Team South Africa celebrate their ISA World Team Champions title on the podium at the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games in Panama with their gold medals, the Fernando Aguerre World Team Champions Trophy and IOC President’s Trophy. (From left to right) Mikey February, David van Zyl, Davey Brand, Men’s ISA World Champion Shaun Joubert (Capt), Tanika Hoffman, Faye Zoetmulder, Etienne Venter. Photo: ISA / Rommel Gonzales

The South African surfing team celebrated a famous double at the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games in Panama yesterday when they were crowned the ISA World Team Champions and captain Shaun Joubert clinched the ISA Men’s World Champion title.

Team SA fought a see-saw battle for the most prestigious team title in world surfing, leading the standings on Days 5 and 6 before slumping to fourth place going into the final day when Joubert’s outstanding victory saw them overtake perennial rivals and defending champions Australia, emerging surfing powerhouse Peru and Brazil who earned silver, bronze and copper medals respectively.

In addition to the gold medals, the team collected the Fernando Aguerre World Team Champion Trophy, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President’s Trophy and the once-off 5th Century Cup of the Discovery of the Pacific Ocean for winning the title for the first time outside South Africa and third time overall, after their triumphs in Durban in 2001 and in East London in 1978.

Joubert, who was the oldest member of the SA squad after turning 22 earlier this month, led his team victory by dominating the Men’s division from start to finish, advancing directly to the Grand Final by never finishing outside the top two in any of his seven heats, posting four of the top eight single ride scores, including the highest (9.87 out of 10), and three of the top six heat tallies.

Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) boosts a ‘superman air’ on his way to the 2013 ISA World Champion title at the Reef ISA World Surfing Games in Panama

After demolishing his opponents on the last day, leaving them needing a combination of two rides totalling 17.50 points as he advanced to the last four, Joubert then topped that in the final by racking up rides of 9.33 and 8.33 for a 17.66 point total.

The current ASP No. 104 and multiple SA age-group champion used a canny combination of excellent wave selection, superior heat management and long rides punctuated by explosive manoeuvres, with his variety of carves, cutbacks, vertical re-entries and aerials setting him apart from the rest.

“I really enjoyed the waves in Panama, we had amazing waves all event,” said an elated Shaun Joubert on the awards podium. “It’s nice to come as a team and actually be at the beach cheering the other guys and you want your team to do well. It’s fun to see all the flags and people from other countries, it’s a special event.”

In an interview shortly after the final, Joubert also explained how he had felt in tune with the waves at Santa Catalina in Panama ever since the team’s arrival a couple of days before the event started, comparing them to the similar right point breaks found around his home town of Mossel Bay. He also expressed his appreciation for the support of his teammates and how comfortable the entire team had been at the event which is a tribute to manager and coach Etienne Venter who motivated the team with an average age of just 20 to beat the world’s best.

While Joubert’s crown was the cherry on the top and contributed significantly to the team title, the performances of every team member was vital. Mikey February, fellow Kommetjie surfer Davey Brand, David van Zyl (Glenashley), Tanika Hoffman (Clifton) and Faye Zoetmulder (Cape St Francis) all finished in the top 16 in their respective divisions as Team SA triumphed over the other 23 national teams and 120 surfers at the event.

For the record, Jean Carlos “Oli” Gonzalez (PAN) produced a fairytale result for the host nation when he became the first Panamanian surfer to earn a medal at the ISA World Surfing Games, finishing second and the only surfer capable of overtaking Joubert with one ride. Former ISA World Junior Champion, Cristobol de Col (PER), took the Men’s bronze medal and Russell Molony (AUS) the copper.

Australia dominated the Women’s event where Dimity Stoyle took gold, teammate Codie Klein the silver with the bronze going to Suelen Naraisa (BRA) and the copper to Ella Williams (NZL).

Full results and high resolution images from the 2013 ISA World Surfing Games can be found at www.isawsg.com Additional news and images of Team SA can be found at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/surfing.sa

The 2013 South African surfing team has been provided with kit by RVCA.

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

2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games (Santa Catalina, Panama)
Results

Teams
1. South Africa – Gold medal + Fernando Aguerre World Team Champion Trophy + IOC President’s Trophy + 5th Century Cup of the Discovery of the Pacific Ocean
2. Australia – Silver medal
3. Peru – Bronze medal
4. Brazil – Copper Medal

Men
1. Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay, RSA) – Gold medal
2. Jean Carlos “Oli” Gonzalez (PAN) – Silver medal
3. Cristobal de Col (PER) – Bronze medal
4. Russell Molony (AUS) – Copper medal

