Surfing South Africa has announced the names of the 2010 South African Masters Team that will compete in the ISA World Masters Championships in Peru in August and September.

The SA Masters Team preparations and attendance at the 2010 ISA World Masters Championships is made possible thanks to a R150,000 grant from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).

Included in the side are Over 50 World Champion Chris Knutsen, Over 45 Champion Marc Wright (both Durban) and Heather Clark of Port Shepstone, the over 35 Women’s World Champion. All three were members of the South African team which won its second successive World Team title in Peru in 2008.

The balance of the team is made up of former two time SA Men’s champion and new cap Wayne Monk of Gonubie and 2009 SA Masters Champion Andrew Banks of Uvongo. Monk and Banks will compete in the Over 35 age group where Gary Van Wieringen of Warner Beach is the non travelling reserve.

Andre Malherbe of East London, who will represent the SA Masters Team for the fourth year in a row, and new cap Robert Moore Boyle of Westville compete in the Over 40 age group where Gareth Sepp of East London is the non travelling reserve.

Wright will be joined by multiple SA Champion and four time Masters team member David Malherbe of Coffee Bay in the Over 50 age group and Mike Brent of Border is the non travelling reserve.

2007 and 2008 World Champion Chris Knutsen will travel to Panama with Team Manager Dave Fish of East London as the reserve in this division.

Ant Brodowicz of Margate, the 1978 World Champion and the coach who guided the 2007 and 2008 SA Masters teams to victory at the respective World Championships and also coached the team in Namibia last year, will take on the coaching duties for the fourth year in a row.
Dave Fish, the Border Surfriders Association President who competed in the 2009 SA Masters team, will be the South African Team Manager .

The 2010 ISA World Masters Championships are scheduled to get under way on August 27 in Santa Catalina in Panama.

South Africa will be joined by the hosts, Panama, and 14 other countries at this international team event.

2010 South African Masters Surfing Team

Over 35 (Masters) : Wayne Monk (Border), Andrew Banks (SKZN) : Non travelling reserve : Gary van Wieringen (SKZN)

Over 40 (Grandmasters) : Andre Malherbe (Border), Robert Moore Boyle (CKZN) : non travelling reserve : Gareth Sepp (Border)

Over 45 (Kahunas) : David Malherbe (Border), Marc Wright (CKZN) : non travelling reserve : Mike Brent (Border)

Over 50 (Grandkahuna) : Chris Knutsen ( CKZN)

Women Over 35 : Heather Clark (SKZN)

Coach : Antoni Brodowicz  (SKZN)

Manager : Dave Fish (Border)

Ends

Compiled by
Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
0824541149
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
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

NMMU and UCT successfully defend SA Universities surfing titles at Victoria Bay

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s (NMMU)  and the University of Cape Town (UCT) successfully defended the men’s and women’s team titles respectively at the 2010  SA University Surfing Championships which ran from 14-16 June.

Hosted by the NMMU George campus at Victoria Bay for the first time, the event enjoyed good waves on the right-hand point that produced great surfing performances by the competitors from NMMU, Rhodes University , the University of Stellenbosch, KZN University and the University of Cape Town, as well as the Cape Town University of Technology (CPUT).

The men’s event was won by Clinton Gravett (NMMU) who relegated defending champion Kyle Beach (UKZN) to the runner-up berth this year with NMMU teammates Gary Muller and Kyle Jacobs placing third and fourth.

Sarah Nicholson (UCT) improved on her third place finish in 2009 to clinch the ladies’ crown ahead of Lisa Auditore (US), Kerry Hodgkinson (UCT) and Jessica Genrich (Rhodes), who finished in that order.

The annual universities surfing championships is presented under the auspices of University Sport SA, which is affiliated to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC). The tournament is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national governing body for the sport.

Billabong was again the main event sponsor.

SA Universities Surfing Championships

Results

Men’s Competition

Teams

1. NMMU
2. UCT
3. Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)
4. University of Stellenbosch (US)
5. Rhodes University
6. University Kwazulu Natal (UKZN)

Individual

1. Clinton Gravett – NMMU
2. Kyle Beach – UKZN
3. Gary Muller – NMMU
4. Kyle Jacobs – NMMU

Ladies’ Competition

Teams

1. UCT
2. US
3. NMMU
4. CPUT
5. Rhodes University

Individual

1. Sarah Nicholson – UCT
2. Lisa Auditore – US
3. Kerry Hodgkinson – UCT
4. Jessica Genrich – Rhodes

Ends

Media Release Issued on behalf of:

NMMU – Marketing and Corporate relations Department
Hugo Loubser
Sport Manager: NMMU – George Campus
Cell       082 575 1826
Email    Hugo.Loubser@nmmu.ac.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

 

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s (NMMU) George Campus will make history on June 14-16 when the SA University Surfing Championships takes place at Victoria Bay for the first time.

