Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy
Incorporating the Von Zipper Trials
North Narrabeen, Sydney, New South Wales Australia
January 9 – 17, 2010

Casey Grant places 9^th at Billabong ASP World Junior Surfing Championships 

NORTH NARRABEEN, New South Wales/Australia (Friday, January 15, 2010) – Casey Grant was the highest placed South African surfer in the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy in Australia, finishing equal 9^th overall after losing his Round 4 match-up with top seed Jadson Andre (BRA). 

Andre’s spectacular aerial skills in the tiny half-metre waves at North Narrabeen saw last year’s runner-up post an impressive heat total of 18.57 out of a possible 20 points which eclipsed Grant’s total of 11.83. 

Grant, 20, from Scottburgh, defeated Luke Davis (USA) and compatriot Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) to reach Round 4, earning US $900 (approx. R6 750) for his final event in the Pro Junior division. 

 ASP Africa Pro Junior champion Chad du Toit Durban) suffered a narrow loss at the hands of Chris Friend (AUS), the final tally being 9.83 to 9.66, and Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit) was eliminated by Cory Arrambide (USA) leaving Grant the sole SA representative to advance to the last 16. 

The final eight in the quarterfinals of the world’s most prestigious event for surfers aged 20-and-under comprise three Brazilians, two Hawaiians and one each from the USA, Reunion Island and Australia. 

Maxime Huscenot (REU) caused the upset of the event when he outsurfed Owen Wright (AUS), the highly rated local favourite who many are touting as a future World Champion. 

The women’s quarterfinals were dominated by North Narrabeen local Laura Enever (AUS) who will meet Joanne Defay (FRA) in the first semi with Hawaii’s Alessa Cuizon and defending event champion Pauline Ado (FRA) contesting the second semi. 

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start (11pm Friday, South African time) 

Highlights from today’s Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy are available via www.billabongpro.com and the action will be webcast LIVE during the event. 

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com 

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS QUARTERFINAL RESULTS (Women):

QF 1: Laura Enever (AUS) 14.50 def. Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 12.33
QF 2: Joanne Defay (FRA) 8.96 def. Gabriela Leite (BRA) 5.33
QF 3: Alessa Cuizon (HAW) 12.57 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 10.53
QF 4: Pauline Ado (FRA) 13.60 def. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 11.57

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS SEMIFINAL MATCH-UPS (Women):

SF 1: Laura Enever (AUS) vs. Joanne Defay (FRA)
SF 2: Alessa Cuizon (HAW) vs. Pauline Ado (FRA)

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS REMAINING ROUND 3 RESULTS (Men):

Heat 13: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 14.47 def. Luciani Heremoana (PYF) 10.26
Heat 14: Medi Veminardi (REU) 12.16 def. Jatyr Berasaluce (ESP) 11.50
Heat 15: Granger Larsen (HAW) 15.50 def. Hiroto Arai (JPN) 7.14
Heat 16: Nicolau Von Rupp (DEU) 14.00 def. Albee Layer (HAW) 7.60 

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND 4 RESULTS (Men):

Heat 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.93 def. Cory Arrambide (USA) 10.03
Heat 2: Clay Marzo (HAW) 14.10 def. Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 9.16
Heat 3: Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 12.33 def. Marc Lacomare (FRA) 10.37
Heat 4: Jadson Andre (BRA) 18.70 def. Casey Grant (ZAF) 11.83
Heat 5: Maxime Huscenot (REU) 14.74 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 11.73
Heat 6: Nat Young (USA) 13.00 def. Chris Friend (AUS) 12.33
Heat 7: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.50 def. Medi Veminardi (REU) 12.47
Heat 8: Granger Larsen (HAW) 13.66 def. Nicolau Von Rupp (DEU) 9.84 

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS (Men):

QF 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Clay Marzo (HAW)
QF 2: Stuart Kennedy (AUS) vs. Jadson Andre (BRA)
QF 3: Maxime Huscenot (REU) vs. Nat Young (USA)
QF 4: Alejo Muniz (BRA) vs. Granger Larsen (HAW)

Ends

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

 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.

NORTH NARRABEEN, New South Wales/Australia (Tuesday, January 12, 2010) – Reigning ASP Africa Pro Junior surfing champion Chad du Toit became the third South African to progress directly to Round 3 of the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy in Australia when he won his opening heat earlier today.

Du Toit, 19, from Durban’s Berea, joins compatriots Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit) and Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) in the last 32 of the event which crowns the world’s best 20 and under surfers annually.

Organisers got Day 2 of the event underway in half metre waves that improved as the tide dropped. Round 2 of the women’s event started proceedings with the two ASP Africa girls, Sarah Baum (Athlone Park) and Bianca Buitendag (George), posting stellar performances to advance to Round 3. Baum, 15, was particularly impressive, posting the highest heat total of the entire event, men or women, of 17.0 out of a possible 20 points.

“I’m pretty stoked to beat Pauline (Ado). I feel bad for her, but I’m stoked for me and hope to continue the form I had in that last heat,” Baum commented modestly after leaving the defending event champion in a combination situation at the end of the heat.

However, both SA girls were eliminated in their next heats, Baum defeated by Malia Manuel (HAW) and Buitendag ousted by Felicity Palmateer (AUS), to finish equal 9th overall.

ASP Africa representatives Casey Grant (Scottburgh) and Kyle Lane (Umhlanga) will be in action in Round 2 of the men’s event when competition resumes. Grant is matched against Luke Davis (USA) while Lane takes on Cory Arrambide (USA).

Owen Wright (AUS) was the standout of the men’s event on Day 2, displaying unparalleled speed and projection on his backhand to post a number of high-scoring rides and advance directly into Round 3 over VZ Trials winner Ryan Callinan (AUS) and progressive phenom Clay Marzo (HAW), 20.

