Rudy Palmboom wins under 16 Gromsearch event title

Rudy Palmboom : file photo Surfersvillage

Rip Curl Gromsearch

Surfing South Africa (SSA) sanctioned event
Fifth Stop: St. Francis Bay - Eastern Cape
August 2 - 3, 2003

Palmboom Pulls Out All The Stops To Win Under 16 Gromsearch Title

Rudy Palmboom (Bluff) pulled out all the stops to defeat East London´s Clinton Gravett today (Sunday, 03 August 2003) in the highly competitive under 16 boy´s division at the Rip Curl Gromsearch event held at St. Francis Bay. The fifth of eight one-off events which drew an impressive 75 entries climaxed at Main Beach in testing onshore one-metre surf. The nationwide search for the hottest junior surfers is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA) and this weekend´s tournament was hosted by EP Surfing. The top two under 16 boys and top two under 16 girls from each provincial event qualify to compete in the Rip Curl Gromsearch Grand Final in Durban on November 29th & 30th.

14 year old Palmboom found his feet in the final combining powerful top to bottom turns with smooth progressive surfing to take first place ahead of pre-event favourite Gravett who won the East London Gromsearch. Day one´s standout Greg Hayseldon (PE) placed third ahead of local surfer Nicolas Christy (St. Francis Bay).

J-Bay local Sebastian Coetzee (12) who was the youngest finalist in his age group kept his focus winning heats throughout the tournament to take the under 14 division title ahead of St. Francis Bay resident Jamie Lawrence. The final was an all-Eastern Province affair; Faizel Smith (PE) surfed to third place with J-Bay´s Bertie Stuurman thrilled to make his first final where he claimed fourth slot.

The under 12 division showdown consisted of exactly the same finalists as the East London leg of the Gromsearch the only difference was the final positions. Aaron Rielly´s (EL) tactic of sitting far out and opting to catch the bigger left breaking waves paid off handsomely as he was the deserving winner of a Rip Curl watch and Red Bull hamper in his category. Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) refused to go down without a fight catching a strong wave in the last five minutes to finish in second place. Indi Rooken-Smith (Mossel Bay) and St. Francis Bay´s Dale Staples surfed well to finish third and fourth respectively.

The under 16 girl´s division was packed with fresh faces, newcomer Rene van Aswegen (Plett) and Lisa Mace (Somerset West) earned a place in the Rip Curl Gromsearch Grand Final by finishing first and second respectively in the exciting final. Promising J-Bay local surfers Laetitia Lee and Lucinda Potgieter displayed confidence in their surfing to take third and fourth overall.

Originating in Australia four years ago, the Rip Curl Gromsearch is now held annually in countries such as Brazil, USA, France, Spain, New Zealand and Portugal.

St. Francis Rip Curl Gromsearch Results:

U/16 Boys
1. Rudy Palmboom (Bluff)
2. Clinton Gravett (EL)
3. Greg Hayseldon (PE)
4. Nicolas Christy (St. Francis Bay)

U/16 Girls
1. Rene van Aswegen (Plett)
2. Lisa Mace (Somerset West)
3. Laetitia Lee (J-Bay)
4. LucindaPotgieter (J-Bay)

U/14 Boys
1. Sebastian Coetzee (J-Bay)
2. Jamie Lawrence (St. Francis Bay)
3. Faizel Smith (PE)
4. Bertie Stuurman (J-Bay)

U/12 Boys
1. Aaron Rielly (EL)
2. Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay)
3. Indi Rooken-Smith (Mossel Bay)
4. Dale Staples (St. Francis Bay)

Hayselden Stamps His Authority On Day One

Greg Hayselden (PE) stamped his authority in the under 16 division on day one of the St. Francis Bay Rip Curl Gromsearch held in offshore 1-1.5-metre (3 -5 ft) surf at Main Beach. The fifth of eight one-off events drew an impressive 75 entries. The nationwide search for the hottest junior surfers is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA). This weekend´s tournament, which is hosted by EP Surfing, will culminate in explosive finals held tomorrow and a prize giving ceremony on the beach shortly afterwards.

Hayselden was credited with achieving not only the day´s highest heat score of 17 out of a possible 20 but also the top single wave score of a near flawless 9 out of 10. J-Bay locals Sebastian Coetzee and Samuel Matshebe were the under 14 division standouts. Under 12 surfers Aaron Reilly (EL) and Nic Godfrey (Cape St. Francis) were streaks ahead of their peers with the latter a relative newcomer turning heads having only surfed for one year. Rene van Aswegen (Plett) goes into tomorrow´s semi-finals as the favourite for the under 16 girls title.

Originating in Australia four years ago, the Rip Curl Gromsearch is now held annually in countries such as Brazil, USA, France, Spain, New Zealand and Portugal.

There are great prizes on offer to finalists in all divisions and for the top two under 16 boys and top two under 16 girls there is the added incentive of being invited to compete in the Grand Final in Durban in November.

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Issued on behalf of:

Mike Larmont
Rip Curl South Africa

Issued by:

Olivia Jones
082 537 8840
Email: oliviajones@webmail.co.za
Surfing SA: rosadian@iafrica.com

Groms - Surfersvillage

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