The annual universities surfing championships is presented under the auspices of University Sport SA, which is affiliated to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC). The tournament is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national governing body for the sport.

Teams of eight men and four women  from NMMU, Rhodes University , the University of Stellenbosch, KZN University and the University of Cape Town, as well as the Cape Town University of Technology (CPUT) will compete in the event

 “NMMU George is delighted at the opportunity to welcome the competing teams, as well as visitors and spectators to our midst.   Surfing is a visually-appealing sport and this particular university challenge is sure to add to the vibrancy of the local sporting scene”, says Hugo Loubser, NMMU George Sport Manager.

Kyle Beach (UKZN) and Lisa Mace (University of Stellenbosch) will be defending their 2009 titles, as will NMMU in the team’s event.

Billabong will again be the main event sponsor.

Be sure not to miss the surfing action at Vic Bay between 14 and 16 June.

Ends

NMMU George is hosting the 2010 SA University Champs, sanctioned by Surfing SA and presented under the auspices of USSA, at Victoria Bay between 14 and 16 June

Photo courtesy NMMU

Media Release Issued by:

NMMU – Marketing and Corporate relations Department
Hugo Loubser
Sport Manager: NMMU – George Campus
Cell       082 575 1826
Email    Hugo.Loubser@nmmu.ac.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
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

The 2010 Border surf team brought glory to East London when they wiped out the opposition on the final day of the 2010 SA Surfing Championships to take the coveted Presidents Cup as well as the other two team trophies on offer.

Central KZN, the 2009 President’s Cup winners, were second overall some 1,500 points behind Border. Hosts Southern KZN came third ahead of Eastern Province, Western Province, Zululand, Boland and Southern Cape.

In the SA Cup, Central KZN finished as runners up with Southern KZN third. Then came Western Province, Eastern Province, Boland, Zululand and Southern Cape.

Southern KZN pipped Central KZN by one point to end as runners up in the Masters Cup while Eastern Province came fourth followed by Zululand, Western Province, Southern Cape and Boland.

The 45^th championships were completed in fine weather and good surf at St Mikes on the Kwazulu-Natal South Coast (Sunday May 30).

In addition to Border’s team success, former World Tour surfer Greg Emslie added a second SA Open Men’s title to his trophy cabinet and was awarded his national team blazer as the first member of the SA Team that will compete in the ISA World Surfing Games in Peru later this year.

This year’s premier Surfing South Africa tournament was a major triumph for the team from Border. Not only did they win the coveted Presidents Cup, which is awarded to the team with the highest total scores, but they successfully defended the Masters Cup which they won in Mossel Bay last year and added  the inaugural Surfing SA Cup  to their tally.

This is only the third time in 45 years that Border have won the Presidents Cup but it is the fourth year in a row that they have won the SA Masters Cup. The Masters Cup is awarded to the team with the highest scores in the Over 30 to Over 55 age groups while the SA Cup goes to the team with the highest scores in the Open Men and Open Women’s divisions.

Emslie was not the only Border surfer to claim gold for the East London surfing team. Brothers Andre and David Malherbe won the Over 40 and Over 45 Divisions respectively while plucky Alice McGregor was awarded the Surfer of the Contest Trophy.

Mc Gregor competed in the final with a broken thumb and finished second behind defending champion Heather Clark of Southern KZN. Other Border surfers who made a fine showing were former SA Champions Devyn Mattheys and Gareth Sepp who were second to Emslie and Andre Malherbe respectively.

Clark, the 2008 and 2009 SA Champion and current ISA World Champion in the Women’s Masters division, achieved her win despite suffering serious injury in a horrific car accident in October last year. She was one of two Southern KZN champions in 2009 when Gavin Roberts won the Men’s title. Ironically this year she and Ben Roberts, the Over 30 Division winner, won gold for the host province.

Emslie’s win gave him an automatic spot in the SA Team while the Men’s and Women’s finalists will all be automatically included in the SA Team selection process.

The SA Masters selectors will use the results in the Over 35, Over 40, Over 45 and Over 50 age groups to select trialists for the SA Masters Team that will compete in the ISA World Masters Championships in Panama in early September. South Africa are the defending two time World Masters Champions.

Others to win titles at St Mikes this year were legendary five time SA Men’s champion, ISA World Over 50 champion and multiple national champion in other divisions, Chris Knutsen of Central KZN, Victoria Bay icon Leonard Giles (S/Cape) who took gold in the Over 55 age group and 2001 SA Champion Shane Thorne of Central KZN, who won the Over 35 division. 

