The South African junior surfing team claimed an unprecedented four medals at the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships which was completed in wild two to three metre waves at Punta Hermosa in Peru yesterday (Saturday).

Team SA finished runner-up to hosts Peru to claim the team silver medal for the first time and also provided a finalist in each of the three individual divisions with Dylan Lightfoot and Bianca Buitendag earning silver medals in the U16 Boys and U18 Girls respectively while team captain Davey Brand took the bronze in the U18 Boys.

In an inspiring comeback after seven SA surfers were eliminated in Day 5 action on Thursday, the five remaining team members produced stellar performances on the last two days to put the country back into contention for the team gold medal. However, it was not to be and the local knowledge of the host nation, Peru, paid off on the final day as the size of the waves grew to challenging proportions.

Dylan Lightfoot came within 30 seconds of claiming SA’s first individual junior gold medal in the event since Jordy Smith in 2003. Starting the final day in Round 8 of the U16 Boys Repecharge, the 16 year-old from Eastern Province blasted his way through three consecutive heats in the rising surf,  including a confidence boosting heat win in the repecharge final, to reach the Grand Final,.

Lightfoot led for the majority of the 25 minute final encounter after posting the heat’s highest scoring ride of a 6.50 plus a 4.72, both out of 10. This gave him the lead going into the final minutes even though he and Peru’s Joaquín del Castillo were tied on identical two-wave tallies of 11.22 out of 20.

But while the leading pair battled for position in the heaving whitewater covered lineup, Brazil’s Felipe Toledo, needing 6.03 points for victory, slipped inside and racked up a series of manoeuvres on a smaller wave, finishing with a small aerial to be awarded 6.08 points and the gold medal by 0.06 of a point.

Bianca Buitendag started her final day campaign in the same situation as Lightfoot, three heats away from the Grand Final in the U18 Girls repecharge rounds. Undaunted the talented teenager from South Cape finished second behind Canelle Bulard in two heats before scoring a satisfying win over the French girl in the repecharge final.

However, the Grand Final belonged to Bulard who recorded rides of 7.30 and 6.56 to leave her three opponents in a combination situation before Buitendag fought back with a 4.62 and 5.54 to claim second place ahead of the two Australian girls.

With Davey Brand, Mikey February and David van Zyl all still in contention for U18 Boys’ medals on the final day, and the demise of the teams from surfing powerhouses such as Australia, the USA, Hawaii and Brazil, Team SA was in with a shout for the team gold medal.

Even after February and van Zyl were ousted from the event in equal 9th place following third place finishes in Repecharge Round 8, Davey Brand emerged victorious from the Qualifying stream final to complete an unbeaten run straight to the U18 Boys Grand Final to keep the dream alive.

Despite Brand leading the final with a couple of early low-scoring rides, the grand finale was dominated by local hero Cristobal de Col whose previous experience in the washy, double-overhead conditions saw him snag the better inside waves with higher scoring potential and ride them flawlessly to clinch the gold medal.

Brand delivered a gutsy performance and produced a 6.26 point ride with four minutes remaining to get back into contention but the 18 year-old from Western Province ultimately placed third behind de Col and Portuguese standout Vasco Ribeiro to earn a second bronze medal to go with the one he took home as an U16 surfer in Ecuador in 2009.

The four medal haul is the best return by a South African junior team in the nine year history of the event while the silver medal in the team standings is the first time South Africa has finished better than fourth in the annual gathering of the world’s best surfers aged 18-and-under.

All the results from the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships can be found at www.isawjsc.com along with video footage, an extensive photo gallery and the news.

2011 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
Punta Hermosa, Peru

Final Team Standings:
Gold: Peru
Silver: South Africa
Bronze: Australia
Copper: Hawaii

Girls Under 18 Final Results:
Gold: Canelle Bulard (FRA)
Silver: Bianca Buitendag (RSA)
Bronze: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)
Copper: Codie Klein (AUS)

South Africans
25th Sarah Baum
31st Emma Smith
37th Nikita Kekana

Under 16 Boys Final Results:
Gold: Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Silver: Dylan Lightfoot (RSA)
Bronze: Joaquín del Castillo (PER)
Copper: Juninho Urcia (PER)

South Africans
25th Diran Zakarian
25th  Slade Prestwich
37th Benji Brand

Under 18 Boys Final Results:
Gold: Cristobal de Col (PER)
Silver: Vasco Ribeiro (POR)
Bronze: Davey Brand (RSA)
Copper: Miguel Tudela (PER)

South Africans
9th Mikey February
9th David van Zyl
41st Steven Sawyer

Final Team Points
1. Peru (5123)
2. South Africa (4860)
3. Australia (4651)
4. Hawaii (4546)
5. USA (4164)
6. France (4113)
7. Brazil (4060)
8. Portugal (3505)
9. Tahiti (3393)
10. New Zealand (2810)
11. UK (2640)
12. Costa Rica (2505)
13. Japan (2357)
14. Argentina (2198)
15. Barbados (2128)
16. Ecuador (2034)
17. Mexico (1910)
18. Venezuela (1736)
19. Chile (1652)
20. Germany (1649)
21. Ireland (1488)
22. Puerto Rico (1390)
23. Uruguay (1156)
24. Jamaica (1064)
25. Italy (960)
26. Guatemala (652)
27. Morocco (340)

/ENDS
Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa
Contact: Robin de Kock – General Manager
Cell:  082 454 1149
Email:  surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:   www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Distributed by:

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

Bianca Buitendag became the first South African to win the women’s title at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships when she narrowly outscored Justine Dupont (FRA) in the final held in tricky one metre waves at North Narrabeen beach in Sydney, Australia, earlier today (Tuesday).