13. Mikey February (Kommetjie, RSA)
13. Davey Brand (Kommetjie, RSA)
16. David van Zyl (Glenashley, RSA)

Women

1. Dimity Stoyle (AUS) – Gold medal
2. Codie Klein (AUS) – Silver medal
3. Suelen Naraisa (BRA) – Bronze medal
4. Ella Williams (NZL) – Copper medal

11. Tanika Hoffman (Clifton, RSA)

13. Faye Zoetmulder (Cape St Francis, RSA)

Overall Team Standings

1. South Africa- 11,102 points
2. Australia- 10,332 points
3. Peru- 9,636 points
4. Brazil- 9,146 points
5. Panama- 7,946 points
6. Costa Rica- 7,678 points
7. Argentina- 7,422 points
8. Chile- 7,286 points
9. Venezuela- 7,000 points
10. Mexico- 6,752 points
11. Ecuador- 6,630 points
12. New Zealand- 6,620 points
13. Puerto Rico- 6,520 points
14. Japan- 6,116 points
15. Italy- 6,060 points
16. El Salvador- 5,400 points
17. Guatemala- 4,866 points
18. Switzerland- 4,504 points
19. Uruguay- 3,732 points
20. Jamaica- 3,096 points
21. Turkey- 1,152 points
22. Canada- 720 points
23. Sweden- 720 points
24. Russia- 576 points

The top 7 placed teams qualified for the ISA China Cup, the ISA’s signature event, that is held annually in January on Hainan Island in the South China Sea, where South Africa will be the top seeds in 2014..

ENDS

Issued on behalf of:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
0824541149
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Compiled & distributed by:

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

Team captain Shaun Joubert blasted his way into the final day of the of the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games in Panama with manoeuvres like this yesterday Photo: ISA / Tweddle

The South Africa surfing team’s hopes of both a team and an individual medal at the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games rest squarely on the shoulders of captain Shaun Joubert as the ‘Olympics of Surfing’ heads into the final day at Santa Catalina in Panama today (Sunday).

Joubert was the shining light for Team SA yesterday, posting the highest heat total in Men’s qualifying Round 5 to move within one heat of the Grand Final and a gold, silver, bronze or copper medal with a stellar display of high performance surfing in the crumbly 0.5 to one metre waves.

The rest of the team fought courageously until the end of every heat they contested to earn as many points towards the team total as possible before bowing out.

Kommetjie teammates Mikey February and Davey Brand finished equal 13th overall contributing 1 800 points each while David Van Zyl (Glenashley) ended his campaign in equal 16th place with a haul of 1 652 points.

Tanika Hoffman (Clifton), who produced several of the highest heat totals in the Women’s division during the event, had her charge halted in repercharge Round 5, placing equal 11th and earning 950 points, with Faye Zoetmulder (Cape St Francis) eliminated one round earlier in equal 13th place which added 900 points to the team tally.

With only one team member still in contention, Team SA slipped to fourth place overall in the provisional team standings behind Brazil, who have four (two men and two women), defending team champions Australia with one man and two women and Peru with one man and one woman heading into the final day.

The valuable contributions by the five South Africans eliminated in yesterday’s action leave Team SA over 1 500 points ahead of fifth placed Costa Rica who, along with Argentina, Chile, hosts Panama and Italy, all still have one team member chasing a medal.

Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the Reef ISA World Surfing Games, predict better surf for the final day with chest to head-high and occasional overhead waves, growing larger during the day, and light offshore winds in the morning, becoming onshore later.

The final day of the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games starts with The Morning Show at 6:20am (1.20pm SA time) followed by the surfing action when conditions are suitable.

Reef ISA World Surfing Games (Santa Catalina, Panama)
Schedule for Final Day (SA surfers in brackets)

Open Women’s Repercharge 6
Open Men’s Repercharge 8
Open Women’s Qualifying 5
Open Men’s Qualifying 6 (Shaun Joubert)
Open Women’s Repercharge 7
Open Men’s Repercharge 9
Open Women’s Repercharge Final
Open Men’s Repercharge Final (TBD)
Final Women
Final Men (TBD)

All the action can be followed live via webcast at www.isawsg.com Additional news and images of Team SA can be found at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/surfing.sa

The 2013 South African surfing team has been provided with kit by RVCA.

Surfing South Africa (SSA) is the recognized governing body for the sport in South Africa. 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:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
0824541149
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Compiled & distributed by:

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

Bianca Buitendag (George) carves off the top of a wave at Barra de Tijuca on the way to her career best third place finish in the Colgate Plax Girls Rio Pro on Saturday Photo: ASP / Kirstin

South Africa’s Bianca Buitendag achieved the best result of her fledgling professional surfing career when she placed third in the Colgate Plax Girls Rio Pro, stop No. 5 of 7 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), at Barra da Tijuca beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.

