South African junior surfer Dylan Lightfoot stunned his Kiwi counterparts by clinching victory in the premier Under 16 boys division of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand on Sunday.

Lightfoot, a member of the South African junior surfing team that achieved its best ever result of fourth in the recent ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in New Zealand in January, defeated the cream of the Kiwi juniors in the small but contestable 0.5 to 0.75 metre waves on offer at the venue of Tay Street.

“I struggled out there today.  I am much bigger than Kiwi boys” commented the 15 year-old from Jeffreys Bay.  “They were flying across the waves doing all these turns.  I was just lucky to get that one wave and get a good score to push me into the lead.”

In the final Lightfoot battled to find high scoring rides in the small conditions, racking up a best score of 4.5 out of a possible 10 in the shore pound.  However, late in the heat he finally latched on to a wave that ran down the beach and proceeded to hit the lip several times until he finished on the beach.  The score came in at 8.5 points and that was enough to catapult him from third to first with a 13.0 point heat total.

Placing second in the final was Adam Grimson (Gis) who opted to surf up the beach by himself.  The tactical move paid off for 20 minutes of the final after catching some long lefthanders but he couldn’t match the power of Lightfoot and had to settle for second.  Dual finalist Dune Kennings (WGM) finished third while Sandy Bay surfer Patxi Scott-Arrieta finished the final in fourth place.

The New Zealand media reported the victory under the headlines ‘South African Stomps Opponents Into Submission’ and went to report ‘South African surfer Dylan Lightfoot came and conquered at the first event of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge …..  The lone South African contesting the event won the premier Under 16 Boys Division.’

Lightfoot, along with his family, has been in New Zealand for four weeks surfing breaks around New Zealand and also competing at the ISA World Junior Championships where he placed 19^th overall, the highest of the four SA boys in the U16 division 

He added Billabong Grom series contest to his travels and from day one of the event became the favourite and one to beat. Lightfoot will also participate in the second leg of the series which takes place at Whangamata next weekend (12-14 February).

/ends

Issued on behalf of:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.co.za
0824541149
www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Compiled and Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
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The South African Junior Surfing team secured fourth place overall along with a haul of four medals – two bronze and two copper – at the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships which ended in good one metre conditions at Piha Beach in New Zealand today.

The podium finish and copper medal was South Africa’s best team result since the ISA World Junior Championships became a stand-alone event in 2003, having finished fifth three times, seventh twice and sixth at last year’s event in Ecuador.

The other South African medals were earned by Sarah Baum (Athlone Park) who placed third overall for bronze in the U18 girls; team captain Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) who pocketed the copper medal for fourth place in the U18 boys and the Tag-Team who clinched the bronze when they placed third overall in the Aloha Cup event yesterday.

De Vries stormed through the six rounds of theU18 boys qualifying stream, convincingly winning the Round 6 heat over Jordin Watson (AUS) to advance to the Grand Final as the favourite. But Gabriel Medina (BRA) and Tamaroa McComb (TAH) emerged from the cutthroat repecharge rounds and dominated the final match-up.

Medina was simply unbeatable, posting a perfect 10 point ride along with a 9.90 for a heat tally of 19.90 and the gold medal. Watson grabbed the silver, just 0.02 of a point ahead of McComb with de Vries in fourth place.

Baum also progressed straight through the five rounds of the U18 girls, advancing to the Grand Final in second place behind eventual gold medalist Tyler Wright (AUS). Alessa Quizon (HAW) and Lakey Peterson (USA) survived the repecharge final and the Hawaiian went on to claim the silver with Baum taking bronze and Peterson the copper.

Matt Banting (AUS) won the U16 boys from Jake Halstead (USA), Koa Smith (HAW) and Hiroti Arai (JAP) to give Australia their second individual gold and helped them secure their fifth consecutive team title at the event, and sixth triumph in the eight year history of the tournament.

