Bronze Beach Umhlanga Rocks hosted the postponed KZN edition of the Women’s Day Surf Challenge last weekend as the shark nets were still not back in place along Durban’s beachfront.

The lack of shark nets due to the extended sardine run forced the postponement of the KZN event a month ago but this time round all went well and over 70 surfers from as young as 7 to over 40 took part in the inaugural Women’s Day Surf Challenge.

Challenging 3-4 foot surf made things tough for the contestants and there was special praise by the officials for the rookies who tackled the difficult conditions with courage and determination.

The competitors were inspired by the performance of Heather Clark, who highlighted South Africa’s female surfing talent when she won her second World Title at the ISA World Masters Championships in Panama the day before the local event got underway.

There were some fine performances from a number of surfers on the day with Chanelle Botha one of the stars. The tiny Warner Beach local not only came second in the Under 20 final behind SA Junior Invitation team surfer Nikita Kekana but also won the Under 16 final which resulted in her being awarded the Surfer of the Contest title.

Among the most inspiring aspects of the Surfing South Africa Women’s Day Surf Challenge in KZN was the fact that not only did it attract four heats of “rookies”, but it also brought back the past as former SA Champions and National Team members Tamarys de Maroussem and Kay Holt made their return to competitive surfing.

Despite having “retired” some five years ago to start a family, de Maroussem seems to have retained her competitive skills, winning the Open Division and scoring a 8 point ride in the final.

Holt was fourth in the Open final but recorded a win in the Longboard Division, adding another national title to the many that she has been collecting since the late 1970’s.

With Clark taking honours in Panama and de Maroussem and Holt showing their class at home the KZN version of the Women’s Day Surf Challenge was a celebration of some of South Africa’s history as well as its up and coming talent.

In the Rookies division there was plenty of up and coming talent and although Robynne Theron won the title all of the girls who took part can look to a bright future in competitive surfing. Lenieka Botha was named the most promising surfer at the event and Tatum Ambrose recorded the Best Manoeuvre

The KZN Women’s Day Surf Challenge attracted the biggest entry of the three Women’s Day event held and was a huge success despite being postponed by a month.

Over R1000 was raised through the raffle of a Safari surfboard and this money has been donated to the Cancer Association of South Africa. Rip Curl South Africa presented the winner of the rookies division with a wetsuit and Skullcandy and Powerbalance, donated prizes.

Surfing South Africa was partnered at all three events by Saltwater Girl Magazine, gsport for girls, Aquarius Screenprinting and Vitamin Water.

The Women’s Day Surf Challenge was supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Sport & Recreation SA.

Surfing South Africa is recognized by Sport and Recreation SA (SRSA) as the governing body for the sport. SSA is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA).

Women’s Day Surf Challenge

KZN Results

Open

1. Tamarys de Maroussem
2. Tatum Ambrose
3. Heather Klug
4. Kay Holt

U20

1. Nikita Kekana
2. Chanelle Botha
3. Shebjorn Axelson
4. Caryn MacNicol

U16

1. Chanelle Botha
2. Caryn MacNicol
3. Shannon McGee
4. Courtnay Ellish

Rookies:

1. Robynne Theron
2. Tiffany Higgens
3. Karabo Nyembe
4. Kelsey Tiegs
5. Gaby Lailvaux
6. Jade Story

Longboards :

1. Kay Holt
2. Nicky Trickett
3. Madz Nixon
4. Dorette Oosthuizen

Ends

Compiled by Robin de Kock

Media enquiries :
Contact:            Robin de Kock
Cell:                  082 454 1149
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
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Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

Jordy Smith, Kelly Slater and Promising Swell on Target for Hurley Pro at Trestles

LOWER TRESTLES, California/USA (Saturday, September 11, 2010) –Swell forecasts are looking promising as the greatest assemblage of surfing talent in history descend upon one of the most high-performance waves on the planet for the Hurley Pro at Trestles, running from September 12 – 18, 2010.

Event No. 6 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Hurley Pro at Trestles will host the newly-minted ASP Top 34 as they battle for points, prestige at the highly-coveted ASP World Title.

Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, current ASP World No. 1, has been the standout throughout the first half of the season, blending a near-unparalleled brand of power surfing amidst a full repertoire of progressive aerials. The Hurley Pro at Trestles will be the inaugural event to utilize the ASP’s 36-man competition format (see below), but the South African maintains that his focus will remain the same.

“The dynamics of the tour will definitely change (following last week’s midyear field reduction) but I am approaching the last five events the same as the first five – just have fun,” Smith said. “At the beginning of the year, I told myself that if I went out and had fun and relaxed in heats, my surfing would be at the level I wanted it to be. I’m happy with where I’m at and looking forward to the next events.”

Despite a stumble in Tahiti, finishing Equal 17th, Smith has been supernaturally consistent in 2010 and remains one of the favorites throughout the back half of the year.

“I felt confident in Tahiti and was unlucky not to get the waves against Manoa (Drollet),” Smith said. “These next few events at Trestles and through Europe, I feel very strong at. Kelly (Slater) and Taj (Burrow) and everyone are strong at these events so it’s going to make the ASP World Title Race interesting. I have some really great boards at the moment and hopefully we can get some swell for the event.”

Smith will face Kai Otton (AUS), 30, and Rob Machado (USA), 36, in the opening round of the Hurley Pro Trestles.

Kelly Slater (USA), 38, past nine-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 2, is a veritable threat at every venue on tour, currently sits a mere 250 points behind frontrunner Smith and well within striking distance of an unprecedented 10th ASP World Title.

“It definitely gives a goal to work towards,” Slater said. “In past years, the point structure would have had my results in first place with a 3rd and 9th compared to Jordy’s two 5ths, and the remainder of our placings would equal. Just makes you have to work a bit harder and stay focused. Certain places favor certain guys, but it’s a totally new year and past achievements don’t count.”

The past several years have seen the iconic Floridian experimenting with various equipment, consistently pushing the boundaries of high-performance surfing. With the long walls of Lower Trestles acting as the ideal canvas, and Slater’s equipment finalized, the millions around the world could be in for a spectacular show.

“I’m pretty locked into what I’m riding now,” Slater said. “I was searching for a new feeling over the last two years, but I think I’m pretty settled for now. Lowers is one of the easiest waves on Earth to bring out your potential so we’ll see everyone surfing well I’m sure.”

Slater will battle Luke Stedman (AUS), 34, and Kolohe Andino (USA), 16, in Round 1 of competition.

Jeremy Flores (FRA), 22, current ASP World No. 19, is coming off a career-best resultt (Equal 3rd in Tahiti) and will look to continue the momentum through California and Europe.