The lanky 17 year-old from Victoria Bay in the Southern Cape secured the biggest victory of her career, pocketing US $5 000 (approx. R34 000) and 10 000 points which saw her finish tied second with Bali event winner Tyler Wright (AUS) in the 2010 ASP Women’s World Junior rankings.

“I’m very happy,” Buitendag said. “I don’t know how to explain it. I really wasn’t expecting this. I’m really happy about it and it’s the best result of my life. I’m stoked. My Dad has been supporting me since I was little, sitting on the beach and without him nothing would be possible, so thanks to him.”

Coming into the event as a dark-horse after placing ninth in the first leg of ASP World Junior Tour in Bali on October, Buitendag started her campaign by comprehensively defeating second seed Alizee Arnaud(FRA) in Round 1 on Saturday to advance directly to Round 3. On Sunday she overcame the challenge of Port Elizabeth born Australian Philippa Anderson and then moved into the semis by beating Felicity Palmateer (AUS).

Today Buitendag squeaked past Arnaud, who had just claimed the ASP Women’s World Junior title when her compatriot Dupont defeated defending champion Laura Enever (AUS) in the first semifinal, before racking up scores of 6.33 and 3.67 to beat Dupont by 10.0 to 9.0 in the 30 minute finale.

Fellow South African Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand) was a Round 2 casualty, placing equal 17th in this event and 21st in the overall rankings.

Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), the second seed in the men’s event following his runner-up finish to Jack Freestone (AUS) in the first leg in Bali, continued his charge by securing a comfortable Round 3 victory over Hiroto Arai(JAP). Staples opened his tally withan excellent ride that earned 8.17 out of 10 from the judges and then slammed the door on his opponent witha 4.47 in the closing moments after the Japanese surfer had chipped away at his lead with rides of 4.83 and 5.33.

“I’m just focusing on my own heat, but I was watching Jack (Freestone) in the heat before me and I’m just trying to do better than him,” Staples said of the only competitor currently ahead of him in the rankings. “I have my own things that I do before heats, but I do watch him quite a bit because he’s number one. I just hope I can do better than him every heat.”

Staples’ compatriots Brendon Gibbens (Kommetjie) and Shaun Joubert (MosselBay) were less fortunate when they were eliminated by Alex Smith (HAW) and Krystian Kymerson(BRA) respectively, with Kymerson clinching the score he required right on the final hooter. The South African pair finished equal 17th in the event, taking home US $1 200 each.

Chad du Toit (Berea, Durban) came up against Jesse Mendes(BRA) in the final heat of the day and posted an early score of 6.17 followed by a 6.67 with 11 minutes remaining. Despite recording the heat high score of 6.93, the Brazilian could not find the 5.91 he needed for victory in the time remaining and du Toit joined Staples in the last 16.

Even though the event has been plagued by small surf, onshore winds and so many bluebottles in the line-up that many competitors are wearing full wetsuits for protection, the world’s top 20-and-under competitors demonstrated exceptional talent with every heat punctuated by high-flying progressive manoeuvres.

Freestone was impressive in advancing to Round 4 (the last 16 in the event) along with the likes of fellow Australian Dean Bowen, Grainger Larsen (HAW), Nat Young (USA), Marc Lacomare (FRA) and Brazilians Caio Ibelli and Miguel Pupo.

The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships runs until 16 January and the organisers make a decision at 7am (10pm SA time) each day on whether to get the event underway or wait for better waves.

All the action from the event is webcast LIVE via www.billabongpro.com which also features a ‘heats on demand’ facility where video footage from every heat can be found.
 
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
 
The BillabongASP World Junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy is made possible with the support of Sony, Volkswagen, VonZipper, Nixon, Australia’s Surfing Life Magazine, Manly Warringah Council and NSW Sport and Recreation.

Billabong ASP Women’s World Junior Championships Final Results:
1 – Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 10.00
2  – Justine Dupont (FRA) 9.00

Billabong ASP Women’s World Junior Championships Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Justine Dupont (FRA) 11.27 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 8.70
SF 2: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 8.37def. Alizee Arnaud (FRA) 7.56

2010 ASP Women’s World Junior Rankings(After event #2 – Narrabeen)
 Name                                              Points  Placings
1.  Alizee Arnaud(FRA)            14500  2,3
2.  Tyler  Wright(AUS)              13750  1,9
2.  Bianca  Buitendag(ZAF)      13750  9,1
4.  Laura  Enever(AUS)              11750  5,3

