Taj’s Small Fries: Landen Smales, Ziggy Mackenzie take out under-18 titles in 2024

Landen Smales can rip on a longboard. He can rip on a shortboard. He racks up titles and, in his spare time, rescues distressed skinny-dippers.

And at the weekend, the teenager from Noosa with Noongar heritage claimed a perfect start to 2024 by adding his name to the list of Taj’s Small Fries champions.

WATCH THE FINALS DAY ACTION ON DEMAND ON STREAMER

Smales took out the under-18 boys division over New South Wales’ Sol Gruendling with a two-wave total of 15.58 in tricky conditions.

The Small Fries event was this year bumped up to be worth 10,000 points in the Surfing Australia National Junior Ranking System, giving the 2024 winners a head start on the rest of the pack.

“I’m a Ballardong Noongar man and my mob is from around these parts, so it’s epic to be back on country and get the 10,000 points,” Smales said in Yallingup at the weekend.

Smales’ win adds to a growing list of noteworthy wins that include the open and junior men’s logger divisions at the 2023 Australian Surf Championships and the open, junior and longboard titles at the 2023 Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles at Bells Beach.

He did all of that as a 16-year-old, by the way.

In the girls’ under-18 division it was fast-rising phenom Ziggy Mackenzie who took the title ahead of top-seeded Milla Brown.

Mackenzie, who splits her time between Australia and Bali, took out last year’s under-18 Australian championship and stayed on top of the conditions throughout the four days.

“Taj’s Small Fries is an amazing comp, a couple of the days were pretty tricky which makes this win even more special,” she said.

“WA is so beautiful and Taj and all the crew behind the scenes put on an amazing event.”

More surfers than ever took part in this year’s Small Fries event, which will celebrate a 20th anniversary next year, with the final day of action broadcast live, free and on demand on Streamer.

Named after surfing legend Taj Burrow, the event has grown to become WA’s biggest, best and most prestigous junior surfing event, attracting the best young talent from across Australasia.