The country’s top Pro Junior surfers shredded the 1 to 1.5 metre waves on offer at Herold’s Bay in the Southern Cape on Day 2 of the Billabong Junior Series today (Thursday), using the hollow wedges and boostable sections to deliver top-class performances in the chase for prize-money, points and prestige.

Organisers had no hesitation in moving the event from the main venue of Victoria Bay at first light and competitors in the Round of 32 of the R37 500, internationally rated Billabong Pro Junior enjoyed the best conditions of the day.

Davey Brand set the tone for the day by earning two scores of 6.75 out of 10 early in the first heat of the day before shutting out his opponents with an excellent 8.0 just before the siren. Brand advanced to the last 16 along with runner-up and fellow Billabong team rider and Kommetjie resident Matt Bromley.

Billabong’s Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), the fourth seed here and winner of the Billabong Pro Junior on KZN’s Dolphin Coast in April, kept his challenge alive by progressing along with heat winner Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) before Kommetjie’s Mikey February blitzed the highest heat total of the day, 16.25 out of 20, in Heat 3.

Top seed Chad du Toit (Berea) controlled his opening encounter but 14 year-old Billabong rider Benji Brand (Kommetjie) gave Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) a fright by securing the heat victory with the second seed having to settle for the runner-up spot. David van Zyl (Glenashley), Nick Godfrey (St Francis Bay) and another 14 year-old standout in Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) clinched the remaining heat wins.

After one heat of U12 boys where rising stars Ford van Jaarsveld (Kommetjie) and Billabong’s Max Elkington (Cape Town) eliminated Rewaldo Abersalie (J-Bay), international campaigner Tarryn Chudleigh opened the Pro Junior women’s event with a stunning performance.

Determined to make an appearance at her sponsor’s contest, the Billabong team rider shrugged off 48 hours of travel, including rising at 4am for the five-hour drive to Herold’s Bay from her home in Kommetjie, to dominate the heat and relegate top seed Bianca Buitendag, currently SA’s currently highest placed surfer on the ASP Women’s World Rankings, to the runner-up spot.

Sarah Baum (Athlone Park), another with strong international credentials, clinched victory in the next heat with while Heidi Palmboom (Bluff) and Holly Armstrong (Scarborough) upset higher ranked rivals for their heat wins.

The eight remaining Pro Junior Women were back in contest vests in more intimidating overhead conditions at the end of the day when the crosswind had freshened and the tide had turned. Baum and Buitendag eliminated Kirsty Delport (Durban) and a clearly exhausted Chudleigh to move into the one-on-one semifinals where they were joined by recent SA Open Women’s champion Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand) and Palmboom.

In between the U14 boys battled with elements that saw the lifeguards on standby on the beach. Max Armstrong (Scarborough) had no problem in winning the opening heat while Jason Harris (Scottburgh) snatched his berth in the last eight with a great 6.25 point ride in the final seconds. Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay) reveled in the peaky lefts to win Heat 2 before Benji Brand recorded the highest single ride score of the day with – 9.0 out of 10 – in Heat 3.

The last heat saw the lead change hands on virtually every ride with all four competitors in front at some stage. When the final siren sounded it was Matt McGillivray (Port Elizabeth) in first place with Steffen Burrows (Strand) in second and joining him in the semifinals.

The trials for U12’s and U14’s to qualify for Saturday’s VonZipper Air Show, where the surfer completing the most outrageous aerial manoeuvre pockets a winner-takes-all R2 000 prize-purse, were held in daunting conditions at the end of the day and not one air was completed.

The rising swell may well see the season-ending Billabong Junior Series back at the main venue of Victoria Bay on Friday and organisers will make a call at 7.30am on when and where the day 3 action will commence.

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

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

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

The experienced East London surfer was joined in the winner’s circle by fellow SA Team member Chantelle Rautenbach of Melkbosstrand, who won the Women’s title, and Slade Prestwich of Scottburgh whose brilliant performance in the Pro Junior Final saw him taking home the trophy.

Emslie was a standout throughout the event, setting benchmarks in every heat he surfed in. Even when conditions were small, and at times marginal, on Day One the current SA Champion was outstanding. In his first round Emslie showed his true skill by recording a 9. 20 out of 10 wave score which underlined his status as a true champion.

