Casey Grant was the star performer for Team South Africa as giant surf continued to pound the coast of Peru on Day 3 of the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games at Punta Hermosa yesterday.

Grant continued his march into the last 16 of the Qualifying stream as wild, overhead waves forced organisers to close down the contest venue at Senoritas and only run the men’s heats at Caballeros on the other side of the bay,.

Selecting the best waves, Grant employed his full repertoire of powerful bottom turns, vertical off the top manoeuvres and even threw in the occasional aerial to post a heat total of 12.74, the third highest of the round. He relegated former Dream Tour campaigner Ben Bourgeois (USA) to the runner-up spot and banished Leandro Usuna (ARG) and former South American champion Gary Saavedra (PAN) to the Repecharge rounds.

Grant’s team mates Warwick Wright and Thursday’s standout Chad du Toit were not so fortunate and will restart their respective challenges for medals in Round 4 of the Repecharge stream when the contest resumes.

Both South Africans surfed well enough to record double-digit heat totals but placed third in their heats with Wright ending behind Mick Campbell (AUS) and Alejandro Moreda (PRC) while du Toit was outscored by Drew Courtney (AUS) and Matias Mulanovich (PER).Men’s Repecharge Round 1, where Guillermo Satt (CHI) upstaged his opponents by scoring the highest total of the day, 16.27 out of 20, was the only other round completed so Team SA remains one of 16 nations with all their competitors still in the race for honours.

However, with team captain Greg Emslie having dropped into Round 2 of the Repecharges on Thursday, the South Africans now have a real battle on their hands for team honours at the event. Defending team champions USA, Australia and hosts Peru all have three men among the last 16 in the Qualifying stream while Brazil has two in the division that contributes the highest scores towards the team total.

Competitors in the Repecharges have to compete in nearly twice as many heats as those who remain in the Qualifying rounds and have the constant threat of being eliminated from the event if they finish anywhere but first or second in each heat.

Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the event, predict that the surf will drop to more manageable proportions for Saturday. The organisers hope to run men’s Repecharge Rounds 2 and 3 at Senoritas, where SA’s Greg Emslie will be in action. Caballeros will host be the venue for longboard Qualifying Round 2, where Matthew Moir and Brad Weare will represent SA, starting at 3pm SA time.

All the action at the 2010 Billabong ISA Word Surfing Games can be followed live on www.isasurf.org starting at 8am daily (3pm in South Africa). Daily updates and images will be posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and further updates will be available on the Facebook page Surfing SA. 

The 2010 South African surfing team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Surfing South Africa along with Skullcandy, PowerBalance and Future Life.

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

Ends

Issued on behalf of:

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

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

 

Team South Africa maintained its position amongst the front-runners for both individual and team honours as competitors battled giant three metre and larger waves on Day 2 of the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games in Peru yesterday.

In ‘victory at sea’ conditions where most heats were decided by totals of less than 10 out of a possible 20 and luck played a massive part in wave selection, seven of the eight SA surfers in action successfully negotiated their way into the next round of their respective Qualifying streams.

Only team captain Greg Emslie fell foul of the conditions, becoming the first SA surfer to drop into the cutthroat men’s Repecharge rounds. The vastly experienced former Dream Tour campaigner could only accumulate 6.20 points from his best two rides to place third behind Brazil’s Alan Jhones (8.66) and local Peruvian big wave hero Gabriel Villaran (7.20).

The rest of the SA team members produced gutsy performances as huge walls of whitewater swept through the two contest areas at Senoritas and Caballeros. Chad du Toit was acknowledged as one of the standouts of the day on the men’s division, relegating 2004 ISA World champion Hira Teriinatoofa (Tahiti) to the runner-up spot while winning their men’s Round 2 heat.

Casey Grant recorded 10.84 points, almost double the total of his three opponents, in winning his heat while Warwick Wright finished second behind Brazilian prodigy Peterson Crisanto to advance to the last 32 in the men’s Qualifying stream.

Both SA girls, Chantelle Rautenbach and Stacey Guy, won their women’s Round 2 encounters on a day when only the two Peruvian girls and current World No. 6 Chelsea Hedges (AUS) could amass double digit heat scores. Rautenbach and Guy are now into the final 16 in the women’s division Qualifiers.

