Riding High Surfing sisters

THREE MORNINGTON PENINSULA SISTERS HAVE BEEN CARVING A NAME FOR THEMSELVES IN THE SURF SINCE 2019.

By Danielle Davey

It’s not uncommon for one or more of the Holland sisters – Mia, 18, Ava, 16, or Rose, 13 – to appear at any junior surf event in Australia. Their love and commitment to surfing have seen them do well at the highest level. “We all try to surf at least once a day, and when the conditions are good, or on weekends and holidays, we often get a second or third session in the water,” Ava said.

While the sisters share the same desire to win as other competitive surfers, each has her own style. “Mia has a beautiful floaty and graceful style,” Rose said. “Ava is a powerful surfer and generally likes to get the best waves of the day, whereas I like to catch lots of waves and keep really busy.”

In Mia’s final year as a junior, all three represented Victoria at the Australian Junior Surfing Titles at Wollongong last December. Soon after, Ava and Rose competed in the first round of the triseries to decide the junior state champions. The second round will take place at Gunnamatta Beach at the end of this month.

March is particularly busy for Ava, as it is for other members of the Peninsula Surfriders Club to which the girls belong. She competes in the Australian Boardriders Battle in Queensland between March 8-9, then the Phillip Island Pro Junior and Qualifying Series from March 17-22. Next month she makes an appearance at the Rip Curl Pro Trials, before Rose joins her on the circuit in May to compete in the Phillip Island Junior State Round and other contests later this year.

Preparing for competition day, the girls start with a good breakfast, a review of the surf conditions, a warm-up and a check of their boards before paddling out. “Before my heat, I take a few deep breaths, visualise my waves and then go over my strategy,” Ava said.

Once the girls hit the water, they know the judges will be looking at the difficulty, speed, power, flow and variety of their manoeuvres. “I try to stay focused on the waves and keep track of time,” Rose said. “I think about how to best improve my score and make sure I’m patient for the right wave, and adjust my plan if I need to.”

Their confidence comes from not only backing themselves but knowing others have their backs too. Together with the support of each other and their parents, they feel fortunate to have the added encouragement of Surfing Victoria and their club. They say Peninsula Surfriders feels like a second family, compelling them to perform well and celebrating their success. Friendly rivalry with other high-performing female surfers at the club, including Sophie Wilkinson, Sara Hickson, Luka Woods, Elysha Browne and Ruby Armstrong, helps them stay motivated between competitions.

Join the home crowd at Gunnamatta and cheer Ava and Rose to victory in the second heat of the Junior Surfing State Round on March 29-30.

Flanked by clubmates, Ava, Mia and Rose make time for a session in the surf at the end of a hot day. Photo: Josh Morgan