Baum and de Vries’ finals results were sufficient to boost South Africa’s team total past France and into a medal-winning fourth place behind Australia, Hawaii and the USA. France finished fifth, Tahiti sixth and hosts New Zealand seventh.

Video highlights, images and full results of all the heats in the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships are available at www.isaworldjuniors.com

The 2010 South African Junior Surfing Team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) and clothed by Quiksilver with additional support from Skullcandy and Power Balance.

See Surfing South Africa’s daily Press Release, photos and video footage focusing on the progress of the South Africans at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships

Results

GIRLS UNDER 18

1          TYLER WRIGHT                  AUSTRALIA
2          ALESSA QUIZON                HAWAII
3          SARAH BAUM                     SOUTH AFRICA (Athlone Park)
4          LAKEY PETERSON            USA

=13     Bianca Buitendag                George
=29     Tanika Hoffman                   Kommetjie
=41     Heidi Palmboom                  Bluff

BOYS UNDER 18

1          GABRIEL MEDINA              BRAZIL
2          JORDIN WATSON               AUSTRALIA
3          TAMAROA MCCOMB         TAHITI
4          BEYRICK DE VRIES          SOUTH AFRICA (Umhlanga)

=19     Michael February                 Kommetjie
=25     Davey Brand                         Kommetjie
=31     Dane Staples                        St Francis Bay

BOYS UNDER 16

1          MATT BANTING                   AUSTRALIA
2          JAKE HALSTEAD               USA
3          KOA SMITH                          HAWAII
4          HIROTI ARAI                        JAPAN

=19     Dylan Lightfoot                     Jeffreys Bay
=22     Steven Sawyer                     Jeffreys Bay
=22     Jarred Veldhuis                    Kommetjie
=37     Diran Zakarian                     Melkbosstrand

ALOHA CUP

1          AUSTRALIA 
2          FRANCE      
3          SOUTH AFRICA     
4          HAWAII         

TEAM

1          AUSTRALIA 
2          HAWAII         
3          USA   
4          SOUTH AFRICA
5          FRANCE
6          TAHITI
7          NEW ZEALAND      

Ends

Distributed on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock: General Manager (in New Zealand)
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com 
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Compiled & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
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Team South Africa clinched the first of what they hope will be four medals at the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in New Zealand when the five-person tag-team squad clinched the bronze in the Aloha Cup event on Wednesday.

After convincingly winning their semifinal match-up on Tuesday and advancing to today’s final with runners-up Australia and alongside France and Hawaii from the second semi, Team SA went into the finale with high hopes. But with just 20 minutes remaining in the one hour decider, they trailed in last place and it was thanks to an inspired effort by Steven Sawyer and outstanding time management by Bianca Buitendag that they managed to overtake Hawaii and secure third place.

Sawyer, the U16 boys’ representative in the squad, surfed the fourth leg and completed his two scoring rides quickly, giving Buitendag just seven minutes to complete her two rides and get back into the team enclosure. The 16 year-old from George caught two small waves and then sprinted back up the beach, getting home three seconds before the siren sounded to avoid the 5 point penalty that would have seen SA finish in fourth spot.

The gold medal in the Aloha Cup went to Australia who fought a see-saw battle against France until their female representative, Tyler Wright, eventually sealed the deal in the final minutes and consigned the Europeans to the silver medal.

South Africa still have two team members in contention for individual medals and will be hoping that Beyrick de Vries in the U18 boys and Sarah Baum in the U18 girls reach their respective Grand Finals. Not only will this guarantee the two surfers medals, it will also boost the team tally and possibly qualify Team SA for a fourth medal in the team standings.

De Vries, the Umhlanga based team captain, delivered yet another strong display today, posting a pair of six point rides to finish second behind Tahitian Tamaroa McComb and move to within one heat of the Grand Final. A first or second place in the Round 6 qualifying stream heat tomorrow will see de Vries directly into the medals while a third or fourth place sees him drop into the repecharge rounds where he will have another chance to reach the medal heat.

