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
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.

 

Anaheim, CA, USA — (Saturday, May 4, 2013) — Hawaiian surfer Shane Dorian (Kona, Hawaii, USA) has walked away with one of the sport’s most-prized accolades, the 40 year old winning the Ride of the Year award at the annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards ceremony, held at The Grove theatre in Anaheim, California last night.

Dorian received USD$50,000 for the monumental wave he successfully paddled into and surfed at Jaws, Maui, last October. Dorian’s wave also included a gigantic tube ride, which earned him an additional $5,000 and the award for Pacifico Tube.

Dorian’s feat edged out other Billabong XXL Ride of the Year nominees; rides by Californian surfers Shawn Dollar at huge Cortes Bank, CA., Greg Long at Jaws, Maui, and fellow Hawaiians Dave Wassel and Reef McIntosh who both surfed memorable waves during an historic swell at Cloudbreak in Fiji, June 2012.

It was a special night that highlighted a breakthrough year for Dorian, he made XXL history by becoming the first surfer in a single year to be nominated in five categories; Ride of the Year, Pacifico Paddle, Pacifico Tube, XXL Biggest Wave and Surfline Men’s Performance.

Dorian, who is already a multiple XXL Award winner, (he is previous two-time winner of the Surfline Men’s Performance award 2011 & 2004, Ride of the Year winner 2008, Tube 2006) accepted his awards on stage in front of nearly 2,000 industry VIPs, invited guests and peers at the gala show considered the Oscars of surfing.

“I had such anxiety heading up onto the stage, all the boys were up there and all the rides were so incredible, it must have been so difficult to choose between them. It was an amazing year, to win Ride of the Year is huge for me,” said Dorian.

“For Shawn Dollar to paddle into the biggest wave, tow or paddle, all year is absolutely incredible. We’re seeing a change, we’re seeing the best big wave surfing we’ve ever seen. I’m pretty psyched still, I feel like a grom at heart,” he added.

NEW WORLD RECORD
While Dorian’s ride was exceptional, it was not considered the Biggest. Ride of the Year runner-up, Shawn Dollar (Santa Cruz, CA, USA), scooped that honor to win the XXL Biggest Wave Award as well as the Pacifico Paddle Award for a Cortes Bank behemoth.

Dollar’s history-making wave was estimated by experts to be 61 feet in height, a new paddle world record. Cortes Bank is the legendary seamount and mega-wave magnet located 100 miles southwest of Los Angeles.

Dollar previously set the world paddle-in record of 57 feet at Maverick’s in Northern California in 2010, only to have Dorian snatch the spot in the record books in 2011 with a 58 footer at Jaws.

This is the first time in the event’s 13-year history that any waves caught by paddle power have been nominated in the XXL Biggest Wave division, until now that division had been only accessed by surfers using tow-in assists by personal watercraft.

“Is this really happening? Are we really paddling into waves bigger than what we used to tow?” exclaimed Dollar. “It’s surreal, it’s such an honor. This is what I’m passionate about, I’m as big a fan as anyone – to be the guy that set the record? Phenomenal. Stoked. Over the moon. 61 feet? It’s hard to put numbers on those things, but it was the biggest wave I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Dollar.

“When I first saw it, I was absolutely scared to death. I thought I was toasted, I thought it was going to break on my head … 100 miles out to sea … it was worst case scenario type stuff. But the thing backed off and I turned my board around and whipped it and I went from a situation where I thought I wasn’t going to make it, to a situation where I went ‘Fu#k! I just rode the wave of my life!’” explained Dollar.

Dollar dedicated his wave to fallen big wave surfer and friend, Sion Milosky, who drowned at Mavericks in March 2011.

Shawn Dollar (Santa Cruz, CA) captured both the Pacifico Paddle and XXL Biggest Wave Awards.
“Death and drowning are absolutely prevalent. I’ve seen people die out there with me. It’s the real deal out there. I’ve kissed the ground when I’ve come in,” said Dollar.

San Clemente surfer, Greg Long, 29, cemented his reputation as a bona fide living legend when he was awarded the Surfline Men’s Performance Award.

Long’s season has included standout performances right round the globe. He distinguished himself during landmark sessions at Jaws, Mavericks, Pico Alto, Mexico, Fiji and Cortes Bank, where nearly lost his life.

After a three-wave hold down, Long was resuscitated at sea before being airlifted 100 miles to the mainland by US Coast Guard helicopter. Long walked the red carpet at the XXL awards with three of his rescuers – Pilot Lt. Joseph Plunkett, Rescue Swimmer Michael Linehan and Flight Mechanic Kevin Bates.

“Simply put, at Cortes, I drowned. Had I not had a water safety team near right there in that very moment I wouldn’t be here today. That’s just a reality of what we do out there. We’re dealing with forces of nature that are far greater than you. You can train and prepare and I do, intensively. But I found myself in a situation that I personally couldn’t get myself out of,” said Long.

“I’m so glad it happened. It forced me to open my eyes, to not just the surfing world, but the safety aspect and it has helped others too. We’re here to learn and grow and share that information with others. I took life lessons from that moment.”

While Long lost consciousness, his heart did not actually stop.

“There was a very surreal, spiritual moment where I wasn’t present in the physical body that I know and I was actually looking alongside it. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. It was intense while it was happening, don’t get me wrong, but at the same time mentally I was always okay with what was happening, as strange as that sounds,” Long said.

Long is one of the most regular nominees in the XXL’s 13 year history, having won numerous Awards including Ride of the Year 2009, Monster Paddle and Best Overall performer 2008 and Biggest Wave 2007.