South Africans
21.  Chantelle Rautenbach(ZAF)   3500  17,17

Billabong ASP World Junior Championships Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Granger Larsen (HAW) 11.70 def. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 11.16
Heat 2: Kiron Jabour (HAW) 12.16 def. Luke Davis (USA) 7.57
Heat 3: Evan Geiselman (USA) 10.76 def. Davey Cathels (AUS) 10.47
Heat 4: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 13.27 def. Ty Watson (AUS) 9.00
Heat 5: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 11.40 def. Kaimana Jaquias (HAW) 7.83
Heat 6: Dean Bowen (AUS) 12.37 def. Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 9.00
Heat 7: Charles Martin (GLP) 9.16 def. Chris Salisbury (AUS) 8.40
Heat 8: Jack Freestone (AUS) 13.50 def. Ramzi Boukhaim (MOR) 8.17
Heat 9: Dale Staples (ZAF) 12.62def. Hiroto Arai (JPN) 10.16
Heat 10: Alex Smith (HAW) 11.84 def. Brendon Gibbons (ZAF) 8.20
Heat 11: Nat Young (USA) 13.93 def. Keanu Asing (HAW) 10.16
Heat 12: Krystian Kymerson (BRA) 12.73 def. Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 10.37
Heat 13: Mitch Crews (AUS) 11.27 def. Andrew Doheny (USA) 7.40
Heat 14: Kolohe Andino (USA) 11.36 def. Nic Von Rupp (DEU) 9.30
Heat 15: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 13.80 def. Felipe Jervis (PRT) 5.50
Heat 16: Chad Du Toit (ZAF) 12.84 def. Jesse Mendez (BRA) 12.26
ENDS

Issued on behalf of:

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

Compiled & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

About ASP:The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the 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.

David Van Zyl of KZN and Holly Armstrong of Western Province were the toast of the South African Junior Invitation team when they won the U18 Boys and Under 18 Girls titles respectively in the Quiksilver Eco Challenge which was completed on Reunion Island at the weekend.

Van Zyl beat Martin Jannier and Jorgann Couzinet of Reunion into second and third place respectively and plucky Brandon Benjamin of Western Province came fourth. Marchall Reans of Eastern Province came seventh in this division.

In the U18 Girls final Armstrong beat Albane Tatibouet into second place with Emma Smith of Eastern Province taking third place and Sabrina Scott of Western Province the fourth spot.

Alice Mc Gregor of Border came second in the U20 Girls final behind Albane Tatibouet of Reunion with Armstrong ending third and fellow South African Nikita Kekana of Durban taking fourth place while Van Zyl ended fourth in the U20 Boys final behind winner Martin Dambreville, Hugo Du Bosc and Jules Noirbusson (all of Reunion).

In the U16 Girls final Emma Smith of Eastern Province was third behind Alice Lemoigne and Jessie Albert of Reunion. Smith’s teammate Micaela Venter of KZN came seventh in this division. Reunion surfers dominated the U16 Boys results and the best South Africans could do here were a joint 15^th place for Benjamin and Reans.

In the Tag Team contest the Reunion Island red team edged the South African gold team into second place. Reunion blue were third, South Africa green were fourth and Madagascar came fifth.

The Team Trophy for the highest combined scores was won by Reunion with South Africa second and Madagascar third.

The Eco Challenge is an annual event hosted by the St Leu Surf Club at the famous St Leu break on the Indian Ocean Island and the South African team was there to participate in the event and compete against surfers from Reunion and Madagascar.

While the contest was a focal point of the week long trip, the project was also used as an opportunity to introduce the South Africans to a different culture. With this in mind all the surfers stayed with local families during the eight day visit.

The South African Junior Invitation team was selected using talent identification criteria and is Surfing South Africa’s most significant talent identification project. Included in the group, which was managed by Isaac February and coached by Craig Johnson, was top South African judge Grant Arendse who used his experience to coordinate the judging programme at the event.

February and Johnson were in charge of the Western Province Junior Team which recently won the South African Junior Championships in Cape Town while Arendse has been adjudicating numerous national and international events in South Africa over the last 18 months.

The team training camps and preparation at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa as well as the cost of sending the group to Reunion Island was made possible thanks to funding from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund.

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

FULL RESULTS

U20 BOYS

1. MARTIN DAMBREVILLE (REU)
2. HUGO DU BOSC (REU)
3. JULES NOIRBUSSON (REU)
4. DAVID VAN ZYL (RSA)

U20 GIRLS

1. ALBANE TATIBOUET (REU)
2. ALICE MCGREGOR(RSA)
3. HOLLY ARMSTRONG (RSA)
4. NIKITA KEKANA (RSA)

U18 BOYS

1. DAVID VAN ZYL (RSA)
2. MARTIN JANNIER (REU)
3. JORGANNE COUZINET (REU)
4. BRANDON BENJAMIN (RSA)

U18 GIRLS

1. HOLLY ARMSTRONG (RSA)
2. ALBANE TATIBOUET (REU)
3. EMMA SMITH (RSA)
4. SABRINA SCOTT (RSA)

U16 BOYS

1. HUGO ROBIN (REU)
2. MAURICE MEYERWESTPHAL (REU)
3. JEREMY BARRE (REU)

U16 GIRLS

1. ALICE LEMOIGNE (REU)
2. JESSIE ALBERT (REU)
3. EMMA SMITH (RSA)

TAG TEAM

1. REUNION RED
2. SOUTH AFRICA GOLD
3. REUNION BLUE
4. SOUTH AFRICA GREEN
5. MADAGASCAR

TEAM TROPHY ( presented by Surfing South Africa & the Lotto)

1.  REUNION ISLAND
2. SOUTH AFRICA
3. MADAGASCAR

Ends

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

Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
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Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

 

After an exhausting journey by air the members of the South African team have arrived in Punta Hermosa, Peru, the venue for the 2010 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games. The event gets under way on Monday October 19 and ends on October 27.