Baum (Athlone Park) finds herself in the identical position, having progressed to the final heat of the girls qualifying stream two days back.

The Jeffreys Bay pair of Dylan Lightfoot and Steven Sawyer had their campaigns ended in the same heat today when they finished third and fourth respectively in Round 6 of the U16 boys’ repecharge stream and were eliminated in 13^th and 16^th place overall in their division.

The entire SA contingent will be cheering for de Vries and Baum’s every manoeuvre during tomorrow’s final day. Surfing commences at 9.00am (10pm today SA time) with video, commentary and scoring webcast LIVE at www.isaworldjuniors.com

The 2010 South African Junior Surfing Team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) and clothed by Quiksilver with additional support from Skullcandy and Power Balance.

See Surfing South Africa’s daily Press Release, photos and video footage focusing on the progress of the South Africans at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Ends

Distributed on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock: General Manager (in New Zealand)
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:                www.surfingsouthafrica.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

Four South African surfers remain in contention for medals at the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in New Zealand after a day of exceptional waves and high quality surfing at Piha Beach on Tuesday.

Excellent two metre hollow waves fanned by a strong offshore wind resulted in performance levels soaring as the world’s best 18-and-under surfers utilised their full repertoire of manoeuvres to impress the judges.

Birthday girl Sarah Baum moved another step closer to the Grand Final of the U18 girls’ division, squeaking through to the last four in the qualifying stream by earning 7.0 points out of 10 for her second ride and then posting 4.50 points for a ride that ended just 6 seconds before the final siren to snatch second place from Alessa Quizon (HAW).

Baum (Athlone Park), who turns 16 today, will be up against heat winner Tyler Wright (AUS), along with Malia Manuel (HAW) and Felicity Palmateer (AUS) from the first qualifying semifinal, in Round 5 where the top two advance directly into the Grand Final and are guaranteed a gold, silver, bronze or copper medal.

Team SA captain Beyrick de Vries charged into the last six in the U18 boys’ qualifying stream, delivering the second highest heat score of Round 4 – 15.0 points out of 20 – and finishing ahead of Portugal’s Fredericko Morais and the Brazilian pairing of Gabriel Medina and Jesse Mendes.

Both Brazilians incurred interference penalties and were relegated to the repecharge rounds as de Vries progressed to within two heats of the Grand Final in his division.

“It’s always nice to get through a heat,” said de Vries. “Especially to win gives my confidence levels a little boost. I’m feeling good.”

Commenting on the interference penalties, De Vries said he steered clear of his fellow competitors in the action-packed affair.

“At this point of an event everyone wants it so bad,” he said. “It’s so close; you can just smell the finals. People are willing to do anything to win. I just stayed away from my fellow competitors and tried to do my own thing.”

The Jeffreys Bay duo of Steven Sawyer and Dylan Lightfoot kept alive their challenge in the U16 boys’ division. Sawyer’s inspired run in the qualifiers came to an end in Round 4. He finished fourth in that heat and dropped to repecharge Round 6 where he comes up against Lightfoot, who has already progressed through two repo heats, along with a Tahitian and a Hawaiian.

Such is the grueling nature of the repecharge rounds that the pair will need to finish first or second in five consecutive heats to reach the Grand Final and qualify for a medal.

Team SA slipped one position to fifth place on the provisional overall team standings after a further four team members eliminated on Tuesday. The USA tops the rankings ahead of Australia, Hawaii and France. Tahiti and hosts New Zealand are in sixth and seventh spots with two days of competition remaining.

Team SA casualties on Day 6 included Jarred Veldhuis (Kommetjie) who finally succumbed in his fifth U16 boys’ repo heat to end equal 22^nd overall, contributing 375 points to the team total.

Bianca Buitendag dropped to the repos after Round 3 in the U18 girls. Although she won her Round 4 repo heat, the 16 year-old from George slipped to third place in her Round 5 heat and was ousted in equal 13^th spot with 450 team points.