The 19 year-old rookie from George in the Southern Cape, competing in just her fifth event at this level, overcame a string of the world’s best female surfers to reach the semi-finals before bowing out to eventual event winner, Tyler Wright (AUS), 19.

“I think it’s the best result of my professional career,” Buitendag said. “I’m really happy with my result and happy to be here in Brazil. It’s good to get my head above water for a change. I’d been in a tough mental space over the last few events and kind of putting myself down and this allowed me to think and surf smarter. Now that this event is over I’ll be able to go back and analyze my performance.”

Buitendag won US $8 000 (approx. R72 000) and an invaluable 6 600 points that saw her move up one place to eighth on the ASP Women’s WCT leaderboard. With two events left in the 2013 season she is now a significant 3 550 points ahead of Malia Manuel in the 10th and final spot for automatic requalification for next year’s elite WCT.

Buitendag started her Rio campaign with a third place finish in Round 1 before bouncing back to defeat Philippa Anderson (AUS) in Round 2. After repeating her third place in Round 3, the South Africa overcame the challenge of ASP No. 13 Pauline Ado (FRA) before holding on to defeat the third seed, Courtney Conlogue (USA), in their quarter-final match-up.

Tyler Wright defeated fellow Australian Sally Fitzgibbons, 22, in a high-scoring final (17.80 to 15.67) to win the Colgate Plax Girls Rio Pro in peaky two-to-three foot waves and take the lead on the 2013 ASP Women’s WCT rankings

Wright dominated the Barra da Tijuca line-up from start to finish, posting the high scores of each round with progressive combinations including the final where she unloaded committed forehand combinations and was rewarded a 9.33 and 8.50 to secure the win.

“This feels pretty good,” Wright said. “This whole event has been stepping stones for me. I started off a bit shaky and this is my first even where my family is not here with me. Brooke Farris was here looking after me and thanks to everyone for all of their support.”

Wright’s victory in Rio marks her second of the season following a win on the Gold Coast and the two victories combined with two additional runner-up finishes have launched Wright to the No.1 position over Carissa Moore (HAW), 20.

“It’s awesome to move to the top of the rankings, but I’m honestly not thinking about the World Title,” Wright said. “I’m just having fun surfing and enjoying each event and we’ll see what happens at the end of the year.”

Sally Fitzgibbons, defending event champion, put in an amazing effort in an attempt to retain the Colgate Plax Girls Rio Pro Title, ousting Oahu’s Carissa Moore in their semi-final bout, but was unable to put a stop to Wright’s momentum in the final to finish runner-up overall.

“I’m happy to progress though to the final,” Fitzgibbons said. “It’s always exciting to come in to a final against Tyler (Wright) and I knew she’d be tough to beat out there. I love coming to Rio and I always get good results here. Unfortunately I fell at the last hurdle, but I’ll come back bigger and better next year.”

Highlights from the Colgate Plax Girls Rio Pro will be available via http://wctbrasil.com/rio13

Event organizers will reconvene this morning at 7:30am local time (12.30pm SA time) for a possible start to Round 2 of Billabong Rio Pro Men’s competition.

When men’s competition resumes, South Africa’s Travis Logie will contest Heat No. 10 against fellow ASP WCT veteran Kieren Perrow (AUS). Jordy Smith advanced directly to Round 3 after winning his opening encounter in Rio last Thursday.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

COLGATE PLAX GIRLS RIO PRO FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Tyler Wright (AUS) 17.80
2 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.67

COLGATE PLAX GIRLS RIO PRO SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.90 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 11.97
SF 2: Tyler Wright (AUS) 17.94 def. Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 13.64

COLGATE PLAX GIRLS RIO PRO QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.50 def. Lakey Peterson (USA) 8.34
QF 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.10 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 10.24
QF 3: Tyler Wright (AUS) 15.83 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 13.74
QF 4: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 12.20 def. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 11.33

ASP WOMEN’S WCT TOP 5 (Following Colgate Plax Girls Rio Pro):
1. Tyler Wright (AUS) 40,000 points
2. Carissa Moore (HAW) 38,200
3. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 34,200
4. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 32,100
5. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 26,450

8. Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 21,450

BILLABONG RIO PRO ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Gustavo Fernandes (BRA)
Heat 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Messias Felix (BRA)
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 4: Jeremy Flores (BRA) vs. Ricardo dos Santos (BRA)
Heat 5: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Yadin Nicol (AUS)
Heat 6: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 7: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 8: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 10: Travis Logie (ZAF) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 11: Alejo Muniz (BRA) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 12: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. Filipe Toledo (BRA)

ENDS

Issued on behalf of:

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

Compiled and Distributed by:

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

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

Tanika Hoffman carves of the top of a wave on her way to the highest women’s heat tally on Day 6 Photo: ISA / Rommel Gonzales

South Africa retains the lead in the provisional rankings for the team title as they head into the penultimate day of the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games in Panama with all four members in action yesterday progressing to the next round in their respective divisions.

