All 32 of the world’s top ranked professional surfers will be in Jeffreys Bay in July for the R3 million Billabong Pro J-Bay 2011, Africa’s only stop on the ASP World Tour, the 11-event series of events that determines surfing’s annual men’s world champion.

Scheduled for 14-24 July, the 26th edition of the continent’s most prestigious surfing event will again be staged at Supertubes, the 300 metre stretch of coastline universally acknowledged as one of the planet’s top 10 high performance surf breaks.

The stellar field for the 2011 Billabong Pro J-Bay, arguably the most talented group of surfers ever assembled, includes 10-time and reigning ASP world Champion Kelly Slater (USA); South African superstar and defending event champion, Jordy Smith; former two-time world and event champion Mick Fanning (AUS) and previous Billabong Pro J-Bay champions Joel Parkinson and Taj Burrow (both Australians).

Throw in the progressive manoeuvres of Dane Reynolds (USA), the precocious talents of Owen Wright (AUS), Michel Bourez (TAH) and 2010 runner-up Adam Melling (AUS), add established stars like current ASP World Tour No. 1 ranked Adriano de Souza (BRA), the Hobgood twins – 2000 world champion CJ and 2009 J-Bay runner-up Damien – along with fellow American Bobby Martinez and spectacular surfing performances are guaranteed to light up the waves at Supers.

The 36 man field also includes South Africa’s ‘uber-wildcard’ Sean Holmes (Cape Town), conqueror of both Slater and the late Andy Irons (HAW) on his way to fifth place last year. Holmes’ uncanny affinity with the waves at Supertubes has wrecked the title hopes of so many of the top contenders over the years.

The second wildcard goes to the winner of the VonZipper Superheat, a five-man encounter held on the first day of the event featuring South African rising stars Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) and Dale Staples (St Francis Bay); international contenders Granger Larson (HAW) and reigning ASP World Junior Champion Jack Freestone (AUS) along with Shaun Payne (St Francis Bay), winner of the Xcel Pro Showdown at Supers.

This year sees three days of major underground music talent coinciding with the world-class surfing action. The Billabong Pro Music Festival runs Friday to Sunday, 15 to 17 July, at the Jolly Dolphin featuring a lineup of 14 top SA bands including the likes of Aking, City Bowl Mizers, P.H.Fat, Jack Parow and the ever-popular local Hot Wasabi band fronted by the legendary Steve Walsh.

Billabong continues its efforts to heighten awareness of local and global surf communities to the challenge of climate change, and how we all need to become part of the solution, by making the 2011 Billabong Pro J-Bay a ‘greener event’.

Building on the programs instituted over the past two years, the estimated 384.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions generated by the event activities, including the travel by local and international participants and officials, will be reduced wherever possible. The remaining emissions will be offset using United Nations Kyoto compliant carbon credits ensuring a low carbon, climate-conscious event and that the barrels ridden at Supers are green in more ways than one.

Greening initiatives at the event include using renewable energy, biodegradable food and beverage containers, paper instead of plastic bags and bio-diesel fuel in event vehicles where possible alongside an event recycling program. More about climate change and what it means to surfers can be found at www.cleanerclimate.com/billabongpro

The eyes of the surfing world will be firmly fixed on Jeffreys Bay from 14-24 July as hundreds of thousands of surf fans worldwide log millions of page impressions while following the fortunes of their favourite surfers.

All the action will be covered via webcasts on www.billbabongpro.com featuring live scoring, expert commentary and interviews, video footage with multiple camera angles, slow-motion replays, video on demand highlights of previous heats and online competitions with valuable prizes.

The optimum experience remains attending the event and there is nothing quite like watching the action live from the natural amphitheatre on the dunes overlooking the liquid runway known as Supertubes, mingling with the world’s best surfers and enjoying the legendary party atmosphere in J-Bay throughout the 11-day event. Be there.

The Billabong Pro J-Bay 2011 is proudly presented by South Africa’s adventure province Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency and further supported by Carling Black Label, Monster Energy, Coca Cola, Amarok, Vida e Caffe, Tavcor, VonZipper and Nixon.

\ends
Compiled and issued 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 South African junior surfing team claimed an unprecedented four medals at the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships which was completed in wild two to three metre waves at Punta Hermosa in Peru yesterday (Saturday).

Team SA finished runner-up to hosts Peru to claim the team silver medal for the first time and also provided a finalist in each of the three individual divisions with Dylan Lightfoot and Bianca Buitendag earning silver medals in the U16 Boys and U18 Girls respectively while team captain Davey Brand took the bronze in the U18 Boys.

In an inspiring comeback after seven SA surfers were eliminated in Day 5 action on Thursday, the five remaining team members produced stellar performances on the last two days to put the country back into contention for the team gold medal. However, it was not to be and the local knowledge of the host nation, Peru, paid off on the final day as the size of the waves grew to challenging proportions.

Dylan Lightfoot came within 30 seconds of claiming SA’s first individual junior gold medal in the event since Jordy Smith in 2003. Starting the final day in Round 8 of the U16 Boys Repecharge, the 16 year-old from Eastern Province blasted his way through three consecutive heats in the rising surf,  including a confidence boosting heat win in the repecharge final, to reach the Grand Final,.

Lightfoot led for the majority of the 25 minute final encounter after posting the heat’s highest scoring ride of a 6.50 plus a 4.72, both out of 10. This gave him the lead going into the final minutes even though he and Peru’s Joaquín del Castillo were tied on identical two-wave tallies of 11.22 out of 20.

But while the leading pair battled for position in the heaving whitewater covered lineup, Brazil’s Felipe Toledo, needing 6.03 points for victory, slipped inside and racked up a series of manoeuvres on a smaller wave, finishing with a small aerial to be awarded 6.08 points and the gold medal by 0.06 of a point.

Bianca Buitendag started her final day campaign in the same situation as Lightfoot, three heats away from the Grand Final in the U18 Girls repecharge rounds. Undaunted the talented teenager from South Cape finished second behind Canelle Bulard in two heats before scoring a satisfying win over the French girl in the repecharge final.