Two-time ISA World Longboard champion Matthew Moir maintained his proud record of having won every heat he has contested at the ISA World Games by delivering one of the four highest scores of the division. Competing in the rights at Caballeros, Moir used his flowing backhand repertoire of big turns interspersed with occasional traditional nose-riding manoeuvres to clinch the heat victory.

Brad Weare, competing in his first ISA event, joined Moir amongst the last 32 in the Longboard division Qualifiers by overcoming the elements and winning his opening encounter.

With only one round of women’s Repecharge heats completed, Team SA remains amongst 21 nations who have yet to have any of their team members eliminated from the event. The double-elimination format used sees competitors stay in the Qualifying stream until they finish lower than first or second in a heat. Placing outside the top two in a Repecharge heat results in elimination.

Every national team has at least one surfer in the Repecharge rounds with South Africa, Australia and France having one men’s division competitor in the do or die situation while defending team champions USA have one women and the rest of the nations are at risk of having more than one competitor eliminated in their next heat.

Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the event, predict even bigger surf for today’s third day of action and the organisers have warned that they may have to close the Senoritas venue. However, they hope to be able to continue running the event at in the right hand breaking waves at Caballeros on the other side of the bay in Punta Hermosa, 60 Kms south of Lima.

All the action can be followed live on www.isasurf.org starting at 8am daily (3pm in South Africa). Daily updates and images will be posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and further updates will be available on the Facebook page Surfing SA.  

The 2010 South African surfing team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Surfing South Africa along with Skullcandy, PowerBalance and Future Life.

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

Ends 

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

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

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

Team South Africa completed a confidence building clean sweep on Day 1 of the 2010 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games in Peru yesterday, winning all six of the heats they contested in the “Olympics” of surfing which features national teams from 31 nations and over 200 competitors.

After the colourful Parade of Nations and the moving Sands of the World ceremonies were staged on Tuesday at the Presidential Palace in downtown Lima, the challenge for the gold medals in Men’s, Women’s, Longboard, Tag team and the overall Team trophy got underway under grey skies and inconsistent two metre waves at the two venues of Senoritas and Caballeros in Punta Hermosa.

The opening round of both the men and women were completed yesterday with the seeding matching the SA team members up against surfers from Ecuador, Guatemala, Uruguay and the UK.

Warwick Wright was the first SA surfer to take to the surf and the 2002 ISA World Junior champion set the standard by posting the first double-digit heat total of the event, scoring 12.0 points out of a possible 20 in winning Heat 4.

Chad du Toit (13.06) and Casey Grant (12.27) also recorded comfortable victories in their respective encounters before team captain Greg Emslie delivered 13.67 points in Heat 32, the last of the day, to join his compatriots in Round 2 of the Qualifying stream in the double elimination format used at the event.

In the women’s division, Chantelle Rautenbach’s 14.60 point total was too good for her opponents from Ecuador and the UK to match while Stacey Guy triumphed in her wave-starved, low scoring heat to stay on track for higher honours.

The rest of the top five surfing nations suffered mixed results with the powerful Australian team that includes five current or former World Tour surfers losing one of their members to the Repecharge rounds, as did France. USA, the defending ISA team champions have brought a young squad to the event but won all six of their clashes while Brazil saw two of their team dropping into the repecharges.

Of the smaller nations, hosts Peru along with Costa Rica and New Zealand kept all their competitors in the Qualifying stream with a mixture of first and second placed heat results. The teams from Puerto Rico, Mexico and Venezuela performed well and surfers from the UK, Spain, Portugal and Argentina posted heat victories.

The Billabong ISA World Surfing Games continues until Thursday 27 October and today’s schedule sees Qualifying Rounds 2 for women and men in the left-breaking waves at Senoritas while Round 1 of the Longboarding, featuring SA’s two-time ISA World champion Matthew Moir and Brad Weare, takes place in the rights at Caballeros after the women’s Repecharge Round 1.

Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the event, predict massive triple overhead (3 to 5 metre faces) on Thursday and Friday, dropping slowly to 2 to 4 metres over the weekend before a new swell kicks in next week.

All the action can be followed live on www.isasurf.org starting at 8am daily (3pm in South Africa). Daily updates and images will be posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and further updates will be available on the Facebook page Surfing SA. 