The Kommetjie pair of Davey Brand and Michael February were also sidelined, Brand placing =25^th overall with 360 points while February ended equal 19^th with a haul of 390 points.

Team SA bounced back convincingly in the semifinals of the Aloha Cup where five person squads from the top eight countries at the previous year’s ISA World Junior Championships compete in a tag-team format.

South Africa came up trumps in semi one beating Australia, New Zealand and Portugal. Team SA accrued a 52.40 point total to progress alongside Australia (50.35) into the final.

Semi two was a tight affair, with Hawaii finishing in the lead with a 46.3 total. In second was France (40.60), with Tahiti just .45 of a point behind on 40.15 and Peru in fourth on 36.55.

The schedule for Wednesday’s action, which will all be held on the main podium, sees Round 5 of qualifying stream action for the U18 and U16 boys along with repecharge rounds 6,7 &8 for both boys’ divisions and Round 6 for the girls.

The day’s action will be completed by the final of the Aloha Cup.

Surfing commences at 8.00am daily (9pm today SA time) on both podiums with live action video, commentary and scoring webcast from podium one and live scoring from podium two at www.isaworldjuniors.com

The 2010 South African Junior Surfing Team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) and clothed by Quiksilver with additional support from Skullcandy and Power Balance.

See Surfing South Africa’s daily Press Release, photos and video footage focusing on the progress of the South Africans at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Ends

Distributed on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock: General Manager (in New Zealand)
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:                www.surfingsouthafrica.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

Sarah Baum charged into the semifinals of the qualifying stream on Day 5 of the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in New Zealand as Team South Africa maintained a top four position in the team standings at the half way point of the world’s biggest annual event for surfers 18 and under.

Baum reveled in the clean one metre waves today, posting one of the top 10 heat totals of the Under 18 girls’ division to date – 13.0 points out of 20 – in winning her Round 3 heat to move into the last eight in the qualifying stream and she is now just two heats away from a place in the Grand Final.

After a slow start that saw her record just two short rides in first 10 minutes, the Athlone Park teenager who turns 16 tomorrow grabbed a narrow lead thanks to a solid 6.0 point ride at the halfway mark. She then cemented the victory with a manoeuvre packed ride that earned 7.0 with two minutes remaining.

Team SA captain Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) and Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay) moved a step closer to higher honours by advancing to the last 12 in the qualifying stream of the U18 and U16 boys’ divisions respectively.

De Vries placed second behind good friend and former Kommetjie surfer Thomas Woods, now representing Australia, while Sawyer enhanced his already impressive credentials at the event by delivering the highest heat total of Round 3 in the U16 boys – 14.40 out of 20.

With three rounds of repecharge heats completed in each of the three divisions at the event, four members of Team SA have been eliminated from the event, leaving South Africa in fourth position in the standings. Hawaii, who still have their entire team in contention, USA with one out and reigning team champions Australia with two casualties, are in joint first position as the best three results from each division count.

Team SA is marginally ahead of hosts New Zealand (five out), France (four out) and Tahiti (six out).

Heidi Palmboom (Bluff) was the first South African eliminated, finishing fourth in her Round 2 repecharge heat for equal 41^st position overall in the U18 girls. Tanika Hoffman (Kommetjie) advanced to repo Round 3 where she too placed fourth for equal 29^th overall and contributed  340 points to the team total.

Dane Staples (St Francis Bay) is the only U18 boy on the sidelines, eliminated in third place in repo Round 3, while Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) was ousted in U16 boys’ repo Round 2.

The Kommetjie duo of Davey Brand and Michael February have both advanced through two repecharge rounds to remain in contention in the U18 boys division. In the U16 boys, Jarred Veldhuis has been on fire since being relegated to the repecharge stream in Round 1. The 15 year-old from Kommetjie has won three successive heats to reach Round 4 where he is joined by Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) who also has posted victories in his two heats in the cutthroat repos.