However, the Grand Final belonged to Bulard who recorded rides of 7.30 and 6.56 to leave her three opponents in a combination situation before Buitendag fought back with a 4.62 and 5.54 to claim second place ahead of the two Australian girls.

With Davey Brand, Mikey February and David van Zyl all still in contention for U18 Boys’ medals on the final day, and the demise of the teams from surfing powerhouses such as Australia, the USA, Hawaii and Brazil, Team SA was in with a shout for the team gold medal.

Even after February and van Zyl were ousted from the event in equal 9th place following third place finishes in Repecharge Round 8, Davey Brand emerged victorious from the Qualifying stream final to complete an unbeaten run straight to the U18 Boys Grand Final to keep the dream alive.

Despite Brand leading the final with a couple of early low-scoring rides, the grand finale was dominated by local hero Cristobal de Col whose previous experience in the washy, double-overhead conditions saw him snag the better inside waves with higher scoring potential and ride them flawlessly to clinch the gold medal.

Brand delivered a gutsy performance and produced a 6.26 point ride with four minutes remaining to get back into contention but the 18 year-old from Western Province ultimately placed third behind de Col and Portuguese standout Vasco Ribeiro to earn a second bronze medal to go with the one he took home as an U16 surfer in Ecuador in 2009.

The four medal haul is the best return by a South African junior team in the nine year history of the event while the silver medal in the team standings is the first time South Africa has finished better than fourth in the annual gathering of the world’s best surfers aged 18-and-under.

All the results from the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships can be found at www.isawjsc.com along with video footage, an extensive photo gallery and the news.

2011 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
Punta Hermosa, Peru

Final Team Standings:
Gold: Peru
Silver: South Africa
Bronze: Australia
Copper: Hawaii

Girls Under 18 Final Results:
Gold: Canelle Bulard (FRA)
Silver: Bianca Buitendag (RSA)
Bronze: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)
Copper: Codie Klein (AUS)

South Africans
25th Sarah Baum
31st Emma Smith
37th Nikita Kekana

Under 16 Boys Final Results:
Gold: Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Silver: Dylan Lightfoot (RSA)
Bronze: Joaquín del Castillo (PER)
Copper: Juninho Urcia (PER)

South Africans
25th Diran Zakarian
25th  Slade Prestwich
37th Benji Brand

Under 18 Boys Final Results:
Gold: Cristobal de Col (PER)
Silver: Vasco Ribeiro (POR)
Bronze: Davey Brand (RSA)
Copper: Miguel Tudela (PER)

South Africans
9th Mikey February
9th David van Zyl
41st Steven Sawyer

Final Team Points
1. Peru (5123)
2. South Africa (4860)
3. Australia (4651)
4. Hawaii (4546)
5. USA (4164)
6. France (4113)
7. Brazil (4060)
8. Portugal (3505)
9. Tahiti (3393)
10. New Zealand (2810)
11. UK (2640)
12. Costa Rica (2505)
13. Japan (2357)
14. Argentina (2198)
15. Barbados (2128)
16. Ecuador (2034)
17. Mexico (1910)
18. Venezuela (1736)
19. Chile (1652)
20. Germany (1649)
21. Ireland (1488)
22. Puerto Rico (1390)
23. Uruguay (1156)
24. Jamaica (1064)
25. Italy (960)
26. Guatemala (652)
27. Morocco (340)

/ENDS
Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa
Contact: Robin de Kock – General Manager
Cell:  082 454 1149
Email:  surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:   www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

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

Defending champions Border retained the coveted President’s Cup at the 2011 Billabong SA Surfing Championships which was completed in clean, offshore four foot surf at Seal Point in Cape St Francis on Sunday (May 15).

Not only did the team from East London win the 46th team title for the second year in a row but they also produced the Open Men’s champion in Greg Emslie, the runner up and Surfer of the Contest recipient Wayne Monk as well as the Women’s champion in Nikita Robb.

This was Emslie’s second title in a row and his fourth SA Championship victory. He joins George Thomopoulos on four SA Championship wins and one more will see him match Chris Knutsen.

Robb returned from competing on the World Qualifying Series to represent her beloved Border and it proved to be a good decision. 2010 National Team member Chantelle Rautenbach of Boland was second in the Women’s final.

Western Province surfer Nick Godfrey, who grew up surfing Seal Point, beat Steven Sawyer of Eastern Province to win his second Under 20 Boys crown in three years while Sarah Baum of KZN Central edged fellow National Junior Team member Bianca Buitendag of Southern Cape to take honours in the Under 20 Girls division.

The four new champions, who shared R30,000 in prize money, were awarded their trophies by Surfing South Africa President Mark Hoffman, Vice President Ant Brodowicz, Board Director Emile Zoetmulder and legendary coach Graham Hynes.

All the competitors earned 3A PST points by competing in the 2011 Billabong SA Championships.

Mark Hoffman presented the coveted Presidents Cup trophy to the Team Champions Border, who were also named as the team with the most spirit during the event. The East London side not only won the accolades and the bulk of the trophies but also took home ten cases of Carling Black Label from SAB for their efforts.

The Billabong SA Surfing Champs was proudly presented by Zigzag, fuelled by Monster, coordinated by Surfing South Africa, supported the Cape St Francis Resort and hosted by the Eastern Province Surfing Council.