It was not all plain sailing in the final however and the thirty two year old was pushed all the way by 16 year-old Jeffreys Bay star Steven Sawyer who led the heat until Emslie caught his final high scoring rides. Simon Fish who makes surfboards out of Cape St Francis but hails from East London was third and father-to-be Tyrell Johnson of East London came fourth.

Emslie has now won four of the five PST events he has competed in this year and is not only the current SA Champion, National Team captain and Cold Water Classic winner but can now add a second SA Open title to his list of achievements in 2010.

Rautenbach produced top quality surfing in the Women’s final beating Kirsty Delport of Durban, local girl Alice Mc Gregor and fellow national team member Stacey Guy into second, third and fourth respectively.

Scottburgh local Prestwich produced the highest heat score of all three finals, 16 out of a possible 20, beating Dylan Lightfoot and fellow Jeffrey’s Bay surfer Steven Sawyer into second and third respectively. Another JBay local, Bertie Stuurman, achieved his best result in a major PST event when he finished fourth.

Competitors in the 2010 Mr Price SA Open of Surfing were protected by the Surfing South Africa Shark Shield devices which were placed strategically in the line-up by the local lifeguards and other water craft on both days of the event.

The 2010 SA Open of Surfing was sponsored by Mr Price, sanctioned by Surfing South Africa and hosted by the Border Surfriders Association. It was a 3A Men’s Pro Surf Tour contest with the Women and Pro Juniors both 2A rated. R40 000 in total prize-money was on offer across the divisions.

Members of the 2010 SA Team as well as Head Coach Graham Hynes attended the event as part of their preparations for the 2010 ISA World Surfing Games in Peru in October. The team preparation, camps and fitness training as well as their attendance at the World Games is supported by a R250 000 grant from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund.

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

Ends

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

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 country’s top pro junior surfers (20-and-under) will be vying for coveted invitations to compete in the inaugural ASP World Junior Tour when the Billabong Pro Junior event is run at Victoria Bay in the Southern Cape from 1-4 September.

The event is the fourth and final contest on the 2010 ASP Africa Pro Junior Series and the top four surfers in the yearend rankings will be awarded the sought after invitations to take on their peers from around the globe in the quest to be crowned the ASP World Junior Champion in Sydney, Australia in January 2011.

Billabong team rider Shaun Joubert has already clinched the ASP Africa Pro Junior title for 2010 thanks to victories in two of the first three events of the season and the 19 year-old from Mossel Bay is now focused on improving his position on the ASP World Rankings.

Joubert will not be competing at Victoria Bay, leaving Billabong teammate Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), the winner of the Billabong Pro Junior event on KZN’s Dolphin Coast in April, in the box seat for one of the remaining three invitations.

Staples, a previous winner at Vic Bay, has been in stellar form recently, winning the VonZipper Super Heat to earn a wildcard into the ASP World Tour Billabong Pro J-Bay event where he posted impressive performances against superstars Taj Burrow and Bede Durbidge in the opening rounds.

Chad du Toit (Berea, Durban) and Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) currently occupy the third and fourth positions in the rankings with Matt Bromley (Kommetjie) just outside the cutoff point. With each surfer’s best three results counting towards the yearend ranking, Devin Lane (Umhlanga), Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) and Brendon Gibbens (Kommetjie) are also within striking range of snagging a top-four spot with victory in the season-ending event.

Along with the prized rankings points, the ASP Grade-1 Billabong Pro Junior Vic Bay offers a prize-pool of US $5 000 (approx. R37 500) of which $2 000 goes to the winner.

The Billabong Junior Series also sees the country’s top Under 16, U14 and U12 boys and the Pro Junior (U20) girls in action competing for prize-money and ratings points that count toward the annual Surfing South Africa Pro Surf Tour (PST) titles.

ASP qualifying series campaigner Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie) along with Dolphin Coast event winner and Vic Bay local Bianca Buitendag (George) are the standouts for the girls’ title. But this well traveled duo will need all their international experience to stave off the challenges from Tanika Hoffman (Kommetjie) and Billabong team riders Heidi Palmboom (Bluff) and rising star Emma Smith (Jeffreys Bay).

Billabong’s Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay), who reached the last four in both Pro Junior and U16 divisions in April, and Benji Brand (Kommetjie), winner of the U16’s on the Dolphin Coast and also a favourite in the U14 division, head a highly competitive field in the U16 boys division.

