Team South Africa remains on track to claim a historic third successive team title at the ISA World Masters Surfing Championships in Panama after the completion of the fifth day of competition yesterday (Thursday) when the finalists in the qualifying streams of the Masters, Grand Masters and Kahunas were determined..

SA, along with Australia and Brazil, still has all eight team members in contention in their various divisions with four South Africans and Australians yet to lose a heat, followed by three each from Puerto Rico, Peru and Brazil and one each from Panama, France and Tahiti.

In the Masters (o/35) division, Andrew Banks (Port Shepstone) advanced to the qualifying final along with heat winner Carlos Santos (BRA). These two will be up against two-time defending champion Juan Ashton (PUR) and Dean Hall (AUS) who relegated Wayne Monk (East London) to the repecharge rounds.

The top two in the qualifying finals advance to the Grand Final where they are guaranteed medals and a shot at clinching the World Masters title.

In the Grand Masters (o/40) division, Rob Moore-Boyle (Durban) couldn’t find the high scoring waves and joined Andre Malherbe (East London) in Heat 2 of repecharge Round 4. Malherbe, who has fought his way through two rounds of sudden-death repecharge heats already, posted a strong second place finish behind defending champion Magoo de la Rosa (PER) yesterday.

David, the elder of the Malherbe brothers, continued his rich vein of form at the event by winning his Kahunas (o/45) Round 3 heat yesterday, finishing ahead of Rod Baldwin (AUS) with SA team captain and defending ISA World Kahunas champion Marc Wright (Durban) in third place.

Malherbe and Baldwin will take on Sergio Penna and Martin Jeri (PER) for a place in the Grand final while Wright now has to fight his way through three cutthroat repecharge heats to reach the Grand final and the opportunity to defend his crown.

Defending world champions Heather Clark (Port Shepstone) in the Women’s Masters (o/35) and Chris Knutsen (Durban) in the Grand Kahunas (o/50) did not need to compete yesterday as they have already reached the qualifying final in their respective divisions.

All of the 52 surfers from 14 countries remaining in the ISA World Masters Championships will be in action today. Action at Santa Catalina in Panama will get underway at 7:00am (2pm in South Africa) with the following schedule:

 ISA World Masters Surfing Championships

Schedule for Friday 3 September (South Africans in Brackets)

2 HEATS MASTERS REPERCHARGE 4                       (Wayne Monk)
2 HEATS KAHUNAS REPERCHARGE 4                      (Marc Wright)                                  
2 HEATS GRAND MASTERS REPERCHARGE 4       (Andre Malherbe & Rob Moore-Boyle)
1 HEATS MASTERS QUALIFY 4                                     (Andrew Banks)
1 HEATS KAHUNAS QUALIFY 4                                     (David Malherbe)
1 HEATS GRAND MASTERS QUALIFY 4
1 HEATS GRAND KAHUNA QUALIFY 3                       (Chris Knutsen)
1 HEATS WOMEN MASTERS QUALIFY 3                     (Heather Clark)
1 HEATS GRAND KAHUNAS REPERCHARGE 3
1 HEATS WOMEN MASTERS REPERCHARGE 3
1 HEATS MASTERS REPERCHARGE 5                       (TBD)
1 HEATS KAHUNAS REPERCHARGE 5                      (TBD)
1 HEATS GRAND MASTERS REPERCHARGE 5       (TBD)

Country standings after five days of competition:

1: SOUTH AFRICA
1: AUSTRALIA
1: BRAZIL
4: PERU
5: PUERTO RICO
6: ARGENTINA
7: VENEZUELA
8: COSTA RICA
9: PANAMA
10: FRANCE
11: MEXICO
12: ITALY
13:REP.DOMINCAN
14: JAMAICA
15: URUGUAY
16: NEW ZEALAND
17: GUATEMALA
18: TAHITI
18: EL SALVADOR
20: GERMANY
20: IRELAND

All the action from the event, including live webcasts, daily videos, photos, results and contest news in both English and Spanish can be found at www.panamaisaworldmasters.com.

Event updates are also available through the ISA Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts.

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).

Ends

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About the International Surfing Association (ISA)
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980.  

