Oakley Pro Jr Champ wildcards open to locals

Oakley ASP World Junior Championship

ASP World Junior Championship
Keramas, Bali, Indonesia
6 - 17 October 2012

Live Coverage | Results/Photos/Videos etc

Indonesia’s Pro Juniors to Compete for Wildcard Spots in the 2012 Oakley ASP World Pro Junior Champs

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 1 October, 2012 : - - Indonesia’s junior (under 21 years of age) surfers will be getting the chance of a lifetime on October 5th as they gather at Canggu Beach in Bali to compete in the trials event for two wildcard spots in the 2012 Oakley ASP World Pro Junior Championships, scheduled to run from the 6th to 17th October in Bali, Indonesia.

Raising the stakes even higher, for the first time in history the winner of the Oakley event will also be crowned the 2012 ASP World Pro Junior Champion. The two lucky wildcard winners will not only have the opportunity to take on the world’s best but also to take out the title on home soil.

In last year’s Oakley World Pro Junior Bali, Darmaputra Tonjo from Legian made headlines by first knocking out number 2 seed Nat Young, then going on to eliminate number 1 seed Jack Freestone in his very next heat. He was finally stopped in Round 4 by Hawaii’s Ezekial Lau, but had the distinction of being the first Balinese surfer to advance past Round 3 in an ASP pro junior event.

Tonjo is now 21 so will not be competing this year, but his team mate Putra Hermawan from Nusa Lembongan is keen to get into the fray and better Tonjo’s performance.

“I’m confident I can make it through the trials and into the main event,” said Hermawan. “I’ve got a pretty good track record at Canggu and at Keramas, I got second in the trials last year, so I know I can do well. I know the boys are really excited to compete and get the wildcards, so they all will be surfing their best.” When asked how it would feel to equal or better Tonjo’s result last year and take down the world’s top pro juniors, he replied, “For sure I would be very proud of myself, and that is my goal. To knock out the world’s number 1 in my own backyard is my motivation. I can’t wait to get out there!”

Hermawan is no stranger to the podium and championship crowns, as he has a 2009 ISC Junior Championship, a 2010 ISC Pro Junior Championship, and a 2010 ISC Open Championship to his credit already, so expect to see him going big at every opportunity as he chases first a wildcard and then another championship victory.

The field of some 20+ Indonesian surfers under 21 years old are standing by and frothing for action, waiting for the horn to blow the start of the first heat of the trials at Canggu Beach on Friday October 5th at approximately 7:30 am.

Come on out to witness all the action in the trials on October 5th, and then watch the Indonesian wildcards take on the world’s best in the main event that starts on October 6th, where the world’s best under 21 year old men and women from Australasia, Africa, Hawaii, Europe, Japan, North America and South America compete for the ASP World Championship title and the $130,000 prize purse.

The Oakley ASP World Pro Junior is supported by surfermag.com, Komune Resort and Beach Club Bali, Pullman Bali Legian Nirwana, New Era, BIMC Hospital, the Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Championships, and Odysseys Surf School, with media support by indosurflife.com, Surftime Magazine, and Lines Magazine

Previous reports:
# 1 : Coveted ASP world junior title up for grabs in Bali
# 2 : Oakley ASP World Juniors announce lineup
# 3 : Coming Soon
# 4 : Coming Soon