They will do battle with Dylan Lightfoot (J-Bay), Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand), Jarred Veldhuis (Kommetjie), Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) and Mikey Venter (Warner Beach), amongst a host of other emerging rippers.

Kommetjie friends and rivals Benji Brand and Max Armstrong will go head to head with Slade Prestwich, Matt McGillivray (Port Elizabeth), Steffen Burrows (Strand) and Shane Sykes (Salt Rock) in the U14 division 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.

Billabong Junior Series events also feature a spectacular VonZipper Air Show where the surfer successfully completing the most innovative aerial manoeuvre pockets the winner-takes-all R2 000 prize-purse

Images, results and news from the event will be available daily at www.billabong.com.

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.

Entries for the Billabong Pro Junior Vic Bay have officially closed but there is still space for late entries. To enter go to www.aspafrica.com. Entries for the PST events close 14 days before the scheduled dates. Entries can be made at www.billabong.com/girls/za/entries/enter.php for the Pro Junior girls and the U16, U14 and U12 boys’ divisions.

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

South African girls Sarah Baum and Chantelle Rautenbach have advanced to the last 12 in the US Open of Surfing as the top seeds and former champions tumbled out of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 6-Star rated women’s event at Huntington Beach in California.

Both Baum, 16, from Athlone Park in KZN and Rautenbach, 20, from Melkbosstrand, started their campaigns for the priceless ratings points and ground-breaking US $50 000 winner’s prize-money in Round 1 of the event and yesterday progressed through three rounds of competition against the world’s top female professional surfers.

While the likes of reigning three-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), fellow ASP Dream Tour campaigners Coco Ho (HAW), Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Lee-Ann Curren (FRA) and SA’s Rosanne Hodge, along with defending event champion Courtney Conlogue (USA), were eliminated in the tricky one metre conditions, Baum and Rautenbach both finished runners-up in all their heats to reach the round before the quarterfinals.

Baum, who placed seventh overall in the US Open Pro Junior Women’s event on Sunday, has already matched her best result in a Star-rated event this year and faces former Dream Tour standout Jacqueline Silva (BRA) and Alana Blanchard (HAW) today with the top two advancing to the one-on-one quarterfinal heats.

By reaching Round 4, Rautenbach has recorded her best result of 2010 and will be up against current ASP World No. 8 Carissa Moore (HAW) and wildcard Lakey Peterson (USA) when competition resumes.

Women’s ASP 6-Star action will kick off today’s (Tuesday) schedule with the Round of 12 before beginning the men’s ASP PRIME event with the Round of 128. For all of the LIVE action log on to www.usopenofsurfing.com

US Open of Surfing Women’s Round of 24 Results:

Heat 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.94, Laura Enever (AUS) 14.67, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.37, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 10.30
Heat 2: Lakey Peterson (USA) 9.50, Tyler Wright (AUS) 9.07, Sayuri Hashimoto (JPN) 10.10, Paige Hareb (NZL) 4.00
Heat 3: Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 7.33, Chantelle Rautenbach (ZAF) 6.66, Malia Manuel (HAW) 6.40, Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 4.87
Heat 4: Justine Dupont (FRA) 11.83, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 8.50, Sage Erickson (USA) 7.73, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 4.43
Heat 5: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 17.17, Sarah Baum (ZAF) 13.60, Cannelle Bulard (REU) 7.70, Karina Petroni (USA) 6.17
Heat 6: Alana Blanchard (HAW) 11.57, Nicola Atherton (AUS) 8.93, Claudia Goncalves (BRA) 5.07, Mizuki Hagiwara (JPN) 3.95

+++++++++++++++++++

SA Surfers chase rankings points in California and England

South Africa’s top men will be in action at Huntington Beach in California and Newquay in England this week as they chase invaluable ratings points towards qualification for the ASP Dream Tour.

Jordy Smith, who heads both the ASP World Title Race and ASP World Tour rankings, is the top seed in the ASP Prime-rated Hurley US Open of Surfing which features a stellar 156 man field of the world’s top surfers vying for the massive US $100 000 winner’s payout.

Smith starts in the Round of 96 along with the rest of the top 42 seeds and six wildcards who include fellow Durbanites David Weare and Brandon Jackson. With the trials completed, the Round of 128 starts today and features former Capetonian Damien Fahrenfort, now living in California, Royden Bryson (Hout Bay) and Rudy Palmboom Jnr. (Bluff).

