces of the other contestants and their families become familiar and competitions become a social event.

Next up for Josh is the Rip Curl Grom Search in Newcastle, which will be held between October 1 and 4. We wish him all the best.