Surfing South Africa is recognised by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) as the governing body for the sport and is a member of the International Surfing Association. (ISA)

Updated heat sheets, results and full image galleries available on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and on the official SA Champs 2011 media portal, hosted by: www.zigzag.co.za
Results:
Open Men
1st – Greg Emslie (Border)
2nd – Wayne Monk (Border)
3rd – Klee Strachan – (KZN Central)
4th- Casey Grant – (Southern KZN)

Open Women
1st – Nikita Robb (Border)
2nd – Chantelle Rautenbach (Boland)
3rd – Michelle Imeson (Southern KZN)
4th – Tasha Mentasti (Boland)

U20 Boys
1st- Nick Godfrey (W.P)
2nd – Steven Sawyer (E.P)
3rd – Matt Bromley (W.P)
4th – Dylan Lightfoot (E.P)

U20 Girls
1st – Sarah Baum (KZN Central)
2nd – Bianca Buitendag (Southern Cape)
3rd – Faye Zoetmulder (E.P)
4th – Emma Smith (E.P)

Surfer of the Contest
Wayne Monk (Border)

Team Spirit award
Border

President’s Cup
1st – Border                                        43,464 points
2nd – KwaZulu-Natal Central              41,836 points
3rd – Eastern Province                          41,200 points
4th – Western Province                       39,844 points
5th – Southern KwaZulu-Natal            37,634 points  
6th – Boland                                         32,300 points
7th – Southern Cape                           29,630 points
8th – Zululand                                      19,910 points

ENDS

From Surfing South Africa
www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za
0824541149

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

South African surf star Jordy Smith placed third in the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by Ford Ranger at Bells Beach in Australia earlier today, pocketing US $17 500 (approx. R120 000) and 6 500 rankings points that elevated the Durbanite from No. 5 to No. 3 in the 2011 ASP World Title rankings.

The 50th edition of the iconic event was won by Joel Parkinson who claimed his third Bell and his 10th elite tour victory by defeating compatriot Mick Fanning in a dynamic final held in superb two to 2.5 metre waves.

“It’s incredible,” Parkinson said. “It’s not so much the fact that I’ve won the event, but more so that it’s the 50th anniversary. It feels that much more special. We’ve had such good waves too. I can’t remember the last time that Bells had such good waves. I’m so excited. I can’t believe this.”

Parkinson, who’s last two ASP World Title campaigns have been marred by injuries, is adamant that he is 100% healthy this season and surfing better than ever and vaults from 9th to 2nd on the ASP World Title Rankings behind 10 time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), who finished equal 5th at Bells.

Smith, 22, the 2010 ASP World runner-up, cruised through to the Semifinals of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, recording the top scores on Day 2 of the event despite admittedly feeling out of rhythm throughout the event.

“It was a nice last wave, but it was a pity I didn’t get any before that,” Smith said of his semi-final defeat to Fanning. “I’ve felt off all week so to get a 3rd is pretty good. I’ve got two 3rds now, which is kind of frustrating because you want to make the Final, but that’s how it goes sometimes. 3rd is better than 5th.”

Slater suffered a surprise elimination at the hands of De Souza in this morning’s quarterfinal clash. The young Brazilian left little room for the Champ to respond and an admittedly out-of-rhythm Slater saw his Bells Beach title defence cut abruptly short.

“It’s not my day, not my week and that happens,” Slater said. “For some reason you don’t make the right choices and you’re not in sync with it, I’m definitely not in the zone this week at all. A 5th isn’t that bad a result, but when all the guys who you expect to be in the world title hunt finish higher than you it feels like a 17th.”

On Saturday the Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach presented by Ford Fiesta was won by Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 20, who claimed her maiden ASP Women’s World Title event win after a hard-fought final with current ASP Women’s World No. 1 Carissa Moore (HAW), 18.

Highlights from the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by FORD will be available via www.live.ripcurl.com

The next stop on the 2011 ASP World Title season is the Billabong Pro Rio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from May 11 – 22, 2011.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.53
2 – Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.26

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.33 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.00
SF 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 18.87 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.23

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.66 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 13.16
QF 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 18.00 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 11.24
QF 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.16 def. Chris Davidson (AUS) 11.10
QF 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.46 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.03

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 5 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) 14.17 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 9.26
Heat 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.97 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.66
Heat 3: Chris Davidson (AUS) 16.03 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 15.37
Heat 4: Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.37 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.93

ASP WORLD TITLE RATINGS (After Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach):
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 15,200 pts
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14,000 pts
3. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13,000 pts
4. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 10,500 pts
4. Tiago Pires (PRT) 10,500 pts

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 16.77
2 – Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.40

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.10 def. Silvana Lima (BRA) 12.60
SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.37 def Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 12.60

ASP WOMEN’S WORLD TITLE TOP 5 (After Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach):
1. Carissa Moore (HAW) 18,000 pts
2. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 16,400 pts
3. Tyler Wright (AUS) 13,200 pts
4. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11,700 pts
5. Silvana Lima (BRA) 11,700 pts

Ends

Issued on behalf of:

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

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.

South African surf star Jordy Smith took third place in the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover, the season opening event on the 2011 ASP World Tour, at Snapper Rocks in Australia earlier today.

Reigning 10-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 39, secured an unprecedented 46th elite tour win by defeating defending event champion Taj Burrow (AUS), 32, in a hard fought final held in deteriorating wind affected one metre waves.

 “I’m having a lot of fun,” Slater said from the podium after becoming the first to win the event three times. “It’s pretty easy. You go out and surf Snapper by yourself, it’s pretty fun. Everyone loves this event because the waves are so fun. I don’t think I’m the only one that thought Taj was the standout of the event. At some point he had to stop getting 9s and I just picked the right heat.”
 
Burrow, who was arguably the form surfer throughout the entirety of the event, went on an absolute rampage on the final day of competition to oust American Brett Simpson (USA), 26, in the Quarterfinals and dangerous South African Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, in the Semifinals, but fell just short of the score needed to surpass Slater for the victory in the back-half of their final duel, finishing runner-up overall.
 
“I’m excited about the tour for 2011,” Burrow said. “This was a fun event and it’s just a bummer the waves didn’t hang in there at the end. I couldn’t better a 3 (out of 10). Hats off to Kelly, he built a house and it worked. I’d just like to thank everyone that organized the contest, it was awesome.”
 
Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, the runner-up for 2010 ASP World Title, surfed with style, punch and bite throughout the duration of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, securing exciting last-minute victories over Joel Parkinson (AUS), 29, and Alejo Muniz (BRA), 21, to advance through to the Semifinals. However, the big South African was unable to overtake Burrow in a repeat of last season’s final.
 
“It’s disappointing when everything seems to be going well and the surf doesn’t cooperate,” Smith said. “Taj (Burrow) surfed amazing though and third place is still a good start for me. I’m looking forward to the next event and I’ll just put my head down and work hard until then.”