Keala Kennelly (Kauai, Hawaii) claimed her second Billabong Girls Performance award. The unmistakable, hard charging goofy-foot has come close on numerous occasions, putting in do-or-die performances at venues she has become synonymous such as Teahupo’o in Tahiti and of course her native Hawaii.

“Big wave surfing is something I’m passionate about and I’d do it if there were no awards. But it was an incredible year and some crazy big wave surfing went down so it’s nice to be recognized,” said Kennelly.

“I think people have a preconception about what women can do in the water so I like to shatter the s#!t out of that and always try and do better and inspire. I’d also like to dedicate this award to my son,” added Kennelly.

Australian Chris Shanahan (Denmark, WA, AUS) accepted his award for XXL Wipeout of the Year over the phone, all the way from the Land Down Under.

Shanahan’s attempt to abort one of the ugliest, meanest below-sea-level slabs very nearly brought the house down. The Aussie natural footer mistimed his entry into the wave, tried to pull out and was forced to hit the eject button and ended up freefalling into the abyss without his board, making for a truly memorable and gut-wrenching XXL moment.

The wipeout eclipsed other horrifying entries from Hawaii, Portugal, California and West Australia.

In all, over $120,000 in cash and prizes was awarded to the world’s greatest big wave surfers in this the 13th edition of the Billabong XXL Awards presented by Pacifico.

A truly global event, this year’s Billabong XXL entries included hundreds of images and video clips of scores of surfers in action in dozens of countries spanning all the world’s oceans.

The competition window closed on March 20, the start of spring, with every wave ridden at every big wave break around the world in the previous 12 months in contention.

The show was webcast live via BillabongXXL.com, and will be broadcast as a one-hour program on ESPN2 on Sunday, June 9 at Noon PT.

The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards is presented by Pacifico Beer. Pelican Products is the official provider of waterproof cases. Surfline.com is the exclusive surf forecaster of the XXL. The event is sponsored by Surfing Magazine and Air Tahiti Nui Airlines.

RESULTS:

2013 BILLABONG XXL GLOBAL BIG WAVE AWARDS
Presented by Pacifico

RIDE OF THE YEAR AWARD
WINNER: Shane Dorian (Kona, Hawaii, USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii Oct 9, 2012 ($50,000) Video by Elliot Leboe ($5,000)
Second place: Shawn Dollar (Santa Cruz, CA, USA) at Cortes Bank, Dec 21st, 2012 ($5,000)
Third place: Greg Long (San Clemente, California, USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii Oct 10, 2012 ($1,500)
Fourth place: Dave Wassel (Kaneohe, Hawaii, USA) at Cloudbreak, Fiji June 8, 2012 ($1,500)
Fifth place: Reef McIntosh (Kauai, Hawaii, USA) at Cloudbreak, Fiji June 8, 2012 ($1,500)

PACIFICO PADDLE AWARD
Shawn Dollar (Santa Cruz, CA, USA) at Cortes Bank, Dec 21st, 2012 (Wave was 61ft, new paddle world record) ($20,000)
Photographed by Frank Quirarte ($4,000)

XXL BIGGEST WAVE AWARD
Shawn Dollar (Santa Cruz, CA, USA) at Cortes Bank, Dec 21st, 2012 (First time a paddle surfer has won this category) ($10,000)
Photographed by Rob Keith ($4,000)

PACIFICO TUBE AWARD
Shane Dorian (Kona, Hawaii, USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii Oct 9, 2012 ($5,000)
Photographed by Fred Pompermayer ($2,000)

SURFLINE MEN’S PERFORMANCE AWARD
Greg Long (San Clemente, California, USA) ($5,000)

BILLABONG GIRLS BEST PERFORMANCE
Keala Kennelly (Kauai, Hawaii, USA) ($5,000)

XXL WIPEOUT AWARD
Chris Shanahan (Denmark, WA, Australia) at The Right, West Australia ($2,000)
Video by Darren McCagh ($1,000)

**********************

For more information contact
Bill Sharp
surfnewsed@aol.com
949-230-6162

Durban – Dylan Lightfoot was the star performer at the Billabong Junior Series presented by BOS event in Durban on the weekend, winning every heat he contested and comfortably taking both the Under 20 and U18 boys’ titles.

Competing in rippable one metre waves at New Pier, the 18 year-old DaKine and Nixon team-rider from Jeffreys Bay earned a wildcard into the U20 specialty event by winning the U18 final. He went on to dominate his older competitors to pocket a total of R15 000 in prize-money and take the early lead in both the Billabong Junior Series and SSA Pro Surf Tour (PST) U18 rankings.

Heidi Palmboom (Bluff) snatched the winner-takes-all R10 000 prize-purse in the U20 girls while Chanelle Botha (Warner Beach) outclassed her opponents in the U18 girls, posting almost twice the score of runner-up Nicole Pallet (Durban) to add R5 000 to her bank balance.

Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay) was just as dominant in the U16 boys, which like the U18 divisions, was 2A PST rated. Racking up a heat tally of 13.25 points out of a possible 20, Maree left runner-up Tim Baard (Jeffreys Bay) with too much to do as he cruised to victory.

The most impressive performance came from diminutive Kai Woolf (Jeffreys Bay).who posted a perfect 10 point ride and followed that with a 9.40 for a heat total of 19.40 in the U14 girls’ final. That not only clinched the title for Woolf but also earned her the Nixon WTA award of a custom engraved Nixon watch for the highest heat total of the entire event, which she accepted with an impressive speech that belied her tender years.

By contrast, the final of the U14 boys was a ding-dong encounter with the lead changing hands several times and Koby Oberholzer (Durban) narrowly outscoring Adin Masencamp (Strand) by less than a point to take the win.