Meanwhile a solid contingent of Saffas will commence their campaigns in the ASP 5-Star Relentless Boardmasters at Fistral Beach in Newquay where SA’s Travis Logie (Durban) is the top seed.

Logie is joined by former event winner Antonio Bortoletto (Durban), former ASP Dream Tour member Ricky Basnett (Bluff) and a host of aspiring SA Pro Juniors, including Chad du Toit (Berea), Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit), Brendon Gibbens and Michael February (both Kommetjie), Beyrick de Vries and Kyle Lane (both Umhlanga) and more.

All the action can be followed live via the webcast at www.relentlessboardmasters.com

+++++++++++++++++++++

Beyrick de Vries takes fifth place in Bali

Much traveled 17 year-old, Beyrick de Vries, was one of the stars in the Billabong Pro Junior Bali, taking down a host of the top seeds from Australia, Japan and Indonesia on his way to a fifth place finish.

While Kyle Galloway was an early casualty, Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) advanced through two rounds and David van Zyl (Glenashley) through three to the round of 32.

Enjoying the world-class conditions at Keramas, rated by de Vries as one of the best contest waves in the world, the Umhlanga based teenager ousted the likes of highly rated Davey Cathels (AUS) and defending event champion Sam Wrench (AUS) before falling victim to the dreaded ‘Bali-belly’ prior to his quarterfinal clash with former Kommetjie surfer Thomas Woods, now living with his family on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Woods was subsequently eliminated by older brother James in the semis before Wade Carmichael (AUS) clinched the title in a come-from-behind victory after the elder Woods started the final with a near-perfect 9.0 ride.

De Vries currently occupies the No. 4 slot on the ASP Africa Pro Junior Men’s rankings and is in line for one of the four coveted invitations to the inaugural ASP World Pro Junior Championship Series. The Series starts with the Oakley World Junior in Bali (Oct 2-13) and crowns the 2010 ASP World Pro Junior Champion at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships at North Narrabeen in Sydney, Australia (Jan 8-16, 2011).

There is one ASP Africa Pro Junior event remaining, the Billabong Pro Junior at Victoria Bay (September 1-4), before the top four on the rankings plus the highest rated Pro Junior on the ASP World Tour rankings receive their sought-after invitations.

++++++++++++++++++++

Historic clean sweep of local ASP events by SA surfers

Greg Emslie’s victory in the 4-Star rated O’Neill Cold Water Classic in Cape Town last Thursday, combined with Jordy Smith’s earlier victories in the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay and the Mr Price Pro Ballito, completed an historic clean sweep by local surfers of all three ASP events staged in this country.

SA’s two top-earning pro surfers also rewrote the record books in many other ways with Emslie (East London) going one better than Royden Bryson, the runner-up in the CWC in Cape Town last year, to become the first winner of the contest since it became an ASP sanctioned event.

And Smith’s triumph in J-Bay made him the first SA winner of an ASP World Tour event and the first to lead the ASP World Title Race rankings, which will determine the 2010 ASP World Champion, since Shaun Tomson back in the mid-80’s.

Meanwhile his win in the Mr Price Pro saw the 22 year-old Durbanite become only the third SA surfer to capture the title after Tomson (1973-78) and Ricky Basnett (2006) in the event that crowned its first champion back in 1969! And at the same time Smith rose to the top of the ASP World Rankings which combine the all the ASP World Tour, Prime and Star rated events.

Other notable achievements in the annual mid-year ASP events included Royden Bryson (Hout Bay) taking sole possession of the lead in the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Series rankings ahead of Australians Stuart Kennedy, Dion Atkinson and Shaun Cansdell with three if the five events completed. The Series winner collects US $50 000 after the final event in Santa Cruz, California in October.

Capetonian Sean Holmes once again confirmed his status as the Dream Tour’s most dangerous wildcard by carving his way through the world’s top surfers to reach the quarter-finals of the Billabong Pro J-Bay for the third time, notably eliminating nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) and three-time ASP World Champion Andy Irons (HAW) at Supertubes on the same day.