The 2010 South African Surfing Team consists of four Men, two Women, two male Longboarders, two coaches and a manager.

The top seed in the Men’s team is current South African champion and former World Tour campaigner Greg Emslie of East London who is the team captain. He is joined by 2002 ISA World Junior Champion and vice captain Warwick Wright of Durban, SA Championships finalist Chad du Toit of Durban and new cap Casey Grant of Scottburgh. Grant recently finished runner-up to Jordy Smith in the Mr Price Pro Ballito.

The Women’s team members are Melkbosstrand surfers Chantelle Rautenbach, the 2009 Surfing South Africa Pro Surf Tour (PST) champion and current SA Open champion, and Stacey Guy who placed third in the Mr Price Women’s Pro Ballito in early July.

Joining two-time ISA World Longboard champion Matthew Moir of Tokai in the 2010 side is new cap Brad Weare of Durban. Moir and Weare finished first and second respectively in the South African Longboard Championships in Jeffreys Bay in May this year.

The experienced Mike Sheppard of Mossel Bay is the Team Manager and he will be supported by legendary Head Coach Graham Hynes of Cape St Francis and David Malherbe of East London.

Sheppard was the Manager of the 2008 and 2009 SA Teams, Hynes has been coaching surfers and national surfing teams for over 40 years and Malherbe is a Level 2 ISA Coach and won a bronze medal in the ISA World Masters Championships in Panama in August.

The South African Team’s preparation, training camps and attendance at the ISA World Surfing Games is supported by a R300 000 grant from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF). The team is proudly supported by Skullcandy, PowerBalance, Billabong and Future Life.

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

Eight provincial organisations and three national associations are affiliated to Surfing South Africa which coordinates and manages all aspects of surfriding from grass roots level through to the selection of National teams.

To keep up to date with the progress of the South African team go to www.isasurf.org where you can watch the Parade of Nations, Sands of the World ceremony and every heat live.

Photos of the SA Team will be uploaded daily onto the www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and the SSA Facebook site and a daily gallery of photos from the event will be available on the www.isasurf.org website.

2010 SOUTH AFRICAN SURFING TEAM
MEN
GREG EMSLIE (BORDER)
WARWICK WRIGHT (WP)
CHAD DU TOIT (KZN)
CASEY GRANT (KZN)
WOMEN
CHANTELLE RAUTENBACH (BOLAND)
STACEY GUY (SOUTHERN CAPE)
LONGBOARDERS
MATTHEW MOIR (WP)
BRAD WEARE (KZN)
TEAM MANAGER
MIKE SHEPPARD

COACHES

GRAHAM HYNES
DAVID MALHERBE

/ENDS

Compiled by:
Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa

Media enquiries to : 082 454 1149 or surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
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Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

Mr Price SA National Junior Surfing Championships
Surfing South Africa’s premier national junior tournament.
Southern Peninsula, Western Cape
Tuesday September 28 to Sunday October 3.

Western Province dominate the Mr Price SA Junior Championships at Long Beach, Kommetjie and win the Freedom Cup by a record margin

The 2010 Western Province Junior surfing team maintained a unique record when they won the Freedom Cup at the Mr Price SA Junior Championships which was completed in small but contestable surf at Long Beach, Kommetjie today (Sunday October 3).

Since 1965 no province surfing team has defeated WP in a national tournament in the Cape Peninsula and this year’s WP Junior maintained that record in fine style, winning the Freedom Cup, capturing all four age-division trophies and producing more finalists and individual champions than any of the other provinces.

A resurgent Eastern Province side was second in the interprovincial team event while defending champions Central KZN had to settle for third place. The Boland Juniors showed their up-and-coming talent with a strong fourth place finish while Border was fifth and Southern KZN came fifth.

The Southern KZN surfers had something to celebrate though as they received the Best Team trophy which is awarded to the province which displays the best team spirit over the six days of competition.

The SA Development Academy Team made up of surfers from the annual SA Grommet Games and supported at this event by Sport and Recreation SA, posted its best ever result by ending seventh  ahead of Southern Cape and Zululand.

The venue for the annual South African Junior Championships rotates between the provinces affiliated to Surfing South Africa and, after eight years, 2010 was Western Province’s turn to host the premier junior tournament on the national calendar.

Possible venues for this six day marathon contest ranged from Muizenberg to Long Beach with Noordhoek and Witsands possibilities. Long Beach played ball and ended up hosting all six days of competition in conditions that ranged from 4 to 6 foot to surf that was just contestable at 2 foot.

The Peninsula provided six perfect spring days, there was some top class surfing which included a 10 point ride by 12 year old Jordy Maree of WP and the 250 surfers will remember this event as one of the best ever.

In addition to interprovincial team competition there were also eight individual titles, medals and trophies as well as three green national blazers at stake.

WP captain Matt Bromley showed the way for the team in blue and white when he won the Under 20 Boys title beating Boland surfer Jaco Steyn into second place. Defending champion Shawn Dennis of central KZN was third and Border’s Kyle Galloway was fourth.

Honours also went WP’s way in the Under 20 girls division where Tanika Hoffman beat her good friend Faye Zoetmulder by 0.25 points to take the title. Alice Mc Gregor of Border was third and Kirsty Delport of Central KZN came fourth.