“The conditions are pretty tough out there but I seemed to find a couple of little sections,” Wright said. “I tried to find the ones with walls to them. My first turns were never big, but I was able to open up down the line. Thankfully no one was knocked out in that heat, but I’m glad to get it out of the way and advance straight through to Round 3.”

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start (11pm Tuesday, South African time)

Highlights from today’s Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy are available via www.billabongpro.com and the action will be webcast LIVE during the event.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS REMAINING ROUND 1 RESULTS (Men):

Heat 9: Owen Wright (AUS) 15.17, Ryan Callinan (AUS) 12.24, Clay Marzo (HAW) 10.93
Heat 10: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 15.23, Made Rhondi (IDN) 12.97, Medi Veminardi (REU) 12.70
Heat 11: Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 14.60, Keanu Asing (HAW) 14.30, Jatyr Berasaluce (ESP) 11.20
Heat 12: Dillon Perillo (USA) 15.93, Franklin Serpa (BRA) 13.57, Charles Martin (GLP) 12.93
Heat 13: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 13.67, Frederico Moraes (PRT) 10.43, Luke Davis (USA) 9.47
Heat 14: Chris Friend (AUS) 14.50, Cory Arrambide (USA) 14.00, Manuel Selman (CHL) 10.87
Heat 15: Chad Du Toit (ZAF) 12.87, Arashi Kato (JPN) 12.14, Cody Thompson (USA) 11.53
Heat 16: Nicolau Von Rupp (DEU) 13.54, Albee Layer (HAW) 13.00, Kaito Ohashi (JPN) 11.30

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS (Men):

Heat 1: Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. Brent Savage (AUS)
Heat 2: Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS)
Heat 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Made Rhondi (IDN)
Heat 4: Granger Larsen (HAW) vs. Jocelyn Puolou (PYF)
Heat 5: Nat Young (USA) vs. Takumi Nakamura (JPN)
Heat 6: Tonino Benson (HAW) vs. Dean Bowen (AUS)
Heat 7: Kiron Jabour (HAW) vs. Keanu Asing (HAW)
Heat 8: Charles Martin (GLP) vs. Franklin Serpa (BRA)
Heat 9: Manuel Selman (CHL) vs. Federico Morais (PRT)
Heat 10: Clay Marzo (HAW) vs. Cody Thompson (USA)
Heat 11: Medi Veminardi (REU) vs. Kaito Ohashi (JPN)
Heat 12: Brent Reilly (USA) vs. Albee Layer (HAW)
Heat 13: Maxime Huscenot (REY) vs. Arashi Kato (JPN)
Heat 14: Kyle Lane (ZAF) vs. Cory Arrambide (USA)
Heat 15: Casey Grant (ZAF) vs. Luke Davis (USA)
Heat 16: Keito Matsuoka (JPN) vs. Jatyr Berasaluce (ESP)

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND 2 RESULTS (Women):

Heat 1: Sarah Baum (ZAF) 17.00, Pauline Ado (FRA) 9.30, Susa Leal (BRA) 6.50
Heat 2: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 11.10, Nao Ohmura (JPN) 9.90, Sayuri Hashimoto (JPN) 8.30

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND 3 RESULTS (Women):

Heat 1: Laura Enever (AUS) 13.40 def. Tyler Wright (AUS) 9.56
Heat 2: Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 12.00 def. Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 10.00
Heat 3: Joanne Defay (FRA) 14.50 def. Leila Hurst (HAW) 12.40
Heat 4: Gabriela Leite (BRA) 11.76 def. Sage Erickson (USA) 11.33
Heat 5: Alessa Cuizon (HAW) 14.67 def. Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 11.07
Heat 6: Malia Manuel (HAW) 14.34 def. Sarah Baum (ZAF) 11.34
Heat 7: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.00 def. Alizee Arnaud (FRA) 10.77
Heat 8: Pauline Ado (FRA) 13.83 def. Nao Ohmura (JPN) 8.63

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS (Women):

QF 1: Laura Enever (AUS) vs. Felicity Palmateer (AUS)
QF 2: Joanne Defay (FRA) vs. Gabriela Leite (BRA)
QF 3: Alessa Cuizon (HAW) vs. Malia Manuel (HAW)
QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) vs. Pauline Ado (FRA)

Ends

Please Note: A High resolution version of this image is available rights free for Media outlets

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

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.

NORTH NARRABEEN, New South Wales/Australia (Monday, January 11, 2010) –
South Africans Klee Strachan and Beyrick de Vries advanced directly to Round 3 of the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fueled by Monster Energy by winning their opening encounters in the world’s premier event for surfers aged 20 and under.

Competing in small but contestable half metre waves at the iconic North Narrabeen beach in Sydney, Australia, Strachan (Winkelspruit) caused one of the biggest upsets on the opening day by relegating event top seed and last year’s runner-up, Jadson Andre (BRA), and Australian Brent Savage, son of former Durbanite Mike Savage, to the cutthroat Round 2 heats.

De Vries, 16, from Umhlanga, was also on fire, dispatching Brazilian prodigy Gabriel Medina and Takumi Nakamura (JPN) on his way to a berth in the last 32.

The balance of the ASP Africa representatives who competed on Day 1 of the event did not fare as well with Casey Grant (Scottburgh) and Kyle Lane (Umhlanga) both finishing in third place in their respective Round 1 match-ups, as did Sarah Baum (Athlone Park) and Bianca Buitendag (George) in the women’s event.

All four will be in action in their respective Round 2 heats when action resumes.

Reigning ASP Africa Pro Junior Champion Chad du Toit (Berea, Durban), at No. 15 the highest seed from South Africa, is yet to complete his opening clash where he will be up against Arashi Kato (JPN) and Cody Thompson (USA).

Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), 20, was the standout performer on Day 1, dissecting the running Alley right-handers at Narrabeen on his backhand to net several impressive scoring rides en route to acquiring the day’s high heat total of 14.66 out of a possible 20.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start (12 midnight, Monday, South African time)

Highlights from today’s Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fueled by Monster Energy are available via www.billabongpro.com and the action will be webcast LIVE during the event.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND 1 RESULTS (Women):
Heat 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 14.83, Tyler Wright (AUS) 10.43, Sayuri Hashimoto (JPN) 5.60
Heat 2: Laura Enever (AUS) 11.84, Leila Hurst (HAW) 9.26, Nao Ohmura (JPN) 7.20
Heat 3: Sage Erickson (USA) 11.67, Alizee Arnaud (FRA) 11.10, Susa Leal (BRA) 5.20
Heat 4: Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 12.60, Gabriela Leite (BRA) 10.83, Sarah Baum (ZAF) 7.53
Heat 5: Joanne Defay (FRA) 12.66, Alessa Cuizon (HAW) 11.20, Pauline Ado (FRA) 8.57
Heat 6: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 13.33, Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 8.03, Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 6.93

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND 1 RESULTS (Men):
Heat 1: Hiroto Arai (JPN) 11.00, Keito Matsouka (JPN) 10.20, Kiron Jabour (HAW) 7.81
Heat 2: Marco Fernandez (BRA) 14.54, Tonino Benson (HAW) 12.20, Dean Bowen (AUS) 12.00
Heat 3: Davey Cathels (AUS) 10.83, Nat Young (USA) 9.43, Casey Grant (ZAF) 8.37
Heat 4: Luciani Heremoana (PYF) 10.23, Granger Larsen (HAW) 10.10, Kyle Lane (ZAF) 8.23
Heat 5: Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 10.54, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 9.76, Takumi Nakamura (JPN) 7.90
Heat 6: Garrett Parkes (AUS) 13.90, Maxime Huscenot (REU) 12.00, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 10.87
Heat 7: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 14.66, Jocelyn Poulou (PYF) 8.17, Brent Reilly (USA) 6.43
Heat 8: Klee Strachan (ZAF) 9.10, Brent Savage (AUS) 8.83, Jadson Andre (BRA) 8.43

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS (Women):
Heat 1: Pauline Ado (FRA), Sarah Baum (ZAF), Susa Leal (BRA)
Heat 2: Sayuri Hashimoto (JPN), Bianca Buitendag (ZAF), Nao Ohmura (JPN)

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS REMAINING ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS (Men):
Heat 9: Owen Wright (AUS), Clay Marzo (HAW), Ryan Callinan (AUS)
Heat 10: Alejo Muniz (BRA), Medi Veminardi (REU), Made Rhondi (IDN)
Heat 11: Stuart Kennedy (AUS), Jatyr Berasaluce (ESP), Keanu Asing (HAW)
Heat 12: Charles Martin (GLP), Dillon Perillo (USA), Franklin Serpa (BRA)
Heat 13: Marc Lacomare (FRA), Luke Davis (USA), Frederico Moraes (PRT)
Heat 14: Manuel Selman (CHL), Cory Arrambide (USA), Chris Friend (AUS)
Heat 15: Chad Du Toit (ZAF), Arashi Kato (JPN), Cody Thompson (USA)
Heat 16: Nicolau Von Rupp (DEU), Albee Layer (HAW), Kaito Ohashi (JPN)

Ends

Please Note: A High resolution version of this image is available rights free for Media outlets

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

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.

COOLANGATTA, Queensland/Australia (Tuesday, January 5, 2010) – The world’s best junior surfers are descending upon the Sydney suburb of North Narrabeen to hunt down the most prestigious crown in junior surfing, the ASP World Junior Title, as the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships prepare to run at the famed beachbreak from January 9 – 17, 2010. 

Contesting in their respective regional ASP Pro Junior Series throughout the 2009 season, qualifiers for the prestigious Billabong ASP World Junior Championships include 48 men and 18 women from the seven ASP regions: Africa, Australasia, Europe, Japan, North America and South America. 

While the event has been held at North Narrabeen’s famed peaks for over a decade now, the ASP Australasia region hasn’t produced a men’s champion since Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, in 2001. In fact, despite having arguably the most competitive Pro Junior Series in the world and supplying the bulk of the surfers on the ASP World Tour, in the intervening six editions (the event was not run in 2002) ASP Australasia has only provided one finalist (Shaun Cansdell who lost to Adriano de Souza in 2003), one semi-finalist (Matt Wilkinson in 2006, the year South African Jordy Smith won) and a total of seven out of a possible 40 quarterfinalists!

All eyes will therefore be on Owen Wright (Lennox Head, NSW), 19, ASP Australasia’s No. 1 seed and qualifier onto the 2010 ASP Dream Tour, who will look to cap off an incredible junior career with a big result at North Narrabeen. 

“Last year (in the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships), a lot of things went the wrong way for me,” Wright said of an event in which he finished equal 17th. “It will be tough since the field has a lot of the same faces from last year, but I’m looking forward to it. Narrabeen is an awesome location; the Alley rights are so puntable and the lefts are long and sometimes barreling so I hope we get it pumping this year!” 

ASP South America has been dominant at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships, with Brazilians taking our four of the 10 men’s titles in the event’s history. Jadson Andre (Natal City, BRA), 19, 2010 ASP Dream Tour rookie and last year’s ASP World Junior Runner-Up, will lead the latest ASP South America squad into this season’s event. 

“I think I put in a good performance last year, but during the final I didn’t catch the best waves, Kai (Barger) was surfing very well during the event and deserved the victory,” Andre said. “This year, I know and believe all the guys competing at Narrabeen are strong and have a chance to win. All the heats are like a final, so because of this I will give 100% attention in all the heats. I have been working on my psychological, physical aspect and my surfboards. I’m going to surf well and find the best results.” 

ASP Africa will be represented by ASP Africa Pro Junior champion Chad Du Toit (Durban), Casey Grant (Scottburgh), Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit) and Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) along with Kyle Lane (Queensborough) who was the highest WQS rated Pro Junior not to finish in the top four on the local ratings.