And Casey Grant’s (Scottburgh) runner-up finish to Jordy Smith in the Mr Price Pro Ballito was the first time two South Africans had contested the final of an ASP 5-Star rated event anywhere in the world.

ASP World Title Race Rankings: Top 5 (after Event No. 4 – Billabong Pro J-Bay):

1. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 28500 pts
2. Taj Burrow (AUS) 24750 pts
3. Kelly Slater (USA) 23500 pts
4. Dane Reynolds (USA) 20000 pts
5. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 19500 pts
6. Mick Fanning (AUS) 19250 pts
7. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 18750 pts
8. Bobby Martinez (USA) 16500 pts
9. Jadson Andre (BRA) 16000 pts
10. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14750 pts

South Africans

30. Travis Logie (ZAF) 6500 pts

ASP World Rankings: Top 5 (after event No. 30 – O’Neill Cold Water Classic, Cape Town):

1 Smith,Jordy ZAF 34428
2 Burrow,Taj AUS 30625
3 De Souza,Adriano BRA 23807
4 Slater,Kelly USA 23500
5 Durbidge,Bede AUS 22683

South Africans (top 200 of 885)

27 Logie, Travis ZAF 10651
39 Bryson, Royden ZAF 8560
66 Palmboom, Rudy ZAF 5372
91 Jackson, Brandon ZAF 4094
105 Weare, David ZAF 3367
120 Basnett, Ricky ZAF 2993
132 Joubert, Shaun ZAF 2819
141 Gibbens, Brendon ZAF 2576
153 Grant, Casey ZAF 2218
164 Fahrenfort, Damien ZAF 1985
180 De Vries, Beyrick ZAF 1611
195 Staples, Dale ZAF 1504
200 Du Toit, Chad ZAF 1395

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 governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing’s undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

Billabong team rider Shaun Joubert won the Oakley Pro Junior title for the third time in as many years on Saturday to write his name into the ASP Africa record books as the first surfer to win the same event three times in succession since the local tour was inaugurated in 1988.

“That’s pretty cool and an honour when you consider how many other great surfers have competed in Pro Junior and Open events over the years,” Joubert commented when informed of his historic achievement.

The superstar from Mossel Bay, who turns 19 today, posted a stellar performance to defeat reigning ASP Africa Pro Junior Champion Chad du Toit in the final of the ASP Grade-2 rated event at Port Alfred.

Competing in outstanding 1.5 metre waves at Eastern Beach, Joubert fell behind early in the final as du Toit surged into the lead. Needing a substantial 8.25 points for the lead at the halfway point, Joubert scored exactly that on an inside wave that he worked all the way through to the inside. But du Toit regained the lead with a 7.50 before the champion clinched the title on a set wave where he used his full repertoire of high performance manoeuvres to record a near-perfect 9.5 out of 10.

“Whenever we get to surf a contest in good waves I’m sure not too many guys complain,” Joubert said of the excellent conditions, adding “I’m just happy to be back and get a good result. It was pretty obvious that Chad was the man to beat and he put me under pressure with his first seven (point ride). I blew my first two waves, so I was lucky more waves came to me.”

Having set winning the ASP Africa Pro Junior title as his main goal for 2010, Joubert’s haul of 1 500 points from the event has consolidated his lead at the top of rankings after three of the four events have been completed.

“It’s not always possible to achieve your goals, and I haven’t done the maths, but it looks like I’m well placed to achieve that goal this year, which will be great!”

He also earned an early birthday present of US $2 500 (approx. R18 750), taking his 2010 Pro Junior winnings to R37 000 after his victory in the first event of the year in Durban at Easter.

The ultra-talented teenager from the Southern Cape also placed highly in several ASP Pro Junior events in Australia earlier in the year and attended a Billabong high-performance training camp in Hawaii. On the ASP World Tour he has recorded results of 37^th and 17^th in 6-Star rated events in Tasmania and Scotland to be ranked No. 146 on the combined ASP World Rankings list with further earnings of R24 000.

“I’d like to really thank Greg Emslie (former ASP World Title contender) for looking after me in the lead-up to this event. And also Billabong and all my other sponsors for supporting me over the years, even when I wasn’t doing as well,” Joubert said.

Joubert leaves next week for Brazil where he will compete in several ASP 5 and 6-Star events during May before competing in the 6-Star event in Sri Lanka in June and the Mr Price Pro Ballito in July in an effort to boost his ASP World Ranking and make the cut-off for the ASP Prime rated events, which are held in premium venues with a restricted field, in the second half of the year.