Despite finishing one place worse off than his runner-up spot in the corresponding event in 2010, Smith’s performances were a clear signal that he will be a strong contender for the 2011 ASP World Title.

He convincingly won his Round 1 encounter against Pat Gudauskas (USA) and Aussie wildcard Mitch Crews to move directly into Round 3 where, after the contest was delayed for seven days waiting for swell, he dispatched veteran campaigner Corey Lopez (USA) with the highest scores of the round (17.17 points out of 20) to reach the last 12.

Although he slipped up in Round 4, the so-called ‘demonstration round’ where none of the surfers are eliminated, finishing third behind Brett Simpson (USA) and Adriano de Souza (BRA), the South African roared back into contention with a morale-boosting, high scoring Round 5 victory over perennial ASP World Title contender and local hero Joel Parkinson to advance to the quarterfinals.

A last minute comeback against red-hot rookie Alejo Muniz (BRA) this morning set up Smith’s semifinal encounter with Burrow which he ultimately lost when the Australian posted two outstanding rides

Highlights from the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast will be available via http://www.quiksilverpro.com.au
 
The next stop on the 2011 ASP World Title season will be the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by Ford Ranger from April 19 – 30, 2011.
 
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
 
QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Kelly Slater (USA) 11.20
2 – Taj Burrow (AUS) 10.17
 
QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.77 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 8.20
SF 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) 17.56 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.40
 
QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.40 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 9.06
QF 2: Tiago Pires (PRT) 14.64 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.40
QF 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) 17.30 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 11.60
QF 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13.03 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 9.95
 
ASP WORLD TITLE TOP 5 (After Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast):
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 10,000 points
2. Taj Burrow (AUS) 8,000 points
3. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 6,500 points
3. Tiago Pires (PRT) 6,500 points
5. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 5,200 points
5. Brett Simpson (USA) 5,200 points
5. Dusty Payne (HAW) 5,200 points
5. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 5,200 points

For further information go to www.aspworldtour.com

Ends
Issued on behalf of:

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

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.

South African surfers Travis Logie and Shaun Joubert boosted their respective positions on the 2011 ASP World Tour rankings after posting excellent results in the Prime rated Hang Loose Pro in Brazil on Sunday.

Competing in hollow one to 1.5 metre waves on the tropical island paradise of Fernando de Noronha, 325 kms off the North coast of Brazil, Logie advanced to the man-on-man semi-finals before being ousted by eventual winner Alejo Muniz (BRA) who will make his debut on the ASP World Tour in Australia this week.

The 31 year-old Durbanite, who narrowly failed to requalify for the 2011 ASP World Tour, finishing 2010 ranked No. 34 with just the top 32 qualifying, earned a US $11 000 (approx. R77 000) paycheque and 4 225 priceless rankings points in Brazil.

This is the third highest of the eight results that count towards Logie’s overall ranking on the newly adopted ASP rolling 52-week rankings system. As he did not compete in the corresponding event in Brazil last year Logie did not drop any points this week and Sunday’s result moves him up from No. 34 to No. 29 on the latest rankings.

The top 32 ranked surfers after the completion of event No. 6 on the ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro New York that ends on September 15, will become the field for the remaining five events that will determine this year’s ASP World Champion.

Nineteen-year-old Joubert posted an outstanding fifth place result, surfing his way past several significantly higher ranked opponents before being eliminated by eventual event runner-up Dion Atkinson (AUS) in the quarterfinals.

In just his second year as a full time ASP competitor, Joubert collected $7 000 and a nett haul of 3 120 rankings points which saw him leapfrog from No. 118 to No. 81 in the standings. This guarantees the talented Southern Cape surfer entry into the elite 96-man field in the next Prime rated event and the opportunity to accumulate the higher ranking points on offer with the ultimate aim of qualifying for the ASP World Tour amongst the world’s top 32 ranked surfers.

However, the new rankings system worked against Rudy Palmboom who finished equal 13th on Sunday. His haul of 1 200 points was 342 points less than the 1 542 he earned for equal 17th place in this event in 2010 and the 22 year-old from the Bluff dropped two places to No. 107 in the rankings.

Brandon Jackson (Durban North) collected an additional 49 points for his 25th place finish to move up one spot in the rankings to No. 98. Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), 20, who is guaranteed a wildcard start in the 10 Prime ranked events this year due to his third place finish in the 2010 ASP World Junior rankings, picked up 650 points for equal 37th place and rocketed up the rankings from 292 to 221.

Royden Bryson, the sixth SA surfer in the event, was a first round casualty but actually rose two places in the rankings to No. 73 as those around him on the rankings forfeited more points than he did.

Meanwhile in Australia, current ASP World No. 3 Taj Burrow (AUS) repeated his 2010 victory in the ASP 4-Star rated Breaka Burleigh Pro at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast on Sunday, where South Africans Chad du Toit (Durban) and Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) finished equal 49th and 65th respectively.

Burrow will be hoping the victory is again perfect preparation for a repeat of his victory in the ASP Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, the season-opening ASP World Tour event which starts on Saturday and runs until 9 March.

FINAL HANG LOOSE PRO CONTEST 2011:
Champion: Alejo Muniz (BRA) scored 13.00 points – US$ 40,000 and 6.500 points
Runner-Up: Dion Atkinson (AUS) scored 7.14 points – US$ 20,000 and 5.200 points

SEMIFINALS – 3rd place – US$ 11,000 and 4.225 points:
SF 1: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 12.77 x 12.26 Travis Logie (ZAF)
SF 2: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 10.73 x 9.17 Heitor Alves (BRA)

QUARTER FINALS – 5th place – US$ 7,000 and 3.120 points:
QF 1: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.10 x 5.83 Masatoshi Ohno (JPN)
QF 2: Travis Logie (ZAF) 13.67 x 10.20 Jihad Kohdr (BRA)
QF 3: Heitor Alves (BRA) 13.17 x 10.50 Hizunome Bettero (BRA)
QF 4: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 10.44 x 10.06 Shaun Joubert (ZAF)