The final of the U12 boys, the youngest division in the Billabong Junior Series, was also a see-saw battle with Max Elkington (Hout Bay) eventually pulling ahead to secure victory after a great display of progressive surfing.

The light onshore wind provided ideal ramps for aerial and progressive manoeuvres and the country’s top 20-and-under surfers took full advantage, pushing the limits and making it difficult for the judges to decide the special awards.

Once the spray had settled, the VonZipper Flair Up award and R10 000 went to Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) for the highest flying aerial while Shane Sykes (Salt Rock) received the DaKine Youthful Movement award and R10 000 for his progressive surfing.

The next stop on the Billabong Junior Series presented by BOS will be held at Nahoon Beach in East London on 6&7 April before moving to Kommetjie in Cape Town in August and culminating at Seal Point in the Eastern Cape in September where the series champions in all divisions will be crowned.

Billabong Junior Series (Event #1 of 4)
New Pier, Durban
Results

U20 Boys
1. Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) R10 000
2. Michael February (Kommetjie)
3. Mickey Venter (Durban)
4. Dane Staples (St Francis Bay)

U20 Girls
1. Heidi Palmboom (Bluff) R10 000
2. Emma Smith (Jeffreys Bay)
3. Nicole Pallet (Durban)
4. Chanelle Botha (Warner Beach)

U18 Boys
1. Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) R5 000
2. Max Armstrong (Scarborough) R900
3. Ethan Pentz (Kalk Bay) R600
4. Justin Sykes (Salt Rock) R500

U18 Girls
1. Chanelle Botha (Warner Beach) R5 000
2. Nicole Pallet (Durban) R900
3. Tahra Uren (Jeffreys Bay) R600
4. Caryn McNicol (Scottburgh) R500

U16 Boys
1. Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay) R5 000
2. Tim Baard (Jeffreys Bay) R900
3. Jerry van Wyk (Jeffreys Bay) R600
4. Donovan Wichmann (Marina da Gama) R500

U14 Boys
1. Koby Oberholzer (Durban) R2 500
2. Adin Masencamp (Strand) R450
3. Ethan Fletcher (Kommetjie) R300
4. Rewaldo Abersalie (Jeffreys Bay) R250

U14 Girls
1. Kai Woolf (Jeffreys Bay) R2 500
2. Olivia Izzard (Durban) R450
3. Sophie Bell (Durban) R300
4. Kirsty McGillivray (Jeffreys Bay) R250

U12 Boys
1. Max Elkington (Hout Bay) R2 500
2. Saxton Randall (Durban) R450
3. Tide Lee Ireland (Durban) R300
4. Angelo Faulkner (Jeffreys Bay) R250

VonZipper Flair Up Award – Best Aerial manoeuvre
Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) R10 000

DaKine Youthful Movement Award – Most progressive surfing
Shane Sykes (Salt Rock) R10 000

Nixon Winner Takes All (WTA) – Highest heat total
Kai Woolf (Jeffreys Bay) – 19.40 (10.0 + 9.40) out of 20 – Custom engraved Nixon Watch

The Billabong Junior Series presented by BOS is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa, recognised by the Dept of Sport and Recreation as the national controlling body for surfing. The events form part of the Pro Surf Tour (PST) with competitors in all the divisions except the U20’s earning points towards their 2013 PST rankings.

Billabong South Africa can be followed on Facebook at Billabong South Africa
Billabong South Africa is on Twitter @BillabongSA
Billabong is on Instagram @billabongsa – the series hashtag is #billabongjnr

The Billabong Junior Series is proudly supported by BOS Ice Tea, Sony, All Aboard Travel, VonZipper, Nixon, DaKine and KR Fins.

For more details contact:
Chad D’Arcy
e: chad.darcy@billabong.co.za
t: 079 519 5990

or

Josh Enslin
e: josh.enslin@billabong.co.za
t: 079 6987 456

For media enquiries contact
Paul Botha
e: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za
t: 082 423 1964

 

Durban – The first of four events in the 2013 Billabong Junior Series presented by BOS kicks off this weekend (2 & 3 March) at New Pier in Durban. Featuring nearly 100 of the country’s top 20-and-under surfers, the series offers a total of over R750 000 in prize-money and prizes along with coveted titles in eight age divisions for boys and girls.

Favourable conditions with light winds, a pushing swell and excellent sand banks at Durban’s premier surfspot all point to an exciting start to the 17th annual edition of South Africa’s longest running junior surfing series.

The event gets underway with an opening function for all competitors and officials in the Collopy Room at Durban Surf Lifesaving Club at North Beach at 6pm on Friday evening where snacks will be served. The first heats in the Under 16 boys’ division take to the surf at 8am on Saturday morning.

The early rounds for the U12, U14 boys and girls, U16 boys and U18 boys and girls will be run on Saturday with all the finals scheduled for Sunday. The U20 divisions, where the 16 boys and eight girls are competing for winner-takes-all R10 000 prize-purses, will be run entirely on Sunday.

Other awards at stake at the event include the VonZipper Flair Up Award and the DaKine Youthful Movement Award which each earn R10 000 for the winners, the Nixon Winner Takes All (WTA) contest where the surfer posting the highest heat score receives a WTA engraved Nixon watch and specialty prizes including an array of cutting-edge Sony products.

Awards for the overall top performers across the four-event series include Billabong sponsorships amounting to R75 000 each for six deserving surfers, the BOS Surfer of Series who collects cash and prizes to the value of R20 000 and the All Aboard Travel Sportsmanship Award for the surfer displaying the best sportsmanship who wins a return ticket and four nights accommodation in Bali, Indonesia, valued at R17k.