Mikey February added a third trophy to the WP stash when he won the Under 17 title and became the first surfer in the contest to qualify for the 2011 SA Junior Team which will compete in the ISA World Junior Championships in Peru. Rigard Smith of Boland produced his best result in posting a second place while Steven Sawyer of EP and Davey Brand of WP were third and fourth respectively.

In the Under 17 girls division the brilliant Central KZN star Sarah Baum was unstoppable as she bagged the trophy and her spot in the 2011 SA Junior team. Central KZN teammate Heidi Palmboom was second, Emma Smith of EP was third and Sabrina Scott of WP fourth.

Under 15 Boys honours and a spot in the 2011 SA Junior team went to Dylan Lightfoot of EP who fought off a three pronged WP attack in this final to take the trophy and the spoils. Benji Brand came second ahead of his WP teammates Brandon Benjamin and Max Armstrong.

EP clinched the double in this division when Gina Smith won the Under 15 girl’s title in fine style. Shannon McGee of Southern KZN was second, Nina Woerman of WP came third and Carryn MacNicol of Central KZN was fourth.

The youngest surfers in this year’s championships were the competitors in the Under 13 girls and boys’ divisions. The youngest was 10 years old, there were three or four 11 year olds and there were at least four 12 year olds in the two finals.

Fittingly, the Surfer of the Contest was Chanelle Botha of Southern KZN who scored an impressive 14 out of 20 to win the Under 13 title to add to her 2009 Under 12 gold medal. Boland’s Anoush Zakarian came second, Ruth Armstrong of WP was third and Cana Foster of Central KZN came fourth.

Only one other surfer could have been in the running for the Surfer of the Contest award and that was Under 13 Boys champion Jordy Maree of WP. Having posted a 10 point ride in his semi final this incredibly talented 12 year old finished his contest in style by scoring a massive 18.75 out of 20 to win the title. Two Boland surfers, Steffen Burrows and Adin Masencamp, added value to the final to finish second and third respectively while another WP star, Donovan Wichman, came fourth.

Brandon Benjamin of WP was awarded the Most Improved surfer trophy for his consistent performance throughout the event.

The event was first held in 1996 and is the most important contest for junior surfers in South Africa. It not only determines National Champions in the Under 20, Under 17, Under 15 and Under 13 boys and girls age divisions but also determines the winning provincial team and divisional champions each year.

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

FULL RESULTS

U20 BOYS
1. MATTHEW BROMLEY (WP)
2. JACO STEYN (BOL)
3. SHAWN DENNIS (CENTRAL KZN)
4. KYLE GALLOWAY (BOR)

U20 GIRLS
1. TANIKA HOFFMAN (WP)
2. FAYE ZOETMULDER (EP)
3. ALICE MCGREGOR (BOR)
4. KIRSTY DELPORT (CENTRAL KZN)

U17 BOYS
1. MICHAEL FEBRUARY (WP)
2. RIGARD SMIT (BOL)
3. STEVEN SAWYER (EP)
4. DAVEY BRAND (WP)

U17 GIRLS
1. SARAH BAUM (KZN)
2. HEIDI PALMBOOM (CENTRAL KZN)
2. EMMA SMITH (EP)
3. SABRINA SCOTT (WP)

U15 BOYS
1. DYLAN LIGHTFOOT (EP)
2. BENJI BRAND (WP)
3. BRANDON BENJAMIN (WP)
4. MAX ARMSTRONG (WP)

U15 GIRLS
1. GINA SMITH (EP)
2. SHANNON MCGEE (EP)
3. NINA WOERMANN (WP)
4. CARRYN MCNICOL (CENTRAL KZN)

U13 BOYS
1. JORDY MAREE (WP)
2. STEFFEN BURROWS (BOL)
3. ADIN MASENCAMP (BOL)
4. DONOVAN WICHMANN (WP)

U13 GIRLS
1. CHANELLE BOTHA (SKZN)
2. ANOUSH ZAKARIAN (BOL)
3. RUTH ARMSTRONG (WP)
4. CANA FOSTER (CENTRAL KZN)

SURFER OF THE CONTEST 
CHANELLE BOTHA (SOUTHERN KZN)

MOST IMPROVED SURFER
BRANDON BENJAMIN (WP) 

TEAM SPIRIT AWARD
SOUTHERN KWAZULU-NATAL 

DIVISION AWARDS

U20

WP 12,770
BOLAND 11,170
CENTRAL KZN 11,036
BORDER 10,180
EP 10,010
SOUTHERN KZN 7,440
SOUTHERN CAPE 4,920
ZULULAND 4,360
SA ACADEMY 2,580

U17

WP 12,996
CKZN 11,540
BOL 11,096
EP 11,090
BOR 9,040
SKZN 8,930
SA ACADEMY 7,746
SCAPE 5,710
ZULULAND 1,440

U15

WP 13,276
EP 13,020
CKZN 10,600
BOL 9,520
BOR 9,126
SKZN 9,056
SA ACADEMY 7,130
SCAPE 2,800
ZULULAND 2,210

U13

WP 4,070
BOL 4,040
CKZN 2,890
EP 2,830
SKZN 2,800
BOR 2,620
ZULULAND 2,455
SA ACADEMY 2,355
SCAPE 1,610

FREEDOM CUP (INTERPROVINCIAL TROPHY)

1. WESTERN PROVINCE   43,112
2. EASTERN PROVINCE    37,390
3. CENTRAL KZN     36,066
4. BOLAND     35,826
5. BORDER    30,966
6. SOUTHERN KZN   28,226
7. SA DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY TEAM  19,811
8. SOUTHERN CAPE 15,040
9. ZULULAND   10,465

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

The 2010 Mr Price SA Junior Surfing Championships was supported by the Lotto and Sport and Recreation South Africa.