ASP World Tour Rankings (After Hang Loose Pro, Fernando de Noronha)
1 Slater,Kelly  USA 69000
2 Smith,Jordy ZAF 52250
3 Burrow,Taj  AUS 45432
4 Fanning,Mick  AUS 44750
5 Durbidge,Bede  AUS 42463

South Africans (top 200 only)
 29 Logie,Travis ZAF 19708
73 Bryson,Royden  ZAF 9303
81 Joubert,Shaun  ZAF 8582
98 Jackson,Brandon  ZAF 7064
107 Palmboom,Rudy ZAF 6311
138 Fahrenfort,Damien  ZAF 4236
145 Strachan,Klee  ZAF 4072
148 Weare,David  ZAF 3699
153 De Vries,Beyrick  ZAF 3512
157 Gibbens,Brendon  ZAF 3443

For further information go to www.aspworldtour.com

Ends
Issued on behalf of:

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

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.

South African Dale Staples clinched third place in the inaugural ASP World Junior Series rankings after a heart-breaking quarterfinal loss to eventual runner-up, American Nat Young, in the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy at North Narrabeen beach in Sydney, Australia, earlier today (Saturday).

Coming into the event as the No. 2 seed, and with top seed Jack Freestone (AUS) watching from the beach after being eliminated in 9th place on Wednesday, Staples needed to advance to the semifinals to take the rankings lead.

However, it was not to be and the 20-year-old from St Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape surfed nervously, falling several times while attempting the same manoeuvres that had seen him defeat a number of the world’s best 20-and-under surfers on his way to the last eight in the event.

Nevertheless, Staples led for most of the 30 minute heat as Young also posted a string of low scoring rides before finally nailing two good manoeuvres on a ride that scored 5.83 out of 10. Despite riding two more waves in the remaining three minutes, Staples could not find the 5.34 points he required for victory.

Young went on to post an excellent 8.33 point ride to grab a finals berth via a last minute victory over Mitch Crews (AUS), who had the honour of becoming the first Australian since 2006 to reach the semifinals in the in the world’s most prestigious junior surfing event.
 
Meanwhile, in the top half of the draw, France’s Marc Lacomare employed a combination of outstanding wave selection in the tricky one metre waves and a repertoire of committed full rail carves to blast his way past friend and travelling companion Charles Martin from Guadalupe and then Brazilian aerial wizard Caio Ibelli to reach the final.

The final was a ding-dong affair with Young needing to win the event to overtake Freestone and become the first American to claim the ASP World Junior title. However, it was Lacomare who prevailed, emulating compatriot Maxime Huscenot’s victory last year and making it a double triumph for France this year as he added the men’s crown to the women’s title won by Alizee Arnaud earlier in the week.

An elated Jack Freestone (AUS), winner of the first event in the ASP World Junior Series event in Bali in October, was crowned the 2010 ASP World Junior Champion, finishing top of the rankings ahead of Young (USA), Staples (ZAF) and Ibelli (BRA).

“It’s been a mixed roller coaster of emotions watching the heats unfold,” Freestone said. “Big congratulations to all of the guys. It’s a dream come true. I never thought it would come true after placing 9th in this event, but I’m just so happy.”

Freestone and Arnaud will be presented with their trophies and officially crowned ASP World Junior Champions alongside ten-times ASP Men’s Champion, Kelly Slater (USA) and four times Women’s ASP World Champion Steph Gilmore (AUS) at the ASP World Champions Banquet scheduled for the Gold Coast in February.

In addition to the prestigious titles that accompany their performances, the Top 4 men’s finishers receive a massive boost to their future careers by earning preferential seeding into the Round of 96 of all ASP PRIME events for 2011. The Top 8 are also given seeds into the round before the last round of all 1-6 ASP Star Series events.

For highlights from the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships log on to http://www.billabongpro.com.
 
For more ASP information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com.

Television newsfeeds and web highlights packages will be made available to TV and online media on competition days. Please contact jj@billabong.com.au.

As the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fueled by Monster Energy was unfolding, competitors and others involved in the event were also focused on the devastating flooding that was impacting the state of Queensland. Event sponsor Billabong committed $50,000 to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal and, through the Rush Surf retail banner, is planning to donate clothing to needy communities.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to the Queensland Government’s flood appeal can visit http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html

The Billabong ASP World junior Championships fueled by Monster Energy is made possible with the support of Sony, Volkswagon, VonZipper, Nixon, Australia’s Surfing Life Magazine, Warringah Council and NSW Sport and Recreation.

Billabong ASP World Junior Championships Final Result:
1 – Marc Lacomare (FRA) 14.00
2 – Nat Young (USA) 11.50

Billabong ASP World Junior Championships Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 11.07 def. Caio Ibelli (BRA) 10.03
SF 2: Nat Young (USA) 13.60 def. Mitch Crews (AUS) 13.40

Billabong ASP World Junior Championships Quarterfinals Results:
QF 1: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 15.00 def. Kiron Jabour (HAW) 10.37
QF 2: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 15.27 def. Charles Martin (GLP) 11.90
QF 3: Nat Young (USA) 10.83 def. Dale Staples (ZAF) 9.60
QF 4: Mitch Crews (AUS) 13.54 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 9.84

Billabong ASP World Junior Rankings (Top 8):
1: Jack Freestone (AUS)
2: Nat Young (USA)
3: Dale Staples (ZAF)
4: Caio Ibelli (BRA)
5: Mitch Crews (AUS)
6: Kiron Jabour (HAW)
7: Marc Lacomare (FRA)
8:Charles Martin (GLP)
 
Ends

 
Issued on behalf of:

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

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.

Bianca Buitendag became the first South African to win the women’s title at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships when she narrowly outscored Justine Dupont (FRA) in the final held in tricky one metre waves at North Narrabeen beach in Sydney, Australia, earlier today (Tuesday).

The lanky 17 year-old from Victoria Bay in the Southern Cape secured the biggest victory of her career, pocketing US $5 000 (approx. R34 000) and 10 000 points which saw her finish tied second with Bali event winner Tyler Wright (AUS) in the 2010 ASP Women’s World Junior rankings.