“It’s an awesome event and all the surfers in the contest surf really well,” Strachan said. “I’ve had three years to see how the standard is. All the other SA guys can perform at world class standard on their day and every surfer who has done well at Narrabeen has made their name from it and gone on to bigger things.”

ASP North America has not fared well in Narrabeen. Despite producing formidable teams, the North Americans have yet to claim an ASP World Junior Title – a fact that Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA), 18, hopes to rectify in his second appearance at the prestigious event. 

“The standard of competition in this contest is crazy, every first round heat could be a Final in a normal junior contest,” Young said. “Personally, I would definitely like to do better this year. Last year was my first year in the contest and I made a couple heats so I was stoked, but this contest is so important to all the juniors because it is the biggest junior contest of the year. I think the other US guys are all great surfers and they have all had contests this year where they have shown that they are worthy of being in the World Juniors. I think this year could be a good year for the U.S.” 

Kai Barger (HAW), 20, reigning ASP World Junior Champion, has graduated beyond the ASP Pro Junior Series, but remains enthusiastic about his fellow Hawaiians in Narrabeen. 

“Looking at the Hawaii team, I think it would be sick to see Clay Marzo win, Barger said. “If he surfs anything like he has been surfing at home then he’s easily capable.” 

Barger more than understands the importance of the event, and the effect a victory there can have on someone’s career. 

“If there’s one contest to do well in, then trust me this is the one to win,” Barger said. “This contest changed my life and sometimes I still can’t believe I won there. There were a lot of nuts guys last year the surfing standard was so high. It seemed like everybody was pulling out their best.” 

The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships mirrors the competition format of the ASP World Tour and is considered the sport’s “crystal ball” for aspiring champions. In addition, a Final’s placing in the tournament affords the successful surfers an unrivalled seeding on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) that serves as a springboard to the ASP World Tour. 

The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships will be webcast LIVE via www.billabongpro.com 

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com 

PAST ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONS:

2008: Kai Barger (HAW), Pauline Ado (FRA)
2007: Pablo Paulino (BRA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
2006: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Nicola Atherton (AUS)
2005: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)
2004: Pablo Paulino (BRA)
2003: Adriano de Souza (BRA)
2002: N/A
2001: Joel Parkinson (AUS)
2000: Pedro Henrique (BRA)
1999: Joel Parkinson (AUS)
1998: Andy Irons (HAW) 

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

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________________________________________

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.

COOLANGATTA, AUSTRALIA (Tuesday, 22 December, 2009): Aussies Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore may be the toast of the surfing world having wrapped up the men’s and women’s World Titles in Hawaii, but the focus now shifts to South Africa’s fledgling junior stars to see if they can make history by claiming the world’s premier junior surfing event – the 2009 Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy – due to take place at Sydney’s North Narrabeen beach over eight days beginning January 9, 2010.  

The winners will be crowned alongside Fanning and Gilmore at the ASP World Champions banquet on Queensland’s Gold Coast next February, and the South African contingent will certainly have their work cut out for them if they are to emulate the success of Jordy Smith who famously dominated the event to claim victory in 2006. 

Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit) enters the competition as one of the country’s favourites, thanks to a string of excellent results during the season and a top-4 finish in the ASP Africa Pro Junior rankings that has secured the 20 year-old a seed directly into the main event. 

“Last year I made round three but got knocked out by Julian Wilson (AUS) who is an unbelievable surfer so I was not too bummed,” said Strachan. 

“It’s an awesome event and all the surfers in the contest surf really well. I am definitely looking to do well this year. I’ve had three years to see how the standard is so I’ve been training to do well,” he added. 

Four of the country’s hottest juniors will join Strachan at North Narrabeen in the 48-man field; they include ASP Africa Pro Junior champion Chad Du Toit (Durban), Casey Grant (Scottburgh), Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) and Kyle Lane (Durban). 

This will be Strachan’s third appearance at the event. Having competed in the prestigious tournament last year when Hawaiian Kai Barger (Maui) went on to win in an all-international finals showdown versus Brazilian Jadson Andre (Natal City), he reflects on the 2009 showdown. 

“All the other SA guys are always amped to do their best and all of them can perform at world class standard on their day. Every surfer who has done well at Narrabeen has made their name from it and only gone on to bigger things and I’m pretty sure we’re each capable of going all the way and winning it,” Strachan added. 

One only has to look to Men’s ASP World Champion elect Mick Fanning (Gold Coast, QLD, AUS) however, to realize the enormity of the task at hand for the fledgling juniors. Despite having two ASP Men’s world titles to his credit, Fanning could never claim the prestigious junior crown. 

“I never got one … it’s a tough title to win,” said Fanning, whose best result was a runner-up finish to compatriot Joel Parkinson in 2001. 

“Back in the day it was really a battle between the Americans, Hawaiians and Aussies but these days there are contenders from each of the ASP regions and I think the list of recent past winners is a reflection of that.” 

Mick’s pick for 2009? Explosive 19 year-old Aussie goofy-foot, Owen Wright (Lennox Head, NSW). 

“Owen is World Champ material if you ask me. I’ve watched him evolve over the years and he’ll be the man to beat at the World Juniors for sure, provided he’s recovered from some heavy injuries suffered during the Portugal World Tour event,” said Fanning. 

Sarah Baum (Athlone Park) and Bianca Buitendag (George) will represent South Africa in among the 18-strong girls division and the super-talented teenagers have a good chance of wrestling the world’s most prestigious junior title from defending event champion, Pauline Ado of France. 

Ado last year halted the streak of wins by Australian females who have dominated the division since its inception in 2005. 

The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy mirrors the competition format of the ASP World Tour and is considered the sport’s ‘crystal ball’ for aspiring champions. In addition, a finals placing in the tournament affords the successful surfers an unrivalled seeding on the World Qualifying Series that serves as a springboard to the ASP World Tour. 

