The Durban leg of the Women’s Day Surf Challenge, which was to get under way at 8am today (Sunday) and continue tomorrow, has been postponed due to high shark activity in the area.

Huge shoals of sardines forced Durban authorities to lift the shark nets leaving the contest venue, the Bay of Plenty, unprotected.

Four or five large sharks were spotted at Battery Beach near the Bay of Plenty late on Saturday and KZN Chairperson Ann Wright, in consultation with Surfing South Africa General Manager Robin de Kock, decided to call the contest off for today and tomorrow.

The Durban leg of the Women’s Day Surf Challenge will now take place in mid-September.

The decision to postpone the Durban leg of the three region Women’s surfing contest does not have any impact on the events in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. These will go ahead as scheduled from 8am tomorrow (Monday) as planned.

The heats, formats and schedules for the Women’s Day Surf Challenge are available on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za. No entries will be accepted at the beach on the days of the event.

The Women’s Day Surf Challenge is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Sport & Recreation SA while the media partners for the events are Gsport for Girls and Saltwater Girl magazine.

The Women’s Day Surf Challenge is proudly partnered by Skullcandy, Power Balance, Billabong, VonZipper, Rip Curl, Aquarius Screenprinting and Vic Bay T Shirts. Additional prizes are coming from Surf Centre in PE, Pull-In Underwear, Glaceau Vitamin Water and Derevko wetsuits.

Surfboards will be raffled at each event venue to raise funds for CANSA.

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

Ends

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa
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
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

Women’s Day on 9 August will be celebrated countrywide by the surfing community through the inaugural Women’s Day Surf Challenge presented by Surfing South Africa (SSA).

Simultaneous events in Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town have attracted the cream of the country’s past and present female surf stars who will be vying for prize-money and points in the SSA Pro Surf Tour ranked events while dozens of aspiring surfers have the opportunity to meet and mingle with their heroines and compete for valuable prizes in the Rookie division.

Each venue will feature 1A rated PST events for Open Women, Under 20 and U16’s with R2 500 in prize-money at stake in each division along with a Rookies division for girls 14 and under who have not previously represented their Province. Entries are R30 for Rookies and R50 for the other divisions and can be made at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za. Entries close at 6pm today (Thursday August 5).

In addition to the surfing action there will be lucky draws and fund raising raffles at each venue which will benefit CANSA to promote awareness of breast cancer.

The Durban event will be held over two days (Sun & Mon, 8 & 9 August) due to the number of entries and will also include a longboard division with all participants meeting at the Bay of Plenty at 8am on Sunday and the final rounds scheduled for Monday.

Amongst the celebrities participating are reigning ISA Women’s World Masters Champion Heather Clark, former multiple SA champion Tamarys de Maroussem and Kay Holt who has represented SA on seven occasions and says this will be her final swansong in contest surfing.

Clark, the current SA Champion, has been given leave of absence from the SA Masters Team camp at Coffee Bay to surf in the event. The SA Masters Team leaves for Panama on August 23 to defend their World title at the ISA World Masters Championships.

Further details on the Durban contest can be obtained from coordinator Ann Wright on 082 707 6952.

The Cape Town Women’s Day Surf Challenge is most likely to be run in the Muizenberg area and participants will meet at Surfer’s Corner at 8am on Monday 9 August to decide the venue for the one-day event. SA national team member Stacey Guy and SA Junior Team member Tanika Hoffman will be competing along with Tasha Mentasti, who is the coordinator and can be contacted on 083 225 4900.

Hannalie Bakker on 084 8211753 is the coordinator of the Port Elizabeth event where rising star Banca Buitendag will be competing. Participants should meet at Pollock Beach at 8am on Monday.

The Women’s Day Surf Challenge is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Sport & Recreation SA while the media partners for the events are Gsport for Girls and Saltwater Girl magazine.

The Women’s Day Surf Challenge is proudly partnered by Skullkandy, Power Balance, Billabong, VonZipper, Rip Curl, Aquarius Screenprinting and Vic Bay T Shirts,.

Power Balance is donating a percentage of the September sales of pink Power Balance bands to CANSA and also providing a prize for the “Power Balance Power Move” at each event. Additional prizes are coming from Surf Centre in PE, Pull-In Underwear, Glaceau Vitamin Water and Derevko wetsuits.

Surfboards will be raffled at each event venue to raise funds for CANSA with Safari Surf donating the board for the Durban event, Dennis Ellis for Port Elizabeth and a surfboard will also be raffled in Cape Town.

An list of entries for the Women’s Day Surf Challenge is available on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and the heats, formats and schedules will be posted on the same website by 6pm on Friday August 6. No entries will be accepted at the beach on the days of the event.

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

Ends

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa
Contact:            Robin de Kock
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

South African girls Sarah Baum and Chantelle Rautenbach have advanced to the last 12 in the US Open of Surfing as the top seeds and former champions tumbled out of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 6-Star rated women’s event at Huntington Beach in California.

Both Baum, 16, from Athlone Park in KZN and Rautenbach, 20, from Melkbosstrand, started their campaigns for the priceless ratings points and ground-breaking US $50 000 winner’s prize-money in Round 1 of the event and yesterday progressed through three rounds of competition against the world’s top female professional surfers.

While the likes of reigning three-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), fellow ASP Dream Tour campaigners Coco Ho (HAW), Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Lee-Ann Curren (FRA) and SA’s Rosanne Hodge, along with defending event champion Courtney Conlogue (USA), were eliminated in the tricky one metre conditions, Baum and Rautenbach both finished runners-up in all their heats to reach the round before the quarterfinals.

Baum, who placed seventh overall in the US Open Pro Junior Women’s event on Sunday, has already matched her best result in a Star-rated event this year and faces former Dream Tour standout Jacqueline Silva (BRA) and Alana Blanchard (HAW) today with the top two advancing to the one-on-one quarterfinal heats.

By reaching Round 4, Rautenbach has recorded her best result of 2010 and will be up against current ASP World No. 8 Carissa Moore (HAW) and wildcard Lakey Peterson (USA) when competition resumes.