Worthy of a special mention are two surfers who represented South Africa in the World Junior Championships in January. SA Junior Team captain Beyrick de Vries, a finalist in New Zealand, came third behind Emslie and Mattheys in his first SA Championships in the Open Division while fellow SA Junior team member Tanika Hoffman posted a third in the Women’s final.

Over 150 surfers competed in eight divisions represented eight provincial teams at the 2010 SA Surfing Championships.

The 45^th edition of the SA Surfing Championships was hosted by Southern KZN Surfing Association and run by Surfing South Africa. Surfing South Africa is the recognized as the governing body for surfing in South Africa by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and is a member of the International Surfing Association (ISA).

GREG EMSLIE, 2010 SA MENS CHAMPION, AND FELLOW FINALISTS

Complete Heat Sheets with results and individual finalists points as well as team scores are available on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Surfing South Africa projects are supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).

RESULTS OF THE 2010 SOUTH AFRICAN SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS.

OPEN MEN

1. GREG EMSLIE (BORDER)
2. DEVYN MATTHEYS (BORDER)
3. BEYRICK DE VRIES (CKZN)
4. CHAD DU TOIT (CKZN)

OPEN WOMEN

1. HEATHER CLARK (SKZN)
2. ALICE MCGREGOR (BORDER)
3. KERRI HODKINSON (WP)
4. TANIKA HOFFMAN (WP) 

SENIORS (OVER 30)

1. BEN ROBERTS (SKZN)
2. ETIENNE POTGIETER (EP)
3. PAUL PROCTOR (BORDER)
4. DANIE DU PLESSIS (BOLAND)

MASTERS (OVER 35)

1. SHANE THORNE (CKZN)
2. ANDREW BANKS (SKZN)
3. SHANE PITTARD (EP)
4. CARL ROUX (SKZN)

GRANDMASTERS (OVER 40)

1. ANDRE MALHERBE (BORDER)
2. GARETH SEPP (BORDER)
3. ROBERT PEREIRA (SKZN)
4. GARY MAISCH (SKZN)

KAHUNAS (OVER 45)

1. DAVID MALHERBE (BORDER)
2. MARC WRIGHT (CKZN)
3. MURRAY NIVEN (CKZN)
4. MIKE BRENT (BORDER

GRANDKAHUNAS (OVER 50)

1. CHRIS KNUTSEN (CKZN)
2. GRANTLEY READ (ZUL)
3. KURT BUCHNER (EP)
4. GORDON HARMER (BORDER)

VETERANS (OVER 55)

1. LEONARD GILES (SCAPE )
2. GLEN BOWLES (EP)
3. LOUIS WOLMARANS (SKZN)
4. DUNCAN DUFFETT (WP)

SURFER OF THE CONTEST

ALICE MC GREGOR (BORDER)

SA CUP (OPEN DIVISIONS)

1. BORDER : 13390
2. CENTRAL KZN : 12456
3. SOUTHERN KZN : 10360
4. WESTERN PROVINCE : 10192
5. EASTERN PROVINCE : 9122
6. BOLAND : 8716
7. ZULULAND : 7168
8. SOUTHERN CAPE : 4690

MASTERS CUP (O30 -055)

1. BORDER : 13106
2. SOUTHERN KZN : 12506
3. CENTRAL KZN : 12505
4. EASTERN PROVINCE : 10668
5. ZULULAND : 9506
6. WESTERN PROVINCE : 8944
7. SOUTHERN CAPE : 8251
8. BOLAND : 6766

 PRESIDENTS CUP

1. BORDER : 26496
2. CENTRAL KZN : 24961
3. SOUTHERN KZN : 22866
4. EASTERN PROVINCE : 19790
5. WESTERN PROVINCE : 19136
6. ZULULAND : 16764
7. BOLAND : 15482
8. SOUTHERN CAPE : 12941

Ends

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

 

South Africa’s premier interprovincial tournament, the annual South African Surfing Championships, will get under way in the powerful point break waves of St Mikes on the Southern KZN coast on Thursday and teams from eight provinces will be in action.

 The 45^th South African Surfing Championships runs from tomorrow (May 27) until Sunday (May 30) when the individual finals will be held and the champions crowned.

Close on 150 handpicked surfers will wear their provincial colours over the four days of competition and these surfers will compete in eight age divisions.

Heading the charge on the 41 year old Presidents cup are defending champions Central KZN who have won the Presidents Cup more times than any other province. Their arch rivals Western Province are traditionally the biggest threat while 2008 champions Eastern Province, former two-time Presidents Cup winners Border, hosts Southern KZN, Boland, Southern Cape and Zululand are the other provincial teams in the event.