Eight world regions are represented in all, including North and South America, Europe, Australasia, Africa, Japan, Hawaii and various wildcards. 

Honour roll of past winners:
Men: 1998 Andy Irons (HAW), 1999 Joel Parkinson (AUS), 2000 Pedro Henrique (BRA), 2001 Joel Parkinson (AUS), 2002 N/A, 2003 Adriano de Souza (BRA), 2004 Pablo Paulino (BRA), 2005 Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), 2006 Jordy Smith (ZAF), 2007 Pablo Paulino (BRA), 2008 Kai Barger (HAW)
 
Girls: 2005 Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), 2006 Nicola Atherton (AUS), 2007 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 2008 Pauline Ado (FRA)

Check out the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy at North Narrabeen via the live Internet webcast at www.billabongpro.com 

The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships is being made possible thanks to the support of MONSTER ENERGY,SONY, VW, VonZipper, VIRGIN BLUE, Warringah Council, Surfing NSW, NSW Sport & Recreation, ASL Magazine and HONDA Aquatrax. 

Ends

Additional Media Information: High-resolution digital images for media will be made available. Please contact:

Digital Photographs:

Steve Robertson
Email: steve@surfingaustralia.com
Mobile: +61(0) 407 706 874
 
Television Newsfeeds: A national TV newsfeed will be made available prior to, and on competition days throughout the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy. In addition, a single international TV feed will be made available following the final.

Contacts:
Event Media
“JJ” (Johnathan Jenkins)
Email: jj@premiummedia.com.au
Int. mobile: +61 (0) 421 384 431

Billabong Australia – Communications Manager
Simon Barratt
Email: sbarratt@billabong.com.au
Int. mobile: +61 (0) 437 733 346

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

ASP Africa Media
Paul Botha
Email: aspafricamedia@mweb.co.za
Mobile: 082 423 1964

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.

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.

 

2009 Billabong Junior Series
Event No. 3 of 3 on South Africa’s premier national junior surfing series
Victoria Bay, Southern Cape
September 23-26, 2009

Beyrick de Vries produced an awesome display of innovative surfing on the final day of the Billabong Junior Series on Saturday, defeating defending series champion Klee Strachan in the final to win the ASP Grade 2, R75 000 Pro Junior men’s division.

Organisers again opted to move the event from the small surf at the original venue of Victoria Bay to Herold’s Bay where head high, left breaking waves with light onshore winds gave the competitors at the business end of the event the ideal conditions to excel.

After overcoming Shawn Dennis (Durban) in the quarters and surprise package Bertie Stuurman (Jeffreys Bay) in the semis, de Vries started the final with a 7.5 and then sealed his first ASP Pro Junior victory with 6.20 on his sixth and final wave. Strachan, 20, from Winkelspruit, caught a great wave with 10 seconds remaining, but needing 7.21 points to win, the defending Series and ASP Africa champion fell after his first manoeuvre.

The win earned de Vries, 16, US $2 500 (approx. R18 000), rocketed the Umhlanga ripper into 5^th place on the final series ratings and secured him a coveted invitation to the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in Australia in January by ending the year ranked No. 4 in the ASP Africa rankings.

Casey Grant (Scottburgh), who went into the final day leading the Pro Junior ratings in both the Billabong Junior Series and ASP Africa, was upset by Stuurman in the quarterfinals but still earned sufficient points to claim the prestigious Billabong title although he dropped to runner-up behind new ASP Africa Pro Junior men’s champion Chad du Toit (Berea).

Du Toit, Grant, Strachan, and de Vries will be joined by Kyle Lane (Umhlanga), the highest ranked ASP Africa member on the WQS who was not in the top four of the local ratings, in Australia in January, along with Sarah Baum (Athlone Park) who finished the highest rated ASP Africa Pro Junior woman.

Meanwhile Steven Sawyer from Jeffreys Bay secured both the event and series titles in the U16 boys by accumulating a heat winning two wave total early in the final and then sitting far inside at the take-off point to keep runner-up Dane Staples (St Francis Bay) and third and fourth placed Benji Brand and Jarred Veldhuis (both Kommetjie) off the high scoring waves.

Michael February (Kommetjie), who lost out in the quarters in a major upset, held on for the runner-up spot in the U16 series ratings while David van Zyl (Glenashley) took third.

Benji Brand, 13, was the standout of the final day, surfing with a maturity way beyond his tender years to rack up a phenomenal 17.4 points out of 20 in comprehensively out-surfing his opponents in the U14 final. Vertical top turns and powerful gouges saw the stockily built goofy-foot earn an 8.5 and an 8.9 from the judges with Josh Smit (Athlone Park), Max Armstrong (Scarborough) and Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) finishing in that order and all comboed.

Zakarian’s record in the previous two events – at Scottburgh and Jeffreys Bay – earned him the U14 series crown with Daniel Buitendag (George) and Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) sharing in the series prize-pool for second and third respectively. Brand finished fourth overall even though he only competed in two of the three events, winning both.

Rising star Jordy Maree did the double of event and series titles in the U12 boys. The talented pre-teen from Kalk Bay improved his scores on every ride throughout the final to total 16.25 from his last two rides and combo runner-up Shane Sykes (Salt Rock), Steffen Burrows (Strand) and Matthew McGillivray (Port Elizabeth).

Sykes grabbed second spot in the U12 series ratings and the vastly improved Donovan Wichmann (Marina da Gama) took third largely due to his win in the Billabong Occy Grom Comp at Jeffreys Bay, the second leg of the series.

The event ended on a high note with a sensational display of high-flying manoeuvres in the Von Zipper Air Show. Dozens of futuristic moves in the air above the waves were successfully completed with Mossel Bay local Shaun Joubert pocketing the R2 000 winner-takes-all prize-purse for the best aerial of the final.

The awards ceremony, where the Billabong Junior Series champions in all divisions were crowned for the 13^th consecutive year, was staged at the Ster Kinekor complex in George followed by the South African premiere of the award winning surf movie ‘Still Filthy’.

