Laurie Towner : photo Stever Robertson

Billabong Pro Teen Series                                                                                                        

ASP Australasian Junior Series
Manu Bay, Raglan, New Zealand       
16 - 19 March 2006                                                                                        

Laurie Towner and Jaimee Wheatley Win The Billabong Pro-Teen Series Raglan.

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 18 March, 2006 : - - 19-year-old surfer Laurie Towner (Angourie) has had the kind of week you would dream about.  Seven days ago, the talented natural footer was surfing 15-foot Shipsterns Bluff with Andy Irons and Joel Parkinson, today he reclaimed the ASP Australasian Junior Series ratings lead with an emphatic win over Owen Wright (Culburra) at the Billabong Pro Teen-Series surf event in New Zealand. 

The final day of competition was forced to relocate 20 minutes south of Manu Bay Raglan today, finalising at Ruapuke Beach in clean 3-4ft rip bowl right handers.  The conditions, while not nearly resembling the monsters Towner conquered last week in Australia were well suited to the tall natural footer, adapting his powerful brand of top turns to the glassy walls. 

“It’s been a really good week for me and I’m just happy everything has panned out the way it has,” said Towner.  “It’s been a week of highs, good waves at Shipsterns and then I won the contest, I couldn’t be happier.  I’m stoked to be back on top of the ratings as well, it’s a good feeling.” “Hopefully I can stay where I am and I would be happy if I finished in the top five or top ten,” said Towner.  “I’m having a good year so I want to keep the momentum going.” 

In one of the best finals seen in junior competition this year, the two event standouts traded blows for the entire 25 minutes with Wright striking first, posting an 8.00 just moments after the first siren.  Towner fought back to score two mid range 6.75 rides and take the lead before securing it with the finals top scoring wave of an 8.50 shortly after.  Leaving Wright needing a 7.14 in the latter stages of the exchange, Towner used the priority rule wisely, holding his young challenger of any wave that would have offered up the required score. 

“It was a tough final, Owen started off with an 8.00 and normally when someone does that they are pretty set for the rest of the heat,” said Towner.  “Owen is young but he is a really good surfer.  It’s hard to fight back against someone like that.” “I managed to get a couple of really good waves and over take him.  I let him take a couple of waves on the inside but luckily enough he didn’t get the score he needed.” 

Wright, who knocked out and inform Mitch Coleborn (Maroochydore) in the Semi Finals, scored his best Pro-Junior result today in the highly rated Billabong Pro-Teen Series.  The 16-year-old kid wonder has been regularly taking down big names throughout competition in 2006 and is remarkably eligible to compete on this series for another four years.  With one of the best forehand re-entries in the business, the result may have unfolded differently if more swell had allowed the contest to be run at Manu Bay, the long left hander which is the events usual home. 

“I’m stoked to make a final again and it was close,” said Wright.  “After Laurie got that 8.50 he pretty much nailed it.  I was just trying to do an air at the end and got close twice but just couldn’t pull it around.  “Left handers are definitely what I am used to at home and I was frothing out, surfing out there the other day, said Wright.  “While the waves were good here, I would have liked to have surfed at Manu Bay.” 

Bowing out in the Semi Final and completing his trifecta of equal third placing’s this year, Maroochydore’s Coleborn took the ratings lead on the ASP Australasian Junior Series for less than three heats as Towner promptly relegated him to second with the win.  Following the early round shock elimination of ratings leader Matt Wilkinson (Copacabana) and second ranked Julian Wilson (Noosa), the ratings lead was up for grabs once again. “As soon as I saw Julian and Wilko get knocked, that was what I was aiming for,” said Coleborn.   

Coming up against the talented Wright in the opening Semi Final today, Coleborn continued to display the quality surfing that saw him dominate each of his progression heats at Manu Bay over the past two days.  Holding the heat high wave score of an 8.50, he only needed a 6.50 to take the lead in the last five minutes but struggled to find a wave good enough for the task.  Using his priority in the dying stages, he picked up a re-form left but could only manage a 5.75, handing Wright the win. 

“Owen just seems to get through no matter what he does, he has been surfing really well,” said Coleborn.  “I only got two alright waves in that heat and one of them I fell off on, so I left it wide open for Owen to get through.” “I want to win an event pretty badly, even to make the final would cheer me up a bit,” said Coleborn.  “It’s defiantly been the best waves we have had all year, it’s a shame the swell didn’t stick around for the final on the point, but there was still some fun ones.” 

Also securing a Semi Final result today was Michael Spencer (Lake Munmorah).  Having struggled to post the same results that saw him climb to seventh on the junior ratings in 2005, the tall Natural footer welcomed a return to form after battling a badly injured ankle for much of the year.   