A revised schedule due to a late start caused by onshore winds, small waves and a low tide saw only two rounds of repercharge heats run with Tanika Hoffman and Faye Zoetmulder securing first and second places in their Round 3 heat while Mikey February and David van Zyl both won their Round 5 encounters.

Hoffman was the standout of the Women’s competition, racking up a heat total of 15.27 out of 20 with rides of 8.0 and 7.27 to finish 2.54 points ahead of Zoetmulder as the pair eliminated Pamela Verboonen (Mexico) and Malena Toral (Panama) from the event.

February was just as dominant in his clash, earning scores of 8.17 and 7.0 as he left Russell Molony (Australia) needed a near perfect 9.0 for the heat victory. David van Zyl ground out a narrow win over Brazilian standout Ruda Carvalho with a pair of five point rides in the tricky surf and the pair eliminated Gilbert Brown (Costa Rica) which helped to extend SA’s lead in the team standings.

With all six team members still in contention, Team SA now has a significant lead ahead of second placed Brazil who had one of the four men eliminated early in the event. Defending champions Australia, with two men eliminated, have overtaken Peru and Costa Rica to move into third place.

The team accumulating the highest points total wins gold medals along with the Fernando Aguerre World Team Champion Trophy, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President’s Trophy and the “Copa V Centenario Del Descubrimiento Del Oceano Pacifico,” or 5th Century Cup of the Discovery of the Pacific Ocean.

The top seven nations also qualify to compete in the ISA China Cup, the ISA’s signature event that is held annually in January on Hainan Island in the South China Sea.

The event got underway at 2pm SA time today with Shaun Joubert advancing to the last six in the Men’s qualifying stream when he finished second behind Cristobol de Col (Peru) in a low-scoring clash in the tiny waves.

Davey Brand finished third in his qualifying Round 4 heat and joins teammate David van Zyl in Heat 1 of repercharge Round 6 where they will be hoping to oust their opponents from Costa Rica and Australia.

Reef ISA World Surfing Games (Santa Catalina, Panama)
Schedule for Day 7 (SA surfers in brackets)

Open Men’s Qualifying Round 4 (Davey Brand – Heat 1, Shaun Joubert – H2)
Open Women’s Qualifying Round 3
Open Women’s Repercharge Round 4 (Tanika Hoffman – Heat 1, Faye Zoetmulder – H2)
Open Men’s Repercharge 6 (Davey Brand & David van Zyl – Heat 1, Mikey February – H3)
Open Men’s Qualifying Round 5 (Shaun Joubert – Heat 1)
Open Women’s Qualifying 4
Open Women’s Repercharge Round 5 (TBD)
Open Men’s Repercharge 7 (TBD)

All the action can be followed live via webcast at www.isawsg.com Additional news and images of Team SA can be found at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/surfing.sa

The 2013 South African surfing team has been provided with kit by RVCA.

Surfing South Africa (SSA) is the recognized governing body for the sport in South Africa. 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:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
0824541149
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Compiled & distributed by:

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

Shaun Joubert boosts and aerial to remain in the Men’s qualifying stream going into Day 6 of the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games in Panama Photo: ISA / Tweddle

The South African surfing team leads in the provisional standings heading into Day 6 of the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games in Panama and is now the only country with all six team members still in contention for medals at the event known as the ‘Olympics of Surfing’.

After a full day of action in inconsistent waist to chest high waves yesterday, team captain Shaun Joubert and Kommetjie’s Davey Brand posted hard fought second place finishes in the their Round 3 heats to remain in the Men’s qualifying stream.

Tanika Hoffman and Faye Zoetmulder won their Women’s repercharge Round 2 heats and will be up against each other Round 3. Mikey February and David van Zyl, who dropped into the repercharge rounds after placing third and fourth respectively in their Round 3 heats, both then safely progressed to Men’s repercharge Round 5.

Van Zyl, who occupied fourth spot at one stage in his repercharge heat, kept active and eventually earned a 3.17 that moved him into second place ahead of Gabriel Villaran, who was the first Peruvian to be eliminated from the event, giving Team SA sole possession of the rankings lead.

Hoffman earned a produced a couple of five point rides to eke out a narrow heat victory over Nao Omura (Japan) with a heat tally of 11.53, the highest women’s total of the day.

Small waves and extreme tides continue to delay the start of each day’s competition at Santa Catalina. Today’s action is scheduled to get underway at 12noon (7pm SA time), conditions permitting, and all six SA team members will be competing.

