February 9, 1988 // Sandy Beach, Australia
Synopsis: In 2008, Aussie Jayke Sharp brought his act stateside and promptly finished second in the Oakley Pro Junior in Santa Cruz. He backed that result up with a couple of second-place finishes in Pro Junior events in Queensland and Bells.
Variables: Numerous second-place finishes in 2008 hint at an inability to convert when it really counts.
Forecast: A gifted freesurfer, Jayke is one of those guys that could easily rocket into the big leagues if he is given the opportunity. Now that’s he’s nearing the end of his junior career and is primed for graduation into the real deal, he’s going to need to step it up a notch to make that happen.