Women’s ASP 6-Star action will kick off today’s (Tuesday) schedule with the Round of 12 before beginning the men’s ASP PRIME event with the Round of 128. For all of the LIVE action log on to www.usopenofsurfing.com

US Open of Surfing Women’s Round of 24 Results:

Heat 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.94, Laura Enever (AUS) 14.67, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.37, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 10.30
Heat 2: Lakey Peterson (USA) 9.50, Tyler Wright (AUS) 9.07, Sayuri Hashimoto (JPN) 10.10, Paige Hareb (NZL) 4.00
Heat 3: Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 7.33, Chantelle Rautenbach (ZAF) 6.66, Malia Manuel (HAW) 6.40, Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 4.87
Heat 4: Justine Dupont (FRA) 11.83, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 8.50, Sage Erickson (USA) 7.73, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 4.43
Heat 5: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 17.17, Sarah Baum (ZAF) 13.60, Cannelle Bulard (REU) 7.70, Karina Petroni (USA) 6.17
Heat 6: Alana Blanchard (HAW) 11.57, Nicola Atherton (AUS) 8.93, Claudia Goncalves (BRA) 5.07, Mizuki Hagiwara (JPN) 3.95

+++++++++++++++++++

SA Surfers chase rankings points in California and England

South Africa’s top men will be in action at Huntington Beach in California and Newquay in England this week as they chase invaluable ratings points towards qualification for the ASP Dream Tour.

Jordy Smith, who heads both the ASP World Title Race and ASP World Tour rankings, is the top seed in the ASP Prime-rated Hurley US Open of Surfing which features a stellar 156 man field of the world’s top surfers vying for the massive US $100 000 winner’s payout.

Smith starts in the Round of 96 along with the rest of the top 42 seeds and six wildcards who include fellow Durbanites David Weare and Brandon Jackson. With the trials completed, the Round of 128 starts today and features former Capetonian Damien Fahrenfort, now living in California, Royden Bryson (Hout Bay) and Rudy Palmboom Jnr. (Bluff).

Meanwhile a solid contingent of Saffas will commence their campaigns in the ASP 5-Star Relentless Boardmasters at Fistral Beach in Newquay where SA’s Travis Logie (Durban) is the top seed.

Logie is joined by former event winner Antonio Bortoletto (Durban), former ASP Dream Tour member Ricky Basnett (Bluff) and a host of aspiring SA Pro Juniors, including Chad du Toit (Berea), Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit), Brendon Gibbens and Michael February (both Kommetjie), Beyrick de Vries and Kyle Lane (both Umhlanga) and more.

All the action can be followed live via the webcast at www.relentlessboardmasters.com

+++++++++++++++++++++

Beyrick de Vries takes fifth place in Bali

Much traveled 17 year-old, Beyrick de Vries, was one of the stars in the Billabong Pro Junior Bali, taking down a host of the top seeds from Australia, Japan and Indonesia on his way to a fifth place finish.

While Kyle Galloway was an early casualty, Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) advanced through two rounds and David van Zyl (Glenashley) through three to the round of 32.

Enjoying the world-class conditions at Keramas, rated by de Vries as one of the best contest waves in the world, the Umhlanga based teenager ousted the likes of highly rated Davey Cathels (AUS) and defending event champion Sam Wrench (AUS) before falling victim to the dreaded ‘Bali-belly’ prior to his quarterfinal clash with former Kommetjie surfer Thomas Woods, now living with his family on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Woods was subsequently eliminated by older brother James in the semis before Wade Carmichael (AUS) clinched the title in a come-from-behind victory after the elder Woods started the final with a near-perfect 9.0 ride.

De Vries currently occupies the No. 4 slot on the ASP Africa Pro Junior Men’s rankings and is in line for one of the four coveted invitations to the inaugural ASP World Pro Junior Championship Series. The Series starts with the Oakley World Junior in Bali (Oct 2-13) and crowns the 2010 ASP World Pro Junior Champion at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships at North Narrabeen in Sydney, Australia (Jan 8-16, 2011).

There is one ASP Africa Pro Junior event remaining, the Billabong Pro Junior at Victoria Bay (September 1-4), before the top four on the rankings plus the highest rated Pro Junior on the ASP World Tour rankings receive their sought-after invitations.

++++++++++++++++++++

Historic clean sweep of local ASP events by SA surfers

Greg Emslie’s victory in the 4-Star rated O’Neill Cold Water Classic in Cape Town last Thursday, combined with Jordy Smith’s earlier victories in the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay and the Mr Price Pro Ballito, completed an historic clean sweep by local surfers of all three ASP events staged in this country.

SA’s two top-earning pro surfers also rewrote the record books in many other ways with Emslie (East London) going one better than Royden Bryson, the runner-up in the CWC in Cape Town last year, to become the first winner of the contest since it became an ASP sanctioned event.

And Smith’s triumph in J-Bay made him the first SA winner of an ASP World Tour event and the first to lead the ASP World Title Race rankings, which will determine the 2010 ASP World Champion, since Shaun Tomson back in the mid-80’s.

Meanwhile his win in the Mr Price Pro saw the 22 year-old Durbanite become only the third SA surfer to capture the title after Tomson (1973-78) and Ricky Basnett (2006) in the event that crowned its first champion back in 1969! And at the same time Smith rose to the top of the ASP World Rankings which combine the all the ASP World Tour, Prime and Star rated events.

Other notable achievements in the annual mid-year ASP events included Royden Bryson (Hout Bay) taking sole possession of the lead in the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Series rankings ahead of Australians Stuart Kennedy, Dion Atkinson and Shaun Cansdell with three if the five events completed. The Series winner collects US $50 000 after the final event in Santa Cruz, California in October.

Capetonian Sean Holmes once again confirmed his status as the Dream Tour’s most dangerous wildcard by carving his way through the world’s top surfers to reach the quarter-finals of the Billabong Pro J-Bay for the third time, notably eliminating nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) and three-time ASP World Champion Andy Irons (HAW) at Supertubes on the same day.

And Casey Grant’s (Scottburgh) runner-up finish to Jordy Smith in the Mr Price Pro Ballito was the first time two South Africans had contested the final of an ASP 5-Star rated event anywhere in the world.

