Representing us will be Klee Strachan from Winkelspruit, ASP Africa Pro Junior champion Chad du Toit from Durban, Casey Grant from Scottburgh, Beyrick de Vries from Umhlanga and another Durbanite, Kyle Lane.

This will be Klee’s third appearance at the event. “Last year I made round three but got knocked out by Julian Wilson (Australia) who is an unbelievable surfer, so I was not too bummed,” Klee said. “It’s an awesome event and all the surfers in the contest surf really well. I am definitely looking to do well this year. I’ve had three years to see how the standard is so I’ve been training to do well.”

Among the women who will represent South Africa are Sarah Baum from Athlone Park and Bianca Buitendag from George. They will try to beat defending champion, Pauline Ado from France.

The event will kick off at Sydney’s Narrabeen beach on January 9, 2010.

Apart from determining winners in the U20 category, there will also be U16, U14 and U12 categories. The event will also determine the ASP Africa Pro Junior champions for 2009 and who will be selected for the ASP Africa squad that will be taking part at the Billabong ASP World Championships in Sydney in January – which is THE top event in junior surfing.

Surfers who will be taking part include Casey Grant (20) of Scottburgh, Shaun Joubert of Mossel Bay, Matt Bromley of Kommetjie, Brendon Gibbens (also of Kommetjie), Klee Strachan of Winkelspruit, Chad du Toit of Durban, Dale Staples and Nick Godfrey of Cape St Francis, Kyle Lane of Umhlanga and another Scottburgh surfer, Haydn MacNicol.

The girls include Victoria Bay’s Bianca Buitendag, Tarryn Chudleigh of Kommetjie, Sarah Baum of Athlone Park, Heidi Palmboom of the Bluff, Chantelle Rautenbach of Melkbosstrand, Tanika Hoffman of Kommetjie, Alice McGregor of East London and Faye Zoetmulder of Port Elizabeth.

The U16 boys event will see the likes of Michael February of Kommetjie, Dane Staples of St Francis Bay, Steven Sawyer of Jeffrey’s Bay, David van Zyl of Glenashley and Capetonians Jarred Veldhuis and Daniel Wilson in action.

The U14 boys are Daniel Buitendag of Vic Bay, Benji Brand of Kommetjie, Slade Prestwich of Park Rynie, Diran Zakarian of Melkbosstrand, Max Armstrong of Scarborough and Dylan Lightfood of Jeffrey’s Bay.

The U12 boys will include Shane Sykes of Salt Rock, Donovan of Marina da Gama, Jody Maree of Kalk Bay, Ethan Fletcher and Jonah Paarman – both from Kommetjie – Matthew McGillivray of Port Elizabeth, and Steffen Burrows of the Strand.

The event will coincide with the Von Zipper Air Show, where selected surfers will show off and be rewarded for their skill at performing aerial manoeuvres.

Surfers were protected by three battery operated shark shield devices which were attached to buoys at the backline of Nahoon Reef. Local Lifeguards replaced the Shark Shield batteries every four hours which means that the electronic force field produced by these devices were in place during every heat. The devices were not used because there was any threat of shark activity during the event, but merely as added protection. According to a report on Global Surf News, Surfing South Africa plans to use these devices during sanctioned events at appropriate surf spots around the country in the future.

With the added protection in place, the surfers were free to focus on delivering their best performances. Focus and a home surf advantage and therefore intimate knowledge of the Nahoon Reef certainly seemed to pay off for Wayne Monk. The 40-year old former two time South African champion rose to victory, blowing younger competitors such as fellow East Londoner Clinton Gravett, Klee Strachan of Winkelspruit and Gary Van Wieringen (Scottburgh) out of the water to clinch his first Pro Surf Tour title.

Klee Strachan grabbed his chance at victory during the under 20 junior division rounds. The former Capetonian surged to victory ahead of Nick Godfrey from Cape St Francis, Jaco Steyn of Melkbosstrand and Chris Leppan of Umhlanga.

The women’s division title went to talented teen Bianca Buitendag of George. She beat current SA Champion Heather Clark of Port Shepstone, Chantelle Rautenbach of Melkbos and Tarryn Chudleigh, who came fourth.

The event, proudly presented by Zigzag Magazine in association with Paarl Web, took place at Suncoast Casino in Durban last Saturday night, 25 April 2009.