Ends

Compiled by:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa

All media enquiries to SSA at 082 454 1149

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

 

Long Beach in Kommetjie, the Cape Peninsula’s most popular contest venue, has played its part on the first three days of the Mr Price SA Junior Championships.

Perfect four to five foot waves and ideal offshore conditions on days one, two and three of this premier event gave locals and visitors alike a real chance to shine and post some high quality scores.

With conditions at optimum, contest organizers worked through the rounds and with just three days to go the four surfers who will contest the U20 Final have already been determined.

They are Western Province captain Matt Bromley, former Under 20 champion Shawn Dennis of Central KZN, Mr Price team rider Jaco Steyn of Boland and Border’s Kyle Galloway.

There are plenty more heats to go in the other divisions however and with conditions set to remain good until Sunday contest officials are running heats until after 5pm.

In the race for the coveted team title and the Freedom Cup, Boland has made a strong showing along with hosts Western Province and defending champions Central KZN.

The 2010 SA Junior championships features teams from eight provinces plus an SA Development Academy team which is supported by Sport and Recreation SA.

By tomorrow (Saturday) there will only be 30 or so heats to run and the contest will conclude at around midday on Sunday.

Details of the venue are available on the WP INFOLINE at 082 233 4001 and results and upcoming heats are available on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

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

Ends 

Compiled by:
Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa

All media enquiries to SSA at 082 454 1149

Distributed by:
Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

The 2010 Mr Price South African Junior Surfing Championships featuring nine teams of the country’s top junior boys and girls gets under way in the Southern Peninsula with the opening function in Kommetjie today ( Monday September 27).

The 250 or so surfers participating in the 15th edition of this premier Surfing South Africa tournament represent eight provinces and include a team of surfers who will compete for the South African Development Academy Team.

The Cape Peninsula last hosted the South African Junior Championships in 2002 and this year’s event will be only the third time in 15 years that the tournament will take place in the Cape.

From 1996, when the first SA Junior Championships took place in a rain soaked Durban, to 2003 the team from Central KZN dominated the championships winning eight team titles in a row. In East London in 2004 Western Province broke the chokehold the Durban surfers had on the title and claimed the first of their four victories in a row.

In 2008 at St Mikes, Central KZN reclaimed the crown from WP by the narrowest of margins and then defended the title in style at Nahoon Reef in East London last year. Western Province has won every national championship held in Cape Town since 1966 so there is plenty at stake next week as the WP class of 2010 fight hard to maintain that tradition and keep the Freedom Cup in the Cape this year.

Apart from WP and Central KZN, Eastern Province, last year’s hosts Border and WP’s next door neighbours Boland all have plenty of strong surfers across the divisions.

Southern KZN will be one of the most significant teams at this year’s contest as their side clearly shows the success of their transformation programmes. Southern Cape, Zululand and the South African Junior Development Academy Team, which is supported by Sport and Recreation SA, make up the balance of the competition.

The opening function of the 2010 Mr Price SA National Junior Championships takes place at 7pm on Monday evening in the Kommetjie Primary School. The heats get under way at 8.30 am on Tuesday and the finals and Award Ceremony will take place on completion of the last Final on Sunday October 3.

Heat updates will be available daily on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

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

 Ends

Compiled by:
Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
0824541149

All media enquiries to Surfing South Africa

surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

082 454 1149

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

 

Chantelle Rautenbach won the Billabong Pro Junior Women’s title at Victoria Bay on Friday, defeating Sarah Baum in the final held in rippable head-high waves peeling down the point at the iconic Southern Cape surf break.

Rautenbach, 20, from Melkbosstrand controlled the final from outset, selecting two waves that allowed her to utilise her full repertoire of backhand manoeuvres and post scores of 6.5 and 5.0. While she didn’t improve on these for the remainder of the heat, they ultimately proved sufficient to clinch victory, a cheque of R2 000 and a haul of 1 000 points on the Pro Surf Tour (PST) rankings.

Baum was the favourite going into the final after a convincing semifinal victory over top seed Bianca Buitendag (George), but the 16 year-old from Athlone Park struggled to find waves with good scoring potential during the final and, with a highest ride of 4.35, was left needing 7.15 points when the curtain came down on the 25 minute match up.

Rautenbach, who captured the SA Open Women’s crown in East London last weekend, defeated Heidi Palmboom (Bluff) in a wave-starved, low-scoring semi-final. Palmboom and Buitendag finished equal third overall in the event.

Day 3 action opened with the Pro Junior men going to work in solid 1 to 1.5 metre waves that offered plenty of opportunity for high performance surfing. The country’s best surfers aged 20-and-under did not disappoint, tearing into the long lines on the point and producing several shock eliminations.

First to be ousted was fourth seed Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), winner of the first Billabong Pro Junior event in April, and he was soon followed by the seemingly unstoppable Benji Brand (Kommetjie), then second seed Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) and Scottburgh standout Slade Prestwich.