ASP World Title Race Rankings: Top 5 (after Event No. 4 – Billabong Pro J-Bay):

1. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 28500 pts
2. Taj Burrow (AUS) 24750 pts
3. Kelly Slater (USA) 23500 pts
4. Dane Reynolds (USA) 20000 pts
5. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 19500 pts
6. Mick Fanning (AUS) 19250 pts
7. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 18750 pts
8. Bobby Martinez (USA) 16500 pts
9. Jadson Andre (BRA) 16000 pts
10. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14750 pts

South Africans

30. Travis Logie (ZAF) 6500 pts

ASP World Rankings: Top 5 (after event No. 30 – O’Neill Cold Water Classic, Cape Town):

1 Smith,Jordy ZAF 34428
2 Burrow,Taj AUS 30625
3 De Souza,Adriano BRA 23807
4 Slater,Kelly USA 23500
5 Durbidge,Bede AUS 22683

South Africans (top 200 of 885)

27 Logie, Travis ZAF 10651
39 Bryson, Royden ZAF 8560
66 Palmboom, Rudy ZAF 5372
91 Jackson, Brandon ZAF 4094
105 Weare, David ZAF 3367
120 Basnett, Ricky ZAF 2993
132 Joubert, Shaun ZAF 2819
141 Gibbens, Brendon ZAF 2576
153 Grant, Casey ZAF 2218
164 Fahrenfort, Damien ZAF 1985
180 De Vries, Beyrick ZAF 1611
195 Staples, Dale ZAF 1504
200 Du Toit, Chad ZAF 1395

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 governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing’s undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior 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. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

Bianca Buitendag showed the benefit of her international experience by selecting the best waves and riding with speed, flow and control to record a comfortable win over Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand) in the Pro Junior women’s final at the Billabong Junior Series event on the Dolphin Coast on Monday.

The well traveled 16 year-old from George, who won the Gromsearch International Final at Bells Beach in Australia at Easter, was in a class of her own throughout the event as epic 1.5 to two metre waves peeled through the lineup at Westbrook.

“I’m stoked to win and the waves were epic, so well done to the organisers for completing the girl’s event today even though it was starting to get dark,” Buitendag said after being awarded the R2 000 winner’s cheque and raft of prizes that included a case of Monster Energy drink, a Nixon watch and a pair of Kustom footwear.

Heather Klug (Durban) and Alice McGregor (East London) placed equal third, losing to Buitendag and Rautenbach in their respective one-on-one semifinals as they struggled to find waves with good scoring potential. The upset of the day came when event favorite Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie) let an early lead slip away as first Rautenbach and then McGregor overtook her in the Round of 8.

The competitors in the premier ASP Grade-1 rated Pro Junior men’s event reveled in the pristine early morning conditions. Matt Bromley (Kommetjie) and Devin Lane (Umhlanga) advanced to the man-on-man quarterfinals from Heat 1 with full commitment late drops and deep tube rides while Australian Ryan Callinan led throughout his encounter to progress along with heat runner-up Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay).

Mikey February (Kommetjie) waited for 11 minutes before catching his first wave in Heat 3 but then bagged pair of sixes to run out the winner with 13 year-old Slade Prestwich grabbing the runner-up spot from fellow Scottburgh surfer Haydn MacNicol, 19.

Heat 4 produced the encounter of the day as the lead changed hand on virtually every wave before Dale Staples (St Francis Bay) took off inside the barrel, tucked in and then emerged from under the lip which the judges rewarded with an excellent 8.5 out of 10. From then the battle was on for second place and when the siren went to end the clash it was David van Zyl (Glenashley) who was ahead of Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) and Shawn Dennis (Durban).

The scene is set for an exciting conclusion to the Pro Junior event with R37 000 at stake, of which R15 000 plus a Nixon 42-20 PU Watch valued at over R3000 goes to the winner, along with priceless ratings points towards the Billabong and ASP Africa Pro Junior series titles and invitations to the inaugural ASP Junior World Championship Series later this year.

The U16 boys had the benefit of taking to the surf first and the six of the top eight seeds – Jarred Veldhuis (Kommetjie), Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh), Steven Sawyer (JBay), Mikey Venter (Warner Beach), Benji Brand (Kommetjie) and No. 8 Dylan Lightfoot – won their heats to progress to the last 16.

Joshua Smit (Athlone Park), the No. 6 seed, placed second behind Wade Simkiss (Durban) to also advance while No. 7 Simo Mkise (Umzumbe) was the only casualty, placing third behind on-fire U14 standout Matt McGillivray (Port Elisabeth), who charged into some of the gnarliest waves of the day, and Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) who snagged the runner-up spot despite incurring an interference penalty by dropping in on Max Armstrong (Scarborough) on the first wave of the heat.

The U14 boys division was dominated by a performance from Benji Brand that was simply mind blowing. After slipping out of the Pro Junior event and quietly winning his U16 heat, the stockily built 14 year-old from Kommetjie posted rides of 9.0 and 7.5 in the first five minutes of his U14 heat. He followed that up with an 8.75 and an 8.15 in the next five minutes before tailing off with a 7.0 and a couple of short rides towards the end.

Yet even with a heat tally of 17.75 out of 20, Brand was less than two points ahead of runner-up Matt McGillivray as the youngster from PE posted excellent scores of 8.5 and 7.5 of his own to stay in contention for higher honours. Others to move into tomorrow’s semis included heat winners Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay), Max Armstrong and Steffen Burrows (Somerset West).

Competitors in the youngest division – the U12 boys – also charged in the classic conditions with Cape Town surfers Jordan Maree, Ethan Fletcher (Kommetjie) and Donovan Wichmann (Marina da Gama) taking the heat victories. They will be joined in the semis by David Burrows and Aiden Masencamp (both Somerset West) and newcomers Jake and Max Elkington from Cape Town and sole Durbanite Bevan Willis.

The swell is forecast to drop further for the final day and the organisers will be checking all the breaks for the best waves between Umhlanga and Ballito on KZN’s Dolphin Coast before making the call on where to stage the finale of the mobile event.

The location for each day of competition can be accessed throughout the contest via the Event Hotline at 071 179 9813.

The finals in all divisions will be followed by the Von Zipper Air Show where the surfer completing the most futuristic aerial manoeuvre will pocket the R2 000 winner-take-all prize-purse.

Images, results and news will be available daily during the event at www.billabong.com and a TV documentary, produced by Silver Bullet Productions, will be broadcast post event on Vuzu – DSTV Channel 123.

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.

The 2010 Billabong Junior Series starts on the Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu-Natal from 25-27 April and concludes at Victoria Bay (1-4 September) where the series champions will be crowned for the 14th time.