Reef ISA World Surfing Games (Santa Catalina, Panama)
Schedule for Day 6 (SA surfers in brackets)

Men repercharge R4 ( Heat # 6)
Women repercharge R3 (Tanika Hoffman & Faye Zoetmulder – Heat 1)
Men qualify R4 (Davey Brand – Heat 1, Shaun Joubert – H2)
Women qualify R3
Men repercharge R5 (Davey van Zyl – Heat 1, Mikey February – H2)
Women repercharge R4 (TBD)
Men repercharge R6 (TBD)

All the action can be followed live via webcast at www.isawsg.com Today’s webcast begins with the Morning Show at 6.10pm (SA time) followed by competition starting when the conditions are suitable.

Additional news and images of Team SA can be found at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/surfing.sa

The 2013 South African surfing team has been provided with kit by RVCA.

Surfing South Africa (SSA) is the recognized governing body for the sport in South Africa. 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:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
0824541149
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Compiled & distributed by:

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

Jordy Smith (Durban) takes to the air on his way to a convincing heat victory on Day 1 of the Billabong Pro Rio yesterday Photo: ASP / Smorigo

Jordy Smith was on fire on the opening day of the Billabong Pro Rio yesterday, blasting his way directly into Round 3 with the joint highest single ride score and second highest heat tally in thumping one to two metre beachbreak waves at Barra de Tijuca in Brazil.

Rejuvenated after spending his summer break back in Southern Africa, Smith has been one of the form surfers on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) and came into the third stop ranked No. 7 in the world after reaching the semi-finals in the last event at Bells Beach Australia and finishing 13th at the season opener on the Gold Coast.

Trailing after an outstanding tube ride by Adam Melling that earned the Australian 9.57 out of 10, Smith fought his way back with a 7.17, took the lead by adding a 5.73 and then sealed the heat victory with a deep tube and a spectacular close-out re-entry that earned him 9.77 and a heat total of 16.94 out of 20.

“I just started the year off at home,” Smith said. “I wanted to let last year go. I have incredible people around me at the moment from my friends to my girlfriend. I also did a trip and I felt like I’d been behind the speed bump and couldn’t get past my injury. I was still feeling one step behind and then I went on a trip to Mozambique with my best friend and it changed everything for me. It got me over that hump and put a smile on my face again. It got me stoked again and I’m pumped.”

Travis Logie was not as fortunate in his Round 1 match-up, finding wave selection difficult in the challenging conditions and finishing second behind WCT rookie Glenn Hall (IRL). Logie faces fellow WCT veteran Kieren Perrow (AUS) in Round 2 when men’s competition resumes.

Others amongst the world’s top 34 surfers to star on Day 1 included Brazilian prodigy Gabriel Medina, 19, who threaded his way through several hollow barrels on his backhand to record the day’s highest heat total of 18.0, fellow Brazilian and Bells Beach winner Adriano de Souza and the perennial top contenders in reigning ASP World Champion Joel Parkinson (AUS), 11-time world champ Kelly Slater (USA) and two-time world champ Mick Fanning (AUS), all of whom convincingly won their encounters.

The Colgate Plax Girls Rio Pro, stop No. 5 of 7 on 2013 ASP Women’s WCT, got underway in smaller one metre waves and clean conditions at Barra de Tijuca this morning.

South African rookie Bianca Buitendag (George), currently ranked No. 9 after a fifth, two ninths and a 13th place result in her first four events at this level, finished third in the first heat of the day. Buitendag will contest her Round 2 heat later today as the organisers run as far as they can through the women’s draw.

Live webcasts and highlights from the Billabong Rio Pro and Colgate Plax Girls Rio Pro will be available via http://wctbrasil.com/rio13

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG RIO PRO ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.50, Josh Kerr (AUS) 10.27, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 1.40
Heat 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.07, Yadin Nicol (AUS) 7.56, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 1.83
Heat 3: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 15.66, Ricardo dos Santos (BRA) 8.93, Taj Burrow (AUS) 8.67
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.20, Filipe Toledo (BRA) 8.27, Jack Freestone (AUS) 7.96
Heat 5: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.34, Messias Felix (BRA) 9.83, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 2.47
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.30, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 4.63, Gustavo Fernandes (BRA) 1.46
Heat 7: Glenn Hall (IRL) 15.46, Travis Logie (ZAF) 10.00, Julian Wilson (AUS) 1.46
Heat 8: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 18.00, Dusty Payne (HAW) 7.26, Damien Hobgood (USA) 4.04
Heat 9: Nat Young (USA) 11.46, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 9.74, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 9.37
Heat 10: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 16.94, Adam Melling (AUS) 12.44, Kai Otton (AUS) 5.53
Heat 11: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11.27, Michel Bourez (PYF) 9.77, Brett Simpson (USA) 9.27
Heat 12: Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.43, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 8.56, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 7.43