The Billabong Junior Series presented by BOS is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa, recognised by the Dept of Sport and Recreation as the national controlling body for surfing. The events form part of the Pro Surf Tour (PST) with competitors in all the divisions except the U20’s earning points towards their 2013 PST rankings.

Billabong South Africa can be followed on Facebook at Billabong South Africa
Billabong South Africa is on Twitter @BillabongSA

Billabong is on Instagram @billabongsa – the series hashtag is #billabongjnr

ENDS

 

BOS Ice Tea continues to ride the perfect wave, cementing their connection to surfing as a sport and lifestyle by becoming the presenting sponsor of the Billabong Junior Series.

Since their launch in 2010, BOS Ice Tea has been involved in surfing through their sponsorship of big-wave legend Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker, the Wavescape Film Festival and the annual BOS Earthwave Beach Festival. The sponsorship of the Billabong Junior Surf Series builds on that foundation.

BOS is well known for their their weird and wonderful sampling stunts, numerous design awards and for doing their bit for the environment by planting 1 tree for every 2000 cans sold. The proudly South African company is excited to be aligned with the country’s longest running junior surfing series and its natural, healthy and family friendly ethos.

“The Billabong Junior Series is where South Africa’s future surfing champions are groomed,” says Marié van Niekerk, BOS Marketing Director. “BOS is delighted for the opportunity to support and get involved with surfing at grass roots level.”

Now in its 17th edition, the Billabong Junior Series has created the platform for the likes of Jordy Smith, Travis Logie and Bianca Buitendag to hone their competitive skills before going on to become international stars. At the same time the series provides the opportunity for 20-and-under surfers to experience new surf spots, meet and mingle with their heroes and get to know their peers countrywide.

The 2013 season kicks off at New Pier in Durban this weekend, 2 & 3 March, and continues in East London in April and Cape Town in August before concluding at Seal Point in the Eastern Cape in September where the overall series champions in Under 20, U18, U16, U14 and U12 boys and U20, U18 and U14 girls divisions will be crowned.

BOS will add further value to the series by also sponsoring the BOS Surfer of the Series award which will go to the surfer who has performed the most consistently across the whole series. It will be open for entries from all divisions and the winner will walk away with a 20K overall prize consisting of R10K cash, a custom made BOS surf board, special BOS merchandise and a year’s supply of BOS Ice Tea.

“As part of the entertainment during the event, we will also be hosting a BOS design competition where contestants and spectators can design their own surfboards. By entering the competition and using the innovative designer app on www.bosdesigner.com they will stand a chance to win their very own customised BOS surfboard,” says van Niekerk. “We look forward to adding value to all aspects of the series and above all, having lots of fun.”

For more information on BOS Ice Tea go to www.bosicetea.com or follow BOS at www.facebook.com/bosicetea

ENDS

Pictured: Former SA Surfing Champion Shaun Payne test riding a custom designed BOS surfboard at Jeffreys Bay
Photo: Kody McGregor

About BOS Ice Tea

• BOS is a range of organic rooibos ice teas blended with all-natural fruit flavours – peach, lemon, apple, berry, lime & ginger and cranberry energy. It is preservative, colourant and caffeine free.
• The BOS packaging is bold, colourful, and graphic exuding a youthful, and open spirit.
• BOS Ice Tea appeals to people of all ages who have an optimistic outlook on life, an appreciation for great aesthetics, and a desire to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The BOS philosophy is-”Being healthy and being robustly cool haven’t always gone together, but they can.”
• BOS premium quality organic rooibos is farmed exclusively at Klipopmekaar rooibos farm and private nature reserve. At the vanguard of organic and ethical farming, Klipopmekaar’s approach is intrinsic to the BOS experience.
• BOS plants and maintains 1 tree for every 2000 cans or packs sold. We focus this initiative in under-privileged and under-greened schools and public spaces.
• BOS likes to engage, have fun, give joyful experiences and share a sense of life and living.
• For more info visit WWW.BOSICETEA.COM
Issued on behalf of:

BOS Ice Tea
Contact: Marie van Niekerk
Tel: 021 465 9989
Email: Marie@bosbrands.com

Compiled & Issued by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
Mobile: 082 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

 

BANZAI PIPELINE, Oahu/Hawaii – Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, claimed his maiden ASP World Title on Saturday at the final stop of the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) season, by winning the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons. The Billabong Pipe Masters was the third and final leg of the Hawaiian Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series.

Only Parkinson and reigning 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 40, were in contention for the world title heading into the final day. Parkinson needed to finish one position higher to claim the title that has eluded him for the past 12 years. With Slater’s loss to Josh Kerr (AUS), 28, in the semi-final, Parkinson’s dream became reality. Parkinson went on to beat Kerr in the final.

“Consistency paid off,” Parkinson said. “This is where I wanted to stand at the end of the year. This is what I’ve worked for my whole life. I can’t describe what this feels like. I’ve had runner-ups and ups-and-downs. I’ve been to hell and back and it makes this so much sweeter. All the love from Hawaii and Australia and over the world, I can’t thank you all enough for supporting me.

“One day you wake up feeling good the next day you wake up feeling like a loser. This morning I felt like a Champion when I woke up. Like Andy (Irons) always said ‘I got this, huh?’ I dedicate this to my family, Dad who used to take me to contests when I was 10, my wife and my mom and kids, this is all for us,” said Parkinson.

Parkinson has been the world title bridesmaid four times (2002, 2004, 2009, 2011). His Billabong Pipe Masters victory is his 11th elite event win over the course of his career, and by clinching the ASP World Title has established himself as one of the greatest surfers of all time.