\ends

Issued on behalf of:

Billabong South Africa
Tel: 042 200 2600
Fax: 042 293 2478
Email: laureen.payne@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

Billabong has announced the airing of a brand new 6-part reality television show, captured and directed by Silver Bullet Productions over the recent nineteen day Billabong Girls Get Out There Summer tour.

The show has gained exponential momentum over the last two weeks, be sure not to miss episode three tonight on VUZU, channel 123 on DSTV, at 7pm!

It all started on Sunday, the 6^th of December, five new Billabong Ambassadors arrived in Jeffreys Bay for a trip that was going to change their lives. Nicky Van Den Aardweg (19) from Durban, Christi Vosloo (16), Amy Jane Smorenburg (17) and Chanel Hurlin (18) from Cape Town and Tanya Van Aswegan (19) from Pretoria joined up with the three Billabong Girl team surfers TarrynChudleigh (20) from Kommetjie, Morag Steele (18) from Somerset West and Adele Nortje (19) from Mossel Bay and embarked on a three week roadtrip. For the next nineteen days, the pink Billabong bus became their home as they traveled the South African coastline from Jeffreys Bay up to Durban and then all the way back along the coast to Cape Town.

For the entire journey, the eight Billabong Girls had cameras in their faces from when they woke up to when they went to sleep at night, capturing all the magic of their trip. The highs, lows, fun, excitement and girly fights were all caught on camera and are all ingredients for a show that is going to undoubtedly capture the imaginations of young girls around South Africa.

Episode 3 begins with a second attempt to liberate the flamingos, this time the pair are rescued and join the pink bus tour as it makes it way along the coast towards Umhlanga. The girls are able to explore their naughty nature while on tour, whether it’s chalking messages on sidewalks, playing pranks or just instigating mischief. Adele seems particularly apt at stirring up mischief.

Tarryn has made the Under 20 and the Open Women’s Finals in her competition and Chanel and Morag sneak off to support her. Each competition is a step towards Tarryn’s dreams and her disappointing result upsets her. She’s glad to have Morag and Chanel there for support.

The bus moves on towards Margate, pausing for a hilltop sunset. The group vibe is definitely easier now, with Tarryn perking up and attempting a sunset bush dive, unfortunately missing the bush, and Tanya taking her first bush pee, which she’s delighted with.

Day 9 finds the girls in Margate on a rainy morning, discovering a magnificent secluded waterfall, its thunderous presence instilling calm reflection and putting life into tranquil perspective. Back in Margate it’s not an ideal beach day, though the girls are still keen to make the most of the chance to surf, while Chanel and Adele sneak off to Pleasure Centre to ride the carousels and super tubes.

The girls and 2 flamingos move on towards the Transkei, pulling up alongside a pine forest. Determined to live every moment the girls charge into the misty forest, climbing trees and hiding in the eerie calm of the quiet forest before screaming at the top of their lungs. Their energy not exhausted Adele and Tarryn then decide to charge a herd of cows. 

Nicola Reid-Ross, Billabong Girls SA Marketing Manager, was thrilled at the prospect of showcasing the Girls Get Out There Tour through a six-part television show.  “This is a first for Billabong Girls in South Africa and is something that we are incredibly excited about. It is an opportunity for us to share our brand with our target market in an unforced way which resonates with their everyday lives.” said Nicola. “It is the perfect way for us to express the Billabong Girls lifestyle and show off our beautiful Winter product range.

Michael Raimondo, Director of the show, elaborated further stating, “the essence of surfing ebbs and flows throughout the trip, as the sport and lifestyle that inspired a brand is introduced to the ambassadors and their love and respect of the ocean and Mother Nature moves them in different ways; sunrise and sunsets, beach activations, a Winter ’10 shoot, hidden waterfalls, bush diving, screaming in forests, chalk messages, friendships and differences all weaved into a personable expression of what it’s like to explore yourself and set your spirit free.”

Watch it all unfold every Thursday.

BBGGOT ’09 – Coming up on Episode 3

LINK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXeo9ErwhTY

BBGGOT ’09 – Coming up next for Ep4

LINK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCqT-XGBxNM

Nikita Robb in contention for ASP Women’s World Tour qualification
Royden Bryson gets 5th in Rio de Janeiro : Jumps to No. 29 on WQS
Chad du Toit and Sarah Baum clinches 2009 ASP Africa Pro Junior titles

Nikita Robb in contention for ASP Women’s World Tour qualification 

Tuesday 13 October 2009 – Nikita Robb moved into contention for a spot on the 2010 ASP Women’s World Tour after finishing fifth in the Rio Surf Pro International presented by Oakley and climbing four positions to 9^th place overall on the yearend ASP Women’s World Qualifying Series rankings.

Robb, 20, battled the tough onshore conditions in the final women’s WQS event of the year at Leblon in Rio de Janeiro, progressing through two rounds before bowing out in the Round of 12. The East Londoner collected 1 500 ratings points, her second best result of the year, and faces a two month wait to see whether she will become just the third South Africa woman, after Heather Clark and Rosanne Hodge, to qualify for the top tier of ASP competition since the introduction of the two-tiered ranking system in 1992.

As the ratings stand right now Robb is three places outside the top six on the yearend WQS leaderboard who, along with the top 10 on the 2009 yearend World Tour ratings, will automatically qualify for the 2010 Women’s World Tour. However, three of the WQS top six – Coco Ho (HAW), Rebecca Woods (AUS) and Paige Hareb (NZL) – are currently ranked 5^th, 6^th and 7^th on the World Tour and if they maintain their places in the top 10 over the remaining four events, then Robb will be awarded a slot for amongst the world’s top 16 female surfers on the ASP World Tour next year.

The four events still to be run are in Portugal (Oct 26-30), Peru (Nov 3-8), Sunset Beach, Hawaii (Nov24-6 Dec) and Honolua Bay, Hawaii (Dec 8-20) and you can bet your house on the fact that Robb will be following every minute of those events and willing Ho, Woods and Hareb on every step of the way.

Bianca Buitendag, the 15-year-old prodigy from George, was the only other SA girl to advance from Round 1 in Rio while Rosanne Hodge (EL) and the Kommetjie duo of Tarryn Chudleigh and Tanika Hoffman were first round casualties. The event was won by Jessi Miley-Dyer who defeated fellow Australian Laura Enever in the final.