“All good for now as I’m so happy with the 3rd in Tahiti,” Flores said. “It has been a while since I’ve gotten a result. I’ve done well at Trestles in the past so hopefully I get in the rhythm again this year.”

Like most surfers, the young Frenchman is eager to prove his worth amidst the near perfection of the Trestles venue and the swell forecast looking promising, is excited to enhance his ASP World Title Race ranking before year’s end.

“Trestles is probably the funnest wave in the world in terms of turns,” Flores said. “I think this year will be interesting with all the big airs! My surfing has been good there so far. Hopefully we get some good waves with size. I concentrate on my surfing, I’m trying to improve more and find my right quiver that suits me well. I’m trying to surf as many good waves as possible and we’ll see where that takes me at the end of the year.”

Flores will take on Bede Durbidge (AUS), 27, and Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 21, in the opening round of the Hurley Pro at Trestles.

For the first time in the history of the sport, the ASP will unveil its new 36-man format at the Hurley Pro Trestles.

ASP WORLD TOUR 36-MAN FORMAT:

Round 1: 12 three-man heats, 1st advances to Round 3, 2nd and 3rd to Round 2
Round 2: 12 man-on-man heats, 1st to Round 3, 2nd is Equal 25th place
Round 3: 12 man-on-man heats, 1st to Round 4, 2nd is Equal 13th place
Round 4: Four 3-man heats, 1st advances to Quarterfinals, 2nd and 3rd to Round 5
Round 5: Four man-on-man heats, 1st advances to Quarterfinals, 2nd is Equal 9th
Quarterfinals: Four man-on-man heats, 1st advances to Semifinals, 2nd is Equal 5th
Semifinals: Two man-on-man heats, 1st advances to Finals, 2nd is Equal 3rd
Final: One man-on-man heat, 1st and 2nd

Surfline, official forecasters for the Hurley Pro Trestles, are currently tracking several promising systems that could be set to deliver good waves throughout the event.

When competition commences, up first will be Dane Reynolds (USA), 25, Chris Davidson (AUS), 33, and Luke Munro (AUS), 27, in Heat 1 Round 1 of the Hurley Pro at Trestles.

Event organizers will convene tomorrow morning at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.

High-res image available for complimentary download at: (Copy/Paste URL)

http://64.78.18.131/photos/TRESTLES08/smith6872boost08kirstin_n.jpg

The Hurley Pro Trestles will be webcast LIVE via http://www.hurley.com/hurleypro/

The event will also be broadcast LIVE on FUEL TV in Australia. Check out http://www.foxsports.com.au/fueltv for details.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

HURLEY PRO TRESTLES ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:

Heat 1:Dane Reynolds (USA), Chris Davidson (AUS), Luke Munro (AUS)

Heat 2:Adriano de Souza (BRA), Adam Melling (AUS), Brett Simpson (USA)

Heat 3:Mick Fanning (AUS), Taylor Knox (USA), Travis Logie (ZAF)

Heat 4:Taj Burrow (AUS), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), Gabe Kling (USA)

Heat 5:Jordy Smith (ZAF), Kai Otton (AUS), Rob Machado (USA)

Heat 6:Kelly Slater (USA), Luke Stedman (AUS), Kolohe Andino (USA)

Heat 7:Bede Durbidge (AUS), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS)

Heat 8:Bobby Martinez (USA), Michel Bourez (PYF), Daniel Ross (AUS)

Heat 9:C.J. Hobgood (USA), Jadson Andre (BRA), Dusty Payne (HAW)

Heat 10:Andy Irons (HAW), Tiago Pires (PRT), Tom Whitaker (AUS)

Heat 11:Adrian Buchan (AUS), Owen Wright (AUS), Roy Powers (HAW)

Heat 12:Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Damien Hobgood (USA), Kieren Perrow (AUS)

——————————————————————————–

Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Media
Dave Prodan
email: dave@aspworldtour.com
USA mobile: +1 949 678 0987

AUS mobile: +61 (0) 400 455 228

Digital Photographs:
High-resolution digital images for newspapers and Internet sites are available via the ASP Digital Images Department – please contact kirstin@aspworldtour.com

For Immediate Release

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) International

——————————————————————————–

About ASP: The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the recognized world governing body of professional surfing and has been crowning surfing’s undisputed World Champions since 1976. The ASP sanctions and crowns World Champions for the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, ASP World Junior Tour, ASP World Longboard and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts and other media platforms. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Japan, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

Association of Surfing Professionals
72-80 Marine Parade | Coolangatta, QLD 4225

The South African Masters surfing team netted a six medal haul at the ISA World Masters Surfing Championship which concluded in clean, well shaped two metre waves at Santa Catalina in Panama yesterday (Saturday).

The medals comprised three Gold, one Silver and two Bronze with Heather Clark (Women’s Masters) and Chris Knutsen (Grand Kahunas) successfully defending their titles while Andrew Banks (Masters) won his first ISA World title. Brothers Andre and David Malherbe earned Bronze in the Grand Masters and Kahunas respectively while Team South Africa took the Silver medal behind Australia in the team event.

The battle for the team title went down to the last heat of the event, the Masters final, where despite Banks winning the Gold, the two Aussies finished second and third to dash SA’s hopes of a third consecutive Team Gold by a mere 260 points – 10 456 to 10 196.

An elated Banks (Port Shepstone) clinched the Masters (o/35) title with an outstanding heat total of 17.57 out of 20, taking the lead in the final with an 8.50 and then grabbing the Gold with a 9.07 that left Silver medalist Brett Banister needing 8.98 while fellow Aussie Dean Hall and defending two-time champion Juan Ashton (PUR) were combo’d.

“I feel extremely happy, this is the reason why I came here,” Banks said. “This is what I was praying for, and I was not going to be happy with second place. It was a tough final and I gave it my all for my late brother, Robbie - I surf for him.”

Heather Clark (Port Shepstone) has won every heat she has entered in her two appearances in the ISA World Masters Surfing Championship. She completed remarkable recovery from a life-threatening motor accident last October to secure her second consecutive ISA Women’s Masters (o/35) Gold medal. In the final she scored 17.86 (a pair of 8.93 rides) that left Andrea Lopes (BRA) in second, Patricia Rossi (TAH) in third and Sandra English (AUS) in fourth.

“It was hard because all the surfers in the final are really good and we all got waves over the 6.00 point range,” Clark said after being mobbed by her teammates on the beach. “I had support in the water, at the beach and I wanted really bad to get my second world title.” 

Durban’s Chris Knutsen won his second successive Grand Kahunas (o/50) ISA World Title and third Gold medal overall after winning the Kahunas division in the 2007 edition in Puerto Rico. The 53 year-old displayed smart wave selection and his customary huge manoeuvres to post the only perfect 10-point ride of the entire event in yesterday’s final.  Backing that up with an 8.5, ‘Knutto’ left Javier Huarcaya (PER) in second, Kenneth Myers (PAN) in third and Javier Gorbea (PUR) in fourth. 