2008 Billabong Junior Series

Final Series ratings

Pro Junior men

1.  Casey Grant (Scottburgh)                         1 915 pts
2.  Chad du Toit (Berea)                                  1 825 pts
3.  Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit)                 1 690 pts
4.  Brendon Gibbens (Kommetjie)             1 610 pts
5.  Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga)                1 500 pts

Pro Junior women

1.  Bianca Buitendag (George)                       2 500 pts
2.  Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbos)          2 020 pts
3.  Kirsty Delport (Durban)                           1 693 pts

U16 Boys

1.  Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay)                 2 360 pts        R2 000
2.  Michael February (Kommetjie)            2 310 pts        R1 500
3.  David van Zyl (Glenashley)                    2 005 pts        R1 000

U14 Boys

1.  Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand)          2 390 pts        R2 000
2.  Daniel Buitendag (George)                     2 110 pts        R1 500
3.  Slade Prestwich (Park Rynie                 2 070 pts        R1 000 

U/12 Boys

1.  Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay)                         3730 pts         R2 000
2.  Shane Sykes (Salt Rock)                         3720 pts         R1 500
3.  Donovan Wichmann (Marina da Gama)  2800 pts     R1 000

Victoria Bay Results

Pro Junior Boys (ASP Grade 2 Pro Junior men)

1.  Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga)                  US $2 500
2.  Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit)                  US $1 500
3.  Bertie Stuurman (Jeffreys Bay)              US $1 000
3.  Chad du Toit (Berea)                                   US $1 000
5.  Shawn Dennis (Durban)                             US $   500
5.  Casey Grant (Scottburgh)                         US $   500
5.  Chris Leppan (Umhlanga)                         US $   500
5.  Dale Staples (St Francis Bay)                   US $   500

Pro Junior Girls (ASP Grade 1 Pro Junior women)

1.  Bianca Buitendag (George)                        US $1 000
2.  Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbos)           US $   500
3.  Sarah Baum (Athlone Park)                      US $   300
3.  Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie)               US $   300

U16 Boys

1. Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay)                  R2 000
2. Dale Staples (St Francis Bay)                   R1 000
3. Benji Brand (Kommetjie)                           R   750
4. Jarred Veldhuis (Kommetjie)                 R   550 

U14 Boys

1. Benji Brand (Kommetjie)                           R1 500
2. Josh Smit (Athlone Park)                          R   850
3. Max Armstrong (Kommetjie)                  R   550
4. Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand)            R   350 

U12 Boys

1. Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay)                             R1 000
2. Shane Sykes (Salt Rock)                             R   750
3. Steffen Burrows (Strand)                           R   500
4. Matthew McGillivray (PE)                        R   350 

Von Zipper Air Show

Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay)                                 R2 000

Video footage, images, results and news from the event are available at www.billabong.com. The TV documentary produced by Silver Bullet Productions will be broadcast on the DSTV channel Vuzu – watch the media for details.

The U16, U14 and U12 boys events in the Billabong Junior Series form part of the Pro Surf Tour (PST) sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport. The internationally rated Pro Junior events are sanctioned by ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International.

Other prizes were awarded daily courtesy of Von Zipper, Kustom and Billabong.

Billabong Events & Contest Coordinator Laureen Payne can be contacted for queries at 042 200 2600 / 072 898 1001 / laureen.payne@billabong.co.za

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

\ends

NB: High resolution images from the event are available for MEDIA outlets.

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

2009 Billabong Junior Series
Event No. 3 of 3 on South Africa’s premier national junior surfing series
Victoria Bay, Southern Cape
September 23-26, 2009

Bianca Buitendag, 15, confirmed her credentials as one of South Africa’s foremost female surfers by defeating Chantelle Rautenbach in the final of Pro Junior women’s event on Day 3 of the Billabong Junior Series. 

The Southern Cape local steadily built her total during the final, starting with a flurry of low scoring rides before posting her title winning total of 15.0 out of 20 by scoring 7.25 and 7.75 on her last two rides. The victory in the Grade 1, ASP rated event earned Buitendag US $1 000 (approx. R7 500) and clinched the coveted 2009 Billabong Junior Series Pro Junior women’s title after her victory in the first event of the year in Scottburgh.

Buitendag started the day’s action by finishing second behind arch-rival and fellow 15-year-old Sarah Baum (Athlone Park) in the four-person quarterfinals but then reversed that result in the one-on-one semis to advance to the final. Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand) followed a similar route, qualifying for the semis in second place behind Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie) before overcoming the WQS campaigner from Kommetjie to set up the finale against Buitendag.

Baum, with her victory in the first ASP Pro Junior women’s event to held in SA in May and her third place here, wrapped up the 2009 ASP Africa Pro Junior women’s title and receives the prestigious invitation to the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in Sydney, Australia, for the second successive year.

Small waves forced the organisers to move the event from Victoria Bay to the nearby beach-break of Herold’s Bay and it proved an inspired decision when hip to head high predominantly left-breaking waves, sunshine and light winds combined to provide an ideal setting for the country’s best 20-and-under surfers to display their talent as the event moved towards its conclusion.

The Round of 16 in the ASP Grade 2, R75 000 Pro Junior men’s event produced fireworks from the outset when unseeded Shawn Dennis (Durban) and Bertie Stuurman (Jeffreys Bay), both of whom started in Round 1, eliminated No. 4 seed Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) and Kyle Beach (Queensburgh).

Heat 2 saw top seed Casey Grant (Scottburgh) and Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) lead throughout to dispatch No. 5 seed Kyle Lane (Umhlanga) and Matt Bromley (Kommetjie). The next heat began dramatically when Chris Leppan (Umhlanga) was given an interference penalty on his first ride and then posting an excellent 9.0 points on his next ride. With only half of his second best ride counting, Leppan still held on to win the heat and advance to the man-on-man quarter-finals along with second placed Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit).