Joubert’s Billabong team mates also fared well at Port Alfred where Australian Ryan Callinan placed third after losing to the champion in the semifinals while Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), the winner of the Billabong Pro Junior Dolphin coast on Tuesday, placed 5^th overall.

Ends

Distributed on behalf of:

Billabong South Africa
Contact:            Ryan Payne
Tel:                   042 200 2600
Email:               ryan.payne@billabong.co.za

Compiled & Distributed by:

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

Dale Staples won the narrowest of victories in the Billabong Pro Junior men’s event at Westbrook today, tying with Australian Ryan Callinan in the final of the ASP Grade-1 rated contest before being awarded the victory on a countback to each surfer’s best ride, with Staples’ top score of 8.5 better than Callinan’s 7.0.

The organisers took the first Billabong Junior Series event to use a mobile event format back to Westbrook for the third and final day where 1-1.3 metre glassy waves produced the ideal scenario for high performance surfing by the country’s top 20-and-under competitors.

The final of the US $5 000 (approx R37 000) Pro Junior men’s event was a thrilling finale to a great event with Staples establishing his superiority right on the opening siren. Taking off on a set wave, the 17 year-old from St Francis Bay seamlessly combined a full repertoire of manoeuvres with powerful bottom turns punctuated by a fins-free tail-slide and a roundhouse cutback before successfully completing a vertical close-out re-entry.

With Staples awarded 8.5 out of 10 by the judges, which ultimately became the title-winning ride, Callinan had to play catch-up for the rest of the heat. The Australian’ netted a 6.0 at the 10 minute mark before Staples secured a 4.5 and leaving his opponent needing 7.01 for victory. With 10 seconds remaining Callinan took off on a wave and, as the siren sounded to end the heat, he produced a series of backhand bashes to earn 7.0 and tie the heat at 13.0 points each.

Staples was chaired from the water’s edge and earned US $2 000 (approx. R15 000) along with a Nixon 42-20 PU Watch valued at over R3000 and a case of Monster Energy drink for his victory while Callinan pocketed $900 and a pair of Von Zipper sunglasses for the runner-up spot.

Equal third after losing out in their respective semifinals were Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay), who was competing in both the Pro Junior and U16 boys divisions and contested five heats on the day, including back to back finals, and David van Zyl, the lone Durbanite in any of the four finals.

The first final contested was the U12 boys where reigning Billabong Junior Series champion Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay) stamped his authority on proceedings from the start by posting an excellent 8.0 point score on his first ride. Maree added a 3.5 later and his total of 11.50 out of 20 was sufficient to give him victory over talented newcomer Jake Elkington (Llandudno), Adin Masencamp (Somerset West) and Donovan Wichmann in an all Cape Town final. 

Clearly exhausted from his earlier efforts, Maree could only manage fourth place in the U14 boys final. Matt McGillivray (Port Elizabeth) whose fearless charging in the larger surf yesterday was impressive, had to settle for third as Kommetjie friend and rivals Max Armstrong and Benji Brand went head-to-head. When the spray settled it was Armstrong with his fully committed forehand attack that recorded the highest heat total of all four finals on the day – 15.50 out of 20 – who triumphed over Brand’s vertical backhand manoeuvres.

Not to be outdone, Brand stayed in the water after also qualifying for the U16 boy’s final. Steven Sawyer led for the first 18 minutes despite snapping the nose off his surfboard early in the heat and having to collect a replacement from the beach. However, a flurry of rides in the closing minutes saw Sawyer overtaken by fellow JBay ripper Dylan Lightfoot and then Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand).

But saving the best for last, Brand came up trumps with rides of 5.0 and 5.5 in the last five minutes to snatch the U16 title from Lightfoot, Zakarian and Sawyer, who finished in that order.

As the results were totaled and the cheques written, a dozen of the country’s best junior exponents of aerial manoeuvres paddled out for the 30 minute Von Zipper Air Show. The winner-takes-all R2 000 prize-purse was decided in the opening minute as former Kommetjie resident, Thomas Woods, now living in Australia, boosted himself more than a metre above the lip of the wave, effortlessly completed a full 360 degree turn in the air and landed successfully. While Umhlanga local Beyrick de Vries came closest to matching Woods’ aerial, the Aussie was the clear victor and pocketed the cash.