Joel Parkinson 2012 ASP WCT Results:
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast: 5th
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach: 3rd
Billabong Rio Pro: 2nd
Volcom Fiji Pro: 9th
Billabong Pro Tahiti: 2nd
Hurley Pro at Trestles: 2nd
Quiksilver Pro France: 3rd
Rip Curl Pro Portugal: 3rd
O’Neill Coldwater Classic: 5th
Billabong Pipe Masters: WINNER

Slater was reflective following his Semifinal defeat this afternoon and gracious in honoring Parkinson on stage in front of a capacity crowd at the Banzai Pipeline.

“For whatever reason, the momentum went in Parko’s direction. It was cool that it came down to this, it would have been cooler to have it come down to the Final. Joel’s been on tour for 10 or 11 years now and been in the hunt ever since he started. He’s an amazing surfer. He’s just the guy that makes it look easy. He can pull whatever out when he needs to,” said Slater.

Josh Kerr battled his way to a career first ASP WCT Final. The Australian suffered a heavy wipeout in his round four heat with Slater and Gabriel Medina (BRA), resulting in a brief trip to the hospital. After medical clearance, Kerr overcame the setback to take it all the way to the final and finishing the 2012 ASP season ranked No. 8 on the ASP WCT rankings.

Damien Hobgood (USA), 33, eliminated defending event champion Kieren Perrow (AUS), 35, while attaining his best result of his season. Hobgood was a standout at both Pipeline and Backdoor, but was unable to surpass Parkinson in their Semifinals matchup, finishing equal 3rd, vaulting him up to 16th on the 2012 ASP WCT rankings.

SPECIALTY AWARDS:

John John Florence (HAW) – 2012 ASP Rookie of the Year.
John John Florence (HAW) – Hawaiian Airlines Airshow Winner – best aerial of the Vans Triple Crown
Sebastian Zietz (HAW) – Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Champion

Highlights from the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons are available at www.vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com/billabongpipemasters2012

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS FINAL RESULT:
1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.17 – US$75,000
2 – Josh Kerr (AUS) 14.83 – US$30,000

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS SEMIFINALS RESULTS:
SF 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.30 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 14.63
SF 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) 11.13 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 4.90

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Damien Hobgood (USA) 9.83 def. Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 9.17
QF 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 12.50 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 9.40
QF 3: Josh Kerr (AUS) 15.00 def. Yadin Nicol (AUS) 12.17
QF 3: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.73 def. Shane Dorian (HAW) 18.20

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 5 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Damien Hobgood (USA) 8.23 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 3.26
Heat 2: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.94 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 8.00
Heat 3: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 13.00 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.00
Heat 4: Kelly Slater (USA) 19.27 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 10.66

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 4 RESULTS:
Heat 3: Josh Kerr (AUS) 14.57, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 14.10, Kelly Slater (USA) 8.10
Heat 4: Shane Dorian (HAW) 6.53, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 5.83, Yadin Nicol (AUS) 4.23

2012 ASP WCT Top 5:
1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS)
2 – Kelly Slater (USA)
3 – Mick Fanning (AUS)
4 – John John Florence (HAW)
5 – Adriano de Souza (BRA)

South Africans (Both requalified for the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour)
12 – Jordy Smith (ZAF)
21 – Travis Logie

ENDS

Pictured: Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, clinched his maiden ASP World Title and the Billabong Pipeline Masters in Hawaii with rides like this at Backdoor Pipeline

Photo: ASP / Cestari

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.

 

Billabong Pipe Masters In Memory of Andy Irons
Event No. 10 of 10 on 2012 ASP World Championship Tour
Banzai Pipeline, Hawaii
Dec 8-20, 2012

Banzai Pipeline, Oahu/Hawaii – South Africans Travis Logie and Jordy Smith were bundled out of the season ending Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons yesterday as the waves continued to produce incredibly hollow tube rides across the shallow Banzai Pipeline reef.

Logie was ousted in Round 2 by in-form Hawaiian wildcard Sebastian Zietz, 24, who was officially crowned the 2012 Vans Triple Crown Champion two heats later when Adam Melling (AUS), his nearest rival for the prestigious title, was eliminated by Miguel Pupo (BRA).

Zietz collected US $100 000, a $30 000 Harley Davidson motorcycle and a $10 000 custom Nixon watch for his Triple Crown victory. The Kauaian went on to cause a major upset by eliminating current ASP WCT No. 4 and crowd favourite John John Florence (HAW) in Round 3 of the Billabong Pipe Masters before becoming the first competitor to reach the quarter-finals when he won his Round 4 match up with Damien Hobgood and Dane Reynolds, both from the USA.

Smith was defeated by 2001 ASP World Champion CJ Hobgood (USA) in their Round 3 clash with the Floridian getting deeper in the left breaking waves than the South African.

Logie and Smith were joined on the sidelines by ASP World Title contender Mick Fanning (AUS) who could not match the high scoring exploits of big wave charger and Billabong wildcard Shane Dorian with the Hawaiian weaving his way through a pair of throaty Backdoor barrels to post a narrow 15.67 vs. 15.07 victory

The battle for the 2012 ASP World Title continues with current rankings leader Joel Parkinson (AUS) comprehensively outpointing dangerous local wildcard Kalani Chapman (HAW) in Round 3 and then winning his three-man Round 4 match-up against defending Pipeline champion Kieron Perrow (AUS) and CJ Hobgood in the last heat of the day to advance directly to the quarter-finals.

“It’s good to get in the water and start the game,” Parkinson said. “It was torture watching yesterday, but it’s a nervous frustration.”

