T&T born surfer Josh Galt was crowned junior champion and also made it to the final of the Men's Open at the National Surfing Championships held at Salybia Beach, Toco last weekend.Galt, who honed his skills while living in Barbados, was too good for defending junior champion Jyiell Lewis on the day. The Men's Open was fiercely contested with young Galt and Lewis among the finalists on a weekend that produced consistent shoulder-high waves, giving surfers a high-performance line up. Chris Dennis edged out Jesse Jarvis to take top spot in the Men's Open with quick controlled surfing, maximizing the long-breaking reef waves.The Women's Open saw long-standing women's champion Kathy Ann Smith take first place over the predominantly young field, which included Jordan van Reeken, who was crowned the Under-18 Champion. Indicative of the rising trend among female surfers in T&T, the field consisted of newcomers to the competitive field such as Ashley Aleong and Ella Turton.Organisers at the Surfing Association were encouraged by the strong showing of many young surfers coming out of the Surfing Development Programme.