WOMEN’S RIO SURF PRO INTERNATIONAL pres. by Oakley

FINAL
Winner – Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) with 8,33 and 6,00 – US$ 4.000 and 2.500 points
Runner-up – Laura Enever (AUS) with 4,17 and 2,67 – US$ 2.000 and 2.100 points

WOMEN’S SEMIFINALS  – 3^rd place – US$ 1.700 and 1.800 points:
1: Laura Enever (AUS) 11.66 x 9.27 Lee Ann Curren (FRA)
2: Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 8.50 x 3.90 Bethany Hamilton (HAW)

WOMEN’S QUARTER-FINALS – 5th place – US$ 900 and 1.600 points:
1: Lee Ann Curren (FRA) 9.33 x 7.74 Airini Mason (NZL)
2: Laura Enever (AUS) 8.33 x 4.07 Tais de Almeida (BRA)
3: Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 12.10 x 10.10 Claire Bevilacqua (AUS)
4: Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 8.66 x 6.03 Paige Hareb (NZL)

2009 FINAL WOMEN’S WQS RANKING  – 8 events:
01: Coco Ho (HAW) – 8.740 points
02: Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) – 8.720
03: Carissa Moore (HAW) – 7.980
04: Paige Hareb (NZL) – 7.840
05: Rebecca Woods (AUS) – 7.540
06: Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) – 7.400
07: Lee Ann Curren (FRA) – 7.240
08: Bruna Schmitz (BRA) – 7.000
09: Nikita Robb (ZAF) – 6.900

South Africans (more than 1 event)
15        Hodge,Rosanne      ZAF    6620 points
29        Buitendag,Bianca    ZAF    4720
33        Chudleigh,Tarryn    ZAF    4380
56        Smith,Tammy Lee   ZAF    2430
63        Hoffman,Tanika       ZAF    2000

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Royden Bryson gets 5^th in Rio de Janeiro : Jumps to No. 29 on WQS

Royden Bryson was the top placed Saffa in the 6-Star rated Rio Surf International pres. by Oakley, winning four consecutive heats before being ousted in the quarterfinals for equal 5^th place overall. The former East Londoner who now lives in Cape Town when not campaigning on the WQS pocketed US $2 850 (approx. R21 000) and 1 625 points which saw him jump from No. 35 to No. 29 in the rankings and just 1 614 points outside the top 15 who will qualify for the 2010 ASP World Tour.

Brandon Jackson continued his late season roll, building on his career best finish of 3^rd in the Local Motion Pro in Brazil the previous week to finish equal 13^th in Rio and move up one spot to No. 20. This leaves the second year WQS charger from Durban North a slender 720 points off the No. 15 slot with five major WQS events still to be run, two of which have overlapping dates.

Meanwhile Travis Logie maintained his No.10 spot on the WQS leaderboard by placing 17^th and 37^th in the two events in Brazil. The Durbanite whose relentless charge to re-qualify for the ASP World Tour, where he spent the 2005-2008 seasons, has already competed in 17 WQS events this year, the most by any of the Saffas.

Logie and Bryson will be racking up the air miles in the next month, heading for the inaugural 6-Star rated O’Neill Coldwater Classic in Vancouver on the Pacific coast of Canada from October 25-31 before jetting back across the continent and the North Atlantic to the 6-Star Prime rated Santa Pro in the Canaries from Nov 2-8 and then heading halfway round the world to Hawaii for the two 6-Star Prime rated events at Haleiwa and Sunset Beach (Nov 12-23 and Nov 24-Dec 6) where the 2009 WQS yearend rankings will be finalised.

The pair will be joined by Jackson, Rudy Palmboom (Bluff), Damien Fahrenfort (California), Sean Holmes (Cape Town) and Dave Richards (Kommetjie) in Canada while Antonio Bortoletto is the only other Saffa in the Canaries event.

RIO SURF PRO INTERNATIONAL pres. by OAKLEY

FINAL
Champion: Simao Romao (BRA) 16.16 points with 9.33 and 6.83 scores
Runner-up: Bernardo Miranda (BRA) 10.94 points with 6.27 and 4.67 scores

SEMI-FINALS
Heat 1: Bernardo Miranda (BRA) 15.84 def. Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA) 10.93
Heat 2: Simao Romao (BRA) 13.76 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 13.00

QUARTER-FINALS
Heat 1: Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA) 12.90 def. Royden Bryson (ZAF) 11.60
Heat 2: Bernardo Miranda (BRA) 18.14 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 14.94
Heat 3: Brett Simpson (USA) 12.00 def. Brent Dorrington (AUS) 11.60
Heat 4: Simao Romao (BRA) 17.23 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 8.00

2009 WQS RANKING – after 32 events:

01: Daniel Ross (AUS) – 14.975 points
02: Jadson Andre (BRA) – 14.813
03: Owen Wright (AUS) – 14.338
04: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) – 13.876
05: Adam Melling (AUS) – 13.026
06: Brett Simpson (USA) – 12.600
07: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) – 12.150
08: Joan Duru (FRA) – 12.050
09: Blake Thornton (AUS) – 11.925
10: Travis Logie (ZAF) – 11.851

South Africans (top 150)
20        Jackson,Brandon     ZAF    10431
29        Bryson,Royden         ZAF    9538
52        Wright,Warwick        ZAF    7550
62        Bortoletto,Antonio    ZAF    7101
66        Palmboom,Rudy      ZAF    7001
83        Redman,Daniel       ZAF    6451
94        Fahrenfort,Damien  ZAF    6114
105     Basnett,Ricky           ZAF    5551
141     Du Toit,Chad            ZAF    4663
146     Strachan,Klee          ZAF    4406

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chad du Toit and Sarah Baum clinch 2009 ASP Africa Pro Junior titles

Chad du Toit and Sarah Baum clinched the 2009 ASP Africa Pro Junior titles when they each placed third in their respective divisions at the final Billabong Junior Series event at Herold’s Bay in September.

The consistent du Toit, 19, from the Berea in Durban, finished third in all four events on the 2009 schedule and faced a nail-biting wait after being eliminated in the semis of the final event. Defending ASP Africa champ Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit) was up against Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) in the final and needed the win to become the first back-to-back champ but fell on his last wave handing the title to du Toit.

Casey Grant (Scottburgh), who had led the ratings after winning the first event of the year, was eliminated in the quarters at Herold’s Bay but had enough points to claim second spot on the rankings as Strachan took third and de Vries’ victory saw the 16-year-old grab fourth place overall.