Meanwhile in the bottom half of the draw, Kelly Slater (USA) posted a 9.73 for a really deep ride on a Pipeline left and backed that up with an 8.90 for a hollow Backdoor right to record 18.63 out of a possible 20, the highest heat tally of the event to date, while fending off the challenge of Hawaiian Billy Kemper in Round 3.

“We’ve had enough time to think about it,” Slater said about the importance of focusing on each heat at the Billabong Pipe Masters rather than the distractions that come along with the ASP World Title Race. ” If you’re thinking about that during your heat, you’re not thinking about what’s going on in the water. You have to be clear minded from all of that stuff.”

When the contest resumes, Slater will take on Brazilian phenom Gabriel Medina, who amassed a heat total of 18.50 for his stylish tube-riding on the lefts, and Josh Kerr (AUS), who earned 18.13 for his exploits on the rights, in what promises to be a high performance display of contest surfing. The winner will advance directly to the Quarters while those placed second and third get another chance to move into the last eight in Round 5.

If Slater does not reach the quarters, Parkinson, a four-time runner-up, will clinch his maiden ASP World Title.

The title is decided by the total of each surfer’s best eight results from the 10 stops on the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT). Even though ‘Parko’ has a 3 200 point lead over Slater in the rankings, the 11-time and reigning ASP World Champion will replace a much lower ‘throwaway’ score and, if he does make it into the quarters, Parko will need to advance to the semis.

If Slater then also makes the semis, to win the world title Parko will need to get into the final. If Slater joins him there, and the seeding dictates that the final is only place that the two can actually come up against each other in the same heat, then the situation reverses and Slater will have to win the event to be crowned the ASP World Champion for a record setting 12th time.

Surfline, the official surf forecaster for the Vans Triple Crown events, predicts that the current swell will continue to fade through Monday with 1.5 to three metre mostly right-breaking waves in the morning, getting smaller during the day. The swell will be head-high or smaller though Tuesday and Wednesday with a new medium size swell due for Thursday and a much larger new swell due on Friday if the storms now forming near Japan develop as predicted.

Event organizers will reconvene at 6:30am (6:30pm SA time) today to assess conditions for a possible 8am (8pm) start.

All the action from the Billabong Pipe Masters can be followed live via http://vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com/billabongpipemasters2012/live. The website also features comprehensive coverage of every heat already surfed in the ‘Heat Analyser’ section

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

Sunday’s Results

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS REMAINING ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 4: Shane Dorian (HAW) 13.77 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 11.10
Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.60 def. Ricardo dos Santos (BRA) 12.76
Heat 6: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 12.73 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 12.17
Heat 7: Dane Reynolds (USA) 17.00 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 13.26
Heat 8: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 15.66 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 9.90
Heat 10: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 14.17 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 12.17
Heat 11: Kolohe Andino (USA) 9.47 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 3.83
Heat 12: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 16.33 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 7.12

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 15.00 def. John John Florence (HAW) 7.83
Heat 2: Damien Hobgood (USA) 16.10 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 10.83
Heat 3: Dane Reynolds (USA) 17.83 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 8.50
Heat 4: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 14.16 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.17
Heat 5: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 11.60 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8.87
Heat 6: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.17 def. Kalani Chapman (HAW) 13.50
Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 18.50 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.06
Heat 8: Josh Kerr (AUS) 18.13 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 17.13
Heat 9: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.63 def. Billy Kemper (HAW) 15.50
Heat 10: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 12.83 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 11.66
Heat 11: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 11.83 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 10.10
Heat 12: Shane Dorian (HAW) 15.67 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.07

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 4 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 16.40, Damien Hobgood (USA) 14.17, Dane Reynolds (USA) 9.96
Heat 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.10, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 6.20, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 5.83

REMAINING BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 4 MATCH UPS:
Heat 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Josh Kerr (AUS), Kelly Slater (USA)
Heat 4: Yadin Nicol (AUS), Miguel Pupo (BRA), Shane Dorian (HAW)

ENDS

Pictured: Travis Logie (Durban) was eliminated from Billabong Pipe Masters by Hawaiian wildcard Sebastian Zietz in their Round 2 clash on Sunday

Photo: ASP / Cestari
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.

Billabong Pipe Masters In Memory of Andy Irons
Event No. 10 of 10 on 2012 ASP World Championship Tour
Banzai Pipeline, Hawaii
Dec 8-20, 2012

Banzai Pipeline, Oahu/Hawaii – The Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons completed all 12 heats in Round 1 and the first three heats of Round 2 of competition on Saturday in pumping two to three metre waves at Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii.

Day one at the final stop on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), which will determine this year’s ASP World Title and is the final jewel of the Vans Triple Crown, saw the lower seeds amongst the ASP Top 34 battling the notorious local wildcards in a rising swell as they attempted to re-qualify for the 2013 ASP WCT.

Surfline, the official surf forecaster for the Vans Triple Crown events, predicts that the current swell will peak overnight Saturday with Sunday featuring general three metre waves with occasional five metre sets and favourable offshore trade winds before the swell starts to fade going into Monday.

South Africans Travis Logie and Jordy Smith get their respective campaigns underway in the challenging conditions later today. Both face tough opponents with Logie taking on in-form Hawaiian wildcard Sebastien Zietz in Heat 6 of Round 2 and Smith pitted against 2001 ASP World Champion CJ Hobgood (USA) in Heat 5 of Round 3.

Logie, equal 17th on the ASP WCT rankings going into the event, is well placed to retain his spot amongst the top 22 who automatically qualify for next year’s WCT. Although seven of those currently outside the qualification cut-off mark are still in contention and could potentially overtake the 33 year-old Durbanite, winning his Round 2 encounter would all but ensure Logie another year in the highest echelons of international competition while a loss would leave him sitting nervously on the beach waiting for his rivals’ results.