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of over 60 countries on six continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. The President is Fernando Aguerre and the four Vice Presidents are Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Mike Gerard (USA) and Karín Sierralta (Peru).

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock, General Manager 
Cell:                  082 454 1149
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.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

Heather Clark and Chris Knutsen closed to within one heat of earning medals at the ISA World Masters Surfing Championships in Panama yesterday as South Africa continued its push towards winning the team title for the third consecutive time.

Clark, the defending Women’s Masters World Champion, dominated her Round 2 heat in the solid two to three metre waves at Santa Catalina yesterday and has now posted the two highest heat tallies and three highest single ride scores in the division.

“I was extremely nervous because I know Andrea Lopes from previous years and she’s a really good competitor. I tried to get a first wave fast so I could relax. Once I did that I got into a bit of a rhythm and made it through,” said Clark. 

The 39 year-old from Port Shepstone has now reached the final of the winner’s stream in the Women’s Masters. A first or second place finish in her next heat will guarantee her a medal and the opportunity to clinch a second ISA World title.

Knutsen, winner of the Kahunas (o/45) title in Puerto Rico in 2007 and the Grand Kahunas (o/50) in the last edition of this event in Peru in 2008, is in the same position as Clark after cruising to victory in his Round 2 Grand Kahunas heat yesterday.

While Team SA did ‘lose’ its first team member to the repecharge rounds on Day 3 when Andre Malherbe (East London) paced third in his Grand Masters (o/40) heat, they still have more competitors in the winners bracket (seven) than any other team. Australia is next with six surfers and Brazil with five.

Robert Moore-Boyle (Durban) in the Grand Masters and team captain Marc Wright (Durban) in the Kahunas placed second to advance to Round 3 of their respective divisions. David Malherbe (Coffee Bay) was SA’s star of the day, racking up his second total of more than 15 points out of 20 to win his Kahunas heat.

The Masters (o/35), where Andrew Banks (Port Shepstone) and Wayne Monk (EL) are safely through to Round 3, did not compete yesterday.

Andre Malherbe, in Heat 3 of Grand Masters repecharge Round 2, will be the only South African in action on Wednesday in Panama as the organisers run repecharge heats that see any surfer finishing outside the top in a heat eliminated from the event.

ISA World Masters Surfing Championships

Schedule for Wednesday 1 September (South Africans in Brackets)

Grand Masters Repecharge 1
Kahunas Repecharge 2
Masters Repecharge 2
Grand Masters Repecharge 2       (Andre Malherbe – Heat 3)

All the action from the event, including live webcasts, daily videos, photos, results and contest news in both English and Spanish can be found at www.panamaisaworldmasters.com. The event is scheduled to start at 6.30am local time daily. (1.30pm SA time).

Event updates are also available through the ISA Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts.

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).

Ends

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Daily high quality pictures and TV resolution video highlights for editorial use, rights free, will be made available here:
 
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About the International Surfing Association (ISA)
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980.  

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of over 60 countries on six continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. The President is Fernando Aguerre and the four Vice Presidents are Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Mike Gerard (USA) and Karín Sierralta (Peru).

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock, General Manager
Cell:                  082 454 1149
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.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

Greg Emslie is the 2010 Mr Price SA Open Champion. After two days of competition on Saturday and Sunday (August 28 & 29) in conditions that ranged from marginal 2 foot surf on Day One to perfect 5-6 foot offshore at Nahoon Reef on Day Two, the title in the eighth edition of the SA Open of Surfing went the way of the top seed.

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
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Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

The South African Masters surfing team is set to defend four World titles at the ISA World Masters Surfing Championships which get underway with the Parade of Nations and Sands of the World ceremonies on the Pacific coast of Panama later today (Saturday).

After a 40-hour journey that saw the team fly to Sao Paulo, Panama City and Santiago before embarking on a 5-hour overland trip to the contest venue of Santa Catalina, the South Africans have enjoyed excellent surf in the 2-2.5 metre range for the past two days.

“We’ve settled in well at Santa Catalina, a very rustic village on the edge of the jungle with incredible rainfall – there was 200mm overnight,” said team captain Marc Wright, who will be defending the Kahunas (over 45 year-old) title he won at the last ISA Masters event in Peru in 2008.