Baum had a less stressful triumph after winning the first of the two ASP Africa Pro Junior women’s events and despite being ousted in the semis at Herold’s Bay, the 15-year-old from Athlone Park secured a comfortable 260 point series win over Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand) with Kirsty Delport (Durban) in third.

Du Toit, Grant, Strachan and de Vries received the four coveted invitations to the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in Sydney, Australia, in January and will be joined by Kyle Lane (Umhlanga) who is the highest WQS ranked ASP Africa Pro Junior not in the top four in the local standings.

Baum will represent ASP Africa at the ASP World Junior Champs for the second successive year along with Nikita Robb, SA’s highest WQS ranked Pro Junior woman.

2009 ASP Africa Pro Junior Men (best 3 of 4 events)
1          Du Toit, Chad           Durban                      3285
2          Grant, Casey             Scottburgh                3190
3          Strachan, Klee         Winkelspruit              3120
4          De Vries, Beyrick     Umhlanga Rocks     3000
5          Gibbens, Brendon   Kommetjie                 2900
6          Lane, Kyle                 Umhlanga Rocks     2860
7          Joubert, Shaun        Mossel Bay               2850
8          Staples, Dale              St Francis Bay          2580
9          Leppan, Chris           Umhlanga Rocks     2415
10        Bromley, Matthew    Kommetjie                 2230

2009 ASP Africa Pro Junior Women (2 events)
1          Baum, Sarah                         Athlone Park             1730
2          Rautenbach, Chantelle    Melkbosstrand          1470
3          Delport, Kirsty                   Durban                      1405
4          Palmboom, Heidi              Bluff                           1285
5          Hoffman, Tanika                Kommetjie                 1230

+++++++++++++++++++++ 

For more information on the ASP Africa members, including profiles and rankings, visit www.aspafrica.com

Ends

Issued on behalf of:

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

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 governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing’s undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior 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. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

South African Junior Surfing Championships
Surfing South Africa’s premier national junior tournament
Nahoon Reef, East London
Wednesday September 29 to Sunday October 4

Durban team successfully defends Freedom Cup at the 2009 South African Junior Surfing Championships in East London

The strong, highly motivated Durban based KZN team successfully defended the Freedom Cup at the South African Junior Championships in perfect surf at Nahoon Reef in East London yesterday (Sunday October 4) when they beat 2007 champions and arch rivals Western Province by a mere 476 points.

Eastern Province came third, hosts Border were fourth, Boland finished fifth, KZN South were sixth, Southern Cape seventh and the South African Development Academy Team were eighth.

The Durban team deservedly won the Team Spirit Trophy for their war cry, team spirit and support of each other throughout the championships.

 Defending U18 champion and WP captain Matthew Bromley was outstanding throughout the event and earned his victory in the premier division final. His 13.5 points were good enough to beat Beyrick de Vries of KZN who scored 12.75 to finish second. Nick Godfrey of Eastern Province was third with 11.4 points and Devin Lane of KZN posted 6.25 to end fourth.

Host province Border had something to celebrate when Alice McGregor beat Kirsty Delport of KZN to take honours in the U18 Girls Final. Holly Armstrong of Western Province was third and Alice’s twin sister Laurie came fourth.

In the Under 16 Boys final David Van Zyl of KZN scored 14 points which meant that 2008 runner up Mikey February had to settle for second spot once again. Jean du Plessis of Border came third and fourth place went to Ruben Lammers of Southern Cape.

With an air ticket to the 2010 Rip Curl Junior International up for grabs, defending U16 Girls champion Bianca Buitendag of Eastern Province powered her way to victory over fellow national junior team member Sarah Baum of KZN. Cara MacDonald of Border was third and Sabrina Scott of Western Province came fourth.

Newly selected SA Junior team member Diran Zakarian of Boland posted the highest score of all the finals, a massive 17.75 in the U14 Boys division to take the title away from 2008 champion Slade Prestwich of KZN. Benji Brand and fellow WP surfer Nic Notten, who was named the Most Improved surfer at the championships, were third and fourth respectively.

In the U14 Girls Division last year’s runner up, Carryn MacNicol of KZN, went one better and took gold while 2008 U12 Girls champion Inge McLaren of Border was second ahead of Nina Woermann of Western Province and Nicole Pallett of KZN.

The U12 Boy’s final was one of the best heats of the contest as the four talented surfers gave it their all in the perfect 3-4 foot Nahoon Reef surf. In the end Matthew McGillivray of Eastern Province, who was fourth in this division last year, edged out Jordy Maree of Western Province to take gold while Steffen Burrows and Boland teammate Adin Masencamp had to settle for third and fourth respectively.

Jordy Maree was named Surfer of the Contest for his outstanding surfing in all of the heats he competed in.

Plucky Chanelle Botha, who was fourth in this final in 2008, gave KZN South a title to take home when she beat Anoush Zakarian of Boland into second place in the Girls U12 division while Teal Hogg of KZN was third here just ahead of Kim van Greunen of Eastern Province.

The Sportsmanship trophy was awarded to Jarred Charlton of KZN South who went to the assistance of a teammate whose leash had broken during a heat.

The five day annual South African Junior championships got under way in tough 6 foot surf on Wednesday and was put under pressure by onshore surf, rain and mist on the final day which forced the event to go on hold for two hours. Overall however, Nahoon Reef lived up to its reputation as one of South Africa’s best reef breaks and the 200 or so surfers who competed in the event will return to their provinces having surfed in some of the most challenging waves of their lives.

The event was first held in 1996 and is the most important contest for junior surfers in South Africa. It not only determines National Champions in the Under 18, Under 16, Under 14 and Under 12 boys and girls age divisions but also determines the winning provincial team each year.

