South Africa’s hottest under 20 surfers are going to convene at Victoria Bay in the Southern Cape next week (23 – 26 September) to battle it out during the 13th annual Billabong Junior Series championships.
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.
The Mr Price WP Open surfing championships took place at Long Beach in Kommetjie last weekend (6 and 7 June).
Despite coming fourth in the U20 Boys Division, Durbanite Chad du Toit made a comeback so spectacular, it was enough to earn him first place during the final Men’s division event. With that victory, he managed to earn himself R6 000 and 1 000 PST points. Local Long Beacher Brendon Gibbens came second, Shaun Joubert of Mossel Bay came third and the South African Men’s champion Gavin Roberrts of Scottburgh came fourth.
The U20 Boys final and the R2 000 first prize were won by South African Junior team captain and Long Beach local Matt Bromley. Fellow Long Beacher Mikey February came second, Shaun (Joubert) was third and Chad (du Toit) came fourth.
The Women’s final was won by Chantelle Rautenbach of Melkbossstrand. She bagged R2 500 for her effort. East London’s Nikita Robb came second. Mr Price team members Stacey Guy of Melkbosstrand and Tammy Lee Smith of Salt Rock came third and fourth.
He has barely bagged the crown as South Africa’s surfing champion, and already Gavin Roberts is gearing up to participate in this weekend’s Mr Price WP Open.
The event, set to take place in the Cape Peninsula tomorrow and Sunday (6 and 7 June 2009), is also drawing other big-name surfers such as Gavin’s fellow KwaZulu-Natal surfer, Gary van Wieringen.
The Cape’s wild wintry weather probably won’t deter the 32 guys who will compete in the Men’s Division. That lineup includes surfing talent such as Capetonian Ian Armstrong, Matthew Bromley from Kommetjie and Shaun Joubert of Mossel Bay.
The girls will also be well represented by South Africa’s U20 Women’s Champion Tarryn Chudleigh from Kommetjie, Nikita Robb of East London, Tammy Lee Smith of Salt Rock, and Melkbos surfers Stacey Guy and Chantelle Rautenbach.
Brendon Gibbens, Mikey February and Matthew Bromley from Kommetjie, Jaco Steyn of Melkbos, Shaun Joubert and Somerset Wester Jacob Mellish, Chad du Toit of Durban and Chris Leppan of Umhlanga will surf in the Pro Junior field.
The weather is expected to kick up the swell to an excess of 15 foot this weekened, so these pros should have a lot of fun.
The world’s best junior surfers will battle it out at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships from January 3 – 10, 2008 at Sydney’s North Narrabeen Beach in New South Wales, Australia.
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)
The Board of Directors of Surfing South Africa has named the surfers who will represent South Africa at the 2009 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships taking place in Salinas, Ecuador from March 28 to April 5 2009.
The Under 18 Boys team members are: Nick Godfrey (Eastern Province), Shaun Joubert (Southern Cape), Matthew Bromley (Western Province), and Dale Staples (Southern Cape). Brendan Gibbens (Western Province) is the non-travelling reserve.
The Under 18 Girls group will consist of Bianca Buitendag (Southern Cape), Sarah Baum (KwaZulu-Natal), Tanika Hofmann (Western Province) and Kirsty Delport (KwaZulu-Natal). Heidi Palmboom (KwaZulu-Natal) is the non-travelling reserve.
The surfers who will compete in the Under 16 Boys division are Michael February and David Brand (Western Province), Dane Staples (Southern Cape) and Slade Prestwich (KwaZulu-Natal). Steven Sawyer (Eastern Province) is the non-travelling reserve.
The fact that brothers Dale and Dane Staples (both from Jeffreys Bay) both made the 2009 South African Junior Team is not only a proud moment for their family, but also a historic moment for South African surfing as they become the first set of brothers to represent South Africa at a Junior World Championship.
The Junior Championships will involve over 30 countries from five continents. The annual tournament determines the World Junior Team Champions, the World Junior ISA Tag Team Champions and medalists in the Under 18 Boys and Girls and Under 16 Boys Divisions.
South Africa’s Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) and Nick Godfrey (Cape St Francis) placed third and fifth respectively in the inaugural Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge, the world’s richest junior surfing event, at Keramas in Bali.
Although neither of our local boys ended up with the $20 000 winner’s pay cheque, they both ended up with impressive enough winnings.
17-year old Joubert eliminated Brazilian Miguel Pupo in the first of the quarterfinals before being narrowly beaten by eventual runner-up Marc Lacomare from France. Joubert’s third place earned him a healthy $4 500 (about R36 000).
Godfrey, 16, came up against event standout Hawaiian surfer Dusty Payne in his quarterfinal and was eliminated in equal fifth place with earnings of $3 500 (about R28 000).
Payne went on to defeat Aussie Mitch Crews in the semis before pocketing junior surfing’s biggest payout with a come-from-behind victory over Lacomare in the extended 45 minute final.
In its inaugural year, the 2008 Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge travelled the globe starting in February.
The series kicked off at North Stradbroke, Queensland, Australia, followed by, New Pier, Durban, South Africa; Lower Trestles, San Clemente, Calif., USA; Itamambuca Beach, Ubatuba City, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Shidashita Point, Chiba, Japan and Grand Plage, Lacanau, Gironde, France.
Joubert and Godfrey qualified for the Bali event by finishing first and second respectively in the Oakley Pro Junior Challenge in Durban at Easter.
With a total of six events for junior surfers to qualify, the Global Challenge Championship connected four days of competition to determine the winner from the 18 man field that included five sponsor’s wildcards and the winner of the Indonesian Trials.
South African surfers Shaun Joubert and Nick Godfrey have jetted off to Bali, where they will represent the country at the US $75 000 Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge Championships, the world’s richest Pro Junior men’s surfing event.
The event kicks off today in Keramas, Bali and will last until the 17th of October.
The South Africans earned their places in the select 18 man field by taking the top two spots in the Grade 2 Oakley Pro Junior event at New Pier in Durban in March. 17-year old Joubert, who is from Mosselbay and Godfrey (16), from Cape St Francis), advanced to the man-on-man final with Joubert clinching the victory and a prize-purse of US $2 500.
The Durban event was the second of six in the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge. The series kicked off at North Stradbroke, Queensland, Australia, and after South Africa, moved on to Lower Trestles, California, USA; Itamambuca Beach, Ubatuba City, Brazil; Shidashita Point, Chiba, Japan and Grand Plage, Lacanau, France.
The field for the Bali event, where the winner takes home US $20 000 (approx. R160 000), comprises the top two from each of the six events plus five wild cards and the local Balinese surfer who wins the trials in the week prior to the event.
The Bali event runs from 7-17 October and requires four days of competition to determine the winner, enabling the organisers to choose the best possible conditions during the 11 day waiting period.
South Africa’s hottest under 20 surfers are going to convene at Victoria Bay in the Southern Cape next week (23 – 26 September) to battle it out during the 13th annual Billabong Junior Series championships.