Dale Staples (St Francis Bay) and Chad du Toit (Durban) progressed from the fourth heat to set up an exciting final day of competition on Saturday with eight surfers still in contention for the event crown, while the permutations for the 2009 Billabong Junior Series and ASP Africa Pro Junior titles and the top four ranked men who will join Baum in Sydney are still wide open.

The U16 boy’s quarterfinals produced great surfing and a major upset when top seed Michael February (Kommetjie) was dumped out of the event by Dane Staples (St Francis Bay) and fellow Kommetjie ripper Jarred Veldhuis, who snatched second place with a last minute 6.75. Dylan Lightfoot cruised to victory in his encounter and fellow Jeffreys Bay competitor Steven Sawyer opened with a 7.5 and then sat for 18 minutes waiting for a second ride, eventually taking the heat win with a 3.5 with two minutes to go.

The results of the U14 boys went mostly to the top seeds with Benji Brand (Kommetjie), Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh), Josh Smit (Athlone Park) and Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) taking the heat wins. The only upset came when George local Daniel Buitendag, winner of the Billabong Occy Grom Comp in Jeffreys Bay, the second leg of the 2009 series, was pipped by Brandon Benjamin (Retreat) for a spot in the tomorrows semis.

The youngest division, the U12 boys, saw rising star Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay) record the highest heat total of the day when he racked up successive rides of 7.25, 8.0, 8.5 and 9.0, leaving him ‘throwing away’ the lowest two scores which would have won nearly every other heat on the day. Maree will be joined by heat winners Ethan Fletcher (Kommetjie), Shane Sykes (Salt Rock) and Donovan Wichmann (Marina da Gama) and their respective runners-up when the semis take to the surf on Saturday.

With small surf expected tomorrow, organisers will make a decision at first light on where to hold the final day of competition. The program features the quarterfinals of the Pro Junior men followed by the semifinals and finals of all four divisions before the spectacular Von Zipper Air Show completes the action in the surf.

The awards ceremony, where the Billabong Junior Series champions in all divisions will be crowned for the 13^th consecutive year, will be staged at the Ster Kinekor complex in George starting at 5pm. The South African premiere of the award winning surf movie ‘Still Filthy’ will take place immediately after the awards have been announced.

Video footage, images, results and news from the event are available daily at www.billabong.com. The TV documentary produced by Silver Bullet Productions will be broadcast on the DSTV channel Vuzu.

The U16, U14 and U12 events in the Billabong Junior Series form part of the Pro Surf Tour (PST) sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport. The internationally rated Pro Junior events are sanctioned by ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International.

Other prizes will be awarded daily courtesy of Von Zipper, Kustom and Billabong.

Billabong Events & Contest Coordinator Laureen Payne can be contacted for queries at 042 200 2600 / 072 898 1001 / laureen.payne@billabong.co.za

The 2009 Billabong Junior Series started in Scottburgh (8-11 April) and continued with the inaugural Billabong Occy Grom Comp in Jeffreys Bay (9-15 July). The series concludes 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

 

Pictured: Pro Junior top seed Casey Grant was on fire Photo: Moonrocket / Billabong

 

Thursday 24 September 2009 

2009 Billabong Junior Series

Event No. 3 of 3 on South Africa’s premier national junior surfing series

Victoria Bay, Southern Cape

September 23-26, 2009

Casey Grant showed the way as the seeded surfers in the Billabong Juniors Series dominated proceedings on Day 2, producing an outstanding display of new school, innovative surfing in the overhead waves and variable weather conditions at Victoria Bay.

The top seed for the Grade 2, R75 000 Pro Junior men’s division, Grant employed his full repertoire of fins-free manoeuvres to post scores of 7.5 and 8.0 out of 10 to leave his opponents in the four-man heat scrambling for second place and a spot in the last 16. The 20-year-old from Scottburgh, who won the first event of the Billabong Junior Series at his home beach at Easter and also leads the 2009 ASP Africa Pro Junior ratings, remains on track for a slew of honours, including an invitation to the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in Australia in January, if he can repeat his opening showing.

However, it won’t be easy as the likes of second seed Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit), Mossel Bay local Shaun Joubert, the Kommetjie trio of Matt Bromley, Brendon Gibbens and Michael February along with Chad du Toit (Durban) and Kyle Beach (Queensburgh) all delivered heat-winning performances in the rippable waves.

Bertie Stuurman (Jeffreys Bay) and Shawn Dennis (Durban) were the only two qualifiers from Day 1 to force their way into the next round while wildcard Remi Peterson (JBay) threw sheets of spray on his way to joining them.

The U16 boys division took to the surf as the onshore wind freshened and Josh Smit (Athlone Park) was most impressive, winning his heat and advancing along with second placed Dane Staples (St Francis Bay). Benji Brand (Kommetjie), the 13-year-old who is competing in the Pro Juniors (U20), U16 and U14 divisions, upset Scottburgh winner David van Zyl (Glenashley) by winning their match-up while Mikey Venter (Warner Beach) used a patient strategy to secure victory.

Top seed Michael February (Kommetjie) won his heat as did Daniel Wilson (Tokai), Diran Zakarian (Melkbos) and the Jeffreys Bay duo of Dylan Lightfoot and Steven Sawyer with Sawyer posting a ride of 9.0 in a heat that did not deliver many waves.

As conditions cleaned up, Vic Bay local Bianca Buitendag got the Grade 1, R18 000 Pro Junior women’s event underway in dramatic fashion by catching her first ride as the siren sounded and combining a series of vertical manoeuvres and sweeping cutbacks to earn a near-perfect 9.5 out of 10. Buitendag followed that up with an 8.25 on her next ride just six minutes later to leave her opponents comboed and needing to improve on both their rides throughout the heat.

Sarah Baum (Athlone Park), the top seed, won her encounter to advance to the last eight along with heat runner-up Kirsty Delport (Durban) while Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbos) and Heidi Palmboom (Bluff) progressed from Heat 3 and multiple SA champion and current WQS campaigner Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie) and Alice McGregor (East London) joined them in the next round.

