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Rautenbach triumphs in Billabong ‘GGOT’ Summer Surf Series

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 5 February, 2006 : - - National junior surf team member Chantelle Rautenbach clinched the premier U20 title at the third and final Billabong “Girls Get Out There” 2005/6 Summer Surf Series event at Shark Bay on Melkbosstrand on Sunday. 

The 16 year-old resident of the coastal village North of Cape Town needed all her hometown knowledge to overcome the difficult conditions that included inconsistent half to one metre (1-3 foot) waves blasted by a near gale-force offshore wind and 12 degree water temperatures. 

Despite the conditions more than 60 girls 20 years-old and younger competed in the round robin early rounds and a similar number took up the offer of free ‘learn to surf’ lessons conducted on both days of the female surf festival. Rautenbach recorded two good rides in the final to total 11.5 points out of a possible 20 and convincingly defeat national teammate Tarryn Chudleigh (Scarborough) by more than three points to claim the winner’s prize-purse of R1 200.  

SA U14 champion Tanika Hoffman (Tokai), the top point scorer on Saturday, placed third in the U20 division with 12 year-old Heidi Palmboom (Bluff, KZN) also reaching the final and placing fourth.  

Chudleigh, nicknamed ‘Chuddles’ by her national teammates, made amends in the U16 division where she secured the title ahead of rising Melkbos star Caylin de Reuck with Danielle Johnson (Muizenberg) putting in a strong showing to grab third spot from Rautenbach. 

Bianca Buitendag from George in the Southern Cape scored 14.3 points, the highest in the four finals, to earn a runaway victory in the U14 category where Hoffman took second, Kommetjie’s Holly Armstrong was third and newcomer Morag Steele from Somerset West clinched her first podium finish by placing fourth. 

Sarah Baum from Athlone Park, between Durban and Amanzimtoti, made her long journey well worthwhile by defeating arch rivals Buitendag and Palmboom in the U12 final with the event unearthing yet another new talent in Heather Klug (Glenmore, KZN) who finished fourth in this division.. 

In addition to their prize-money, the finalists in the four division winners were presented with hampers of Designer Group’s Frenzi and Drench products along with the Oxy range from Mentholatum. 

All the contestants received custom event T-shirts, copies of Saltwater Girl mag, Mentholatum Soft Lips, Frenzi deodorant, Mrs. Palmers surf wax and Von Zipper give-aways. 

Tylah Terblanche from Macassar was adjudged the best ‘learn to surf’ student by Liam Wood of Sport & Surf and Dene Botha of the Kahuna Surfing Academy, the two SSA accredited surf coaches who conducted the free lessons that introduced more than 60 newcomers to the sport. 

The Billabong “Girls Get Out There” Summer Surf Series is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa, the national governing body for the sport, and gives girls of all abilities the opportunity to meet, mingle with and compete against their peers from the entire coastline of the country. 

The first ‘Girls Get Out There’ event in the 2005/6 Billabong Summer Surf Series was run at the Bay of Plenty in Durban in September and the second at Margate on the lower KZN South Coast in December. 

Billabong ‘Girls Get Out There’ Summer Surf Series Event #3 of 3 Melkbosstrand, Western Cape

Results

U/12 Girls
1.  Sarah Baum (Athlone Park, KZN)                     R400
2.  Bianca Buitendag (George, S/Cape)                R300
3.  Heidi Palmboom (Bluff, Durban)                        R200
4.  Heather Klug (Glenmore, KZN)                         R100

U/14 Girls
1.  Bianca Buitendag (George, S/Cape)                R500
2.  Tanika Hoffman (Kirstenhof)                            R400
3.  Holly Armstrong (Kommetjie)                            R300
4.  Morag Steele (Somerset West)                        R200

U/16 Girls
1.  Tarryn Chudleigh (Scarborough)                      R600
2.  Caylin de Reuck   (Melkbosstrand)                   R500
3.  Danielle Johnson (Muizenberg)                         R400
4.  Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand)            R300

U/20 Girls
1.  Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand)             R1 200
2.  Tarryn Chudleigh (Scarborough)                       R   900
3.  Tanika Hoffman (Kirstenhof)                              R   700
4.  Heidi Palmboom (Bluff, Durban)                         R   500 

Special Award for Outstanding Learn to Surf Performance
1.  Tylah Terblanche (Macassar, W/Cape) 

The Billabong “Girls Get Out There” Summer Surf Series is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa, the national governing body for the sport. This will be the third and final ‘Girls Get Out There’ event in the 2005/6 Billabong Summer Surf series. The first event was run at the Bay of Plenty in Durban in September and the second at Margate on the Southern KZN coast in December 2005. 

www.billabong.com/africa  

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