“I came here trying to win a third ISA World Title, a hat trick, and I managed to pull it off,” an emotional Knutsen said. “I think God gave me the waves as it was amazing to get a 10. I caught the wave and it looked like it was going to be a good one.  I just rode it the best I could and luckily it worked out well for me. I am so happy, this happens because if you really love what you do, and I love surfing, you can only get better.”

Andre Malherbe (East London) completed a gutsy run in the event, placing third in the Grand Masters (0/40) division behind three-time Gold medalist Juan Ashton (PUR) and Glen Pringle (AUS) after dropping into the repecharge rounds early on and having to battle through six heats of cutthroat competition just to reach the Grand final.

Brother David Malherbe (Coffee Bay) also earned a Bronze medal, one better than his Copper medal in Puerto Rico, when he placed third in the Kahunas (o/45) final yesterday, behind Rod Baldwin, Australia’s only individual Gold medalist, and Sergio Penna (BRA).

Wayne Monk (East London) placed equal 9^th overall in the Masters division, Rob Moore-Boyle finished 7^th in the Grand Masters and fellow Durbanite and SA team captain Marc Wright just missed out on the final and the opportunity to defend the Kahunas title he won in Peru in 2008, placing 6^th overall in Panama

The Closing Ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, as well as the Vice President, Minister of Tourism and Minister of Economy, who assisted ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, in awarding the medals.

Showing great interest in surfing, the President of Panama told the visiting surfers, “Tell everybody about the perfect waves we have and come here, you are more than welcome,” before ensuring the ISA President committed to bringing another international event to Panama in the summer of 2011.

ISA President Fernando Aguerre closed the event by saying, “I want to thank the Panamanian people, the government and the private sector for their commitment with this sport. This is the most exciting part of the event, the medals ceremony, but it is also the part when we remember everything, the rainy days, the wind, the great waves, the broken boards, and the emotions. We want to let all the Panamanians know that we leave your country with our hearts filled with great memories.”
 
The ISA World Masters Surfing Championship will be held again next year in a soon to be announced location.  

2010 ISA World Masters Surfing Championships

Santa Catalina, Panama

Team Medallists
Gold: Australia – 10456 points
Silver: South Africa – 10196 points
Bronze: Brazil – 8770 points
Copper: Puerto Rico – 8684 points

Masters
Gold: Andrew Banks (RSA)
Silver: Brett Bannister (AUS)
Bronze: Dean Hall (AUS)
Copper: Juan Ashton (PUR)

Grand Masters
Gold: Juan Ashton (PUR)
Silver: Glen Pringle (AUS)
Bronze: Andre Malherbe (RSA)
Copper: Ricardo Villanueva (PUR)

Kahunas
Gold: Rod Baldwin (AUS)
Silver: Sergio Penna (BRA)
Bronze: David Malherbe (RSA)
Copper: Martín Jerí (PER)

Grand Kahunas
Gold: Chris Knutsen (RSA)
Silver: Javier Huarcaya (PER)
Bronze: Kenneth Myers (PAN)
Copper: Javier Gorbea (PUR)

Women Masters
Gold: Heather Clark (RSA)
Silver: Andrea Lopes (BRA)
Bronze: Patricia Rossi (TAH)
Copper: Sandra English (AUS)

Final Team Standings:
1: AUSTRALIA
2: SOUTH AFRICA
3: BRAZIL
4: PUERTO RICO
5: PERU
6: VENEZUELA
7: ARGENTINA
8: FRANCE
9: PANAMA
10: COSTA RICA
11: MEXICO
12: ITALY
13: URUGUAY
14: REP.DOMINICAN
15: JAMAICA
16: NEW ZEALAND
17: GUATEMALA
18: TAHITI
19: EL SALVADOR
20: GERMANY
21: IRELAND

Videos, photos, results and contest news in both English and Spanish can be found at www.panamaisaworldmasters.com. Further details are also available through the ISA Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts.

The SA Masters Team preparations and attendance at the 2010 ISA World Masters Championships was made possible thanks to a R150 000 grant from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).

Ends

ATTENTION MEDIA
Daily high quality pictures and TV resolution video highlights for editorial use, rights free, are  available here:
 
Host: ftp.isasurf.org
User: isasurf_wmsc
Password: download1

About the International Surfing Association (ISA)
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980.  

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of over 60 countries on six continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. The President is Fernando Aguerre and the four Vice Presidents are Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Mike Gerard (USA) and Karín Sierralta (Peru).

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock, General Manager
Cell:                  082 454 1149
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Compiled & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

TEAHUPOO, Taiarapu/Tahiti (Friday, September 3, 2010) – Andy Irons (HAW), 32, past three-time ASP World Champion, has won the Billabong Pro Tahiti, besting C.J. Hobgood (USA), 31, in an explosive Final clash in three-to-four foot (1.5 metre) waves at Teahupoo.

The emphatic victory marks Irons’ 20th at the elite level of competition, and the Hawaiian was emotional when regarding his first win in over three years (won Rip Curl Pro Search Chile 2007).

“I did it!” Irons exclaimed. “I took a lot of losses, but I put in the hard work too. I dedicate this win 100% to my wife, Lindy, she is everything to me and without her, I’d be nothing. I really, really like competing because I love to win and I feel on top of the world today. I surf because I love to win. I love this feeling.”

Irons, who bested reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, lethal rookie Patrick Gudauskas (USA), 24, and past nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 38, en route to the Final, moves from No. 18 to No. 7 on the ASP World Title Race rankings.

South Africa’s Jordy Smith retains the ASP World No. 1 ranking despite a 17th place finish in Tahiti. Defeat by local wildcard and Teahupoo expert Manoa Drollet (PYF) in Round 3 saw the Durbanite’s lead has been cut to a mere 250 points over past nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA). Slater’s semifinal loss to Irons saw him leapfrog Taj Burrow (AUS) into the No. 2 spot.

“I’m up there pretty close,” Slater said. “That’s the way it goes – you have good events and bad events. This one has been pretty good though. The waves haven’t been good, but we’ve seen a lot of cool things. We’ve seen the young guys really step up and we’ve seen Andy (Irons) come back and put one together.”

Durbanite Travis Logie ensured South Africa will have two surfers on the ASP ‘Dream Tour’ for the remaining five events of the 2010 season when he qualified amongst the top 32 in the ASP World Title Race Rankings as the ASP cut the field from 45 to 32.