“The spirit in the team is fantastic and it’s such an honour to be appointed captain given the amount of experience the other guys have. We’ll be going all out to bring home the gold,” the Durbanite added.

Andrew Banks (Port Shepstone), a semi-finalist and member of title winning 2008 SA team, concurred by saying, “Santa Catalina is an awesome place to compete and the wave is pretty tricky – big, powerful and perfect. We traveled for 40 hours to make it here and we intend to take the trophy home for the third consecutive year.”

The event features a veritable United Nations of surfing with more than 120 surfers, all 35-and-older, from 21 countries competing in the Masters (o/35), Grand Masters (o/40), Kahunas (o/40), Grand Kahunas (O/50) and Women’s Masters (o/35) divisions.

Team SA holds the proud tradition of having won the team gold medal at both the previous editions of the event – in Puerto Rico (2007) and Peru (2008). Along with Wright in the Kahunas, Chris Knutsen (Durban) will be defending the Grand Kahunas title (he was also crowned Kahunas champion in Puerto Rico) and Heather Clark (Port Shepstone) is the defending Women’s Masters champ.

The rest of the South African team is made up of Masters Wayne Monk (East London), Grand Masters Andre Malherbe (EL) and Robert Moore-Boyle (Durban) and David Malherbe (Coffee Bay), a two-time finalist in the Grand Masters division who has moved up to the Kahunas this year.

The team is coached for the third time by 1977 ISA World Champion Ant Brodowicz (Margate) and the manager is Dave Fish from East London.

On Saturday the international teams will march through the streets of Sona, 45 minutes from Santa Catalina, in the Parade of Nations before attending the Sands of the World and Opening ceremonies.

The first heats in the ISA World Masters Surfing Championships get underway at Santa Catalina on Sunday morning with Round 1 of both the Masters and Grand Masters scheduled for completion.

The event uses a double-elimination format that sees the top two in each four-man heat progress in the ‘qualifiers’ stream while those finishing outside the top two drop into the cutthroat ‘repecharge’ rounds where anything other than a top two placing  means elimination from the event.

All the action from the event, including live webcasts, daily videos, photos and contest news in both English and Spanish can be found at www.panamaisaworldmasters.com. The event is scheduled to start at 6.30am local time daily. (1.30pm SA time).

Event updates are also available through the ISA Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts.

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).

Ends

ATTENTION MEDIA
Daily high quality pictures and TV resolution video highlights for editorial use, rights free, will be made available here:
 
Host: ftp.isasurf.org
User: isasurf_wmsc
Password: download1

About the International Surfing Association (ISA)
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980.  

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of over 60 countries on six continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. It is presided over by Fernando Aguerre, first elected in 1994 in Rio, and re-elected six times since.  The ISA’s four Vice Presidents are Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Mike Gerard (USA) and Karín Sierralta (Peru).

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock, General Manager 
Cell:                  082 454 1149
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.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

World Champion Marc Wright of Durban North will captain the South African Masters Team at the ISA World Masters Championships in Panama. The 49 year old was named captain of the team at the recent training camp in Coffee Bay.

Team South Africa are the defending World Champions having won the team title at both previous World Masters events in Puerto Rico in 2007 and Peru in 2008.

The team will make the long journey to Panama in Central America on Monday (August 23) after a seven week wait for their visas. According to team coach Ant Brodowicz the eight surfers in the side are fit and raring to show the world why they are the champions.

The team contains three World Champions in Wright, Heather Clark of Port Shepstone and Chris Knutsen of Durban. This trio are joined by regular World Masters Championship finalists David and Andre Malherbe of East London, former SA Masters Champion Andrew Banks of Port Shepstone and new Masters caps Wayne Monk of East London and Rob Moore Boyle of Westville.

Over 160 surfers from 17 nations will be competing in the ISA World Masters Championships which begin on August 27 and end on August 4.

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).

2010 South African Masters Surfing Team
Over 35 (Masters) : Wayne Monk (Border), Andrew Banks (SKZN)
Over 40 (Grandmasters) : Andre Malherbe (Border), Robert Moore Boyle (CKZN)
Over 45 (Kahunas) : David Malherbe (Border), Marc Wright (CKZN)
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
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 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

Alice McGregor was the star of the Women’s Day Surf Challenge in Port Elizabeth on Monday when she won both the Open and U20 divisions of the event run in solid overhead surf, rain and demanding windswept conditions.