All the participating surfers have been selected for their provincial teams after competing in regional trials and will not only be focused on achieving individual glory in one of the eight divisions but will also be surfing for team honours.

This year all the surfers in the Open Men and Women’s divisions will be awarded 3A Pro Surf Tour points and the finalists in these two divisions will be included in selection trials for the upcoming SA Team that will attend the World Games in Peru. In a first for South African surfing, the winner of the Open Men’s Division will be automatically included in the 2010 SA Team for Peru.

There is also plenty at stake in the Over 35, Over 40, Over 45 and Over 50 Divisions. The South African selectors will be using the results of the SA Championships as an indicator as to who should be invited to trials which will be used to pick an SA Masters Team for the upcoming World Championships in Panama.

This will be the eighth time that the Southern KZN Surfing Association will be hosting the premier championship on the Surfing South Africa calendar and the seventh time that St Mikes will play host to the event.

Southern Natal has produced a couple of Men’s and Women’s champions in Mark Brodowicz, who won the National title in 1978 in East London, the year his brother Ant won the World Championship title at the same venue. Brian Jacobs, another born and bred Southern KZN surfer, took honours in 1983 and last year Gavin Roberts took honours wearing the colours of Southern KZN.

The only surfer to win the Men’s division two years in a row is Chris Knutsen of Central KZN, who went on to achieve a hat trick of titles in 1979, 1980 and 1981. In 1987 Knutsen won a fourth title and remains the only surfer in history to be the South African Open Men’s champion four times. He is competing again this year, in the Over 50, Grand Kahuna’s division.

In 1996 local hero Gary van Wieringen, who again turns out for Southern KZN, was runner up in the SA Championships while 2002 SA Champion Antonio Bortoletto will represent Central KZN in the Over 30 age group this year.

Surfers  who are certain to make an impression in the Open Men’s group this year are 18 year old Beyrick de Vries of Central KZN, team mate Chad du Toit, Southern Cape’s Llewellyn Whittaker, EP’s Ryan Payne and Bertie Stuurman, Matt Bromley of WP and Border’s Devyn Mattheys.

 However, the two names which really stand out are former ASP World Tour and former SA Champion Greg Emslie, who surfs for his beloved Border, and former World Junior Champion and ASP WQS surfer Warwick Wright, a former Central KZN surfer who will represent WP for the first time.

Southern KZN home grown products, Heather Clark, Kay Holt and Sarah Maritz have won a bunch of Women’s titles between them but of the three only Clark, the defending champion, will be competing this year.  Clark is still working her way back to full fitness after surviving a horrific car accident in October last year but her local knowledge, experience and determination must make her the favourite to successfully defend her crown.

Heather Clark’s main rivals are 2009 SA Under 18 Champion Alice Mc Gregor of Border, 2010 SA Junior team member Tanika Hoffman of Western Province and Stacey Guy of Southern Cape.

Teams will gather at the contest marquee at St Mikes at 7pm tonight for the Opening Function and the heats will run from Thursday May 27 to Sunday May 30. The heats and daily contest schedule is posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and updated heats and each day’s results will be posted on the same website after 8pm from May 27 onwards.

Surfing South Africa is recognised by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association as the governing body for the sport in South Africa.

SSA is made up of eight provinces: Boland, Border, Eastern Province, Central  KwaZulu-Natal, Southern Cape, Southern KZN, Western Province and Zululand.

The South African Bodyboarding Association, the South African Longboarding Association and the South African Students Surfing Union are also affiliated to Surfing South Africa.

SSA sanctions the annual Pro Surf Tour, coordinates and runs National Surfing Championships, selects National teams and is responsible for the administration of the sport.

Surfing South Africa projects are supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).

Compiled by:

Robin de Kock
General Manager, Surfing South Africa
All media enquiries to 0824541149 or 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
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

PRAIA DA VILA, Santa Catarina/Brazil (Thursday, April 29, 2010) – South Africans Travis Logie and Jordy Smith provided the fireworks in Round 3 of the Billabong Pro Santa Catarina in Brazil yesterday with Logie ousting current ASP World Title rankings leader from the event and Smith posting both the highest heat and single ride scores.

Competing in inconsistent 1 to 1.3 metre waves and light onshore winds, Logie caused the upset of the day, the event and arguably the year to date when he handed the in-form to Taj Burrow (AUS), his first defeat before the semifinals in any event since The Search in Portugal in October last year.