BILLABONG RIO PRO ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Gustavo Fernandes (BRA)
Heat 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Messias Felix (BRA)
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 4: Jeremy Flores (BRA) vs. Ricardo dos Santos (BRA)
Heat 5: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Yadin Nicol (AUS)
Heat 6: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 7: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 8: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 10: Travis Logie (ZAF) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 11: Alejo Muniz (BRA) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 12: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. Filipe Toledo (BRA)

COLGATE PLAX GIRLS RIO PRO ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Lakey Peterson (USA) 14.04, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 12.34, Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 9.33

COLGATE PLAX GIRLS RIO PRO ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Paige Hareb (NZL), Sage Erickson (USA)
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW), Silvana Lima (BRA), TBD
Heat 4: Tyler Wright (AUS), Malia Manuel (HAW), Phillipa Anderson (AUS)
Heat 5: Courtney Conlogue (USA), Laura Enever (AUS), Alize Arnaud (FRA)
Heat 6: Coco Ho (HAW), Alana Blanchard (HAW), Pauline Ado (FRA)

ENDS

Issued on behalf of:

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

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

Mikey February, seen here while winning his Round 1 heat on Sunday, will be going all out to place 1st or 2nd in his Round 3 heat today and stay in the qualifying stream at the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games in Panama Photo: ISA / Tweddle

All six members of the SA surfing team will be in action today, Day 5 of the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games at Santa Catalina in Panama, as the four men contest their respective qualifying stream Round 3 heats while the two women face do-or-die encounters in repercharge Round 2.

After a day off yesterday (Wednesday) when three rounds of men’s repercharge rounds were completed, Shaun Joubert, Mikey February, Davey Brand and David van Zyl will be primed to maintain their positions in the upper tier of the double-elimination format and take another step towards the Grand Final and one of the gold, silver, bronze and copper medals on offer.

Tanika Hoffman and Faye Zoetmulder will be just as determined for a successful start to their arduous passage through the women’s repercharge rounds where finishing lower than second in any heat will mean elimination from the event.

Yesterday’s action saw 30% of the men who started the event eliminated, leaving South Africa and Peru heading the provisional points standings as the only countries with all six team members still in contention for individual titles.

Brazil, the 2011 team runners up, along with Costa Rica and Venezuela have each had one team member ousted from the event while defending team champions Australia, Mexico, Ecuador, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, hosts Panama, Puerto Rico and Japan have all ‘lost’ two members.

The swell remains around 0.5 to one metre in Panama and with an extremely low Spring tide at 9.26am local time, the start of today’s surfing action is likely to be delayed until around noon (7pm SA time).

Reef ISA World Surfing Games (Santa Catalina, Panama)
Schedule for Day 5 (SA surfers in brackets)

Men’s qualifying Round 3 (Mikey February Heat 1, David van Zyl H3, Davey Brand H4, Shaun Joubert H6)
Women’s repercharge Round 2 (Tanika Hoffman Heat 1, Faye Zoetmulder H3)
Men’s repercharge Round 4 (TBD)

All the action can be followed live via webcast at www.isawsg.com Each day’s webcast begins with the Morning Show at 2.40pm (SA time) followed by competition starting when the conditions are suitable.

Additional news and images of Team SA can be found at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/surfing.sa

The 2013 South African surfing team has been provided with kit by RVCA.

Surfing South Africa (SSA) is the recognized governing body for the sport in South Africa. 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:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
0824541149
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Compiled & distributed by:

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

Tanika Hoffman cuts back on a small wave on Day 3 of the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games in Panama on Tuesday Photo: ISA / Tweddle

Challenging conditions including an extreme low tide and tiny waves forced organisers of the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games to delay the start of Day 3’s action at Santa Catalina in Panama yesterday (Tuesday).

When the contest did get underway, Team SA’s Tanika Hoffman and Fay Zoetmulder struggled to find waves with any scoring potential and even resorted to riding left breaking waves at the predominantly right-breaking reef, before finished fourth and third respectively in their Round 2 heats. This resulted in the pair dropping out of the qualifying stream and into the repercharge rounds in the double-elimination format.

In a low-scoring encounter that saw just 1.4 points separating first place from fourth, Hoffman and Australian Dimity Stoyle both had scored less than one point with three minutes remaining when the best set waves of the heat rolled in. Stoyle earned 7.17 on the first wave to leapfrog into the lead and leave Hoffman needing 6.83 for second place.

The 20 year-old from Clifton came up just short on the next wave with a 6.0 that left her requiring 1.50 points. But the ocean went flat and Nataly Bernold (Switzerland) hung onto second place with Valeria Sole (Peru) joining Hoffman in the repercharge rounds.