Presented by Surfing South Africa, the inaugural Women’s Day Surf Challenge saw events scheduled for three venues nationally and while the Durban event had to be postponed due the sardine run and shark sightings at Bay of Plenty, the Cape Town and Port Elizabeth based contests went ahead in typical wintery weather.

More than 30 surfers from Port Elizabeth, Jeffreys Bay, East London, George, Durban and even a couple from Belgium and Holland took to the surf at Pollock Beach to celebrate the Women’s Day public holiday.

While East London based McGregor was unbeatable in the Open and U20 divisions, rising star Emma Smith from Jeffreys Bay won the U16 category and the Rookie title went to Britney Linder.

Each of the three divisions were 1A rated Pro Surf Tour (PST) events with a total of R2 500 in prize-money at stake and the results counting towards the annual PST rankings.

EP Surfing Council thanks the judges Dave Lipschitz, Donovan and Emile Zoetmulder, Mike and Grant Beck and Gavin Viljoen along with Contest Director Etienne Venter and tabulators Shireen Abrahams and Hannelie Bakker for working so hard in the tough conditions.

The Women’s Day Surf Challenge is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Sport & Recreation SA while the media partners for the events are Gsport for Girls and Saltwater Girl magazine.

The initiative is proudly partnered by Skullcandy, Power Balance, Billabong, VonZipper, Rip Curl, Aquarius Screenprinting, Vic Bay T Shirts and Reef Wetsuits. Kustom Footwear and Surf Centre PE donated great additional prizes for the Rookies division in the PE event and Denis Ellis Surfboards donated a surfboard which was raffled to raise money for the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA)

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

Port Elizabeth Results
Open
1. Alice McGregor
2. Faye Zoetmulder
3. Cara MacDonald
4. Catherine Lee

U20
1. Alice McGregor
2. Kirsty Delport
3. Faye Zoetmulder
4. Emma Smith

U16

1. Emma Smith
2. Tahra Uren
3. Julie Lauwers
4. Inge McClaren

Rookies:
1. Britney Linder
2. Michelle Verrynne
3. Shumeez Salie
4. Chloe Meecham
5. Kayla Ann Verrynne

Ends

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa
Contact:            Robin de Kock
Cell:                  082 454 1149
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.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

Cape Town’s top female surfers tamed the elements by surfing with grace, style and no shortage of good old-fashioned guts in the Women’s Day Surf Challenge held in wild 1 to 1.5 metre waves, rain and strong wind at Long Beach in Kommetjie on Monday.

Presented by Surfing South Africa, the inaugural Women’s Day Surf Challenge saw events scheduled for three venues nationally and while the Durban event had to be postponed due the sardine run and shark sightings at Bay of Plenty, the Cape Town and Port Elizabeth based contests went ahead in typical wintery weather.

When the results of the Cape Town event were finalised, Kerri Hodgkinson had won the Open division, 2010 SA Junior Team member Tanika Hoffman clinched the U20 title and Amy Bosworth triumphed in the U16 category.

Each of the three divisions were 1A rated Pro Surf Tour (PST) events with a total of R2 500 in prize-money at stake and the results counting towards the annual PST rankings.

Hoffman and recently selected 2010 SA Team member Stacey Guy each received a Power Balance Band when they were adjudged to be the Power Balance ‘Power Surfers’ of the event. Eight of the surfers, judges and officials were rewarded with prize packs which included Skullcandy headphones, Power Balance bands  and other cool stuff in the lucky draws.

The Derevko wetsuit was awarded to Jules Buchanan and a total of R1100 was raised for CANSA in the raffle for the surfboard, which was won by Anoush Zakarian.

All the finalists received custom-made trophies and medals and to crown a great initiative Amy Bosworth donated one of her surfboards to the SSA development programme.

Listen to Cape Talk on 567 MW at 8.30am each morning to hear Jeff Ayliffe’s interviews with some of the girls at the event.

The Women’s Day Surf Challenge is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Sport & Recreation SA while the media partners for the events are Gsport for Girls and Saltwater Girl magazine.