The schedule for Tuesday’s action sees Rounds 3 qualifying stream action for all three divisions along with repecharge Rounds 4 & 5 for all. The day will be completed with the semifinals of the Aloha Cup where the top eight national teams from last year’s Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships in Ecuador will compete in two heats of four in this form of relay surfing.

Surfing commences at 8.00am daily (9pm today SA time) on both podiums with live action video, commentary and scoring webcast from podium one and live scoring from podium two at www.isaworldjuniors.com

The 2010 South African Junior Surfing Team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) and clothed by Quiksilver with additional support from Skullcandy and Power Balance.

See Surfing South Africa’s daily Press Release, photos and video footage focusing on the progress of the South Africans at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Ends

Distributed on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock: General Manager (in New Zealand)
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:                www.surfingsouthafrica.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

Steven Sawyer was the star for Team South Africa on Day 3 of the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in New Zealand, winning his Round 2 heat to become the sole SA team member remaining in the qualifying stream of U16 boys’ division at the world’s biggest event for surfers 18 and under.

As somewhat calmer but still wild weather and unruly two metre waves continued to plague the event, organisers opted to use only the main podium for competition today and completed the U18 boys repecharge Round 1 after the U16’s wrapped up.

Sawyer completed a come-from-behind victory to advance to Round 3 of the qualifying stream along with heat runner-up Braye Mihimana of Tahiti, while Isaiah Moniz (HAW) and Martin Jeri (PER), in third and fourth places respectively, dropped into the sudden-death repecharge rounds.

After briefly taking the lead with a 5.25 point ride at the 15 minute mark in the 25 minute encounter, Sawyer was overtaken by Moniz who posted the heat-high score of 7.50. The Jeffreys Bay teenager bounced back with a solid 4.90 with six minutes to go and held on for the heat win.

Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) and Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) were relegated to the repecharge stream when they finished outside the top two in their respective U16 boys’ heats. Zakarian took to the surf in the first heat of the day and only managed to ride one wave for 2.50 points and fourth place.

In the last heat of the round, Lightfoot posted scores of 5.0 and 3.25 but was overshadowed by heat winner and already established international star Kolohe Andino (USA) and highly touted Australian Creed McTaggart, to finish third.

Team USA dominated proceedings today with all four U16 boys winning their heats and Andino posting both the highest single ride score of 9.0 out of 10 and heat tally of 15.75 out of 20.

Repecharge Round 1 for the U18 boys saw the first competitors eliminated from the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships. After three days of competition, 11 of the 21 nations competing, including South African, still have all their team members in contention for the gold, silver, bronze and copper medals at stake for U16 & U18 boys, U18 girls and the team titles.

The schedule for Sunday’s action sees Rounds 1 & 2 of the U18 girls being run at the main podium. The second podium will be the venue for U16 boys’ repecharge R1 (featuring SA’s Jarred Veldhuis), U18 boys’ repecharge R2 (Dane Staples, Michael February & Davey Brand) and the U16 boys’ repecharge R2 (Diran Zakarian & Dylan Lightfoot, and Jarred Veldhuis if he progresses from R1).

Surfing commences at 8.00am daily (9pm today SA time) on both podiums with live action video, commentary and scoring webcast from podium one and live scoring from podium two at www.isaworldjuniors.com

The 2010 South African Junior Surfing Team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) and clothed by Quiksilver with additional support from Skullcandy and Power Balance.

See Surfing South Africa’s daily Press Release, photos and video footage focusing on the progress of the South Africans at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Ends

Distributed on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock: General Manager (in New Zealand)
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:                www.surfingsouthafrica.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

 
Wild conditions with 2 to 2.5 metre waves and strong winds forced organisers to postpone the start of competition on Day 2 of the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships before running just the nine heats in the U18 boys Round 2 at Piha Beach in New Zealand today (Friday).

The challenging double-overhead surf made contest surfing a lottery as competitors battled to find waves with scoring potential and many of the heats were won with scores of less than 10 out of a possible 20.