The 2010 South African surfing team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Surfing South Africa along with Skullcandy, PowerBalance and Future Life.

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

Ends

Issued on behalf of:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FULL RESULTS

U20 BOYS

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

U20 GIRLS

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

U18 BOYS

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

U18 GIRLS

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

U16 BOYS

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

U16 GIRLS

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

TAG TEAM

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

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

1.  REUNION ISLAND
2. SOUTH AFRICA
3. MADAGASCAR

Ends

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

Distributed by:

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

Team South Africa, the first of 30 national teams to arrive in Peru for the 2010 Billabong ISA World Games, has stated that they mean business in this “Olympics” of surfing which takes place just south of Lima from October 19- 27.

The side, which made the long journey to Punta Hermosa thanks to support from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, is stacked with both experience and youth.

“The Gold medals are our goal!” said team manager Mike Sheppard who is delighted to be in charge of the group. “I’m proud to bring a dedicated side like this to the World Games. We’ve done all the hard work leading up to the event and we’re focused and ready to go.”

Team SA is captained by former World Tour stalwart Greg Emslie and includes proven gold medal winners in two-time ISA World Longboard Champion Matthew Moir and 2002 ISA World Junior champion Warwick Wright.

Emslie brings loads of experience and competitive savvy to the team and is one of the world’s foremost exponents in the four-man heat format used at the World Surfing Games, having qualified for eight of his nine years on the World Tour via the cutthroat World Qualifying Series (WQS).

Emslie is joined in the Men’s division by Chad du Toit, one of South Africa’s top Under 20 stars who has already begun to make his mark around the world, rising SA star Casey Grant, the runner up to World No. 2 Jordy Smith in the Mr. Price Pro in July and Wright, a multiple event winner and experienced WQS campaigner.

Moir has never lost a heat in the ISA World Games, winning the first of his two longboard titles at Huntington Beach in 2006 and the second in Portugal in 2008. Moir, who demonstrated that he has fully recovered from a mild stroke suffered early last year by winning both the Open and Masters divisions at the recent SA Longboard Champs, is joined in this division by the super stylish Brad Weare, the runner-up at the SA Champs.

In the Women’s division, SA will be represented by Chantelle Rautenbach, the 2010 SA Open champion and 2009 Surfing South Africa Pro Surf Tour champion along with 2006 SA Under 23 captain Stacey Guy.

South African sport has been on a high this year following the successful hosting of the Football World Cup while the SA Masters surfing team’s haul of three gold medals, two bronze medals and silver in the ISA World Masters Championships in Panama last month has motivated this team to give of their best.

Thanks to support from the Lotto, the squad has dedicated many hours to making this ISA World Games a success, participating in numerous training camps and attending sessions at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa to ensure that they are at peak fitness for the challenge.

The team has two of South Africa’s best coaches directing their campaign. At 80 years old, Graham Hynes is a living legend, having coached the likes of Shaun Tomson to his World Title back in 1977 and earning the team gold medal for SA in the 1978 and 2002 ISA World Surfing Games.

David Malherbe, the 1990 ASP World Pro Am champion and a multiple ISA World Masters medalist, is the other experienced coach and their combined expertise will be invaluable as Team SA challenge for gold medals at the 2010 Billabong ISA World Games.

The team is based in Punta Hermosa, 60 kms south of Lima, and within sight of Senoritas, which along with nearby Caballeros, is one of the two venues for the nine-day event. Teams from 30 countries will contest medals in the Men’s, Women’s, Longboard, Tag Team and overall Team disciplines.

Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the event, predict that the event will open with waist to chest high waves on Tuesday, building to overhead waves on Wednesday and massive triple overhead (3 to 5 metre faces) on Thursday and Friday. Longer range forecasts show solid surf for the remainder of the event period. The prevailing winds in the area are very seldom offshore with glassy conditions expected every morning, becoming light onshore during the afternoons.

The 2010 South African surfing team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Surfing South Africa along with Skullcandy, PowerBalance and Future Life.

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

Watch all the action live on www.isasurf.org. Daily updates and images will be posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and further updates will be available on the Facebook page Surfing SA.  