The Women’s Day Surf Challenge is proudly partnered by Skullcandy, Power Balance, Billabong, VonZipper, Rip Curl, Aquarius Screenprinting and Vic Bay T Shirts. Additional prizes are provided by Surf Centre PE, Pull-In Underwear, Glaceau Vitamin Water and Derevko wetsuits.

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

Cape Town Results
Open
1.  Kerri Hodgkinson
2.  Holly Armstrong
3.  Stacey Guy
4.  Lisa Mace

U20
1.  Tanika Hoffman
2.  Holly Armstrong
3.  Sabrina Scott
4.  Amy Bosworth

U16
1.  Amy Bosworth
2.  Natasha Bernstein
3.  Anoush Zakarian
4.  Ruth Armstrong

Ends

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa
Contact:          Robin de Kock
Cell:                  082 454 1149
Email:              surfingsouthafrica@gmail.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

The Durban leg of the Women’s Day Surf Challenge, which was to get under way at 8am today (Sunday) and continue tomorrow, has been postponed due to high shark activity in the area.

Huge shoals of sardines forced Durban authorities to lift the shark nets leaving the contest venue, the Bay of Plenty, unprotected.

Four or five large sharks were spotted at Battery Beach near the Bay of Plenty late on Saturday and KZN Chairperson Ann Wright, in consultation with Surfing South Africa General Manager Robin de Kock, decided to call the contest off for today and tomorrow.

The Durban leg of the Women’s Day Surf Challenge will now take place in mid-September.

The decision to postpone the Durban leg of the three region Women’s surfing contest does not have any impact on the events in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. These will go ahead as scheduled from 8am tomorrow (Monday) as planned.

The heats, formats and schedules for the Women’s Day Surf Challenge are available on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za. No entries will be accepted at the beach on the days of the event.

The Women’s Day Surf Challenge is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Sport & Recreation SA while the media partners for the events are Gsport for Girls and Saltwater Girl magazine.

The Women’s Day Surf Challenge is proudly partnered by Skullcandy, Power Balance, Billabong, VonZipper, Rip Curl, Aquarius Screenprinting and Vic Bay T Shirts. Additional prizes are coming from Surf Centre in PE, Pull-In Underwear, Glaceau Vitamin Water and Derevko wetsuits.

Surfboards will be raffled at each event venue to raise funds for CANSA.

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

Ends

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa
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

Twelve surfers, a coach, judge and manager have been selected to compete in an international surfing contest in Reunion Island from October 14-16.

The SA Junior Invitation team is made up of surfers whose contest performances have impressed the national selectors over the last twelve months.

Heading the group is talented Jeffreys Bay surfer Bertie Stuurman who, along with SA Championship runner up Alice McGregor of East London, will surf in the U20 Boys and Girls Divisions respectively.

Jacob Mellish of Somerset West, the reserve for the Under 18 Division of the 2010 SA Junior surfing team, gets his chance to compete internationally along with ISA Scholarship recipient Papi Makinyane of Delft and top Durban surfer David Van Zyl.

The three Under 18 girls are 2010 SA Junior team reserve Holly Armstrong of Scarborough, fellow WP surfer Sabrina Scott of Glencairn and up and coming Nikita Kekana of Durban.

SA Grommet Games U16 Boys champion, Marshall Renz of Jeffreys Bay, will be joined by SSA Scholarship recipient Brandon Benjamin of Retreat while the U16 girls are SA Grommet Games winner Micaela Venter of Durban and talented Emma Smith of Jeffreys Bay.

Eastern Province Surfing Council stalwart Brian Abrahams has been appointed Manager, WP’s Craig Johnson will coach the team and Grant Arendse of Strandfontein will accompany the group as a Judge.

The tour by the SA Invitation Team is both a competitive visit to the volcanic island as well as a reciprocal cultural exchange. A group of surfers from Reunion visited Cape Town and Durban last year, competing in two separate events and staying with South African families.

The project is a major talent identification initiative and the trip is supported by funding from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund.

Surfing South Africa is the governing body for the sport and is recognized by Sport and Recreation SA (SRSA). SSA is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA). All South African teams are chosen by a selection committees appointed by the Board of Directors of Surfing South Africa.

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