“I’m very happy,” Buitendag said. “I don’t know how to explain it. I really wasn’t expecting this. I’m really happy about it and it’s the best result of my life. I’m stoked. My Dad has been supporting me since I was little, sitting on the beach and without him nothing would be possible, so thanks to him.”

Coming into the event as a dark-horse after placing ninth in the first leg of ASP World Junior Tour in Bali on October, Buitendag started her campaign by comprehensively defeating second seed Alizee Arnaud(FRA) in Round 1 on Saturday to advance directly to Round 3. On Sunday she overcame the challenge of Port Elizabeth born Australian Philippa Anderson and then moved into the semis by beating Felicity Palmateer (AUS).

Today Buitendag squeaked past Arnaud, who had just claimed the ASP Women’s World Junior title when her compatriot Dupont defeated defending champion Laura Enever (AUS) in the first semifinal, before racking up scores of 6.33 and 3.67 to beat Dupont by 10.0 to 9.0 in the 30 minute finale.

Fellow South African Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand) was a Round 2 casualty, placing equal 17th in this event and 21st in the overall rankings.

Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), the second seed in the men’s event following his runner-up finish to Jack Freestone (AUS) in the first leg in Bali, continued his charge by securing a comfortable Round 3 victory over Hiroto Arai(JAP). Staples opened his tally withan excellent ride that earned 8.17 out of 10 from the judges and then slammed the door on his opponent witha 4.47 in the closing moments after the Japanese surfer had chipped away at his lead with rides of 4.83 and 5.33.

“I’m just focusing on my own heat, but I was watching Jack (Freestone) in the heat before me and I’m just trying to do better than him,” Staples said of the only competitor currently ahead of him in the rankings. “I have my own things that I do before heats, but I do watch him quite a bit because he’s number one. I just hope I can do better than him every heat.”

Staples’ compatriots Brendon Gibbens (Kommetjie) and Shaun Joubert (MosselBay) were less fortunate when they were eliminated by Alex Smith (HAW) and Krystian Kymerson(BRA) respectively, with Kymerson clinching the score he required right on the final hooter. The South African pair finished equal 17th in the event, taking home US $1 200 each.

Chad du Toit (Berea, Durban) came up against Jesse Mendes(BRA) in the final heat of the day and posted an early score of 6.17 followed by a 6.67 with 11 minutes remaining. Despite recording the heat high score of 6.93, the Brazilian could not find the 5.91 he needed for victory in the time remaining and du Toit joined Staples in the last 16.

Even though the event has been plagued by small surf, onshore winds and so many bluebottles in the line-up that many competitors are wearing full wetsuits for protection, the world’s top 20-and-under competitors demonstrated exceptional talent with every heat punctuated by high-flying progressive manoeuvres.

Freestone was impressive in advancing to Round 4 (the last 16 in the event) along with the likes of fellow Australian Dean Bowen, Grainger Larsen (HAW), Nat Young (USA), Marc Lacomare (FRA) and Brazilians Caio Ibelli and Miguel Pupo.

The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships runs until 16 January and the organisers make a decision at 7am (10pm SA time) each day on whether to get the event underway or wait for better waves.

All the action from the event is webcast LIVE via www.billabongpro.com which also features a ‘heats on demand’ facility where video footage from every heat can be found.
 
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
 
The BillabongASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy is made possible with the support of Sony, Volkswagen, VonZipper, Nixon, Australia’s Surfing Life Magazine, Manly Warringah Council and NSW Sport and Recreation.

Billabong ASP Women’s World Junior Championships Final Results:
1 – Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 10.00
2  – Justine Dupont (FRA) 9.00

Billabong ASP Women’s World Junior Championships Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Justine Dupont (FRA) 11.27 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 8.70
SF 2: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 8.37def. Alizee Arnaud (FRA) 7.56

2010 ASP Women’s World Junior Rankings(After event #2 – Narrabeen)
 Name                                              Points  Placings
1.  Alizee Arnaud(FRA)            14500  2,3
2.  Tyler  Wright(AUS)              13750  1,9
2.  Bianca  Buitendag(ZAF)      13750  9,1
4.  Laura  Enever(AUS)              11750  5,3

South Africans
21.  Chantelle Rautenbach(ZAF)   3500  17,17

Billabong ASP World Junior Championships Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Granger Larsen (HAW) 11.70 def. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 11.16
Heat 2: Kiron Jabour (HAW) 12.16 def. Luke Davis (USA) 7.57
Heat 3: Evan Geiselman (USA) 10.76 def. Davey Cathels (AUS) 10.47
Heat 4: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 13.27 def. Ty Watson (AUS) 9.00
Heat 5: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 11.40 def. Kaimana Jaquias (HAW) 7.83
Heat 6: Dean Bowen (AUS) 12.37 def. Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 9.00
Heat 7: Charles Martin (GLP) 9.16 def. Chris Salisbury (AUS) 8.40
Heat 8: Jack Freestone (AUS) 13.50 def. Ramzi Boukhaim (MOR) 8.17
Heat 9: Dale Staples (ZAF) 12.62def. Hiroto Arai (JPN) 10.16
Heat 10: Alex Smith (HAW) 11.84 def. Brendon Gibbons (ZAF) 8.20
Heat 11: Nat Young (USA) 13.93 def. Keanu Asing (HAW) 10.16
Heat 12: Krystian Kymerson (BRA) 12.73 def. Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 10.37
Heat 13: Mitch Crews (AUS) 11.27 def. Andrew Doheny (USA) 7.40
Heat 14: Kolohe Andino (USA) 11.36 def. Nic Von Rupp (DEU) 9.30
Heat 15: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 13.80 def. Felipe Jervis (PRT) 5.50
Heat 16: Chad Du Toit (ZAF) 12.84 def. Jesse Mendez (BRA) 12.26
ENDS

Issued on behalf of:

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

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.

Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy
ASP World Junior Tour
North Narrabeen, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
January 8 – 16, 2011

 
South Africa’s Dale Staples (St Francis Bay) is the second seed for the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships which starts at North Narrabeen beach in Sydney, Australia, tomorrow (10.30pm tonight, South African time) and runs until 16 January.