Zoetmulder (Cape St Francis) also came agonizingly close to securing second place. After Australia’s Codie Klein had jumped out into an unassailable lead by posting scores of 5.83 and a near perfect 9.50 to combo her three opponents in the first six minutes, Zoetmulder fought her way back into second spot, but was overtaken by Maria Lucia Cosoleto (Argentina) in the last minute.

Both SA girls now face a gruelling schedule of seven heats in the next four days to reach the Women’s Grand Final and earn a medal. Anything other than first or second place in those heats will see them eliminated from the event.

Team SA remains one of 14 countries who still have all six of their competitors still in contention after three days. That is expected to change significantly today when 18 Men’s repercharge heats will be run.

Today’s action at the Reef ISA World Surfing Games comprises Men’s repercharge Rounds 1, 2 and 3. As all four South African men are safely through to Round 3 in the qualifying stream, Team SA has a day off from competition and our next report from the event will be on Friday 10 May.

Reef ISA World Surfing Games (Santa Catalina, Panama)
Schedule for Day 4 (SA time)

3pm Men’s repercharge Round 1 (Heats #11 & 12)
3.40pm Men’s repercharge Round 2(12 x Heats)
6.40pm Men’s repercharge Round 3 (6 x Heats)

All the action can be followed live via webcast at www.isawsg.com Each day’s webcast begins with the Morning Show at 2.40pm (SA time) followed by surfing action starting at 3pm.

The 2013 South African surfing team has been provided with kit by RVCA.

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

END

Issued on behalf of:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
0824541149
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Compiled & distributed by:

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

Shaun Joubert completed this spectacular air-reverse to post the Men’s highest single ride score of the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games in Panama on Monday. Photo: ISA / Rommel Gonzales

The South African surfing team continued to post impressive performances on Day 2 of the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games in Panama when all six team members advanced to the next round in their respective qualifying streams and captain Shaun Joubert produced the highest scoring single ride of the Men’s event to date.

Making excellent use of the morning’s clean but tricky head-high conditions at Santa Catalina, Joubert briefly took an early lead in his Round 2 match-up with a 5.83 before being overtaken by Mexico’s Adrian Rodriguez who negotiated his way past the fast breaking third section of the wave to earn an 8.50.

Realising the difficulty of getting long rides, Joubert dropped into his next wave and blasted a vertical off-the-lip manoeuvre, carved a roundhouse cutback and then launched a high-flying air reverse that he landed cleanly to get a massive 9.87 from the judges, two of whom rewarded him with a perfect 10 point score.

Joubert couldn’t improve on his second highest score of 5.83 and was eventually overtaken by the smooth surfing Mexican who added a 7.50 to his total in the dying seconds of the 20 minute heat, but both safely progressed to Round 3 of the Men’s qualifying stream well ahead of their two opponents.

Earlier Mikey February set the standard for Team SA when he squeezed past Italian standout Frederico Pilurzu to record his second straight heat victory at the event with a narrow 10.16 vs. 10.10 result.

Kommetjie teammate Davey Brand then showed his superior heat management skills by holding onto second place after producing a pair of 6.33 point rides in his Round 2 encounter. Left trailing when Australian Thomas ‘Tiger’ Woods, who grew up and learned to surf in Kommetjie, opened his account with a sensational 9.57 point ride, Brand staved off the challenges of Luca Santamaria (ARG) and Michael Tudela (PER) to earn a berth in Round 3.

David van Zyl followed that up with his second heat victory, ending ahead of WQS campaigner and big-wave charger Gabriel Villaran (Peru) in a see-saw battle. Looking much more comfortable riding his own surfboard, which had been lost in transit on the long trip to Panama, van Zyl steadily accumulated a trio of mid-range scores before shredding a set wave for an 8.0 to take the lead from Villaran with just three minutes remaining.

After Joubert’s heroics and the onset of the customary midday onshore breeze, South Africa’s two women took the waves. Tanika Hoffman demonstrated the experience she gained by spending most of 2012 living in France and competing on the WQS when she comfortably maintained second place behind New Zealand’s Thandi Tipene in her first heat at the event,.

Faye Zoetmulder, like Hoffman a goofy-foot surfer (rides with right foot in front), then posted a similarly strong performance in her opening encounter. Despite the freshening onshore wind making the waves crumble, the 21 year-old from Cape St Francis managed to find a couple of runners on which she delivered a series of manoeuvres that earned her second place and progression to Round 2.

With all six team members remaining in the qualifying stream of the double elimination format, South Africa holds a psychological advantage over the other 23 nations at the event, all of whom have at least one competitor already in the cutthroat repercharge rounds, including defending team champions Australia and second seeds Brazil, both of whom have three members who will have to take the long and gruelling route to the finals.

