Teenager gets board and makes waves for medal success
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IONA McLachlan was the surprise package at the Nordic Surf Games when she took on the best young Scandinavian boarders and finished on the podium.
Making her international debut, the Murkle teenager surfed her way to bronze in the mixed junior competition at Bore in Norway.
The Scottish junior champion was one of three women from the Thurso area to win medals, with Shoana Blackadder taking silver and Phoebe Strachan claiming bronze in the senior women’s competition.
The success of the national team in Norway, with four of the five squad members based in Thurso, was the best performance by a Scottish squad in an international competition.
Fifteen-year-old Iona set out to be competitive but her performance exceeded her expectations and she was ecstatic to be among the medals.
She said: “I wasn’t expecting to get past the first round, so to get to the final, I couldn’t believe it.
“I was only 0.15 away from second place, which was a bit frustrating but I still managed to do well and I’m delighted to be part of the best performance Scotland has put up in an international competition.”
Iona added: “Surfing conditions were different in Norway compared to Thurso, which has really strong waves.
“In Bore, we were competing on a beach break so it is something which I wasn’t used to.
“When waves are more powerful, it’s a lot easier to do turns and tricks.”
In the mixed junior competition at the Nordic Games, she won her first round heat and semi final defeating the boys champions from Norway and Sweden before taking third in the final.
Her success is all the more remarkable considering she only got into the sport two years ago when she joined the North Shore Surf Club in Thurso around the time it was re-established.
Coached by Scottish internationalists Mark Boyd and Sheila Finlayson, Iona quickly learnt the skills that earned her the number one junior ranking in Scotland.
Her talent soon came to surface when she won the Scottish junior championship at Thurso East last year and caught the eye of international selectors.
“It took me a while to get the basics,” she said. “But once you learn to stand up, you quickly progress.
“It has only been recently that I have been able to get onto short boards and start manoeuvres. I didn’t expect to do so well in major competitions so quickly.”
Despite Thurso East being ranked as one of the top surfing venues in the world, Iona said it wasn’t until recently that there has been a major effort to encourage more youngsters to get into the water.
As a result, she feels the number of teenagers from Thurso involved in competitions is still low, but is optimistic the tide of interest is moving in the right direction.
“Before the North Shore Surf Club, there was nothing to get youngsters into surfing,” she said. “It was a shame there were no opportunities for young people to get into the sport, especially as we have world class waves.
“For a while I was probably the only junior from here competing.
“There are more juniors getting into the sport now who are at a good level and it is getting a lot better.”
"However, there still aren't that many young surfers from here taking part in competitions."
The Scottish Surfing Federation have to raise between £10,000 - £15,000 to allow their squad to compete at competitions around the world.
Money is largely raised from fundraising campaigns and donations from the surfing community.
With the success of the Thurso surfers at the Nordic Games, Iona hopes interest in surfing will grow and lead to the national team securing more sponsorship.
She said: “Before the Nordic Games, we never won anything at international competitions. But now we’ve won medals, it will hopefully encourage more funding to come into the sport.
“We have to fundraise on our own to compete and rely heavily on crowdfunding campaigns online. "Though this year we have received sponsorship from the Dounreay Communities Fund.”
Iona is preparing to defend her junior title at the Scottish Surfing Championship at Thurso East in April. Looking further ahead, she is hoping to make a big impression on the world stage.
She said: “I want to compete more in international competitions and travel the world. Travelling is something I have always wanted to do.”
She is bidding to be selected to compete at the World Junior Surfing Championships in the Azores in September and the junior European Surfing Championships in Morocco in December.
Her advice to anyone considering taking up the sport is not to be afraid of dipping your toe in the water.
“Don’t let the cold get in the way, as once you start surfing it can change your life,” Iona said.
“Suddenly surfing will be the only thing you care about – it definitely is one of the main things in my life.”