The Final results are available on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

FULL RESULTS

U18 BOYS
1. MATTHEW BROMLEY (WP)
2. BEYRICK DE VRIES (KZN)
3. NICK GODFREY (EP)
4. DEVIN LANE (KZN)

U18 GIRLS
1. ALICE MACGREGOR (BOR)
2. KIRSTY DELPORT (KZN)
3. HOLLY ARMSTRONG (WP)
4. LAURIE MACGREGOR (BOR)

U16 BOYS
1. DAVID VAN ZYL (KZN)
2. MICHAEL FEBRUARY (WP)
3. JEAN DU PLESSIS (BOR)
4. RUBEN LAMMERS (SCAPE)

U16 GIRLS
1. BIANCA BUITENDAG (S/CAPE)
2. SARAH BAUM (KZN)
3. CARA MACDONALD (BOR)
4. SABRINA SCOTT (WP)

U14 BOYS
1. DIRAN ZAKARIAN (BOL)
2. SLADE PRESTWICH (KZN)
3. BENJI BRAND (WP)
4. NIC NOTTEN (WP)

U14 GIRLS
1. CARRYN MACNICOL (KZN)
2. INGE MCLAREN (BOR)
3. NINA WOERMANN (WP)
4. NICOLE PALLET (KZN)

U12 BOYS
1. MATTHEW MCGILLIVRAY (EP)
2. JORDY MAREE (WP)
3. STEFFEN BURROWS (BOL)
4. ADIN MASENCAMP (BOL)

U12 GIRLS
1. CHANELLE BOTHA (SKZN)
2. ANOUSH ZAKARIAN (BOL)
3. TEAL HOGG (KZN)
4. KIM VAN GREUNEN (EP)

FREEDOM CUP
1. KZN  40,826
2. WESTERN PROVINCE 40,350
3. EASTERN PROVINCE 35,506
4. BORDER 31,662
5. BOLAND  30,482
6. KZN SOUTH 30,312
7. SOUTHERN CAPE 23,740
8. DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY TEAM 19,982

SURFER OF THE CONTEST
JORDY MAREE (WP)

MOST IMPROVED SURFER
NIC NOTTEN (WP)

SPORTSMANSHIP TROPHY
JARRED CHARLTON (KZN SOUTH)

TEAM SPIRIT AWARD
KWAZULU-NATAL

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

Ends

Compiled by:

Robin de Kock
Surfing South Africa
All media enquiries to 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
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

“I played that game the whole contest and it really worked for me. I didn’t want to have to wait until the last minute for the best waves but that’s just the way it ended up,” said the father of two children aged 11 and 14.

Although Monk has added several Masters titles to his name today’s win marks his maiden Pro Surf Tour victory which comes years after attempting to win the elusive Open title.

“I’ve competed in the SA Open for the past five years and actually haven’t done too well but this year I wanted to do well and put more practice time in so I’m stoked that it happened,” explained Monk who owns the retail surf store ‘Just Surfing’ in East London.

In the hotly contested under 20 junior division rising star Strachan proved too strong for his contemporaries. Strachan opened up his bid for the title with a massive eight pointer on his first ride and never looked back. The talented teenager secured first place ahead of Nicholas Godfrey (Cape St Frances) and Jaco Steyn (Cape Town).

“After opening up with a good score on my first wave in the junior final all I needed to do was back it up with another good wave, which I did,” said Strachan who stepped onto the podium in both the open and junior division.

“I was hoping to do the same in the open final but things didn’t work out.

either way third in the open division is a good result and I’m happy with the way both events went for me today.”

Teeange prodigy Bianca Buitendag, 15, from Victoria Bay (Southern Cape) was also a clear winner in the womens division. Buitendag signaled her intentions for the title in the quarter finals and continued to build momentum through to the finals where she outclassed former SA Champion Heather Clark (Port Shepstone, KZN) and Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbos, Cape Town).

“I caught a lucky wave in the first five minutes of the final which boosted my confidence,” explained Buitendag who was referring to a ride which netted her a massive 8.5 score (out of a possible ten) from the judges.

“It’s good to start off well in a heat,” she continued, “it not only boosts your confidence but also takes the pressure off you and puts it on your competitors.”

The Mr Price SA Open enjoyed two perfect days of surf and weather for the competition which was protected with Shark Pod devices placed strategically in the line-up throughout the duration of the two day event.

Ends

Pierre Tostee
Mr Price Sports Marketing
patostee@mrpricegroup.com
Phone: +27 31 310 8582
Mobile: +27 83 447 9448
www.mrprice.co.za

Pictured: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 21, reigning two-time ASP Women’s World Champion and current ASP World No. 1, will look to further cement her ratings’ lead at the upcoming Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic. Credit: © ASP/ CI/ ROBERTSON via GETTY IMAGES

DEE WHY, New South Wales (Monday, August 31, 2009) – After a lengthy mid-season break, the world’s best female surfers are re-igniting with the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic, Event No. 3 of 7 on the 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour, running at Sydney’s Dee Why Point from September 30 through October 5, 2009.

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 21, reigning two-time ASP Women’s World Champion and current ASP Women’s World No. 1, will look to further cement her ratings’ lead as she hunts down a third, consecutive ASP Women’s World Title, but will first need to refocus following the five-month break.

“Throughout the break I have enjoyed a fair bit of downtime,” Gilmore said. “I’ve been exploring California, seeing the sights, filming for my sponsors and taking pleasure in a few surf trips here and there. In the last few weeks I have really started to focus on the recommencement of the ASP Women’s World Tour and I am looking forward to putting the contest vest on and racking up another win.”

For the first time in the event’s four-year history, the Commonwealth Beachley Classic will move venue’s from the beachbreaks of Manly to the nearby pointbreak of Dee Why, a move that Gilmore believes will be to her advantage.

“I just got back from some great pointbreaks where the paddles were long and hard, so I feel fit and ready to tackle whatever current comes my way at Dee Why,” Gilmore said. “I am ready to slot into some backdoor action at the Point, lets hope it turns on.”

A two-time past winner at the event (2006, 2007), Gilmore’s bid for a three-peat was demolished early on in 2008, and the young Australian knows that the competition will be even fiercer at this season’s incarnation of the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic.

“With five rookies on tour this year it is like we have a whole lot of wildcards,” Gilmore said. “Sure, wildcards are hard, but that is just a part of the challenge. If you want to win the event you have to push past all of the other 17 surfers. Layne Beachley will be tough. But saying that, all the girls will be a threat at this year’s event. After such a long break, it will be interesting to see how everyone comes back.”

Tyler Wright (AUS), 15, defending Beachley Classic winner and the youngest ever winner of an elite ASP Women’s World Tour event, holds the added prestige of having taken out Gilmore at last season’s event. The two Australians will certainly meet again in 2009, having been paired up against one another in Round 1 of competition.