Local legend and big wave rider Grant “Twiggy” Baker walked away with the evening’s most prestigious award, Surfer of the Year, which looks to recognise the surfer who exceeded all surfing expectations in the twelve months gone by.

Baker scooped top honours for his undeniable rise to the forefront of big wave surfing across the globe after winning the 2008 Red Bull Big Wave Africa and a Billabong XXL Award for the largest wave ridden in the last 12 months.

” 2008 was a phenomenal year. I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, but this evening and this award all starts here, with being a South African surfer. We owe everything we have to the SA surf legends who are here tonight, and i want to pay tribute to them. But most of all, this award goes to all the surfers in South Africa. Thank you, it’s an honour.” said winner Twiggy.

Other awards of the evening included :

1.        Pro Junior Champ 2008 : Bianca Buitendag (George)
2.        Pro Junior Champ 2008: Klee Strachan (Amanzimtoti)
3.        PST Champ 2008: Tammy Lee Smith (Ballito)
4.        PST Champ 2008: Devyn Mattheys (East London)
5.        ASP Africa Pro Junior Champ 2008: (Amanzimtoti)
6.        ASP Africa Champ: David Weare  (Durban North)
7.        Blowing Up Performer: Dale Staples  (St Francis Bay)
8.        Contribution to surfing: Louis Wulff  (East London)
9.        Photographer of the Year: Alan Van Gysen (Cape Town)
10.        Pushing The Boundaries: Red Bull Big Wave Africa
11.        World Tour Qualifier: Roseanne Hodge (East London)
12.        World Tour Qualifier: Jordy Smith (Durban)
13.        World Tour Qualifier: David Weare (Durban North)
14.        World Tour Qualifier: Greg Emslie (East London)

Will Bendix, editor of Zigzag, comments; “We’re honoured and extremely stoked to be able to host an evening like this that pays homage to the rich culture and legacy of South African surfing. And as you can see, there’s a lot to celebrate. It’s just an awesome reminder of how lucky we are to be surfers in this country.”

Highlights of the evening included the induction of surfing legends into the Hall of Fame, which honoured an elite group of surfers who have paved the way for South African Surfing. Current members include Max Wetteland, Mike Larmont, Spider Murphy, Graham Hynes and Shaun Tomson amongst others. The new inductees announced on the evening were Errol Hickman, and Michael Ginsburg.

1989 World Champion and surfing legend Martin “Pottz” Potter  was guest speaker. When the awards ended, 1st Project went on to being the roof down with their phenomenal drumming act to round off an epic evening.

Be sure to get your June/July edition of Zigzag to check out all the latest surfing news and highlights of the awards.

Picture Courtesy of Al Nicoll

Story source: Rox-ann Govender, Olivia Jones Communications

The Association of Surfing Professionals Grade 2 junior event is due to take place from April 17 – 26 2009.

With a generous prize pot of $10 000 (about R91 000) and several points up for grabs, the contest is attracting every major name in South African junior surfing, as well as an impressive line-up of international surfers.

Leading the local contingent will be South African junior team top seed and one of the most dominant forces on the local junior surfing circuit, Nick Godfrey of St. Francis.

Dale and Dane Staples, defending champion Klee Strachan (of Winklespruit) and Kyle Lane (of Umhlanga) will also be part of the action.

Mike Frew, Lizzard’s Marketing Manager, says “Lizzard is stoked to once again be able to put on a WQS rated surf event together with Nandos”. Frew is hopeful that the event will see South Africa’s top surfers performing in quality waves as “the month of May sees early winter swells and consistent offshore winds making it prime season for waves in Durban.”

North Beach has become a favourite venue for this event, and Frew says this is because “the natural amphitheatre of North beach means spectators can get a good look at some world class surfing.”

The Lizzard Nandos Pro occurs just after a big WQS event in Scotland, and just before another in the Maldives, which means that most of South Africa’s top surfers will be in the country.

Early favourites for the event include surfers such as Travis Logie, Royden Bryson and Ricky Basnett, as they are all top WCT competitors trying to get back onto the Championship tour. South Coast charger and Lizzard sponsored rider Gavin Roberts will be hoping that his experience as a former WQS campaigner will give him an edge. Antonio Bortoletto, who is arguably one of the most talented surfers in Durban’s waters, will also be a threat due to his intimate knowledge of the conditions at North Beach.