Needing to advance through at least one round to stay in contention for the mid-year cut-off, Logie did exactly that, recording a dramatic victory over veteran Australian campaigner Kieren Perrow in Round 2 before being eliminated by Frederick Patacchia (HAW) in Round 3.

His 17th place finished left Logie in a four-way tie for 29th position in the rankings, with Perrow at No. 33. The ASP Wildcard committee, comprising surfer representatives, an international panel of ASP doctors and ASP officials, have awarded Perrow and Gabe Kling (USA) the two wildcards that will take the ASP World Tour field for the remainder of the season to 34.

Highlights from the Billabong Pro Tahiti are available via http://www.billabongpro.com/tahiti10/

The next stop on the 2010 ASP World Tour will be the Hurley Pro Trestles in Southern California from September 12 – 18, 2010.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI FINAL RESULTS:

1 – Andy Irons (HAW) 14.67
2 – C.J. Hobgood (USA) 8.33

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI SEMIFINAL RESULTS:

SF 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 15.00 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.93
SF 2: Andy Irons (HAW) 13.57 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 10.26

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:

QF 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 14.53 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 6.23
QF 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.80 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 11.33
QF 3: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.67 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.77
QF 4: Andy Irons (HAW) 16.44 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.00

CURRENT TOP 32 ON THE ASP WORLD TITLE RACE (After Billabong Pro Tahiti)

1 Jordy Smith (ZAF) 30250
2 Kelly Slater (USA) 30000
3 Taj Burrow (AUS) 25250
4 Dane Reynolds (USA) 23750
5 Adriano De Souza (BRA) 23250
6 Mick Fanning (AUS) 23000
7 Andy Irons (HAW) 19750
8 Bede Durbidge (AUS) 19250
9 Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18250
10 Owen Wright (AUS) 17500
11 Bobby Martinez (USA) 17000
12 Jadson Andre (BRA) 16500
13 Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 16250
13 Tiago Pires (PRT) 16250
15 C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16000
16 Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15250
17 Damien Hobgood (USA) 15000
17 Michel Bourez (PYF) 15000
19 Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14250
20 Adam Melling (AUS) 13250
21 Chris Davidson (AUS) 12750
22 Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11000
23 Taylor Knox (USA) 9750
24 Luke Stedman (AUS) 9500
24 Dusty Payne (HAW) 9500
24 Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 9500
27 Roy Powers (HAW) 9000
28 Kai Otton (AUS) 8500
29 Daniel Ross (AUS) 8250
29 Luke Munro (AUS) 8250
29 Brett Simpson (USA) 8250
29 Travis Logie (ZAF) 8250

WILDCARDS FOR THE BALANCE OF THE 2010 SEASON

1 Kieren Perrow (AUS)
2 Gabe Kling (USA)

SURFERS DROPPING OFF THE 2010 ASP WORLD TOUR

Drew Courtney (AUS), 31
Neco Padaratz (BRA), 34
Tanner Gudauskas (USA), 22
Mick Campbell (AUS), 34
Kieren Perrow (AUS), 33
Tom Whitaker (AUS), 30
Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), 25
Blake Thornton (AUS), 25
Dean Morrison (AUS), 29
Jay Thompson (AUS), 28
Nate Yeomans (USA), 29
Ben Dunn (AUS), 24
Marco Polo (BRA), 29

/Ends

Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Media
Dave Prodan
email: dave@aspworldtour.com
USA mobile: +1 949 678 0987

AUS mobile: +61 (0) 400 455 228
EVENT MEDIA
Billabong Pro Media Manager
Johnathan “JJ” Jenkins
email: johnathan.jenkins@billabong.com.au

Digital Photographs:
High-resolution digital images for newspapers and Internet sites are available via the ASP Digital Images Department please contact kirstin@aspworldtour.com

Issued on behalf of:

ASP Africa
Contact: Colin Fitch – Operations Manager
Tel: 021 534 5738
Email: colin@aspafrica.com

Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax: +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

About ASP: The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the recognized world governing body of professional surfing and has been crowning surfing’s undisputed World Champions since 1976. The ASP sanctions and crowns World Champions for the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, ASP World Junior Tour, ASP World Longboard and Masters Championships.

The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts and other media platforms. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Japan, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

Team South Africa remains on track to claim a historic third successive team title at the ISA World Masters Surfing Championships in Panama after the completion of the fifth day of competition yesterday (Thursday) when the finalists in the qualifying streams of the Masters, Grand Masters and Kahunas were determined..

SA, along with Australia and Brazil, still has all eight team members in contention in their various divisions with four South Africans and Australians yet to lose a heat, followed by three each from Puerto Rico, Peru and Brazil and one each from Panama, France and Tahiti.

In the Masters (o/35) division, Andrew Banks (Port Shepstone) advanced to the qualifying final along with heat winner Carlos Santos (BRA). These two will be up against two-time defending champion Juan Ashton (PUR) and Dean Hall (AUS) who relegated Wayne Monk (East London) to the repecharge rounds.

The top two in the qualifying finals advance to the Grand Final where they are guaranteed medals and a shot at clinching the World Masters title.

In the Grand Masters (o/40) division, Rob Moore-Boyle (Durban) couldn’t find the high scoring waves and joined Andre Malherbe (East London) in Heat 2 of repecharge Round 4. Malherbe, who has fought his way through two rounds of sudden-death repecharge heats already, posted a strong second place finish behind defending champion Magoo de la Rosa (PER) yesterday.

David, the elder of the Malherbe brothers, continued his rich vein of form at the event by winning his Kahunas (o/45) Round 3 heat yesterday, finishing ahead of Rod Baldwin (AUS) with SA team captain and defending ISA World Kahunas champion Marc Wright (Durban) in third place.

Malherbe and Baldwin will take on Sergio Penna and Martin Jeri (PER) for a place in the Grand final while Wright now has to fight his way through three cutthroat repecharge heats to reach the Grand final and the opportunity to defend his crown.

Defending world champions Heather Clark (Port Shepstone) in the Women’s Masters (o/35) and Chris Knutsen (Durban) in the Grand Kahunas (o/50) did not need to compete yesterday as they have already reached the qualifying final in their respective divisions.