As the swell dropped the U12 VonZipper Air Show produced explosive aerial action with Matthew McGillivray (Port Elizabeth) earning his berth in Saturday’s final alongside Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) who won the U14 version yesterday. Two huge whales surfaced during the heat and, after gamboling on the other side of the bay, moved over to the take-off spot giving the youngsters some intimidating close-up views of their power.

Friday’s program sees the next rounds of the Pro Junior men, U16, U14 and U12 boys while the Pro Junior women will complete their Round of 8 and the one-on-one semifinals before the day ends with the women’s final.

Competitors, their families and VIP’s will be treated to the South Africa premiere of the award winning surf movie Still Filthy on Saturday. The performance will be at the Ster Kinekor complex in George on Saturday after the awards presentation where the Vic Bay event winners and the 13^th annual Billabong Junior Series champions in all divisions will be crowned.

Results from the event will also determine the 2009 ASP Africa Pro Junior men and women’s titles and the four men and one woman who will receive the coveted invitations to the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in Sydney, Australia, in January 2010, the world’s premier annual junior surfing event.

Video footage, images, results and news from the event are available daily at www.billabong.com. The TV documentary produced by Silver Bullet Productions will be broadcast on the DSTV channel Vuzu.

The U16, U14 and U12 events in the Billabong Junior Series form part of the Pro Surf Tour (PST) sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport. The internationally rated Pro Junior events are sanctioned by ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International.

Other prizes will be awarded daily courtesy of Von Zipper, Kustom and Billabong.

Billabong Events & Contest Coordinator Laureen Payne can be contacted for queries at 042 200 2600 / 072 898 1001 / laureen.payne@billabong.co.za

The 2009 Billabong Junior Series started in Scottburgh (8-11 April) and continued with the inaugural Billabong Occy Grom Comp in Jeffreys Bay (9-15 July). The series concludes 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

Pictured: Benji Brand (Kommetjie) Photo: Moonrocket Billabong

Wednesday 23 September 2009 

2009 Billabong Junior Series

Event No. 3 of 3 on South Africa’s premier national junior surfing series

Victoria Bay, Southern Cape

September 23-26, 2009

The third and final event in the 2009 Billabong Junior Series got underway today in overhead waves and light onshore winds that strengthened during the day at the picturesque venue of Victoria Bay in the Southern Cape.

More than 80 of South Africa’s best surfers aged 20-and-under and their entourages have flocked to the event which has R103 000 in prize-money at stake and will crown the series champions for the 13^th successive year. The results will also determine the ASP Africa Pro Junior (U20) titles for men and women and see prestigious invitations to the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in Australia in January issued to the highest ranking four men and top ranked woman.

The competitors in Round 1 of the Pro Junior men were the first to take to the surf with Shawn Dennis (Durban) and Jacob Mellish (Somerset West) the standouts of the round, easily winning their respective heats and advancing to match-ups with the top 16 seeds in Round 2.

Others to impress included Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh), 14, who along with Daniel Wilson (Tokai), 16, caused the upset of the round by eliminating highly touted Jaco Steyn (Melkbosstrand) from the event. Heat 8, the final encounter of the round, was a non-stop affair with the lead changing hands after every ride before Justin Grey (Port Elizabeth) and Benji Brand (Kommetjie) secured their berths amongst the last 32.

Brand, 13, who is also competing in the U14and U16 divisions, was the top point scorer of the day, racking up a near perfect 9.0 point ride to go with a 7.0 that gave him a heat tally of 16.0 out of 20 while winning his U14 match-up. The stockily built goofy-foot also won his U16 heat with a 7.25 and a 6.0 to narrowly outpoint Sarah Baum, the top seed in the Pro Junior women’s division and one of three girls who are taking on the boys in the U16 age division.

Vic Bay local Bianca Buitendag (George) won her U16 heat to join Baum in the Round 2 of the U16 boys while Heidi Palmboom (Bluff), who was in the same heat as Brand and Baum, narrowly lost out when she finished third and will have to wait for the women’s event for her next competitive heat.

Standout performances also came from Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) in winning his U16 heat while in the U14’s, Max Armstrong (Scarborough) recorded the second highest heat total of the day’s action as he left all three of his opponents in a combo situation. Daniel Buitendag (George) and Matthew McGillivray (Port Elizabeth), 12, also tore the dropping swell apart with Shane Sykes (Salt Rock) delivering three excellent scores in his U12 heat.

Organisers are expecting offshore conditions but smaller swell for Day 2 of the event which runs until Saturday 26 September. Tomorrow will see the Pro Junior women in action alongside the other four divisions with a daily Von Zipper Air Show being run to determine the finalists who will compete for the R2 000 winner-takes-all prize-purse that goes to best aerial manoeuvre in the final on Saturday.

Video footage, images, results and news from the event will be available daily at www.billabong.com. The TV documentary produced by Silver Bullet Productions will be broadcast on the DSTV channel Vuzu.

The U16, U14 and U12 events in the Billabong Junior Series form part of the Pro Surf Tour (PST) sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport. The internationally rated Pro Junior events are sanctioned by ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International.

Other prizes will be awarded daily courtesy of Von Zipper, Kustom and Billabong.

Billabong Events & Contest Coordinator Laureen Payne can be contacted for queries at 042 200 2600 / 072 898 1001 / laureen.payne@billabong.co.za

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

\ends

Pictured: Benji Brand (Kommetjie), 13, recorded the highest heat total of 16.0 out of 20 on Day 1 of the Billabong Junior Series event at Victoria Bay on Wednesday. Brand is competing in the U14, U16 and Pro Junior (U20) events in the contest and advanced to the next round in all three divisions.

Photo: Theron / Billabong

NB: High resolution images from the event are available daily for MEDIA outlets.

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