Burrow has reached the final in four of his last five events, winning three of them to go with a semifinal in his last outing. The two-time champion in Brazil seemingly held all the aces after establishing a solid lead in the final minutes of the yesterday’s encounter which left Logie needing 7.28 points to grab victory.

But the Durbanite was undaunted despite having to requalify via a gruelling campaign on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) last year and being ranked No. 39 going into this event after successive 33rd place finishes in first two events of the year. Desperate for points to avoid being cut from the World Title race when the field is reduced from 45 to 32 plus two wildcards after the fifth event in September, he produced a fairytale finish to the heat.

Paddling into a left-breaking set wave with four minutes remaining, the lightening fast goofy-foot delivered two massive lip-bashes on the outside before effortlessly transitioning into a dynamic 180 degree cutback in the top quarter of the wave, followed by a sweeping roundhouse cutback and ended the ride with a solid close-out re-entry that he rode out of cleanly.

Fulfilling the judging criteria of power, flow, commitment and control along with variety of manoeuvres, Logie was awarded 7.83 points and progressed to Round 4 with Burrow’s 17th place elimination opening up the 2010 World Title race for his rivals.

However, Logie’s run in the event ended less than six hours later, in the last heat of the day, when he could not reproduce a similar performance against 2001 ASP World Champion CJ Hobgood (USA) in an all goofy-foot clash in Round 4. Logie placed equal 9th overall, earning US $8 000 (approx. R60 000) and 3 750 invaluable ranking points, nearly four times the total he had accumulated from the previous two events combined (1 000).

Meanwhile fellow Durbanite Jordy Smith, ranked ASP No. 3 after runner-up and fifth place results in the opening two events on the Dream Tour, continued to justify his elevation to a genuine ASP World Champion contender by providing a phenomenal display of high-performance contest surfing in his Round 3 demolition of Ben Dunn (AUS).

Universally acknowledged as one of the foremost exponents of progressive surfing, the 22 year-old has displayed a new-found maturity to his contest strategy in his third term at the highest level. Yesterday he waited patiently for 14 of the 30 minutes for a wave with scoring potential before unleashing his repertoire of futuristic manoeuvres.

With a 6.50 and the heat lead, Smith immediately upped the pressure on his opponent by jumping off the jetski that ferried him back into the line-up and caught a small wave that extended his dominance and left Dunn needing 6.60. While the Ozzie answered back with a 4.78 and a 5.0 that briefly saw him take the lead with seven minutes remaining, Smith was on the very next wave and a ride punctuated with vertical top-to-bottom turns and slashing cutbacks netted an excellent 8.17.

And two minutes later Smith sent Dunn into combo-land and out of reach of claiming the heat with a single ride when he posted the top score of the day’s proceedings. Starting out with a cutback to foam rebound combination that would have dislodged any but the most sure-footed of surfers, Smith gathered speed and executed a high-flying close out air-reverse, with the tail of his surfboard rotating higher than his head, that he exited in control and the judges rewarded with an 8.83.

Smith will be up against team mate and travelling companion Roy Powers (HAW) in Round 4 for the second successive event and, given a repeat of his victory at Winkipop last time out, is seeded to meet Kelly Slater, who he defeated for the first time at Snapper Rocks in the opening event of the year, in the quarters.

The ASP’s new guard roared back into contention in Brazil yesterday after the established top seeds had decimated their ranks in Round 2 on Sunday. Rookie Jadson Andre (BRA), 20, overcame both Damien Hobgood (USA) and Luke Munro (AUS) to set up a quarterfinal encounter against second year campaigner Michel Bourez (PYF), 24, who himself upset perennial campaigners Kieren Perrow and Joel Parkinson, both Australians.

Dane Reynolds will take on Logie’s conqueror CJ Hobgood in an all-American second quarter while highly-touted rookie Owen Wright dispatched ASP top-5 fixture and fellow Australian Bede Durbidge to reach Round 4 for the first time, where he meets Jeremy Flores (FRA), the victor over Fred Pattachia (HAW) in Round 3.

Burrow’s 17th place finish opens the door for Slater, the defending event champion and current ASP No. 2, to make up some ground in his bid for an unprecedented 10th ASP World Title. And reigning ASP World Champion, Mick Fanning (AUS), who is in the same half of the draw as Slater, will also be eyeing a big haul of points to elevate his ranking higher than his current No. 5 berth.

All the action at the Billabong Pro Santa Catarina can be watched Live via webcast at http://www.aspworldtour.com/santacatarina where a breakthough development now enables viewers to watch individual rides from previous rounds in the ‘Video On Demand’ section.

The event has a waiting period that runs until Sunday May 2 in which to select the premier conditions in which crown the 2010 champion.