All of the 52 surfers from 14 countries remaining in the ISA World Masters Championships will be in action today. Action at Santa Catalina in Panama will get underway at 7:00am (2pm in South Africa) with the following schedule:

 ISA World Masters Surfing Championships

Schedule for Friday 3 September (South Africans in Brackets)

2 HEATS MASTERS REPERCHARGE 4                       (Wayne Monk)
2 HEATS KAHUNAS REPERCHARGE 4                      (Marc Wright)                                  
2 HEATS GRAND MASTERS REPERCHARGE 4       (Andre Malherbe & Rob Moore-Boyle)
1 HEATS MASTERS QUALIFY 4                                     (Andrew Banks)
1 HEATS KAHUNAS QUALIFY 4                                     (David Malherbe)
1 HEATS GRAND MASTERS QUALIFY 4
1 HEATS GRAND KAHUNA QUALIFY 3                       (Chris Knutsen)
1 HEATS WOMEN MASTERS QUALIFY 3                     (Heather Clark)
1 HEATS GRAND KAHUNAS REPERCHARGE 3
1 HEATS WOMEN MASTERS REPERCHARGE 3
1 HEATS MASTERS REPERCHARGE 5                       (TBD)
1 HEATS KAHUNAS REPERCHARGE 5                      (TBD)
1 HEATS GRAND MASTERS REPERCHARGE 5       (TBD)

Country standings after five days of competition:

1: SOUTH AFRICA
1: AUSTRALIA
1: BRAZIL
4: PERU
5: PUERTO RICO
6: ARGENTINA
7: VENEZUELA
8: COSTA RICA
9: PANAMA
10: FRANCE
11: MEXICO
12: ITALY
13:REP.DOMINCAN
14: JAMAICA
15: URUGUAY
16: NEW ZEALAND
17: GUATEMALA
18: TAHITI
18: EL SALVADOR
20: GERMANY
20: IRELAND

All the action from the event, including live webcasts, daily videos, photos, results and contest news in both English and Spanish can be found at www.panamaisaworldmasters.com.

Event updates are also available through the ISA Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts.

The SA Masters Team preparations and attendance at the 2010 ISA World Masters Championships is made possible thanks to a R150 000 grant from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).

Ends

ATTENTION MEDIA
Daily high quality pictures and TV resolution video highlights for editorial use, rights free, will be made available here daily:
 
Host: ftp.isasurf.org
User: isasurf_wmsc
Password: download1

About the International Surfing Association (ISA)
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980.  

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of over 60 countries on six continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. The President is Fernando Aguerre and the four Vice Presidents are Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Mike Gerard (USA) and Karín Sierralta (Peru).

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock, General Manager 
Cell:                  082 454 1149
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Compiled & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

The country’s top Pro Junior surfers shredded the 1 to 1.5 metre waves on offer at Herold’s Bay in the Southern Cape on Day 2 of the Billabong Junior Series today (Thursday), using the hollow wedges and boostable sections to deliver top-class performances in the chase for prize-money, points and prestige.

Organisers had no hesitation in moving the event from the main venue of Victoria Bay at first light and competitors in the Round of 32 of the R37 500, internationally rated Billabong Pro Junior enjoyed the best conditions of the day.

Davey Brand set the tone for the day by earning two scores of 6.75 out of 10 early in the first heat of the day before shutting out his opponents with an excellent 8.0 just before the siren. Brand advanced to the last 16 along with runner-up and fellow Billabong team rider and Kommetjie resident Matt Bromley.

Billabong’s Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), the fourth seed here and winner of the Billabong Pro Junior on KZN’s Dolphin Coast in April, kept his challenge alive by progressing along with heat winner Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) before Kommetjie’s Mikey February blitzed the highest heat total of the day, 16.25 out of 20, in Heat 3.

Top seed Chad du Toit (Berea) controlled his opening encounter but 14 year-old Billabong rider Benji Brand (Kommetjie) gave Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) a fright by securing the heat victory with the second seed having to settle for the runner-up spot. David van Zyl (Glenashley), Nick Godfrey (St Francis Bay) and another 14 year-old standout in Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) clinched the remaining heat wins.

After one heat of U12 boys where rising stars Ford van Jaarsveld (Kommetjie) and Billabong’s Max Elkington (Cape Town) eliminated Rewaldo Abersalie (J-Bay), international campaigner Tarryn Chudleigh opened the Pro Junior women’s event with a stunning performance.

Determined to make an appearance at her sponsor’s contest, the Billabong team rider shrugged off 48 hours of travel, including rising at 4am for the five-hour drive to Herold’s Bay from her home in Kommetjie, to dominate the heat and relegate top seed Bianca Buitendag, currently SA’s currently highest placed surfer on the ASP Women’s World Rankings, to the runner-up spot.

Sarah Baum (Athlone Park), another with strong international credentials, clinched victory in the next heat with while Heidi Palmboom (Bluff) and Holly Armstrong (Scarborough) upset higher ranked rivals for their heat wins.

The eight remaining Pro Junior Women were back in contest vests in more intimidating overhead conditions at the end of the day when the crosswind had freshened and the tide had turned. Baum and Buitendag eliminated Kirsty Delport (Durban) and a clearly exhausted Chudleigh to move into the one-on-one semifinals where they were joined by recent SA Open Women’s champion Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand) and Palmboom.

In between the U14 boys battled with elements that saw the lifeguards on standby on the beach. Max Armstrong (Scarborough) had no problem in winning the opening heat while Jason Harris (Scottburgh) snatched his berth in the last eight with a great 6.25 point ride in the final seconds. Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay) reveled in the peaky lefts to win Heat 2 before Benji Brand recorded the highest single ride score of the day with – 9.0 out of 10 – in Heat 3.

The last heat saw the lead change hands on virtually every ride with all four competitors in front at some stage. When the final siren sounded it was Matt McGillivray (Port Elizabeth) in first place with Steffen Burrows (Strand) in second and joining him in the semifinals.

The trials for U12’s and U14’s to qualify for Saturday’s VonZipper Air Show, where the surfer completing the most outrageous aerial manoeuvre pockets a winner-takes-all R2 000 prize-purse, were held in daunting conditions at the end of the day and not one air was completed.

The rising swell may well see the season-ending Billabong Junior Series back at the main venue of Victoria Bay on Friday and organisers will make a call at 7.30am on when and where the day 3 action will commence.

Anyone who would like to be included onto the Billabong Junior Series event SMS notification database can send their name and mobile number to brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

There are daily video and picture uploads for each day of the event on www.billabong.com/za and the heat results can be followed as they happen throughout the event on Twitter and Facebook (Username- BillabongSA).

The Pro Surf Tour (PST) events in the Billabong Junior Series are sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport, while the internationally rated Pro Junior men’s event is sanctioned by ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International.

The series is proudly supported by Von Zipper, Kustom and Nixon and fueled by Monster Energy.

\ends

Issued on behalf of:

Brendon Kegel – Media and Communications
Billabong South Africa
Tel: 042 200 2747
Fax: 042 293 2478
Cell: 083 799 0110
Email: brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

Compiled & Issued by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie, 7976 South Africa
Tel / Fax: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

Andre Malherbe was the only South African surfer to compete on Day 4 of the ISA World Masters Surfing Championships in Panama on Wednesday as the organisers ran four rounds of repecharge heats that whittled down the field of surfers aged 35 or older from 107 to just 70.