Team captain Beyrick de Vries was the only South African to master the conditions and remain in the qualifying stream of the U18 boys, placing a distant second to Tahiti’s Tamaroa McComb. The Umhlanga teenager counted scores of 5.0 and 2.97 for a heat total of 7.97 to McComb’s 13.17 (7.0 and 6.17).

Dane Staples (St Francis Bay) was again sent out in the first heat of the day and was unlucky to place fourth and slip into the cutthroat repecharge rounds. In a tightly contested encounter where all four competitors were separated by a single point, Staples posted scores 4.77 and 2.0 on the only two waves he rode in the 20 minutes and required just 2.61 points to grab second spot.

Mikey February suffered a similar fate, dropping to the repecharges when he placed third needing just 4.51 points for a berth in the next round of qualifiers while fellow Kommetjie resident Davey Brand, the bronze medalist in the U16 division in Ecuador last year, will also have to take the far longer route if he is to make the finals of the U18 division this year.

Brand accumulated 10.17 points (6.67 and 5.50), the highest of the SA quartet in action today, but still required a ride of 5.11 to grab second spot from Tahiti’s Poulou Jocelyn in the last heat run on the day.

For the second day in succession Brazilian prodigy Gabriel Medina was the top scorer in the U18 boys division, racking up individual wave scores of 6.67 and 8.0 for a heat total of 14.67 out of 20, which was 1.50 points better than the next best total of 13.17 posted by Tahiti’s McComb.

Competition is expected to continue tomorrow with U16 boys’ qualifying Round 2 and repecharge Round 1scheduled for the main podium and U18 boys’ repecharge Rounds 1 & 2 planned for podium two. The U18 girls’ heats are yet to get underway at the event which runs until Thursday 28 January.

Surfing commences at 8.00am daily (9pm today SA time) on both podiums with live action webcast on www.isaworldjuniors.com

The 2010 South African Junior Surfing Team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF), clothed by Quiksilver with additional support from Skullcandy and Power Balance.

Surfing South Africa will post a daily Press Release, photos and video footage focusing on the progress of the South Africans on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Ends

Pictured: Brazilian Gabriel Medina was the top scorer in the wild conditions on day 3 of the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships at Piha in New Zealand on Friday. Photo courtesy ISA

Distributed on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock: General Manager (in New Zealand)
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:                 www.surfingsouthafrica.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
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Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

Team South Africa posted a solid start to their campaign for medals and glory at the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in New Zealand today when seven of the eight team members in action progressed to the next round of the qualifying stream in the world’s biggest event for surfers aged 18-and-under.

After the event was officially opened with the Parade of Nations and Sands of the World ceremonies at Mission Bay in Auckland yesterday, the action started in wind affected 1 to 1.2 metre waves at Piha Beach this morning.

Surfers from 17 nations displayed their talent as Round 1 of both the Under 18 and U16 Boys’ divisions were run to completion. The top two in each heat progressed to Round 2 of the Qualifying stream while those placed third and fourth dropped into the grueling, sudden death Repecharge rounds where anything other than a top two finish sees the competitor out of the event under the double elimination format.

Diran Zakarian was the first South African to take to the surf in the U16 boys and the new cap from Melkbosstrand will remember his international debut fondly after recording a heat victory over opponents from France, the UK and Canada.

Kommetjie’s Jarred Veldhuis was next up and narrowly missed out on second spot in his encounter to become SA’s only casualty, dropping into the repecharge rounds after placing third.

The Jeffreys Bay duo of Steven Sawyer and Dylan Lightfoot both held on to second place finishes in their respective heats to complete a three out of four result for the U16 squad who were competing at Podium 1.

At the same time the U18 boys, competing at Podium 2, all finished second to competitors from the USA in their Round 1 match-ups. Michael February (Kommetjie) came the closest to a heat victory, finishing just 0.10 points behind Evan Thompson, as Dane Staples (St Francis Bay), team captain Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) and Davey Brand (Kommetjie) comfortably advanced to the next round.

