The four finalists in the VZ Trials - Bobby Hansen, Beau Walker, Jean Estienne and Blake Thornton.
Photo ASPWorldtour/Tostee

Billabong World Junior Championships

ASP Junior Championship
North Narrabeen, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1 - 8 January 2005

Live Webcast     Scores/Results/Photos/Videos etc

BOBBY HANSEN WINS VONZIPPER TRIALS
BILLABONG JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AIMING TO START TOMORROW

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 31 December, 2005 : - - Despite the conditions being somewhat tiny at North Narrabeen Beach, Sydney, Australia, the action was hot as competitors in the vonzipper Trials put on a tremendous display of small wave surfing as the waves slowly built throughout the afternoon.

The vonzipper Trials event is held prior to the main event – the men’s Billabong World Junior Championships – and determines the four remaining wildcards to join the best 44 under-20 surfers on the planet, who are already slotted into the first round draw.

The four finalists, and now main event competitors, included Bobby Hansen (NZ), Beau Walker (AUS), Blake Thornton (AUS) and Jean Estienne (FRA).

They finished the final in that order with Hansen claiming the victory after dominating all day. Showing brilliant flair he demolished almost every wave he rode and will certainly be one to watch when he attacks round one of the main event. 

    
Laurie Towner                                                      Michael Spencer 

    
Luke Dorington                                                     Beau Walker

Organisers are hopeful to get underway again with either the men’s or ladie's tomorrow as forecasts are looking positive over the next few days with a decent north-east swell predicted.

“It’s looking like being one of the best starts to the event that we have had in years,” said Contest Director Luke Egan. “We should see a kick in swell tomorrow [Sunday, New Years Day] before a southerly change, then we should see a new swell build from that. It’s also forecasted to get reasonably solid later next week.”

Organisers will convene at 7.30am tomorrow with the hope of there being an 8am start.

The event is the premiere ASP International junior competition and both the men and women divisions follow contest formats identical to those of the elite World Championship Tours.

  
Narrabeen Beach                                                     Bobby Hansen

  
Beau Walker                                                             Blake Thornton

In the men’s there are 48 surfers who will compete in a man on man format after the first round of three man heats while in the women’s there will be 18 surfers who will also compete in a man on man format.

Surfers in the draw come from the seven ASP regions including North America, Europe, Asia, Hawaii, South Africa, South America and host region Australasia.

The full draw for tomorrow plus information on the competitors can be found on www.billabongpro.com or www.aspworldtour.com

Billabong and ASP will be hosting a full Live Webcast  of the event every day also on the websites above.  

The girls now have a chance to win an ASP World Junior title thanks to Billabong.
Photo ASPWorldtour/Tostee

BILLABONG WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONS FAST FACTS

Event Name: 2005 ASP Billabong World Junior Championships
Rating: ASP International World Junior
Location: North Narrabeen, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Event site: North Narrabeen Surf Life Saving Club
Nearest Airport: Sydney Airport
ASP Int Office Contact: (07) 55991550
ASP Australasia Office Contact: (02) 66749888
ASP Onsite Representative: Al Hunt
Contest Director: Luke Egan
Contest Contact: Bushy Mitchell (0418 626 349), Michael Talbot (0421 965 144), Jeremy Scadden (0439 709 829) – to add Peter Hunt Surf NSW contact.
Media Contacts: Simon Barratt (0437 733 346), Mandy McKinnon (0417 079 941) or Wayne Dart (0407 189 289)
Party Manager – Ashley Forrest (0411 601 841) 

Event information

VZ Trials: start date December 31st 2005
Formats: VZ Trials, 4 x 4 heats, 2 x 4 Semi Finals and 1 x 4 Final
8 Australasian Rating Seeds
2 Billabong/ VZ Wildcards
6 ASP International Selections.

Main Event window dates: January 1st to January 8th 2005
Main Event Formats: ASP World Championship Tour draws apply for the Boys and Girls divisions.
Judging: Association of Surfing Professionals judging panel will be utilized. Event rules as per Association of Surfing Professionals Rule Book. Mark Bannister (former top 44 WCT surfer) will be Beach Marshall to assist in explaining the priority rules which commence from Round 2 of the main events

Men's Event: Total field of 48 surfers. Eight regions (Europe, South Africa, South America, North America, Hawaii, Australasia and Asia) plus a newly formed ASP International region. Four top regions on 2004 seedings to consist of 6 surfers, 3 back seeded regions to consist of 5 Surfers ASP Int’l region to consist of 3 surfers: 1 Tahiti, 2 To be decided by ASP. Teams to be made up from top 5/4 seeds from regional junior events plus highest seeded WQS surfer from that region.

Three full days are required to finish the junior men’s event.

Wildcards:  Billabong will have 2 sponsor wildcards, 2 to the ASP and 2 from the trials.
Billabong Wildcards: Billabong has selected Wade Goodall (Caloundra, QLD) and Jordy Smith (South Africa) as their sponsor wildcards.

ASP wildcards are Tuamata Puahini (Tah) and Edson Camacho (Peru)

Women’s Event: Total field of 18 surfers in the inaugural Billabong Girls World Junior Championships.  7 Regions (Europe, South Africa, South America, North America, Hawaii, Australasia, Asia) plus four wildcards. Two Billabong sponsor wildcards and two decided by ASP. Only two full days are required to complete the women’s.

Wildcards:  Billabong have selected Lyndsay Noyes (Cronulla, NSW) and Airini Mason (Tugan, QLD) as event wildcards. ASP wildcards include Stephanie Gilmore (Kingscliff NSW) and another to be confirmed.

Contest Director: Luke Egan will be contest director for the third consecutive year. The recently retired 21-year WCT veteran who finished number two in the world in 2000 has now taken up a marketing position at Billabong. Offering valuable insight into man on man competition and the WCT event format, Egan has great influence in deciding whether the competition will run each day and providing the ideal setting for the junior surfers to compete in.

www.billabongpro.com
www.aspworldtour.com

Previous reports:
# 1 : Billabong WJSC is Worlds Richest Junior Surfing Event
# 2 : Juniors to rock in Oz in Billabong World Junior Champs 
# 3 : Billabong World Junior Champs will be webcasting LIVE 
# 4 : Coming soon  

More Australasian Surfing News available here
Check the latest Australasian Surf Reports and Forecasts

For more information please contact;-

Simon Barratt
sbarratt@billabong.com.au

Wayne Dart
darty@aspworldtour.com

Mandy McKinnon
mandy.mckinnon@bigpond.com

Pierre Tostee
tostee@aspworldtour.com

Steve Robertson
stever@surfingaustralia.com.au

Junior Contests - Surfersvillage.