The Pro Junior men’s quarterfinal heats, using the man-on-man format, were held at the end of the day and saw top seed Chad du Toit (Berea) lead throughout to defeat Shawn Dennis (Durban) and set up a crucial semifinal encounter with Matt Bromley who eliminated fellow Billabong team rider Kommetjie resident Davey Brand in their quarter.

The match-up between 2009 ASP Africa champion du Toit and Bromley will be one that the Kommetjie surfer will be desperate to win. With Staples and du Toit having secured their participation in the inaugural ASP World Junior Tour by reaching the last 16 here, Bromley needs to reach the final of the Billabong Pro Junior Vic Bay to clinch the coveted third and final invitation.

In the bottom half of the draw, J-Bay standout Steven Sawyer grabbed victory over Haydn MacNicol and will go up against Nick Godfrey (Cape St Francis) in the second semifinal on Saturday.  Godfrey, a previous Vic Bay winner, had racked up an 8.0 and a 6.0 to eliminate David van Zyl (Glenashley).

In between the clashes of the Pro Junior titans, the semifinals U12 boys produced a spectacular display of rising talent as Adin Masencamp (Somerset West) simply blitzed to book his berth in the final alongside runner-up Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay). The pair will be up against perennial achiever Donovan Wichmann (Marina da Gama) and diminutive Ford van Jaarsveld  who caused an upset by ousting fellow Kommetjie surfer Ethan Fletcher.

In the U14’s, long time friends and rivals Max Armstrong (Scarborough) and Benji Brand had their opponents fighting for second place in their respective semifinals as they continuously delivered excellent scores. The pair will duke out tomorrow’s final against respective runners-up Shane Sykes (Salt Rock) and Steffen Burrows (Strand).

The highly competitive U16 boys quarterfinals produced another phenomenal display by Benji Brand as the Billabong rider racked up scores of 8.1 and 7.0 to move into the semis along with Matt McGillivray (Port Elizabeth) while Dylan Lightfoot (J-Bay) and a fast improving Brandon Benjamin advanced from Heat 2.

Slade Prestwich detonated with an excellent 8.25 to win Heat 3 ahead of newcomer Wade Simkiss with Max Armstrong and Steven Sawyer dominating the last quarterfinal.

Prestwich then went on to book his spot in tomorrow’s final of the R2 000 VonZipper Air Show by punting a massive boost in the U16 trials.

With the wave period shortening and the swell dropping the organisers will make a call at 7.30am on when and where the final day of action will be staged.

Anyone who would like to be included onto the Billabong Junior Series event SMS notification database can send their name and mobile number to brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

There are daily video and picture uploads for each day of the event on www.billabong.com/za and the heat results can be followed as they happen throughout the event on Twitter and Facebook (Username- BillabongSA).

The Pro Surf Tour (PST) events in the Billabong Junior Series are sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport, while the internationally rated Pro Junior men’s event is sanctioned by ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International.

The series is proudly supported by Von Zipper, Kustom and Nixon and fueled by Monster Energy.

\ends

Issued on behalf of:

Brendon Kegel – Media and Communications
Billabong South Africa
Tel:                   042 200 2747
Fax:                  042 293 2478
Cell:                  083 799 0110
Email:               brendon.kegel@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

 

After getting the Billabong Junior Series underway in half-metre waves at the preferred venue of Victoria Bay this morning, the organisers made an inspired decision to switch the season-ending event to Herold’s Bay, which paid off handsomely as the country’s top junior surfers reveled in consistent one metre surf.

Having completed the opening rounds of the Under 12 and U14 boys divisions at Vic Bay, contest director Colin Fitch called a 30 minute break when the waves became inconsistent on the dropping tide. Reports that Herold’s Bay had bigger waves saw the organisers successfully complete a swift transfer of the contest infrastructure and 90 minutes later the event was up and running 30 Kms down the coast.

Other than Adin Masencamp (Somerset West) placing  third and having to contest Round 2 of the U12 boys, the top seeds Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay), Billabong’s Jake Elkington (Cape Town), Ethan Fletcher (Kommetjie) and Donovan Wichmann (Marina da Gama) all progressed directly to the semifinals.

The usual suspects also advanced from Round 1 of the U14 boys where Wichmann, Jason Harris (Scottburgh), Jonah Paarman (Kommetjie) and Matt McGillivray (Port Elizabeth), along with newcomer Jerry van Wyk, booked their places in the last 16 against the top eight seeds in the division.

The U16 boys were first up once the event restarted and Heat 1 saw 16 year Sarah Baum (Athlone Park), just back from a successful stint competing in the ASP Star-rated events in the California, upstage her male rivals by winning the encounter and advancing to the last 16 along with second placed Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay).

Benji Brand (Kommetjie), winner of the U16 boys in the Billabong Junior Series event on the Dolphin Coast in April, delivered his customary high-powered performance in the left-handers to convincingly win his heat, as did fellow Billabong team riders Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay) and Mikey Venter (Warner Beach), top seed Jarred Veldhuis (Kommetjie) and No. 2 seed Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh).

Only one heat of Pro Junior (U20) women was run which saw Morag Steele and Cara MacDonald join the stacked heats in Round 2 that feature the likes of Southern Cape local and top seed Bianca Buitendag (George), fellow international campaigners Sarah Baum and Billabong team rider Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie), Alice McGregor (East London), SA Open champion Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand) and Kirsty Delport (Durban).

