Team South Africa wins Reunion Island Challenge at Kalk Bay Reef in Cape Town.

David Brand, Sarah Baum, Daniel Wilson and Max Armstrong take individual titles.

The recently selected 2010 South African Junior Team were impressive over the weekend with two wins out of a possible three in the individual finals and a strong points victory in the team contest in the Reunion Island Challenge at Kalk Bay Reef in Cape Town Sunday (October 10).

Hosts Western Province came second and the visitors from Reunion Island were third. The Emerging South African team took fourth place ahead of Boland.

South African team member David Brand, fresh from a third place finish in the Quiksilver International King of the Groms in France, made good use of the 3 foot Kalk Bay barrels to take honours in the U18 Boys Final beating current SA Champion Matt Bromley of Western Province into second spot. Hugo Dubosc of Reunion Island was third and Mikey February of the South African team came fourth.

Brand, a bronze medal winner at the ISA World Junior Championships in Ecuador in April, is the top seed in the U18 SA Team which will compete in the ISA World Junior championships in New Zealand in January 2010.

Sarah Baum of the SA Team underlined her class and experience in the Under 18 Girls Final when she took the title ahead of Camilla Davila of Reunion Island. Heidi Palmboom of the SA Junior Team came third and current Under 18 South African Champion Alice McGregor of the Emerging SA team had to settle for fourth place.

In the competitive Under 16 boys division, Western Province surfer Daniel Wilson upset the form books to take gold ahead of South African team members Steven Sawyer and Jarred Veldhuis who were second and third respectively. Wilson’s WP team mate, Benji Brand, came fourth.

This was a significant maiden victory for Wilson in a major contest. The Tokai based surfer, who began his career some five years ago when he won the SSA Academy Cup, has improved in leaps and bounds this year and is a huge asset to WP Surfing.

Max Armstrong of Western Province was victorious in the Under 14 Boys final but at one stage it looked like Benjamin de Castro of the Emerging SA Team would win this division.

De Castro posted the highest wave score and led the heat for some time but the young Muizenberg surfer could not find a decent back up score and let the beautiful glass trophy which went to all four champions, slip into Armstrong’s hands.

Lucas Jannier of Reunion Island was third and Brandon Benjamin of the Emerging SA Team, came fourth.

The first day of competition in the Reunion Challenge was held in 2 foot windswept Long Beach surf and with no waves on the Atlantic side Kalk Bay Reef was chosen as the venue for Day 2. Although choppy, small and slightly inconsistent, the waves were contestable and provide many of the contestants with a chance to surf in an event at the famous Kalk Bay Reef. Kalk Bay Reef last hosted an event on the final day of the O’Neill Cold Water Classic in June.

The 11 strong Group of eight Reunion surfers and management left for Durban today where they will train under the watchful eyes of some of South Africa’s top coaches.

On Friday and Saturday the Reunion visitors take on a new Emerging SA Team plus a team from Central KZN and Southern KZN. This event will take place at Dairy Beach on the Durban beachfront and will follow a similar format to that used in the Cape Town contest. They return home on Sunday and have indicated that they will be hosting a reciprocal exchange in Reunion next year.

Surfing South Africa is the recognized governing body for the sport in South Africa. SSA is a member of the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA).The Reunion Island Challenge series is not only part and parcel of the SA Junior Team’s preparations for the 2010 ISA World Junior Championships in New Zealand in January but is also a talent identification initiative that is part of SSA’s strategic plans.

The projects are supported by funding from the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDTF).

Full results and pictures can be accessed on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and recorded footage and pictures are available on http://st-leu-surf-club.info/AFSD/index.html

Ends

Compiled by

Robin de Kock
General Manager : Surfing South Africa
All media enquiries : 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

Pictured: Reigning two-time SA U18 champion Matt Bromley will captain the Western Province team in the Reunion Island challenge on the Cape Peninsula this weekend. Photo courtesy Surfing SA

The Southern Peninsula of Cape Town will host a unique junior International surfing tournament this weekend between surfers from Reunion Island, Western Province, Boland, the 2010 South African Junior team and an Emerging South African Junior team.

The friendly international is part and parcel of a cultural and sporting exchange programme between Surfing South Africa and Reunion Island.

The South Africa juniors are headed up by 2009 ISA World Junior Championships bronze medalist Davey Brand and WP teammate and fellow Kommetjie local Mikey February, both of whom have four national caps as well as a host of national and international experience under their belts.

New caps Jarred Veldhuis of Kommetjie, recently crowned SA Under 16 Champion Diran Zakarian of Melkbosstrand, JBay stars Steven Sawyer and Dylan Lightfoot, Heidi Palmboom of the Bluff plus the experienced Dane Staples of St Francis Bay and super talented Sarah Baum of Durban should  dominate the individual heats and the all important tag team contest which will determine who wins the title. Team reserve Jacob Mellish will surf for the national juniors as a guest as top seed Beyrick de Vries left for the USA on Thursday.

The SA team has a powerful look but hosts Western Province have selected a team with plenty of local knowledge and could surprise. Captained by 2009 Under 18 SA Champion Matt Bromley, the WP side includes brilliant under 14 year-olds in Max Armstrong, Nic Notten and Ethan Pentz, plus star WP team mates Benji Brand, Daniel Wilson, Jordan Alexander and Papi Makinyane. National team trialists Holly Armstrong and Sabrina Scott are the two WP girls in the team.

The Boland team also looks strong and is out to prove a point. They beat Western Province by one point back in 2006 when the last event of this kind was held and are keen to maintain their record. Jeandre Blignaut, JP Olivier, Rigard Smit, Justin Torode, Leon Du Preez, Steffen Burrows and Dylan Wichmann along with Morag Steele and Roche Louwrens are the Boland lineup for this weekend.

Surfing South Africa’s Emerging SA Junior team will be led by Alice McGregor of Border who won the Under 18 national title at Nahoon Reef last Sunday. Fellow Border surfer and U18 finalist at Nahoon Reef, Jean Du Plessis, will also turn out for the Invitation side along with SSA Lotto scholarship winners Grant Arendse and Brandon Benjamin of WP and Qhamani Bam of EP. Southern Cape surfers Ruben Lamer and Vincent Withers have been called up after good performances in the recent SA Championships while Benjamin de Castro of Muizenberg and national junior trialist Emma Smith of EP is also in the team.

The group of eight Reunion surfers arrived in Cape Town late Thursday evening and will need some time to adapt to the freezing water temperature and the beach break conditions. Reunion is a volcanic Island in the middle of the Indian Ocean which is blessed with warm water and perfect point break surf. It is part of France and many members of the French surfing teams are drawn from Reunion.

Included in the eight are several age group champions and French junior team members who although experienced will be surfing in Cape Town for the first time.

The Reunion Island Challenge will take place over two days and all contestants and officials will gather at Long Beach in Kommetjie at 7.30am on both days to determine a venue. The venue will be available on the WP Info line from 8.30 on number 0822334001.

Surfing South Africa (SSA) is the recognized governing body for the sport in South Africa. SSA is a member of the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA).The Reunion Island Challenge is part and parcel of the SA Junior Team’s preparations for the 2010 ISA World Junior Championships in New Zealand in January and is a talent identification initiative that is part of SSA’s strategic plans.

The event is supported by funding from the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDTF)..

Ends

Compiled by
Robin de Kock
General Manager : Surfing South Africa
All media enquiries : 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