Ends

From:
Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
0824541149

surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

COACHES

GRAHAM HYNES
DAVID MALHERBE

/ENDS

Compiled by:
Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa

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

www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Distributed by:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FULL RESULTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SURFER OF THE CONTEST 
CHANELLE BOTHA (SOUTHERN KZN)

MOST IMPROVED SURFER
BRANDON BENJAMIN (WP) 

TEAM SPIRIT AWARD
SOUTHERN KWAZULU-NATAL 

DIVISION AWARDS

U20

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

U17

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

U15

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

U13

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

FREEDOM CUP (INTERPROVINCIAL TROPHY)

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

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

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

Ends

Compiled by:

Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa

All media enquiries to SSA at 082 454 1149

Distributed by:

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ends 

Compiled by:
Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa

All media enquiries to SSA at 082 454 1149

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Ends

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

All media enquiries to Surfing South Africa

surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

082 454 1149

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

Bronze Beach Umhlanga Rocks hosted the postponed KZN edition of the Women’s Day Surf Challenge last weekend as the shark nets were still not back in place along Durban’s beachfront.

The lack of shark nets due to the extended sardine run forced the postponement of the KZN event a month ago but this time round all went well and over 70 surfers from as young as 7 to over 40 took part in the inaugural Women’s Day Surf Challenge.

Challenging 3-4 foot surf made things tough for the contestants and there was special praise by the officials for the rookies who tackled the difficult conditions with courage and determination.

The competitors were inspired by the performance of Heather Clark, who highlighted South Africa’s female surfing talent when she won her second World Title at the ISA World Masters Championships in Panama the day before the local event got underway.

There were some fine performances from a number of surfers on the day with Chanelle Botha one of the stars. The tiny Warner Beach local not only came second in the Under 20 final behind SA Junior Invitation team surfer Nikita Kekana but also won the Under 16 final which resulted in her being awarded the Surfer of the Contest title.

Among the most inspiring aspects of the Surfing South Africa Women’s Day Surf Challenge in KZN was the fact that not only did it attract four heats of “rookies”, but it also brought back the past as former SA Champions and National Team members Tamarys de Maroussem and Kay Holt made their return to competitive surfing.

Despite having “retired” some five years ago to start a family, de Maroussem seems to have retained her competitive skills, winning the Open Division and scoring a 8 point ride in the final.

Holt was fourth in the Open final but recorded a win in the Longboard Division, adding another national title to the many that she has been collecting since the late 1970’s.

With Clark taking honours in Panama and de Maroussem and Holt showing their class at home the KZN version of the Women’s Day Surf Challenge was a celebration of some of South Africa’s history as well as its up and coming talent.

In the Rookies division there was plenty of up and coming talent and although Robynne Theron won the title all of the girls who took part can look to a bright future in competitive surfing. Lenieka Botha was named the most promising surfer at the event and Tatum Ambrose recorded the Best Manoeuvre

The KZN Women’s Day Surf Challenge attracted the biggest entry of the three Women’s Day event held and was a huge success despite being postponed by a month.

Over R1000 was raised through the raffle of a Safari surfboard and this money has been donated to the Cancer Association of South Africa. Rip Curl South Africa presented the winner of the rookies division with a wetsuit and Skullcandy and Powerbalance, donated prizes.

Surfing South Africa was partnered at all three events by Saltwater Girl Magazine, gsport for girls, Aquarius Screenprinting and Vitamin Water.

The Women’s Day Surf Challenge was supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Sport & Recreation SA.

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

Women’s Day Surf Challenge

KZN Results

Open

1. Tamarys de Maroussem
2. Tatum Ambrose
3. Heather Klug
4. Kay Holt

U20

1. Nikita Kekana
2. Chanelle Botha
3. Shebjorn Axelson
4. Caryn MacNicol

U16

1. Chanelle Botha
2. Caryn MacNicol
3. Shannon McGee
4. Courtnay Ellish

Rookies:

1. Robynne Theron
2. Tiffany Higgens
3. Karabo Nyembe
4. Kelsey Tiegs
5. Gaby Lailvaux
6. Jade Story

Longboards :

1. Kay Holt
2. Nicky Trickett
3. Madz Nixon
4. Dorette Oosthuizen

Ends

Compiled by Robin de Kock

Media enquiries :
Contact:            Robin de Kock
Cell:                  082 454 1149
Email:               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