Staples finished second to Jack Freestone (AUS) in the first stop on the ASP Junior Tour in Bali in October and will be pushing hard to topple the Australian from the top of the ratings heap and become only the second-ever South African to claim the ASP World Junior title since compatriot Jordy Smith won in 2006.
 
Staples, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Tuesday, was just metres from beating Freestone on a heart-stopping last minute ride in the final in Bali.
 
“I had a pretty good wave, a solid tube which I didn’t come out of and it could have been the winning ride, for sure,” Staples said. “But, I was happy to make the Final and we’ll see what happens at Narrabeen.”

“It’s (the Billabong ASP World Junior Championship) easily the most important event of any junior surfer’s career, it’s the one to win for sure. Narrabeen is a high performance wave. There’s not much you can’t do out there. It’s a beach break and I’m sure every surfer in the event will be going hard and pushing it. I’m looking forward to it,” added Staples.
 
The 48 man field features the world’s top 20-and-under surfers from the seven ASP regions, along with three sponsor’s wildcards, all of whom are capable of forcing their way into contention for the title.

Surfers to watch out for include defending champion Maxime Huscenot (FRA) and the likes of Nat Young and Keanu Asing, the top seeds from the USA and Hawaii respectively, alongside a host of Brazilians who have an amazing rapport with the waves at Narrabeen, having annexed the title four times and provided three runners-up.

However, despite never having competed at Narrabeen, history favours Staples in his head-to-head battle with Freestone as no Australian has clinched the title there since Joel Parkinson 10 years back (2001) and no Aussie has even reached the semifinals since Matt Wilkinson in 2006!

Staples will be joined in the event by compatriots Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay), Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga), Brendon Gibbens (Kommetjie) and ASP Africa Pro Junior champion Chad du Toit (Berea, Durban).

The Billabong ASP Women’s Junior Championships, which runs in conjunction with the men’s event, will feature South Africans Bianca Buitendag (George) and Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand).

The SA girls will be up against the likes of Tyler Wright (AUS), the winner of the Bali leg, and fellow ASP World Tour rookies Laura Enever (AUS), the defending champion, and Sage Erikson (USA).

A traditional Aboriginal ceremony will open proceedings. The Koomurri Performance Group will perform from 07:15am, Saturday 8th January. The performance includes a “Welcome to Country” & “Smoking Ceremony”, and face painting of competitors representing the various world surfing regions.

The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships will be webcast LIVE via www.billabongpro.com
 
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
 
The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy is made possible with the support of Sony, Volkswagen, VonZipper, Nixon, Australia’s Surfing Life Magazine, Manly Warringah Council and NSW Sport and Recreation.

Upcoming Round 1 Billabong ASP World Junior Championships Heats:
Heat 1: Shaun Joubert (ZAF), Tyler Newton (HAW), Ty Watson (AUS)
Heat 2: Maxime Huscenot (FRA), Krystian Kymerson (BRA), Evan Thompson (USA)
Heat 3: Marc Lacomare (FRA), Chad Du Toit (ZAF), Takumi Nakamura (JPN)
Heat 4: Nat Young (USA), Luke Davis (USA), Andrew Doheny (USA)
Heat 5: Miguel Pupo (BRA), Evan Geiselman (USA), Hiroto Arai (JPN)
Heat 6: Granger Larsen (HAW), Nic Von Rupp (DEU), Enrique Ariitu (PYF)
Heat 7: Caio Ibelli (BRA), Alex Smith (HAW), Ramzi Boukhiam (MOR)
Heat 8: Jack Freestone (AUS), Ian Gouveia (BRA), Keala Naihe (HAW)
Heat 9: Dale Staples (ZAF), Charles Martin (GLP), Tom Cioarec (FRA)
Heat 10: Mitch Crews (AUS), Chris Salisbury (AUS), Arashi Kato (JPN)
Heat 11: Jesse Mendes (BRA), Albee Layer (HAW), Conner Coffin (USA)
Heat 12: Kiron Jabour (HAW), Dean Bowen (AUS), Ian Gentil (HAW)
Heat 13: Davey Cathels (AUS), Guillermo Satt (CHL), Ryan Callinan (AUS)
Heat 14: Kolohe Andino (USA), Kaimana Jaquias (HAW), Kaishu Tanaka (JPN)
Heat 15: Beyrick De Vries (ZAF), Keanu Asing (HAW), Kaito Onashi (JPN)
Heat 16: Brendon Gibbens (ZAF), Fillipe Jervis (PRT), Peterson Crisanto (BRA)

Upcoming Round 1 Billabong ASP Women’s World Junior Championships Heats:
Heat 1: Justine Dupont (FRA), Lakey Peterson (USA), Camila Cassia (BRA)
Heat 2: Sage Erickson (USA), Chantelle Rautenbach (ZAF), Malia Manuel (HAW)
Heat 3: Laura Enever (AUS), Alessa Quizon (HAW), Minato Takahashi (JPN)
Heat 4: Tyler Wright (AUS), Diana Cristina (BRA), Ellie-Jean Coffey (AUS)
Heat 5: Felicity Palmateer (AUS), Leila Hurst (HAW), Nao Omura (JPN)
Heat 6: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF), Alizee Aranaud (FRA), Airini Mason (NZL)

ENDS

Issued on behalf of:

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

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.

PIPELINE, Oahu/Hawaii (Thursday, December 16, 2010) – Jeremy Flores (FRA) 22, won the Billabong Pipe Masters in memory of Andy Irons over Kieren Perrow (AUS), 33, in a come-from-behind victory in firing four-to-six foot (1.5 metre) backdoor barrels, marking his first career ASP World Tour victory.

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 29, was another to stand atop the Billabong Pipe Masters podium, clinching his third, consecutive Vans Triple Crown title to conclude the 2010 ASP World Tour season.