Logie’s task is complicated by facing Zietz, an opponent who will not only have the parochial local crowd supporting his every ride but who is in sensational form. The young Hawaiian earned a wildcard into the Billabong Pipe Masters by topping the Van Triple Crown rankings after winning the Prime rated first leg at Haleiwa in November and finishing third at Sunset Beach in the second stop earlier this month.

Zietz will be fiercely determined to advance to secure the Triple Crown title, second only to the ASP World Title in prestige, which earns the winner a US $100 000 (approx. R850 000) payout plus a $30 000 Harley Davidson and a $10 000 jewel encrusted Nixon watch.

Smith faces an equally stern test of his credentials against CJ Hobgood who defeated the 24 year-old South African in similar hollow, powerful waves in Fiji earlier this year. Hobgood reached Round 3 here via a comprehensive 15.17 vs. 13.57 point victory yesterday over former Pipe Masters champion and acknowledged Pipeline standout Jamie O’Brien (HAW).

Ranked No. 12 coming into this event, Smith will want to advance through at least a couple of rounds to end the year ranked in the top 10 which will give him preferential seeding in 2013 and earn performance bonuses from his sponsors.

An aspect that may well benefit Smith in his clash with Hobgood is Surfline’s prediction that the swell direction will become progressively more Northerly as the day wears on. This will produce more right-breaking waves on the Backdoor section of the dangerously shallow Pipeline reef which would suit Smith more than his opponent whose goofy-foot stance is more advantageous on the traditional left breaking waves at Pipeline.

Besides the South Africans, all eyes will be on current rankings leader Joel Parkinson (AUS), 11-time and reigning ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) and two-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) who are locked in a titanic battle for the 2012 title.

All three start in Round 3 and are thus guaranteed to earn at least equal 13th place. Fanning’s chances of a third title rely on him winning at Pipeline with Slater not reaching the semis and Parkinson eliminated before the final.

If Parko finishes13th (R3 loss), 9th (R5 loss) or 5th (quarter-final loss), Slater will win the title if he reaches the quarters. If Parko loses out in the semis (3rd place), Slater also needs to reach the semis for an unprecedented 12th title while if Parko makes it to the final then Slater needs to win the contest.

Round 3 sees Parkinson and Slater drawn against local Pipe experts Kalani Chapman and Billy Kemper respectively, each of whom won two heats against established top 32 stars yesterday, brining all of the above scenarios into play in what will be a pivotal day in the 2012 ASP World Title race.

Event organizers will reconvene at 6:30am (6:30pm SA time) today to assess conditions for a possible 8am (8pm) start.

All the action from the Billabong Pipe Masters can be followed live via http://vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com/billabongpipemasters2012/live. The website also features comprehensive coverage of every heat already surfed in the ‘Heat Analyser’ section

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 15.00 def. Evan Valiere (HAW) 9.50
Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) 6.50 def. Tyler Newton (HAW) 6.26
Heat 3: Kalani Chapman (HAW) 15.83 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 5.70
Heat 4: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 15.33 def. Flynn Novak (HAW) 9.76
Heat 5: Fred Patacchia (HAW) 8.43 def. Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 5.93
Heat 6: Billy Kemper (HAW) 11.00 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 10.17
Heat 7: Adam Melling (AUS) 11.66 def. Bruce Irons (HAW) 7.73
Heat 8: Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 16.34 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.94
Heat 9: Shane Dorian (HAW) 14.50 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 9.83
Heat 10: Ricardo dos Santos (BRA) 14.73 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 7.84
Heat 11: Dane Reynolds (USA) 11.34 def. Granger Larsen (HAW) 3.10
Heat 12: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 14.27 def. Glenn Hall (IRL) 10.77

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Kalani Chapman (HAW) 13.84 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 10.60
Heat 2: Billy Kemper (HAW) 9.33 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 5.04
Heat 3: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 15.17 def. Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 13.57

REMAINING BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 2 MATCH UPS:
Heat 4: Alejo Muniz (BRA) vs. Shane Dorian (HAW)
Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Ricardo dos Santos (BRA)
Heat 6: Travis Logie (ZAF) vs. Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
Heat 7: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Dane Reynolds (USA)
Heat 8: Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Fred Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 10: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. Yadin Nicol (AUS)
Heat 11: Brett Simpson (USA) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)
Heat 12: Heitor Alves (BRA) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: John John Florence (HAW) vs. TBD
Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. C.J. Hobgood (USA)
Heat 6: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Kalani Chapman (HAW)
Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 8: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 9: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Billy Kemper (HAW)
Heat 10: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. TBD
Heat 12: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. TBD

ENDS

Pictured: Hawaiian wildcard Sebastian Zietz weaves his way through the tube at Pipeline on his way to yesterday’s Round 1 victory and a match-up with Travis Logie (Durban) in Round 2 at the Billabong Pipeline Masters later today
Photo: ASP / Kirstin
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.

Davey Brand and Bianca Buitendag won the men’s and women’s titles at the ASP One-Star rated Billabong Pro Junior at Cape St Francis on the weekend to qualify for the seven strong South African squad who will compete in the prestigious ASP World Junior Surfing Championships in Bali at the beginning of October.

Competing on his backhand in the excellent waves that peeled down point throughout the three days of the event, Brand, the 10th seed, eliminated higher rated opponents such as second seed and fellow Kommetjie resident Mikey February, seventh seed Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay) and younger brother Benji on his path to the final.

