14-year-old surfer from N.S. heading to national competition in B.C.
Juniper Balch will be one of the only Black surfers to compete in Tofino
A 14-year-old surfer from the Halifax area is heading to B.C. this weekend to represent Nova Scotia at a national competition.
Juniper Balch of Lawrencetown is no stranger to breaking down barriers in the largely white sport. She's the only Black surfer to compete in her age category in the province, her mom said.
As a volunteer with the North Preston Surf Program, Balch also helps introduce other Black youth to the sport that she fell in love with as a seven-year-old.
"Maybe I'll see one or two Black kids out on the water, and not just me," Balch told CBC Radio's Information Morning.
Her mom, Lisa Scott, said her daughter is a fairly quiet kid, but you wouldn't know it when you see her out on the water.
"When she gets out there, she's got a lot of courage and she's got a lot of gusto," Scott said.
Balch will be among about 250 competitors from across the country to take part in Surf Canada's national competition in Tofino from April 8-10.
Balch, who won the last three contests in Nova Scotia in her age group, said she's eager to surf on the West Coast where the waves break differently than they do here.
"I'm feeling excited, but also very nervous," Balch said.
She learned to surf with her dad, back when daughter and father shared the same board.
"Any time he would catch a wave, I would stand up with him, and so then it went further and further and then I got on my own board," Balch said.
Scott said she's very proud of her daughter, not only for her skills on the water, but for the way she represents the Black community in the sport she loves. Balch also plays soccer and kayaks.
"For a 14-year-old girl to get out there and be the only one is something that maybe her peers or fellow competitors don't really understand how that might impact you and that little bit of extra weight and extra baggage that you have to carry," Scott said.
Balch was adopted into a white family, and Scott said her daughter hasn't always had role models who look like her.
That's why she was especially thankful when a non-profit called the Black Wellness Cooperative of Nova Scotia stepped up to fundraise and support Balch so she could travel to B.C. for the competition this week.
But Balch said when she's out on the water competing, she doesn't think much about being a trailblazer.
"When I paddle or when I play soccer, I'm just there to really do the sport," she said.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
With files from Kyah Sparks and Information Morning Halifax