“I’m not really sure how to manage my nerves against someone like Steph (Gilmore),” Wright said. “I guess I just get so excited to surf against her that I forget about that stuff. The ASP Women’s World Tour has five new rookies this season so the event is going to be harder than ever, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Despite returning as event champion, Wright still feels little pressure competing on the world’s stage at such a young age and hopes experiences of the last season will only serve to make her a stronger competitor.

“I’ve only just turned 15 so I still have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Wright said. “I still have a lot to learn and having another opportunity like this is unbelievable. Since last year, I’ve grown at least a centimeter so hopefully I have a bit more power behind my turns.”

Gilmore and Wright will take on the world’s best female surfers including current ASP Women’s World No. 2 Silvana Lima (BRA), 24, former seven-time ASP Women’s World Champion Layne Beachley (AUS), 37, at the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

Vision opportunity
CBA Executive General Manager Local Business Banking, Symon Brewis-Weston and Layne Beachley will be available for a pic opp at Dee Why beach.

——————————————————————————–

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
Mandy McKinnon
email: mandy.mckinnon@bigpond.com
AUS mobile: +61 (0) 417 079 941

Digital Photographs:
High-resolution digital images for newspapers and Internet sites are available through ASP’s photography distributution partner Getty Images. To register for access, log onto http://corporate.gettyimages.com/marketing/editorial_frontdoor/ASP/index.html

——————————————————————————–

About ASP: The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing’s undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior 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. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Japan, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

Pictured: Dale Staples shows the form that earned him the Billabong Junior Series Pro Junior title at Victoria Bay Photo: Clinton Theron / Billabong

2009 Billabong Junior Series
South Africa’s premier national junior surfing series
Scottburgh, Jeffreys Bay & Victoria Bay
April – September 2009

The 2009 Billabong Junior Series champions will be crowned at Victoria Bay next month when the third and final event in South Africa’s premier national tour for surfers aged 20-and-under is staged at the picturesque Southern Cape point-break from 23-26 September.

The 13^th annual series champions in the Pro Junior (U20) men and women, U16, U14 and U12 boys’ divisions will join an elite group of surfers such as Jordy Smith, Royden Bryson, Ricky Basnett and David Weare who honed their competitive repertoires on the Billabong Junior Series before going on to qualify for the ASP Dream Tour.

The Vic Bay event will also determine the 2009 ASP Africa Pro Junior champions and features an ASP Grade 2, R80 000 Pro Junior men’s event and an ASP Grade 1, R20 000 Pro Junior women’s event. The top four men and top woman on the yearend ASP Africa ratings receive sought after invitations to the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in Australia in January, the event that launched the careers of the likes of Joel Parkinson (AUS), Andy Irons (HAW) and Adriano de Souza (BRA).

Casey Grant (Scottburgh), winner of the first Billabong Pro Junior event of 2009 at his home-break in April, leads both the series and ASP Africa rankings going into the most important Pro Junior event of the year. Grant will be hard pressed to retain his lead by the outstanding current crop of local chargers that include local standout Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay), who took the title at the Pro Junior event at Port Alfred in May and has been winning nationally rated events at Victoria Bay since his days in U12’s.

Others with the talent and form to challenge for honours include former Vic Bay winner Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), who recently finished third in the Billabong Pro Junior Bali against a world-class field, national junior surfing team captain Matthew Bromley and fellow Kommetjie ripper Brendon Gibbens and the likes of Chad du Toit (Durban) and Kyle Lane (Umhlanga).

Vic Bay local Bianca Buitendag, who triumphed in the first series event at Scottburgh, has the talent and local knowledge to clinch the event title and the series crown at her home-break, while ASP Africa ratings leader Sarah Baum (Athlone Park) will be hoping to earn the invitation to Australia for the second successive year.

Both will be eyeing the form of multiple event champion Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie) who campaigned on the ASP Women’s World Qualifying Series (WQS) earlier this year and missed the Pro Junior women’s events in SA. Kirsty Delport (Durban), Heidi Palmboom (Bluff) and Tanika Hoffman (Kommetjie) are all potential event champions.

The highly competitive U16 boys’ division is wide open with the likes of recently crowned King of the Groms champion Davey Brand and fellow Kommetjie rippers Michael February, Jarred Veldhuis and Daniel Wilson strong contenders. They are joined by point-break experts such as Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay) and Dane Staples (St Francis Bay) along with Scottburgh event winner David van Zyl (Glenashley), all of whom are red hot performers.

Benji Brand (Kommetjie), Slade Prestwich (Park Rynie), Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) and Max Armstrong (Scarborough) head a particularly exciting group of U14 boys with Daniel Buitendag, winner of the Billabong Occy Grom Comp at Jeffreys Bay in July, bound to be in the mix at his home break.

The youngest division, the U12 boys, produces incredible surfing from the likes of Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay), Shane Sykes (Salt Rock), Ethan Fletcher (Kommetjie) and the fast improving Donovan Wichmann (Marina da Gama), the winner in J-Bay. Matthew McGillivray (PE), Steffen Burrows (Strand) and Jonah Paarman (Kommetjie) will also make their presence felt at Vic Bay.

The event will also feature the dazzling Von Zipper Air Show where selected contestants are rewarded for their expertise in performing aerial manoeuvres above the lip of the wave with the top performer earning the winner-takes-all R2 000 prize-purse.

Video footage, images, results and news will be available daily during the event at www.billabong.com and a TV documentary produced by Silver Bullet Productions will be broadcast on the channels of SuperSport.

The 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 events are sanctioned by ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International.

The series is proudly supported by First National Bank, Von Zipper and Kustom.

Online entries for the PST events can be made at www.billabong.com while the ASP events must be entered via www.aspafrica.com Please note that the closing date for the ASP Africa sanctioned Pro Junior events is next Tuesday, 25 August, while the PST events close two weeks prior to the event dates.

Billabong Events & Contest Coordinator Laureen Payne can be contacted for queries at 042 200 2600 or laureen.payne@billabong.co.za

The 2009 Billabong Junior Series started in Scottburgh (8-11 April) and continued with the inaugural Occy Grom Comp in Jeffreys Bay (9-15 July) before concluding at Victoria Bay (23-26 September) where the series champions will be crowned for the 13^th time.

ends

Issued on behalf of:

Billabong South Africa

Tel:                   042 200 2600
Fax:                  042 293 2478
Email:               laureen.payne@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