Day 2 of the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship will see the Under 18 Girls division hit the water for the first time as well as elimination rounds in the Under 18 and 16 Boys divisions. 

The order of events will be as follows:

Podium 1
Under 16 Boys Qualifying Round 2
Under 18 Girls Qualifying Round 1

Podium 2
Under 18 Boys Qualifying Round 2
Under 16 Boys Repecharge Round 1
Under 18 Boys Repecharge Round 1

Surfing will commence at 8.00am (9pm today SA time) on both podiums with live action webcast on www.isaworldjuniors.com

The Parade of Nations, where teams parade through the streets clad in their official team colours, and the Sands of the World Ceremony, were completed yesterday along with the official opening speeches. During this traditional parade a representative from each nation deposits sand from their country’s beaches into a specially constructed box.

The Sands of the World ceremony symbolises the gathering of all the “tribes” which make up the surfing world. South Africa was represented by vice-captain Bianca Buitendag who deposited sand from beaches in the Western and Eastern Cape and KZN. See literally hundreds of images from these ceremonies at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za.

The 2010 South African Junior Surfing Team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF), clothed by Quiksilver with additional support from Skullcandy and Power Balance.

Surfing South Africa will post a daily Press Release, photos and video footage focusing on the progress of the South Africans on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Ends

Distributed on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock: General Manager (in New Zealand)
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:                www.surfingsouthafrica.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

The 2010 South African Junior Surfing Team started their campaign for gold at the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships in New Zealand by successfully defending the Lotto SANZ Challenge trophy, the traditional one-day warm up event between South Africa and New Zealand.

Competing in difficult-to-ride small waves at the World Championship contest site at Piha, Team SA scored a narrow points victory over the host nation to retain the unique hand crafted trophy made from semi precious New Zealand stone and South African yellow wood that they also won in Ecuador last year.

New caps Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay) and Jarred Veldhuis (Kommetjie) settled their nerves in their first foray in international competition by securing a morale boosting one-two finish in the U16 boys division, leaving New Zealanders Ben Poulter and Elliot Paerata – Reid in third and fourth places respectively.

Alex Dive (NZ) clinched victory in an U18 boys final that saw SA team captain Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) grab the runner-up position with the Kommetjie duo of Mikey February and Davey Brand filling the third and fourth spots.

New Zealand’s Sarah Mason took the win in the U18 girls final followed by Team SA vice captain, Bianca Buitendag (George), who earned the runner-up berth ahead of NZ’s Alexis Poulter and Jayda Martin – Fitzharris, who finished in that order.

The Lotto SANZ Challenge is used by the two nations as a final training session in the build up to the Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championship and this was the seventh edition it has been contested.

The 2010 South African Junior Surfing Team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF), clothed by Quiksilver and received additional support from Skullcandy and Power Balance.

The 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships will get under way tomorrow (Wednesday 20 January) with the Parade of Nations and Sands of the World Ceremony. During this traditional parade a representative from each nation will deposit sand from their country’s beaches into a specially constructed box.

This Sands of the World ceremony symbolises the gathering of all the “tribes” which make up the surfing world. South Africa will deposit sand from beaches in the Western and Eastern Cape and KZN.

Competition will start at 8.00am on the 21st January at Piha Beach, Auckland.

Live webcasting of the Parade, Sands of the World Ceremony and the surfing at each of the two podiums will be available from January 20 on www.isasurf.org and Surfing South Africa will post a daily Press Release and photos focusing on the progress of the South Africans on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Surfing South Africa is the organisation recognised by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, (SASCOC) Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) and the International Surfing Association (ISA) as the governing body for the sport in South Africa.

The International Surfing Association is recognised by the International Olympic Committee and is the governing body for World Surfing. Fernando Aguerre (Argentina) is the President, Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Mike Gerard (USA) and Kieran Sieralta (Peru) are the four Vice Presidents.

Ends

Distributed on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:          Robin de Kock: General Manager (in New Zealand)
Email:              surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:                www.surfingsouthafrica.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

The 2010 South African Junior Team is all set for the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships which get under way at Piha Beach in Auckland, New Zealand on January 21.