The Billabong Junior Series Dolphin Coast was the first of two events and the Series champions will be crowned for the 14th successive year at stop No. 2 at Victoria Bay in the Southern Cape from 1-4 September.

Images, results and news from the event will be available at www.billabong.com and a TV documentary, produced by Silver Bullet Productions, will be broadcast post event on Vuzu – DSTV Channel 123.

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.

Billabong Junior Series
Westbrook, KwaZulu-Natal Dolphin Coast

Results
Pro Junior boys

1. Dale Staples (St Francis Bay) $2 000 + Nixon watch + Case of Monster Energy
2. Ryan Callinan (Australia) $ 900 + Von Zipper eyewear
=3. David van Zyl (Glenashley) $ 550
=3. Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay) $ 550
=5. Matt Bromley (Kommetjie) $ 250
=5. Devin Lane (Umhlanga) $ 250
=5. Mikey February (Kommetjie) $ 250
=5. Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) $ 250

U16 boys

1. Benji Brand (Kommetjie) R2 000 + Nixon watch
2. Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) R1 200 + Von Zipper eyewear
3. Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) R 800 + Nixon watch
4. Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay) R 500 + Kustom footwear

U14 boys

1. Max Armstrong (Kommetjie) R1 500 + Nixon watch
2. Benji Brand (Kommetjie) R1 000 + Von Zipper eyewear
3. Matthew McGillivray (Port Elizabeth) R 600 + Nixon watch
4. Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay) R 400 + Kustom footwear

U12 boys

1. Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay) R1 000 + Nixon watch
2. Jake Elkington (Llandudno) R 750 + Von Zipper eyewear
3. Adin Masencamp (Somerset West) R 500 + Nixon watch
4. Donovan Wichmann (Marina da Gama) R 250 + Kustom footwear

Von Zipper Air Show

1. Thomas Woods (Australia) R2 000

\ends

Issued on behalf of:

Billabong South Africa
Tel: 042 200 2600
Fax: 042 293 2478
Email: laureen.payne@billabong.co.za

Compiled & Issued by:

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

The final day of the Billabong Junior Series event on the Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu-Natal will be staged at Westbrook where clean 1 – 1.5 metre hollow waves are on offer and clear skies and windless conditions are expected throughout the day.

The event gets underway at 8am and will conclude with the event champions crowned in the ASP Grade-1 rated Pro Junior men’s event, the U16, U14 and U12 boys divisions and the spectacular Von Zipper Air Show.

Bianca Buitendag (George) won the Billabong Pro Junior women’s event on Monday, defeating Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand) in the final.

Images, results and news can be viewed at www.billabong.com and a TV documentary, produced by Silver Bullet Productions, will be broadcast post event on Vuzu – DSTV Channel 123.

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.

The 2010 Billabong Junior Series starts on the Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu-Natal from 25-27 April and concludes at Victoria Bay (1-4 September) where the series champions will be crowned for the 14th time.

\ends

Issued on behalf of:

Billabong South Africa
Tel: 042 200 2600
Fax: 042 293 2478
Email: laureen.payne@billabong.co.za

Compiled & Issued by:

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

Bianca Buitendag showed the benefit of her international experience by selecting the best waves and riding with speed, flow and control to record a comfortable win over Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand) in the Pro Junior women’s final at the Billabong Junior Series event on the Dolphin Coast on Monday.

The well traveled 16 year-old from George, who won the Gromsearch International Final at Bells Beach in Australia at Easter, was in a class of her own throughout the event as epic 1.5 to two metre waves peeled through the lineup at Westbrook.

“I’m stoked to win and the waves were epic, so well done to the organisers for completing the girl’s event today even though it was starting to get dark,” Buitendag said after being awarded the R2 000 winner’s cheque and raft of prizes that included a case of Monster Energy drink, a Nixon watch and a pair of Kustom footwear.

Heather Klug (Durban) and Alice McGregor (East London) placed equal third, losing to Buitendag and Rautenbach in their respective one-on-one semifinals as they struggled to find waves with good scoring potential. The upset of the day came when event favorite Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie) let an early lead slip away as first Rautenbach and then McGregor overtook her in the Round of 8.