Today’s action at the Reef ISA World Surfing Games will see the first competitors eliminated from the event when the Women’s repercharge Round 1 heats are run. Hoffman and Zoetmulder will contest their Women’s qualifying Round 2 heats while the SA men have the day off as none of them are in the Men’s repercharge rounds.

Reef ISA World Surfing Games (Santa Catalina, Panama)
Schedule for Day 3 (SA time and SA surfers in brackets)

3pm Women’s repercharge Round 1
3.40pm Women’s qualifying Round 2 (Tanika Hoffman Heat 2, Faye Zoetmulder H3)
5.40pm Men’s repercharge Round 1

All the action can be followed live via webcast at www.isawsg.com Each day’s webcast begins with the Morning Show at 2.40pm (SA time) followed by surfing action starting at 3pm.

The 2013 South African surfing team has been provided with kit by RVCA.

Surfing South Africa (SSA) is the recognized governing body for the sport in South Africa. 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:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
0824541149
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Compiled & distributed by:

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

Davey Brand carves off the bottom of an overhead wave on Day 1 of the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games in Panama. Photo: ISA / Tweddle

The South African surfing team got off to a perfect start when all four men won their heats on the opening day of the 2013 Reef ISA World Surfing Games at Santa Catalina in Panama on Sunday.

Competing against 80 competitors from 24 countries in the ‘Olympics of Surfing’, the SA quartet of team captain Shaun Joubert, Mikey February, Davey Brand and David van Zyl all posted heat totals that were in the top 10 on the day, with Joubert also producing the joint highest single ride score of 9.43 out of 10.

February was the first to take to the excellent 1.0 to 1.5 metre offshore waves peeling along the reef and the lanky 19 year-old from Kommetjie immediately took control of proceedings by grabbing the lead in the third minute with a long ride punctuated by high risk manoeuvres that earned him 7.0 from the judges.

Maintaining the lead with three average rides, February then sealed the heat victory with a 6.33 in the dying seconds of the 20 minute encounter, leaving runner-up Guillermo Satt (Chile) needing 8.50 points to overtake him and dispatching Matt Lewis-Hewitt (NZL) and Michael Banton (JAM) to the repercharge rounds in third and fourth places respectively.

Kommetjie teammate Davey Brand was next up for Team SA and he tore into the classic overhead waves on his backhand, posting scores of 8.0 and 6.67 that left his closest challenger requiring a near perfect 9.50 for victory.

As the conditions deteriorated in the light onshore wind, David van Zyl (Glenashley) racked up an even larger winning margin, leaving his opponents floundering 9.66 points behind while racking up a pair of seven point rides on his way to Round 2 of the qualifying stream in the double-elimination format.

Shaun Joubert, the former Mossel Bay based surfer now resident in California, completed Team SA’s clean sweep by producing a blistering performance in the crumbling waves. After dominating the heat with scores of 7.83 and 8.0, Joubert then caught a bumpy set wave on which he gouged a series of bottom turns and spray-generating lip blasts, finishing off with perfectly executed air-reverse that he rode out of smoothly.

The judges deliberated for some time with one awarding him a perfect 10 out of 10 before the score averaged out at 9.43, giving Joubert a heat tally of 17.43 out of 20, the third highest the day, and leaving the other three surfers in a combination situation where they needed to improve both their scoring rides to overtake him.

Surfline, the official surf forecaster for the Reef ISA World Surfing Games, predict that the swell size will ease slightly with mostly waist to head waves fanned by light offshore winds in the mornings and a light to moderate onshore flow in the afternoons through Monday and Tuesday.

Monday’s schedule starts with the 12 heats of Men’s qualifying Round 2, featuring all four SA men, followed by the 12 heats in the Women’s qualifying Round 1 that will see SA’s Tanika Hoffman (Clifton) and Faye Zoetmulder (Cape St Francis) opening their campaigns at the event.

Reef ISA World Surfing Games (Santa Catalina, Panama)
Schedule for Day 2 (SA time and SA surfers in brackets)

3pm Men’s qualifying Round 2 (Mikey February Heat 3, Davey Brand H5, David van Zyl H7, Shaun Joubert H9)
7pm Women’s qualifying Round 1 (Tanika Hoffman Heat 1, Faye Zoetmulder H8)

All the action can be followed live via webcast at www.isawsg.com Each day’s webcast starts with the Morning Show at 2.40pm (SA time) followed by surfing action starting at 3pm.

The 2013 South African surfing team has been provided with kit by RVCA.

Surfing South Africa (SSA) is the recognized governing body for the sport in South Africa. 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:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
0824541149
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Compiled & distributed by:

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