The East Londoner took to the solid 2 to 2.5 metre waves with gusto and ran out a convincing winner in his Grand Masters repecharge Round 2 heat, earning scores of 6.0 and 6.33 (both out of 10) for a total of 12.33 that left his opponents from Venezuela, Italy and New Zealand floundering in his spray.

Malherbe, a copper medalist in the last ISA Masters event in Peru in 2008, is now through to repecharge Round 3 and still four heats away from a place in the Grand Final of the division.

Although only so-called ‘losers’ heats were run, the highest scores of the entire event were posted when Costa Rican Craig Scheiber was awarded 17.17 out of 20 (9.17 + 8.00) in his Grand Masters heat. And the man who is competing in two divisions at the event didn’t stop there, racking up 15.50 points when he contested his Kahunas heat.

Meanwhile in the Masters division, former ASP World Tour No. 3, Victor Ribas from Brazil, finally found his rhythm and was the best surfer of his age group, scoring 16.10 (8.67 + 7.43).

Team South Africa remains on track to retain the ISA World Team Champions title they have won at the previous two editions of the event and are leading the ratings along with Australia, Peru and Brazil who are the only nations with all their surfers still in contention.

Today’s action at Santa Catalina in Panama will get underway at 7:00am (@ 2pm in South Africa) with the following schedule:

 ISA World Masters Surfing Championships

Schedule for Thursday 2 September (South Africans in Brackets)

Masters Qualify 3                            (Wayne Monk & Andrew Banks)
Kahunas Qualify 3                          (David Malherbe & Marc Wright)
Grand Masters Qualify 3               (Robert Moore-Boyle)
Masters Repecharge 3
Kahunas Repecharge 3
Grand Masters Repecharge 3       (Andre Malherbe)
Women’s Masters Repecharge 2
Grand Kahunas Repecharge 2

All the action from the event, including live webcasts, daily videos, photos, results and contest news in both English and Spanish can be found at www.panamaisaworldmasters.com.

Event updates are also available through the ISA Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts.

The SA Masters Team preparations and attendance at the 2010 ISA World Masters Championships is made possible thanks to a R150 000 grant from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).

Ends

ATTENTION MEDIA
Daily high quality pictures and TV resolution video highlights for editorial use, rights free, will be made available here daily:
 
Host: ftp.isasurf.org
User: isasurf_wmsc
Password: download1

About the International Surfing Association (ISA)
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980.  

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of over 60 countries on six continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. The President is Fernando Aguerre and the four Vice Presidents are Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Mike Gerard (USA) and Karín Sierralta (Peru).

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock, General Manager
Cell:                  082 454 1149
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Compiled & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

 

Chantelle Rautenbach won the Billabong Pro Junior Women’s title at Victoria Bay on Friday, defeating Sarah Baum in the final held in rippable head-high waves peeling down the point at the iconic Southern Cape surf break.

Rautenbach, 20, from Melkbosstrand controlled the final from outset, selecting two waves that allowed her to utilise her full repertoire of backhand manoeuvres and post scores of 6.5 and 5.0. While she didn’t improve on these for the remainder of the heat, they ultimately proved sufficient to clinch victory, a cheque of R2 000 and a haul of 1 000 points on the Pro Surf Tour (PST) rankings.

Baum was the favourite going into the final after a convincing semifinal victory over top seed Bianca Buitendag (George), but the 16 year-old from Athlone Park struggled to find waves with good scoring potential during the final and, with a highest ride of 4.35, was left needing 7.15 points when the curtain came down on the 25 minute match up.

Rautenbach, who captured the SA Open Women’s crown in East London last weekend, defeated Heidi Palmboom (Bluff) in a wave-starved, low-scoring semi-final. Palmboom and Buitendag finished equal third overall in the event.

Day 3 action opened with the Pro Junior men going to work in solid 1 to 1.5 metre waves that offered plenty of opportunity for high performance surfing. The country’s best surfers aged 20-and-under did not disappoint, tearing into the long lines on the point and producing several shock eliminations.

First to be ousted was fourth seed Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), winner of the first Billabong Pro Junior event in April, and he was soon followed by the seemingly unstoppable Benji Brand (Kommetjie), then second seed Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) and Scottburgh standout Slade Prestwich.

The Pro Junior men’s quarterfinal heats, using the man-on-man format, were held at the end of the day and saw top seed Chad du Toit (Berea) lead throughout to defeat Shawn Dennis (Durban) and set up a crucial semifinal encounter with Matt Bromley who eliminated fellow Billabong team rider Kommetjie resident Davey Brand in their quarter.

The match-up between 2009 ASP Africa champion du Toit and Bromley will be one that the Kommetjie surfer will be desperate to win. With Staples and du Toit having secured their participation in the inaugural ASP World Junior Tour by reaching the last 16 here, Bromley needs to reach the final of the Billabong Pro Junior Vic Bay to clinch the coveted third and final invitation.

In the bottom half of the draw, J-Bay standout Steven Sawyer grabbed victory over Haydn MacNicol and will go up against Nick Godfrey (Cape St Francis) in the second semifinal on Saturday.  Godfrey, a previous Vic Bay winner, had racked up an 8.0 and a 6.0 to eliminate David van Zyl (Glenashley).

In between the clashes of the Pro Junior titans, the semifinals U12 boys produced a spectacular display of rising talent as Adin Masencamp (Somerset West) simply blitzed to book his berth in the final alongside runner-up Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay). The pair will be up against perennial achiever Donovan Wichmann (Marina da Gama) and diminutive Ford van Jaarsveld  who caused an upset by ousting fellow Kommetjie surfer Ethan Fletcher.

In the U14’s, long time friends and rivals Max Armstrong (Scarborough) and Benji Brand had their opponents fighting for second place in their respective semifinals as they continuously delivered excellent scores. The pair will duke out tomorrow’s final against respective runners-up Shane Sykes (Salt Rock) and Steffen Burrows (Strand).

The highly competitive U16 boys quarterfinals produced another phenomenal display by Benji Brand as the Billabong rider racked up scores of 8.1 and 7.0 to move into the semis along with Matt McGillivray (Port Elizabeth) while Dylan Lightfoot (J-Bay) and a fast improving Brandon Benjamin advanced from Heat 2.

Slade Prestwich detonated with an excellent 8.25 to win Heat 3 ahead of newcomer Wade Simkiss with Max Armstrong and Steven Sawyer dominating the last quarterfinal.

Prestwich then went on to book his spot in tomorrow’s final of the R2 000 VonZipper Air Show by punting a massive boost in the U16 trials.

With the wave period shortening and the swell dropping the organisers will make a call at 7.30am on when and where the final day of action will be staged.