The balance of the Round 4 heats have just got underway at Praia Vila beach and Jordy Smith’s heat with Roy Powers will start at approximately 2pm today (SA time).

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG SANTA CATARINA PRO ROUND 3 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Luke Munro (AUS) 13.04 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 10.84
Heat 2: Jadson Andre (BRA) 15.26 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 9.23
Heat 3: Michel Bourez (PYF) 15.50 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 10.17
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.77 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 12.17
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.73 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 5.20
Heat 6: Dane Reynolds (USA) 14.66 def. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 10.00
Heat 7: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 12.83 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 11.33
Heat 8: Travis Logie (ZAF) 13.60 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 13.00
Heat 9: Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.50 def. Neco Padaratz (BRA) 11.04
Heat 10: Taylor Knox (USA) 13.00 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 11.73
Heat 11: Owen Wright (AUS) 13.77 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 9.27
Heat 12: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 15.50 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 7.83
Heat 13: Kelly Slater (USA) 12.60 def. Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 6.83
Heat 14: Chris Davidson (AUS) 12.37 def. Daniel Ross (AUS) 12.17
Heat 15: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.00 def. Ben Dunn (AUS) 9.83
Heat 16: Roy Powers (HAW) 14.17 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 9.66

BILLABONG SANTA CATARINA PRO ROUND 4 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Jadson Andre (BRA) 16.83 def. Luke Munro (AUS) 10.83
Heat 2: Michel Bourez (PYF) 14.50. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 7.43
Heat 3: Dane Reynolds (USA) 15.16 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.67
Heat 4: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.84 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 9.80

BILLABONG SANTA CATARINA PRO REMAINING ROUND 4 MATCH-UPS:

Heat 5: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Taylor Knox (USA)
Heat 6: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Heat 7: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Chris Davidson (AUS)
Heat 8: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Roy Powers (HAW)

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.

Top Australian junior surfers Ryan Callinan and Thomas Woods have arrived in South Africa to take on the cream of SA’s U20 surf stars in the Billabong Junior Series event that will be run on the Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu-Natal from Sunday to Tuesday, 25-27 April.

Callinan, who won the trials and went on to finish 17th in the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in Sydney in January, and Woods, the former Capetonian who won the opening leg of the Open Men’s division in the Queensland State Titles last weekend, will add an international interest to the ASP Grade 1 rated Billabong Pro Junior event.

The Ozzie pair, both 17, will be up against the likes of top seeds Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay), Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga), Matt Bromley and fellow Kommetjie resident Brendon Gibbens who placed 1st through 5th respectively in the opening ASP Africa Pro Junior event in Durban over Easter.

The local quartet have all just returned from competing in Scotland and were fortunate to get back in time due to the travel chaos in Europe caused by the volcano in Iceland that has grounded all air traffic since last weekend.

They will be joined by the likes of reigning ASP Africa Pro Junior champion Chad du Toit (Durban), Eastern Cape standouts Dale & Dane Staples (St Francis Bay), Bertie Stuurman (Jeffreys Bay), Kommetjie’s Davey Brand and a host of others in chasing the US $5 000 (approx. R37 000) prize-purse plus Billabong and ASP Africa Pro Junior series ratings points and now international pride in the premier division in the event.

International campaigner and Billabong team rider Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie) heads a strong field that includes reigning ASP Africa and Billabong Junior Series champions, Sarah Baum (Athlone Park) and Bianca Buitendag (George) in the PST sanctioned Pro Junior girl’s event with the champion crowned on Monday afternoon.

A huge entry of the country’s top Under 16, U14 and U12 boys will also be in action over the three days with the contest being staged at the beach between Umhlanga and Ballito providing the best waves on each day.

All competitors will receive an SMS with the venue and start time for each day of the contest while the location and daily event updates can be accessed throughout the event via the Event Hotline at 071 179 9813.

The VonZipper Air Show where the surfer successfully completing the most innovative aerial manoeuvre earns the winner-takes-all R2 000 prize-purse, will be run after the boys finals on Tuesday.

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 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

The Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu-Natal between Umhlanga and Ballito will be the venue for the opening event on the 2010 Billabong Junior Series, the premier national tour for surfers aged 20 and younger, which will crown series champions for the 14th consecutive year in September.

Scheduled for Sunday to Tuesday, 25-27 April, the Dolphin Coast event will use a mobile format that takes the contest to the best waves available on each day. Breaks like Salmon Bay and Surfers in Ballito, Westbrook or Main Beach in Umhlanga have been identified as potential venues with the competitors and public notified of where the contest will be staged at 7am daily.