The preparation of the team and the costs involved in sending them to compete in this premier International Surfing Association tournament have been made possible by a grant of R300,000 from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).

Quiksilver South Africa, Skullcandy and Power Balance added their support to the team which represents the cream of South African Under 18 surfing.

The 2010 Team were awarded their colours at the end of November on completion of their final camp and at the ceremony Durban surfer Beyrick de Vries was named Captain. Bianca Buitendag of George was appointed Vice Captain.

Joining de Vries in the Under 18 Boy’s group is 2009 World Junior Championships bronze medal winner David Brand , fellow Kommetjie surfer and 2009 Quiksilver King of the Groms champion Mikey February and Dane Staples of Cape St Francis.

Buitendag’s teammates in the Under 18 Girl’s group are Sarah Baum of Durban, Tanika Hoffman of Kommetjie and new cap, Heidi Palmboom of the Bluff in Durban.

Steven Sawyer and Dylan Lightfoot of Jeffreys Bay, Jarred Veldhuis of Kommetjie and Diran Zakarian of Melkbosstrand make up the Under 16 Boys group. All four are new caps.

Head Coach Graham Hynes, who at 80 years of age is one of the coaching legends in South African and World surfing, will be assisted by Deputy Coach Etienne Venter and Assistant Coach Josh Salie. The Team Manager is Surfing South Africa Deputy President, Pax Nydoo.

As a final preparation for the 8th ISA World Junior Championships, the SA Team will compete in the annual Lotto SANZ Challenge against their traditional opponents and World Championship hosts New Zealand on January 19.

The Lotto SANZ Challenge uses the ISA Aloha Cup format and was held for the first time in Durban in 2003. Since then the SANZ Challenge has taken place before the official start of every World Junior Championship.

At stake is pride and a unique hand crafted trophy made from semi precious New Zealand stone and South African yellow wood. South Africa are the current holders of the trophy having beaten New Zealand in Ecuador last year.

South Africa will also be represented at the tournament by Cyril Nel of East London, who is one of three senior Technical Officials appointed by the International Surfing Association. Somerset West based Emma Bone has been included on the international judging panel which is made up of technical officials from 14 countries.

The 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships will get under way on January 20 with the Parade of Nations and Sands of the World Ceremony. During this traditional parade a representative from each nation will deposit sand from their country’s beaches into a specially constructed box.

This Sands of the World ceremony symbolises the gathering of all the “tribes” which make up the surfing world. South Africa will deposit sand from beaches in the Western and Eastern Cape and KZN.

Surfing South Africa is the organisation recognised by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, (SASCOC) Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) and the International Surfing Association (ISA) as the governing body for the sport in South Africa.

The International Surfing Association is recognised by the International Olympic Committee and is the governing body for World Surfing. Fernando Aguerre (Argentina) is the President, Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Mike Gerard (USA) and Kieran Sieralta (Peru) are the four Vice Presidents.

Live webcasting of the Parade, Sands of the World Ceremony and the surfing at each of the two podiums will be available from January 20 on www.isasurf.org and Surfing South Africa will post a daily Press Release and photos focusing on the progress of the South Africans on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Ends

2010 SA JUNIOR SURFING TEAM

BACK ROW : left to right : DIRAN ZAKARIAN, BEYRICK DE VRIES, BIANCA BUITENDAG, DAVID BRAND, DANE STAPLES, MIKEY FEBRUARY

MIDDLE ROW : left to right : STEVEN SAWYER, DYLAN LIGHTFOOT, HEDI PALMBOOM, TANIKA HOFFMAN, JARRED VELDHUIS, SARAH BAUM

FRONT ROW : left to right : JOSH SALIE, ETIENNE VENTER, GRAHAM HYNES, PAX NYDOO

Compiled by:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
for information on the 2010 SA Junior Surfing Team contact : 0824541149
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
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
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za