The day’s proceedings were completed by the four Round 1 heats in the Billabong Pro Junior, a R37 500 Grade-1 ASP Pro Junior event that will determine the yearend ASP Africa Pro Junior rankings for 2010 and the recipients of the three invitations to compete in the inaugural ASP World Junior Tour starting in Bali at the end of October.

Heat winners Jacob Mellish (Somerset West) and local Vincent Withers (Wilderness) along with Mikey Venter and Jordan Alexander (Cape Town) who received walk-throughs, and their respective runners-up, joined the top 24 seeds in Round 2, which promises to produce world-class action when the event gets underway on Thursday.

There will be daily video and picture uploads for each day of the event on www.billabong.com/za and the heat results can be followed as they happen throughout the event on Twitter and Facebook (Username- BillabongSA).

The organisers will check the waves at Vic Bay at first light on Thursday to decide when and where to commence the event.

Anyone who would like to be included on the Billabong Junior Series event SMS notification database can send their name and mobile number to brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

The Pro Surf Tour (PST) events in the Billabong Junior Series are sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport, while the internationally rated Pro Junior men’s event is sanctioned by ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International.

The series is proudly supported by Von Zipper, Kustom and Nixon and fueled by Monster Energy.

\ends

Issued on behalf of:

Brendon Kegel – Media and Communications
Billabong South Africa
Tel:                   042 200 2747
Fax:                  042 293 2478
Cell:                  083 799 0110
Email:               brendon.kegel@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

The country’s top pro junior surfers (20-and-under) are heading for Victoria Bay in the Southern Cape where the outcome of the crucial, season ending Billabong Pro Junior will see two surfers receive sought after invitations to compete internationally on the inaugural ASP World Junior Tour.

Scheduled for Wednesday to Saturday, 1-4 September, the Billabong Pro Junior features a R37 500, Grade-1 ASP Pro Junior men’s event alongside Pro Surf Tour (PST) events for Under 16, U14 and U12 boys and Pro Junior women and the spectacular VonZipper Air Show.

The absence of Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay), who has already wrapped up the 2010 ASP Africa Pro Junior men’s title and is overseas engaged in improving his ASP World Ranking, leaves the way open for fellow Billabong team rider, Dale Staples from St Francis Bay, the current ASP Africa No. 2 and winner of the Billabong Pro Junior Dolphin Coast event in April, to grab one of the two coveted invitations.

Staples, a former Vic Bay winner and the fourth seed here, faces a strong challenge from 2009 ASP Africa Pro Junior Champion and this week’s top seed, Chad du Toit (Berea), along with last year’s event champion Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) and the Kommetjie pair of Brendon Gibbens and Billabong’s Matt Bromley, all of whom are capable of earning the R15 000 winner’s paycheque and the precious rankings points.

With the balance of the 40 strong field snapping at their heels, the competition amongst the five contenders will be fierce, particularly as a change in the allocation of the invitations sees just the top three in the ASP Africa rankings plus the top two Pro Juniors on the ASP World Rankings invited to challenge for the ASP Pro Junior Champion title. In previous years the top 4 from ASP Africa and one from the international rankings gained entry to what was a one-off World Pro Junior Championship.

Vic Bay local and SA’s highest ranked surfer on the ASP Women’s World Rankings, Bianca Buitendag (George), heads a very competitive Pro Junior Women’s field at Vic Bay that includes fellow international campaigner, Billabong’s Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie).

Recently crowned SA Open women’s champion Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbos), Alice McGregor (EL), Kirsty Delport (Durban), Tanika Hoffman (Kommetjie) and rising star Emma Smith (Jeffreys Bay) are others with strong credentials.

In the U16 boys, top seeds Jarred Veldhuis (Kommetjie) and Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) face a titanic struggle against Billabong’s Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay), a finalist in the both the men’s and Pro Juniors in the SA Open in East London on the weekend, and Benji Brand (Kommetjie), winner of the U16’s on the Dolphin Coast.

Brand and Prestwich will also face off in the U14 boy’s against the likes of Max Armstrong (Scarborough), Matt McGillivray (Port Elizabeth), Steffen Burrows (Strand) and Shane Sykes (Salt Rock) while Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay), Ethan Fletcher (Kommetjie), Adin Masencamp (Strand), Donovan Wichmann (Marina Da Gama) and brothers Jake and Max Elkington from Cape Town look the pick of the U12’s.

The visually dynamic VonZipper Air Show will again reward the surfer successfully completing the most innovative aerial manoeuvre pockets with a winner-takes-all R2 000 prize-purse

There will be daily video and picture uploads for each day of the event on www.billabong.com/za and the heat results can be followed as they happen throughout the event on twitter and Facebook (Username- BillabongSA).

Anyone who would like to be included onto the Billabong Junior Series event SMS notification database can send their name and mobile number to brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

The Pro Surf Tour (PST) events in the Billabong Junior Series are sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport, while the internationally rated Pro Junior men’s event is sanctioned by ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International.

The series is proudly supported by Von Zipper, Kustom and Nixon and fueled by Monster Energy.

\ends 

Issued on behalf of:

Brendon Kegel – Media and Communications

Billabong South Africa
Tel:                   042 200 2747
Fax:                  042 293 2478
Cell:                  083 799 0110
Email:               brendon.kegel@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