The event features an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Grade 1 Pro Junior men’s event with US $5 000 (approx. R37 000) in prize-money. There are also invaluable ratings points at stake that count towards the prestigious Billabong Junior Series title, the ASP Africa Pro Junior crown and for the four-man squad who receive coveted invitations to compete in the inaugural ASP World Junior Series that starts in Bali in October.

Alongside the men’s event are Surfing South Africa sanctioned Pro Surf Tour events for Pro Junior girls and Under 12, U14 and U16 age categories for boys that determine the series champions and count for the annual SSA PST age group titles.

Shaun Joubert, the 18 year-old standout from Mossel Bay who won the first Pro Junior men’s event of the year in Durban over Easter, heads a stellar line up that includes Billabong team mates Dale and Dane Staples (St Francis Bay), the Kommetjie pair of Matt Bromley, third in Durban, and Davey Brand and JBay local Bertie Stuurman.

Other top contenders who will be striving to overtake Joubert at the top of the 2010 rankings and pocket the Nixon 42-20 PU Watch valued at over R3000 that goes to the event winner are reigning ASP Africa Pro Junior champ Chad du Toit and fellow Durbanite Shawn Dennis, Beyrick de Vries and Devin Lane from Umhlanga and Brendon Gibbens (Kommetjie).

Billabong’s Tarryn Chudleigh returns from campaigning on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS), where she reached the final in her opening event of the year in Australia, and will be the one to beat in the Pro Junior girls.

The 20 year-old from Kommetjie faces stiff opposition from 2009 Billabong Junior Series champion Bianca Buitendag (George), perennial standout Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand), Faye Zoetmulder (Port Elizabeth) and the Smith sisters, Emma and Gina, from Jeffreys Bay.

Reigning series champion Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay) will be going all out to defend his U16 boy’s title from a group comprising Mikey Venter (Warner Beach), Jarred Veldhuis (Kommetjie), Diran Zakarian (Melbos) and Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay), amongst others.

Benji Brand (Kommetjie) heads a super competitive U14 boy’s field that features Dylan Wichmann (Marina da Gama), Steffen Burrows (Somerset West), Jason Harris (Scottburgh) and Dolphin Coast local Shane Sykes (Salt Rock).

The youngest division – the U12 boys – will see a shoot out between 2009 champ Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay) and Cape Town rivals Ethan Fletcher (Kommetjie), Donovan Wichmann (Marina da Gama) and Jake Elkington, the Somerset West pair of Adin Masencamp and David Burrows, PE’s Matthew Hobson and Bevan Willis (Durban).

Each event in the Billabong Junior Series also features a spectacular VonZipper Air Show where the surfer successfully completing the most innovative aerial manoeuvre earns the winner-takes-all R2 000 prize-purse.

The format for the Dolphin Coast event sees the opening rounds of all divisions staged on Sunday with the Pro Junior girls champion crowned on Monday and the boys titles decided on Tuesday, along with the VZ Air Show.

All competitors will receive an SMS with the venue and start time for each day of the contest while the location and daily event updates can be accessed throughout the event via the Event Hotline at 071 179 9813.

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 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.

Entries for the event have officially closed but there is still space for late entries in several divisions. Please contact Billabong Events & Contest Coordinator, Laureen Payne, at 042 200 2600 or laureen.payne@billabong.co.za before entering online.

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

 
South African junior surfer Dylan Lightfoot stunned his Kiwi counterparts by clinching victory in the premier Under 16 boys division of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand on Sunday.

Lightfoot, a member of the South African junior surfing team that achieved its best ever result of fourth in the recent ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in New Zealand in January, defeated the cream of the Kiwi juniors in the small but contestable 0.5 to 0.75 metre waves on offer at the venue of Tay Street.

“I struggled out there today.  I am much bigger than Kiwi boys” commented the 15 year-old from Jeffreys Bay.  “They were flying across the waves doing all these turns.  I was just lucky to get that one wave and get a good score to push me into the lead.”

In the final Lightfoot battled to find high scoring rides in the small conditions, racking up a best score of 4.5 out of a possible 10 in the shore pound.  However, late in the heat he finally latched on to a wave that ran down the beach and proceeded to hit the lip several times until he finished on the beach.  The score came in at 8.5 points and that was enough to catapult him from third to first with a 13.0 point heat total.

Placing second in the final was Adam Grimson (Gis) who opted to surf up the beach by himself.  The tactical move paid off for 20 minutes of the final after catching some long lefthanders but he couldn’t match the power of Lightfoot and had to settle for second.  Dual finalist Dune Kennings (WGM) finished third while Sandy Bay surfer Patxi Scott-Arrieta finished the final in fourth place.

