Isle of Wight teen surfer Jago Tasker has been selected to represent England at the European Surfing Championships in Portugal this Summer, but he needs your help to get there. Jago, who you may have seen bossing the waves in the West Wight in the past, will head to Santa Cruz in Portugal as part of the U16 boys team between 18th – 26th July. The Islander paddled into his first waves at just 8-years-old where he learnt to surf and was always in the Ocean having fun, surfing right through the Winter months at that young age, on second-hand boards his dad found for him. Jago got the competition bug just after his 9th birthday, when he competed in the Surfing England Inter Clubs competition at Fistral Beach, Newquay as a member of the Isle of Wight Surf Club in their Junior team. Speaking within the GoFundMe page, Jago has said:
“I’m thrilled to share that I’ve been selected to represent Surfing England & be part of the U16 boys team at the European Surfing Championship in Portugal this July 2024! “This is an incredible opportunity for me to gain invaluable experience, and proudly represent England. It’s a great platform to pursue my ambition of being a professional surfer. “However, I need to ask for your help. The costs associated with travel, accommodation, and participation fees for this event amount to around £1,000, and I am reaching out for support. Like many sports, there is no direct funding for athletes. I am incredibly grateful to have a board sponsor in Nigel Semmens Surfboards as a team rider for NS at the Ocean Magic factory in Newquay, Cornwall.”
Jago’s family have dedicated countless hours to supporting his passion for the sport. The family relocated to Cornwall in the winter of 2022 and he is now a member of Newquay Boardriders Surf Club. He ranked Number 3 at this year’s U16 Nationals and most recently took Number 2 at Surfing England’s Rip Curl Grom Search UK event. Having represented England at the International Surfing Association World Junior Championships in El Salvador earlier this year whilst juggling his GCSE exams, both the Worlds and European Championships will be key to his future development. Competing at your first European Championship is a significant step in anyone’s athletic career and funds are needed to make it happen. Anyone wishing to donate to the fundraiser can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/jago-taskers-fund-for-team-england-eurosurf-2024.
I need help for my retirement. I’m in my sixties, and I’ve had a gut full of work. Perhaps Jago could contribute to my dream of a wealthy retirement. Many years of low wages, so a very small pension pot. Yours in anticipation Jago, enjoy what you do!
Not a problem, get a single ticket to France,
buy a Dinghy whilst in France then come across
the channel and then you will get benefits galore.
Brilliant, wish I’d thought of that
Good luck to him, but he doesn’t live here on the Island, so I’m unsure why people here are being asked to contribute towards his expenses?
Maybe a part-time job in the evenings or weekends would help?
Maybe you could support a young athlete fulfill his dreams regardless of where he lives.
Makes a change from some loser asking for help to fix his teeth or fund a trip to Disneyworld.
The family are loaded. Don’t be a mug.