He is the chairman of the board and is going to be a star in more ways than one.
Not only is 12-year-old Ben Larg a surfing sensation and has beaten off the competition from rivals six years older than him, but he is also going to feature in a new film.
The Tiree schoolboy’s determination to participate at the World Surfing Championships in Japan will be the subject of a documentary.
Ben, who started surfing at the age of two, is a rare talent, who recently won an under-18 competition.
And now, he is preparing to pack his board and head to the Vissla International Surfing Association World Junior Surfing Championships.
His exciting journey from the village of Balmertine on the remote Argyll island will be documented by the team behind the Bafta-winning documentary Marty Goes to Hollywood.
The movie – Riding the Wave – could be picked up by networks as it has already sparked interest from broadcasters.
The first-year pupil will head to Japan on tomorrow with his dad. His parents Marti and Iona Larg run Blackhouse Watersports and Surf school on Tiree.
Ben said: “I’m looking forward to the surf there. It’s meant to be good.
“It will be different from Tiree – it will be warmer and cleaner. The surf will be better.”
He said his teachers at Tiree High School have been understanding about him taking time off for training and competitions – but he added that he had been given a big folder of homework to take to Japan.
The competition begins on Saturday on the coast of Hyuga.
Urbancroft Films creative director Martyn Robertson said: “It has a kind of David and Goliath feel. He’s so young, he’s got such little resources, yet he is punching above his weight and has the potential to take on the world.”
A crowdfunder page titled Get Scots Surfer Ben Larg to Japan for World ISA has raised nearly £4,000 to help fund his trip.
A statement on the page reads: “Ben has the opportunity to surf against the world’s best with the hope that, one day, he will be world champion – and he needs your help to realise his dream.
“An independent TV production company is following his story and hopes to release the film at film festivals across the world and find a broadcaster for the film.”