Other Lizzard riders who will be hoping to shine in their sponsor’s title event include Klee Strachan (Warner Beach), Shawn Dennis (Durban), Jacob Mellish (Somerset West), Dave Richards (Kommetjie), Matt Pallet (Durban) and Mark Shepperson (Umdloti).

For more information on the contest, Lizzard products, team riders and more
check out Lizzard Surf’s website. During the event, the site will feature videos, heat scores, results, pictures and news uploaded directly from the Lizzard site office at North Beach. Co-sponsors for the event are Bokomo, Nestle Pure Life Water and Bavaria. The entire event will be organised by Nerve Events.

About Lizzard: Established in 1991, Lizzard is a clothing, accessories and footwear brand with roots in authentic surf culture. From offices in Durban (South Africa) and Burleigh Heads (Australia), products are distributed to 27 countries globally. Lizzard supports independent and core retailers. Lizzardsurf.net showcases the latest ranges, making it easy to find products and to locate the nearest stores or distributors worldwide.

This is the most presitgious junior event in the world. It marks the culmination of the 2008 ASP Pro Junior Series where competitors from each of the seven ASP regions compete on their domestic tours for a chance at qualifying for the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships. A minimum of 13 countries will represent the seven ASP regions this January at North Narrabeen’s world-class beach breaks.

South African wunderkind Jordy Smith took the title in 2006, and some of the brilliant South African surfers hoping to follow in his footsteps will include Klee Strachan, Nick Godfrey, Shaun Joubert, Casey Grant, Rudy Palmboom Jr., Sarah Baum and Nikita Robb.

The names of the other countries’ Billabong ASP World Junior Championships qualifiers whom the South Africans will be competing against are:

ASP North America
- Cory Arrambide (USA)
- Nat Young (USA)
- Andrew Doheny (USA)
- Travis Beckmann (USA)
- Blake Jones (USA)

- Christa Alves (USA)
- Courtney Conlogue (USA)

ASP Hawaii
- Kai Barger (HAW)
- Kiron Jabour (HAW)
- Casey Brown (HAW)
- Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
- TBA (HAW)

- Coco Ho (HAW)
- Leila Hurst (HAW)

ASP Japan
- Shota Nakamura (JPN)
- Nobuyuki Osawa (JPN)
- Kaito Sekimoto (JPN)
- Keito Matsuoka (JPN)
- Koki Nakamura (JPN)

- Nao Ohmura (JPN)
- Sayuri Hashimoto (JPN)

ASP South America
- Alex Ribeiro (BRA)
- Alejo Muniz (BRA)
- Ricardo dos Santos (BRA)
- Alex Lima (BRA)
- Magno Dias (BRA)
- Jadson Andre (BRA)

- Diana Cristina (BRA)
- Gabriela Leite (BRA)

ASP Europe
- Maxime Huscenot (REU)
- Marc Lacomare (FRA)
- Medi Veminardi (REU)
- Jatyr Bersaluce (EUK)
- Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA)
- Jules Thomet (FRA)

- Alizee Arnaud (FRA)
- Pauline Ado (FRA)

ASP Australasia
- Stuart Kennedy (AUS)
- Heath Joske (AUS)
- Tamaroa McComb (PYF/AUS)
- Jayke Sharp (AUS)
- Lincoln Taylor (AUS)
- Matt Wilkinson (AUS)

- Tyler Wright (AUS)
- Laura Enever (AUS)

ASP International Wildcards
- Andres Wurst (PER)
- Dusty Payne (HAW)
- Owen Wright (AUS)
- Charley Martin (GLP)
- Luciana Heremoana (PYF)

- Sage Erickson (USA)
- Bethany Hamilton (HAW)

Billabong Wildcards
- Granger Larsen (HAW)

- Arini Mason (NZL)
- Paige Hareb (NZL)

Von Zipper Trialists (Top 2 into Billabong ASP World Junior Championships)
- Richard Christie (NZL)
- Nick Riley (AUS)
- Madison Williams (AUS)
- Mitch Crews (AUS)
- Julian Wilson (AUS)
- Nick Vasicek (AUS)
- Craig Anderson (AUS)
- Heifara-Peter Tahutini (PYF)
- Israel Surfer (ISR)
- Israel Surfer (ISR)
- Torrey Meister (HAW)
- Local North Narrabeen Surfer (AUS)
- Raditiya Rhondi (IDN)
- Kolohe Andino (USA)
- Peterson Cristanto (BRA)
- Brent Savage (AUS)