The competitors in the premier ASP Grade-1 rated Pro Junior men’s event reveled in the pristine early morning conditions. Matt Bromley (Kommetjie) and Devin Lane (Umhlanga) advanced to the man-on-man quarterfinals from Heat 1 with full commitment late drops and deep tube rides while Australian Ryan Callinan led throughout his encounter to progress along with heat runner-up Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay).

Mikey February (Kommetjie) waited for 11 minutes before catching his first wave in Heat 3 but then bagged pair of sixes to run out the winner with 13 year-old Slade Prestwich grabbing the runner-up spot from fellow Scottburgh surfer Haydn MacNicol, 19.

Heat 4 produced the encounter of the day as the lead changed hand on virtually every wave before Dale Staples (St Francis Bay) took off inside the barrel, tucked in and then emerged from under the lip which the judges rewarded with an excellent 8.5 out of 10. From then the battle was on for second place and when the siren went to end the clash it was David van Zyl (Glenashley) who was ahead of Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) and Shawn Dennis (Durban).

The scene is set for an exciting conclusion to the Pro Junior event with R37 000 at stake, of which R15 000 plus a Nixon 42-20 PU Watch valued at over R3000 goes to the winner, along with priceless ratings points towards the Billabong and ASP Africa Pro Junior series titles and invitations to the inaugural ASP Junior World Championship Series later this year.

The U16 boys had the benefit of taking to the surf first and the six of the top eight seeds – Jarred Veldhuis (Kommetjie), Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh), Steven Sawyer (JBay), Mikey Venter (Warner Beach), Benji Brand (Kommetjie) and No. 8 Dylan Lightfoot – won their heats to progress to the last 16.

Joshua Smit (Athlone Park), the No. 6 seed, placed second behind Wade Simkiss (Durban) to also advance while No. 7 Simo Mkise (Umzumbe) was the only casualty, placing third behind on-fire U14 standout Matt McGillivray (Port Elisabeth), who charged into some of the gnarliest waves of the day, and Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) who snagged the runner-up spot despite incurring an interference penalty by dropping in on Max Armstrong (Scarborough) on the first wave of the heat.

The U14 boys division was dominated by a performance from Benji Brand that was simply mind blowing. After slipping out of the Pro Junior event and quietly winning his U16 heat, the stockily built 14 year-old from Kommetjie posted rides of 9.0 and 7.5 in the first five minutes of his U14 heat. He followed that up with an 8.75 and an 8.15 in the next five minutes before tailing off with a 7.0 and a couple of short rides towards the end.

Yet even with a heat tally of 17.75 out of 20, Brand was less than two points ahead of runner-up Matt McGillivray as the youngster from PE posted excellent scores of 8.5 and 7.5 of his own to stay in contention for higher honours. Others to move into tomorrow’s semis included heat winners Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay), Max Armstrong and Steffen Burrows (Somerset West).

Competitors in the youngest division – the U12 boys – also charged in the classic conditions with Cape Town surfers Jordan Maree, Ethan Fletcher (Kommetjie) and Donovan Wichmann (Marina da Gama) taking the heat victories. They will be joined in the semis by David Burrows and Aiden Masencamp (both Somerset West) and newcomers Jake and Max Elkington from Cape Town and sole Durbanite Bevan Willis.

The swell is forecast to drop further for the final day and the organisers will be checking all the breaks for the best waves between Umhlanga and Ballito on KZN’s Dolphin Coast before making the call on where to stage the finale of the mobile event.

The location for each day of competition can be accessed throughout the contest via the Event Hotline at 071 179 9813.

The finals in all divisions will be followed by the Von Zipper Air Show where the surfer completing the most futuristic aerial manoeuvre will pocket the R2 000 winner-take-all prize-purse.

Images, results and news will be available daily during the event at www.billabong.com and a TV documentary, produced by Silver Bullet Productions, will be broadcast post event on Vuzu – DSTV Channel 123.

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.

The 2010 Billabong Junior Series starts on the Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu-Natal from 25-27 April and concludes at Victoria Bay (1-4 September) where the series champions will be crowned for the 14th time.

\ends

Issued on behalf of:

Billabong South Africa
Tel: 042 200 2600
Fax: 042 293 2478
Email: laureen.payne@billabong.co.za

Compiled & Issued by:

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