Flores, who was in need of a solid 8.60 single-wave score in the dying moments, clawed his way back into the Final against Perrow and threaded the needle on a beautiful righthand barrel to earn a 9.37. Making history as the first European to ever win the Billabong Pipe Masters in the event’s 40 year history, Flores punctuated his season with his career-best result.

“This is such a dream,” Flores said. “I’ve been coming to Hawaii for so long and this is my favorite place in the world, the waves, the people, everything. I just knew I couldn’t give up in the Final even though I was behind. It’s the Pipe Masters and it’s everything. I’m so stoked.”

Flores’ impressive showing in the Final wasn’t his only come-from-behind win of the day, as the young Frenchman also topped reigning 10-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 38, in the dying minutes of their Semifinals match-up, marking a significant turnaround in the young Frenchman’s career.

“I’m so stoked to be here and to have made this result,” Flores said. “I’ve been surfing a lot again in all conditions, small or big and I kind of lost that at the start of the year. I think that’s what has helped my rhythm. I’ve just been surfing three times a day no matter what the conditions are and I think that’s the biggest thing that changed this year for me. I just feel like I’ve found my rhythm again.”

Flores Finished at No. 9 on the ASP World Tour Rankings for 2010.

Perrow dominated the tricky Backdoor Pipeline conditions throughout the event’s entirety, weaving through several tight barrels to drop some of the event’s top scores including a 9.90 a 9.83 and a 9.70, However the hard-charging Australian saw his Billabong Pipe Masters title slip from his grasp in the final minutes of his match up against Flores.

“You never think you’ve won until the hooter goes I guess,” Perrow said. “I know Jeremy (Flores) is capable of getting great scores which he showed throughout the event and I wanted to be patient and wait for that good one. I went on that one that wasn’t so good and Jeremy got that 9 and all credit to him. It’ been a fantastic week though, the support from everyone has been amazing.”

Kelly Slater (USA), 38, reigning ten-time ASP World Champion, appeared to be the form surfer of the event, notching the event’s only perfect 10-point ride in his Round 4 heat, but made an uncharacteristic priority mistake in his Semifinals bout against Flores, allowing the young Frenchman to find the score needed to overtake Slater in the final minutes of their heat to leave the Floridian icon with a 3rd place finish overall.

“I thought there was a bigger one behind but there have only been one wave sets and I didn’t even think about it in the moment. As soon as it went over I was like ‘oh no,’ but that’s the way it goes. I’ve had it go that way for me before, but good for Jeremy he’s a great tube rider and I’m sure he’s stoked to be in the Final. To start the heat off I fell and Jeremy was just getting barreled across and I said ‘you know, I’m going to come back and win this heat.’ I let my guard down in the end and that’s the way it goes. You can get 18 or 20 points at Pipeline in the last two minutes.”

The 2010 Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons also represents Slater’s historic 20th event at the Banzai Pipeline and the ASP World Tour veteran took the time to reflect on his many years in Hawaii.

“I have a lot of good memories here at Pipeline,” Slater said. “I think I’ve surfed in 20 of these things. I think my first one (Pipe Masters) was my best memory, just because of the guys I was surfing against. I saw people like Tom Carroll, who won that year, and I just sat on the beach in awe. He was just amazing that year.”

Dane Reynolds (USA), 25, was another talent to shine in the racy Backdoor Pipeline conditions. The innovative natural-footer topped fellow Americans Taylor Knox (USA), 39, Damien Hobgood (USA), 31, and Patrick Gudauskas (USA), 25, but fell to Perrow in the Semifinals to match his best result of the 2010 ASP World Tour season with an equal 3rd place finish.

“It was funny because my Semifinals heat turned a total flip-flop for me,” Reynolds said. “In my Quarterfinals heat I was in the spot every time a wave came and in the second heat it just went flat. I think in the end it was a pretty good morning with a few tubes at Backdoor. It doesn’t happen every morning for me. It’s a good way to end the year and I’m looking forward to Snapper.”

Joel Parkinson returned to Hawaii to defend his Vans Triple Crown title after a brutal laceration to his foot sidelined him for nearly the entire 2010 ASP World Tour season. The stylish natural-footer put on a memorable performance despite the injury, posting a victory at the ASP PRIME Reef Hawaiian Pro, a 9th at the O’Neill World Cup at Sunset Beach and a 13th at the Billabong Pipe Masters to secure his third consecutive Vans Triple Crown Title.

“I’m excited,” Parkinson said. “This year’s Triple Crown didn’t go how I thought it would go. I was just hoping that I would make a few heats because I only felt like I was surfing at 60 percent at home, but everything changed when I got to Hawaii. The Triple Crown has always been really prestigious to me. It was always dominated by the best Hawaiians and it’s something that I’ve always held high. To get one was great, so to get three is amazing. I hope that next year I’m just injury free and that this win is just a stepping stone.”

Highlights from the Billabong Pipe Masters will be available via http://triplecrownofsurfing.com/billabongpipemasters/
 
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com

Billabong Pipe Masters Final Results:
1 – Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14.54
2 – Kieren Perrow (AUS) 13.77

Billabong Pipe Masters Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 17.50 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 17.23
SF 2: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 15.03 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 6.83

Billabong Pipe Masters Quarterfinals Results:
QF 1: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14.00 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 7.43
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 12.94 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 3.16
QF 3: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 13.00 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.00
QF 4: Dane Reynolds (USA) 17.00 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 3.37
 
ASP WORLD TOUR TOP 10 (Following Billabong Pipe Masters)
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 69000 Points
2. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 52250 points
3. Mick Fanning (AUS) 44750 points
4. Taj Burrow (AUS) 42000 points
4. Dane Reynolds (USA) 42000 points
6. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 39000 points
7. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 37250 points
7. Owen Wright (AUS) 37250 points
9. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 35750 points
10. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 32000 points
 
ENDS

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ASSOCIATION OF SURFING PROFESSIONALS (ASP) MEDIA
ASP International Media Manager
Dave Prodan
email: dave@aspworldtour.com
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AUS mobile: +61 (0) 400 455 228
 
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High-resolution digital images for newspapers and Internet sites are available via the ASP Digital Images Department – please contact kirstin@aspworldtour.com
 
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.