Anyone who would like to be included onto the Billabong Junior Series event SMS notification database can send their name and mobile number to brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

There are daily video and picture uploads for each day of the event on www.billabong.com/za and the heat results can be followed as they happen throughout the event on Twitter and Facebook (Username- BillabongSA).

The Pro Surf Tour (PST) events in the Billabong Junior Series are sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport, while the internationally rated Pro Junior men’s event is sanctioned by ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International.

The series is proudly supported by Von Zipper, Kustom and Nixon and fueled by Monster Energy.

\ends

Issued on behalf of:

Brendon Kegel – Media and Communications
Billabong South Africa
Tel:                   042 200 2747
Fax:                  042 293 2478
Cell:                  083 799 0110
Email:               brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

Compiled & Issued by:

Life’s a Beach Communications 
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie, 7976 South Africa
Tel / Fax:     +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Mobile:        +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:          lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

 

After getting the Billabong Junior Series underway in half-metre waves at the preferred venue of Victoria Bay this morning, the organisers made an inspired decision to switch the season-ending event to Herold’s Bay, which paid off handsomely as the country’s top junior surfers reveled in consistent one metre surf.

Having completed the opening rounds of the Under 12 and U14 boys divisions at Vic Bay, contest director Colin Fitch called a 30 minute break when the waves became inconsistent on the dropping tide. Reports that Herold’s Bay had bigger waves saw the organisers successfully complete a swift transfer of the contest infrastructure and 90 minutes later the event was up and running 30 Kms down the coast.

Other than Adin Masencamp (Somerset West) placing  third and having to contest Round 2 of the U12 boys, the top seeds Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay), Billabong’s Jake Elkington (Cape Town), Ethan Fletcher (Kommetjie) and Donovan Wichmann (Marina da Gama) all progressed directly to the semifinals.

The usual suspects also advanced from Round 1 of the U14 boys where Wichmann, Jason Harris (Scottburgh), Jonah Paarman (Kommetjie) and Matt McGillivray (Port Elizabeth), along with newcomer Jerry van Wyk, booked their places in the last 16 against the top eight seeds in the division.

The U16 boys were first up once the event restarted and Heat 1 saw 16 year Sarah Baum (Athlone Park), just back from a successful stint competing in the ASP Star-rated events in the California, upstage her male rivals by winning the encounter and advancing to the last 16 along with second placed Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay).

Benji Brand (Kommetjie), winner of the U16 boys in the Billabong Junior Series event on the Dolphin Coast in April, delivered his customary high-powered performance in the left-handers to convincingly win his heat, as did fellow Billabong team riders Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay) and Mikey Venter (Warner Beach), top seed Jarred Veldhuis (Kommetjie) and No. 2 seed Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh).

Only one heat of Pro Junior (U20) women was run which saw Morag Steele and Cara MacDonald join the stacked heats in Round 2 that feature the likes of Southern Cape local and top seed Bianca Buitendag (George), fellow international campaigners Sarah Baum and Billabong team rider Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie), Alice McGregor (East London), SA Open champion Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand) and Kirsty Delport (Durban).

The day’s proceedings were completed by the four Round 1 heats in the Billabong Pro Junior, a R37 500 Grade-1 ASP Pro Junior event that will determine the yearend ASP Africa Pro Junior rankings for 2010 and the recipients of the three invitations to compete in the inaugural ASP World Junior Tour starting in Bali at the end of October.

Heat winners Jacob Mellish (Somerset West) and local Vincent Withers (Wilderness) along with Mikey Venter and Jordan Alexander (Cape Town) who received walk-throughs, and their respective runners-up, joined the top 24 seeds in Round 2, which promises to produce world-class action when the event gets underway on Thursday.

There will be daily video and picture uploads for each day of the event on www.billabong.com/za and the heat results can be followed as they happen throughout the event on Twitter and Facebook (Username- BillabongSA).

The organisers will check the waves at Vic Bay at first light on Thursday to decide when and where to commence the event.

Anyone who would like to be included on the Billabong Junior Series event SMS notification database can send their name and mobile number to brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

The Pro Surf Tour (PST) events in the Billabong Junior Series are sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport, while the internationally rated Pro Junior men’s event is sanctioned by ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International.

The series is proudly supported by Von Zipper, Kustom and Nixon and fueled by Monster Energy.

\ends

Issued on behalf of:

Brendon Kegel – Media and Communications
Billabong South Africa
Tel:                   042 200 2747
Fax:                  042 293 2478
Cell:                  083 799 0110
Email:               brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

Compiled & Issued by:

Life’s a Beach Communications 

PO Box 48272, Kommetjie, 7976 South Africa
Tel / Fax:     +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Mobile:        +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:          lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

TEAHUPOO, Taiarapu/Tahiti (Monday, August 30, 2010) – After seven, consecutive lay days, the Billabong Pro Tahiti commenced action on Monday, and the world’s best surfers unleashed a barrage of hi-fi performances in the glassy three-to-four foot (1.5 metre) barrels on offer at Teahupoo.

Stop No. 5 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Tahiti completed Round 1 and the opening six heats of Round 2 today, bearing witness to interesting developments in the 2010 ASP World Title Race as well as the drama of the midyear cut-off.

Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, current ASP World No. 1, finds himself in the driver seat in the hunt for the 2010 ASP World Title heading into Tahiti, and despite not being historically dominant at Teahupoo, the young South African’s progressive repertoire proved enough to net him the win today.

“Definitely relieved to get through Round 1 out there,” Smith said. “We haven’t been doing too much on the off days. So it was tricky out there, but super excited to get through and start focusing on the next heat.”

Facing one of the most difficult match-ups in Round 1, Smith opened his account with an incredible backhand Judo aerial, scoring 7.60 out of a possible 10, and held onto the lead to defeat 2000 ASP World Champion and former event winner C.J. Hobgood (USA), 31, and dangerous local wildcard and former event finalist, Manoa Drollet (PYF), 29.

“I knew that wave wasn’t going to be much from the start so I had to do something special,” Smith said. “There are actually some really amazing ramps out there if you can find them. It’s just the landings that are challenging. Fortunately for me on that last one, I was able to land almost on the back of the wave and then bring it down.”

Smith’s progression directly to Round 3 became all the more meaningful when current ASP No. 2, Taj Burrow (AUS), 32, suffered a shock Round 2 elimination, as did defending event champion Bobby Martinez (USA), 28, and Bede Durbidge (AUS).

Kelly Slater (USA), 38, past nine-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 3, survived a close-fought battle against former nemesis and past three-time ASP World Champion, Andy Irons (HAW), 32, and wildcard Heiarii Williams (PYF), 23, to advance directly into Round 3. With the nature of three-man heats, the three backside tube specialists continually pushed one another up the point as they all netted solid scores.