There Brand came up against in-form J-Bay local Dylan Lightfoot, 17, who had defeated top seed Slade Prestwich in their semi-final match-up. Brand posted two scores in the excellent range in the final and despite Lightfoot fighting back and needing just a small score for victory the title went to the Capetonian.

“This has been my best event of the year,” an elated Brand said. “I’m just so stoked that my parents were here to see it.”

Brand earned US $2 000 (approx. R17 000) and 250 invaluable points which moved him up into second place behind Prestwich (Scottburgh) in the yearend ASP Africa rankings. February ended the year ranked third and Lightfoot tied for fourth with Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) who was competing in a 6-Star rated event in Spain where he finished in an outstanding ninth place.

The top three men in the ASP Africa rankings plus the top two South African juniors on the ASP World rankings receive invitations to compete in the US $100 000 Oakley ASP World Junior Championships. De Vries, No. 112, and February, No. 179 had clinched the ASP World ranking slots and will be joined by Prestwich, Brand and Lightfoot in taking on the world’s best surfers aged 20-and-younger in Bali.

As the only ASP rated women’s Pro Junior in South Africa this year, the Billabong Women’s Pro Junior became a one-off qualifier for the two available slots into the Oakley ASP World Junior Championships.

Proceedings were dominated by the country’s top two female surfers, Bianca Buitendag (George), who has based herself in France since matriculating at the end of last year, and good friend and fellow 18 year-old, Sarah Baum (Athlone Park), who are currently Nos. 5 and 10 respectively in the ASP Women’s Star Rankings.

The pair swept into the final at Cape St Francis to secure their invitations to Bali with Buitendag posting the highest heat tally of the entire event, 17.9 out of a possible 20, along the way before going on to clinch the title.

All the action from the Billabong Pro Junior can be found at http://billabongprojunior.co.za/ and www.facebook.com/Billabong.South.Africa

Billabong Pro Junior Men Final
Davey Brand def. Dylan Lightfoot

Billabong Pro Junior Men Semi-Finals
SF1: Dylan Lightfoot def. Slade Prestwich
SF2: Davey Brand def. Benji Brand

Billabong Pro Junior Women Final
Bianca Buitendag def. Sarah Baum

Billabong Pro Junior Women Semi-Finals
SF1: Bianca Buitendag def. Tanika Hoffman
SF2: Sarah Baum def. Emma Smith

ASP Africa Men’s Pro Junior Yearend Rankings
1. Slade Prestwich 399 pts
2. Davey Brand 355 pts
3. Mikey February 220 pts
4. Beyrick de Vries 188 pts
4. Dylan Lightfoot 188 pts
6. Dane Staples 184 pts
7. Jarred Veldhuis 174 pts
7. Rigard Smit 174 pts
7. Steven Sawyer 174 pts
10. Josh Smit 164pts

ASP Africa Men’s Pro Junior Yearend Rankings
1. Bianca Buitendag 250 pts
2. Sarah Baum 188 pts
3. Tanika Hoffman 141 pts
3. Emma Smith 141 pts

ENDS

Pictured: Davey Brand (Kommetjie) throws a rooster-tail of spray on his way to victory in the Billabong Pro Junior at Cape St Francis on Sunday

Photo: Roy Harley
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.

 

The Billabong Pro Junior, which got underway in one metre waves at Cape St Francis earlier today, will decide which of the country’s top 20-and-under surfers qualify for the ASP World Junior Surfing Championships to be held in Bali at the beginning of October.

Comprising ASP One-Star rated contests for men and women, the Billabong Pro Junior runs from Friday until Sunday (31 August – 2 September) and offers US $5 000 (approx. R42 000) in prize-money with $2 000 plus 250 ranking points going to the winner of the men’s event and the women’s winner receiving $1 000 of the total $2 000 prize-purse.

Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) leads the men’s rankings after winning the first event in the ASP Africa Pro Junior Series in April. Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) is second with David van Zyl (Glenashley) and Michael February (Kommetjie) equal third and Remi Peterson, Jarred Veldhuis, Regard Smit and Davey Brand are equal fifth in the standings.

The coveted invitations to the ASP World Junior Championships go to the top two ASP Africa members on the ASP World Rankings plus the top three in the ASP Africa yearend standings.

De Vries and February have already secured the two ASP World Rankings slots. While de Vries is in Europe competing in ASP Star Series events, along with van Zyl and Peterson, February will be competing at the Billabong Pro Junior. If he goes on to secure a place in the top three in the ASP Africa rankings then the next highest ranked ASP Africa surfer will qualify for Bali.

The Billabong Pro Junior women’s event is a one-off qualifier with the top two finishers awarded invitations to the ASP World Junior Champs. Bianca Buitendag (George) and Sarah Baum (Durban), currently ranked No’s 5 and 10 on the ASP Women’s World rankings, are the favorites to clinch their places at Cape St Francis this weekend.

The ASP World Junior Championships provides the opportunity to kick-start the professional surfing career of aspiring surfers as, along with the prestige and a prize-purse of $100 000 for men and $30 000 for women, the top finishers receive preferential seeding into the major ASP Prime and Star rated events in the following year.

The top four placed men are guaranteed entry into the Round of 96 in all Prime and 6-Star rated events while those finishing fifth to eighth are seeded into the first round of all 6-Star rated contests.

The Billabong Pro Junior runs until can be followed via http://billabongprojunior.co.za, on Facebook www.facebook.com/Billabong.South.Africa and Twitter @BillabongSA

ENDS

Pictured: The Billabong Pro Junior event featuring the country’s top 20-and-under surfers got underway at Cape St Francis this morning

Photo: Roy Harley / Billabong
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.