The New Zealand media reported the victory under the headlines ‘South African Stomps Opponents Into Submission’ and went to report ‘South African surfer Dylan Lightfoot came and conquered at the first event of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge …..  The lone South African contesting the event won the premier Under 16 Boys Division.’

Lightfoot, along with his family, has been in New Zealand for four weeks surfing breaks around New Zealand and also competing at the ISA World Junior Championships where he placed 19^th overall, the highest of the four SA boys in the U16 division 

He added Billabong Grom series contest to his travels and from day one of the event became the favourite and one to beat. Lightfoot will also participate in the second leg of the series which takes place at Whangamata next weekend (12-14 February).

/ends

Issued on behalf of:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.co.za
0824541149
www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Compiled and 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 South African Junior Surfing team secured fourth place overall along with a haul of four medals – two bronze and two copper – at the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships which ended in good one metre conditions at Piha Beach in New Zealand today.

The podium finish and copper medal was South Africa’s best team result since the ISA World Junior Championships became a stand-alone event in 2003, having finished fifth three times, seventh twice and sixth at last year’s event in Ecuador.

The other South African medals were earned by Sarah Baum (Athlone Park) who placed third overall for bronze in the U18 girls; team captain Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) who pocketed the copper medal for fourth place in the U18 boys and the Tag-Team who clinched the bronze when they placed third overall in the Aloha Cup event yesterday.

De Vries stormed through the six rounds of theU18 boys qualifying stream, convincingly winning the Round 6 heat over Jordin Watson (AUS) to advance to the Grand Final as the favourite. But Gabriel Medina (BRA) and Tamaroa McComb (TAH) emerged from the cutthroat repecharge rounds and dominated the final match-up.

Medina was simply unbeatable, posting a perfect 10 point ride along with a 9.90 for a heat tally of 19.90 and the gold medal. Watson grabbed the silver, just 0.02 of a point ahead of McComb with de Vries in fourth place.

Baum also progressed straight through the five rounds of the U18 girls, advancing to the Grand Final in second place behind eventual gold medalist Tyler Wright (AUS). Alessa Quizon (HAW) and Lakey Peterson (USA) survived the repecharge final and the Hawaiian went on to claim the silver with Baum taking bronze and Peterson the copper.

Matt Banting (AUS) won the U16 boys from Jake Halstead (USA), Koa Smith (HAW) and Hiroti Arai (JAP) to give Australia their second individual gold and helped them secure their fifth consecutive team title at the event, and sixth triumph in the eight year history of the tournament.

Baum and de Vries’ finals results were sufficient to boost South Africa’s team total past France and into a medal-winning fourth place behind Australia, Hawaii and the USA. France finished fifth, Tahiti sixth and hosts New Zealand seventh.

Video highlights, images and full results of all the heats in the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships are available at www.isaworldjuniors.com

The 2010 South African Junior Surfing Team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) and clothed by Quiksilver with additional support from Skullcandy and Power Balance.

See Surfing South Africa’s daily Press Release, photos and video footage focusing on the progress of the South Africans at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships

Results

GIRLS UNDER 18

1          TYLER WRIGHT                  AUSTRALIA
2          ALESSA QUIZON                HAWAII
3          SARAH BAUM                     SOUTH AFRICA (Athlone Park)
4          LAKEY PETERSON            USA

=13     Bianca Buitendag                George
=29     Tanika Hoffman                   Kommetjie
=41     Heidi Palmboom                  Bluff

BOYS UNDER 18

1          GABRIEL MEDINA              BRAZIL
2          JORDIN WATSON               AUSTRALIA
3          TAMAROA MCCOMB         TAHITI
4          BEYRICK DE VRIES          SOUTH AFRICA (Umhlanga)

=19     Michael February                 Kommetjie
=25     Davey Brand                         Kommetjie
=31     Dane Staples                        St Francis Bay

BOYS UNDER 16

1          MATT BANTING                   AUSTRALIA
2          JAKE HALSTEAD               USA
3          KOA SMITH                          HAWAII
4          HIROTI ARAI                        JAPAN

=19     Dylan Lightfoot                     Jeffreys Bay
=22     Steven Sawyer                     Jeffreys Bay
=22     Jarred Veldhuis                    Kommetjie
=37     Diran Zakarian                     Melkbosstrand

ALOHA CUP

1          AUSTRALIA 
2          FRANCE      
3          SOUTH AFRICA     
4          HAWAII         

TEAM

1          AUSTRALIA 
2          HAWAII         
3          USA   
4          SOUTH AFRICA
5          FRANCE
6          TAHITI
7          NEW ZEALAND      

Ends

Distributed on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock: General Manager (in New Zealand)
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com 
Web:                www.surfingsouthafrica.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