“I actually blew it out there a couple times,” Slater said. “I let Heiarii (Williams) get underneath me on the really good wave, but if I ended up hassling him, Andy (Irons) could have got it. It’s unfortunate when there’re not a lot of waves, and I was trying to play cat and mouse with those guys for most of the heat. Heiarii paddled me deep on every set, he got me on one, and then I was too deep on another and Andy got it. It was tough.”

Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, current ASP World No. 4, rebounded from a Round 1 loss this morning to take out the highest heat total of the event, a 16.27 out of a possible 20, en route to his Round 2 victory over replacement surfer Tim Reyes (USA), 28.

“We actually got a lot of waves and we were trading off a lot out there,” Reynolds said. “It was fun. He’d get a good one, then I got an okay one. I never like sending anyone home, but I don’t like losing either. I guess I just like surfing.”

Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, reigning ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 6, suffered a Round 1 loss this morning, but rebounded in blistering form this afternoon with an impressive 15.00 out of a possible 20 to dispatch Trials Winner Tuamata Puhetini (PYF) and advance through to Round 3.

Taj Burrow, current ASP World No. 2 and last year’s event Runner-Up, suffered the biggest loss of the event thus far, going down to wildcard Manoa Drollet (PYF), 29, in Round 2 of competition.

“I started out doing turns but I don’t think that was a good strategy,” Drollet said. “Taj (Burrow) is so good at doing turns, so I tried to focus on barrels. Fortunately, the right ones came through and I was the winner. To do well here would be a very special thing for me.”

While the usual suspects were standouts today, the ASP’s midyear field reduction from 45 to 34 (Top 32 finishers after five events and two surfer wildcards) following the Billabong Pro Tahiti created some unlikely heroes throughout Rounds 1 and 2 as they battled for survival.

Marco Polo (BRA), 29, current ASP World No. 44, had failed to post an elite tour heat win this season, but caused the upset of the day, defeating two-time defending Billabong Pro Tahiti winner and current ASP World No. 8, Bobby Martinez in Round 2.

“It has taken me all year but to do it in Tahiti against Bobby (Martinez) is so special,” Polo said. “Neco (Padaratz) was in the channel giving me instructions. He was telling me to sit deeper, move this way, move that way, and I got that wave at the end that pushed me through. I’m so happy that I can keep surfing so I hope to do better in the next heat.”

Blake Thornton (AUS), 25, also current ASP World No. 44, was another to post an inaugural win today, smashing his Round 1 heat with a 15.50 out of a possible 20. Despite the slow conditions, Thornton netted a backside bomb in the last minute to score a 9.00 out of a possible 10 and rocket from third to first and advance through to Round 3.

South Africa’s Travis Logie, rated equal No. 30 coming into the event and needing to advance through at least one round to stay in contention for the mid-year cut-off, narrowly lost his opening heat. The Durbanite faces a do-or-die encounter against veteran Australian campaigner Kieren Perrow in Heat 12 of Round 2.

Despite the possibility for surfers to fail making the midyear cut from Monday’s action, everyone is still in the hunt to qualify for the Top 32. A full breakdown of ASP World Title Rankings possibilities, including the ASP midyear field reduction, for the Billabong Pro Tahiti are available at ASPWorldTour.com

When competition resumes, up first will be Taylor Knox (USA), 39, up against Jay Thompson (AUS), 28, in Heat 7 of Round 2 of the Billabong Pro Tahiti.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6am (6pm South African time) to assess conditions for a possible 6:30am start.

Surfline, official forecasters for the Billabong Pro Tahiti, are calling for the current south-southwest swell to fade throughout tomorrow, with a small mix of south and southwest swell on offer for the end of the waiting period.

Highlights from today’s Billabong Pro Tahiti will be available via http://www.billabongpro.com/tahiti10/

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.07, Jay Thompson (AUS) 1.83, Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 1.00
Heat 2: Luke Stedman (AUS) 10.33, Nate Yeomans (USA) 8.83, Jadson Andre (BRA) 4.40
Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.16, Marco Polo (BRA) 5.33, Bobby Martinez (USA) 5.33
Heat 4: Blake Thornton (AUS) 15.50, Tom Whitaker (AUS) 12.00, Dane Reynolds (USA) 11.60
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 9.66, Tim Reyes (USA) 5.34, Roy Powers (HAW) 2.73
Heat 6: Joan Duru (FRA) 10.10, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 7.60, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 6.90
Heat 7: Tamaroa McComb (PYF) 14.77, Mick Fanning (AUS) 9.50, Adam Melling (AUS) 5.70
Heat 8: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.30, Manoa Drollet (PYF) 10.40, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 8.41
Heat 9: Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.66, Taj Burrow (AUS) 11.40, Tuamata Puhetini (PYF) 10.43
Heat 10: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.00, Andy Irons (HAW) 13.97, Heiarii Williams (PYF) 12.57
Heat 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.50, Dusty Payne (HAW) 9.03, Drew Courtney (AUS) 0.20
Heat 12: Owen Wright (AUS) 11.27, Brett Simpson (USA) 8.53, Neco Padaratz (BRA) 7.73
Heat 13: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 11.93, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 11.46, Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 8.43
Heat 14: Michel Bourez (PYF) 13.23, Dean Morrison (AUS) 9.00, Mick Campbell (AUS) 5.43
Heat 15: Luke Munro (AUS) 14.03, Travis Logie (ZAF) 12.94, Taylor Knox (USA) 9.93
Heat 16: Ben Dunn (AUS) 10.87, Chris Davidson (AUS) 7.90, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 6.92

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Manoa Drollet (PYF) 14.76 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 12.33
Heat 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.00 def. Tuamata Puhetini (PYF) 7.27
Heat 3: Heiarii Williams (PYF) 14.03 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 13.43
Heat 4: Dane Reynolds (USA) 16.27 def. Tim Reyes (USA) 12.50
Heat 5: Marco Polo (BRA) 9.84 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 7.83
Heat 6: Nate Yeomans (USA) 12.73 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.00

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI REMAINING ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 7: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 8: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Drew Courtney (AUS)
Heat 9: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 10: Andy Irons (HAW) vs. Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 11: Adam Melling (AUS) vs. Mick Campbell (AUS)
Heat 12: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 13: Roy Powers (HAW) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 14: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs. Dean Morrsion (AUS)
Heat 15: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 16: Dusty Payne (HAW) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)

Ends

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About ASP: The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the recognized world governing body of professional surfing and has been crowning surfing’s undisputed World Champions since 1976. The ASP sanctions and crowns World Champions for the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, ASP World Junior Tour, ASP World Longboard and Masters Championships.
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