“I was pretty happy, it’s my best result so far,” said Spencer.  “I’ve been injured all throughout the start of this year and I’m just starting to get back into it.  I’m happy just to be surfing good again because I haven’t been surfing much at all.  I’m not as fit as I want to be, in terms of paddle strength but I’m getting close.” 

Spencer came unstuck to Towner in the second semi final in a one sided heat, an unfortunate end to an excellent competition for the Central Coaster.  Holding a pair of 4.0 rides, he ultimately needed a combination of 16.01 to match his opponent who was constantly in the spot for the better set waves.  “Laurie has just been on fire all comp and he is having a great year, so good luck to him.” 

In the Billabong Pro-Teen Junior Girls Division, West Australian surfer Jaimee Wheatley overcame a dangerous Airini Mason (Tugun) to win her first ever ASP Australasian Junior Series event today.  

The 20-year-old who is competing in her last year as a junior triumphed in the clean conditions, posting two scores of an 8.50 and a 7.75 to leave her opponent requiring a combination of rides to beat her. “To get a win over here is great, I had a third here last year and to win it in really good waves is insane as well,” said Wheatley.  “I thought the bigger ones offered better scoring opportunities so that’s why I waited a while and it paid off in the end.  I was loving it out there.” 

Wheatley’s maiden event win lifted her to fourth position on the Junior Girls ratings behind Mason, Bronte’s Nicola Atherton and Forsters Jessie Hickson.  “It would be good to be able to do the juniors again next year just so I could come back and compete in this event.” 

New Zealand born Mason looked to be the inform surfer throughout competition this week but could not match Wheatley in the final.  Opting to ride three smaller inside waves at the beginning of the heat while her opponent waited patiently for the larger set’s, the 16-year-old led for over 10 minutes but was put on the back foot when Wheatley knocked up her two best scores.   In the end, Mason could not piece together the 16 point combination of scores needed to take the event win away from Wheatley.   

“I really enjoyed this event and I did better than last year so I’m happy,” said Mason.  “I had trouble trying to pick my waves and that let me down, but she surfed really well and I’m stoked for her.” 

Residing on the Gold Coast with her family, Mason has gone from strength to strength in 2006, powering her way to becoming one of Australia’s and New Zealand’s hottest surfing prospects.  With three junior wins already under her belt this year, the natural footer strengthened her ASP Junior ratings lead today, finishing with second position, 1290 points, $600 and as the highest placed New Zealand surfer. 

“I just have to make sure that I keep doing better than Nicola (Atherton), but that’s my goal, I definitely want to win it this year,” said Mason.  “Being the first Kiwi girl to win it is definitely something I want to do, I think it’s really important.” 

Finishing in equal third today was Atherton and young Hawaiian surfer Lelia Hurst. 

Gold Coast surfer Adam Bennetts pocketed $1000 today curtesy of Kustom Shoes for the Best Kustomised Manoeuvre.  Bennetts was awarded the accolade after pulling a perfect pop-shouvit move in his round three heat on Friday.  The best Kustomised Manoeuvre has become an integral part of the Billabong Pro-Teen series in 2006, rewarding innovation within the competition format and throwing out cash to the most radical move throughout event. 

Tweed surfer Chris “Chippa” Wilson won the Panasonic Expression Session held just before the finals in a highly explosive 20-minutes of all or nothing aerial surfing.  Wilson, who is regarded as one of the most futuristic surfers on the junior circuit pulled a flawless “Passion Pop” move to win a new Panasonic Digital Video Camera. 

Results: 

Junior Women’s Quarter Finals 

1)       1st Nicola Atherton 13.65
          2nd Airini Mason 10.00
          3rd Rebecca Oakley 7.70
          4th Ashleigh Smith 4.10

2)       1st Jaimee Wheatley 12.90
          2nd Lelia Hurst 12.25
          3rd Jessie Hickson 12.90
          4th Lori Kelly 10.95

Junior Women’s Semi Finals
1) 1st Airini Mason 14.00                 2nd Nicola Atherton 10.85
2) 1st Jaimee Wheatley 13.50          2nd Lelia Hurst 10.80

Junior Women’s Final 
1st Jaimee Wheatley 16.25              2nd Airini Mason 9.25

Junior Men’s Semi Final 
1) 1st Owen Wright 15.00               2nd Mitchell Coleborn 14.25
2) 1st Laurie Towner 16.00              2nd Michael Spencer 9.00

Junior Men’s Final
1st Laurie Towner 15.40                 2nd Owen Wright 13.25

The Billabong Pro-Teen Series for 2006 is supported by Panasonic, Vodafone, Coca-Cola, UV Triplegard, Clearasil, Kustom, Von Zipper, Tracks and Palmers Surf. 

Billabong Pro Teen Series Dates and Locations 

Feb 7-12                          Billabong Pro-Teen Series Gold Coast
Feb 15-19                        Billabong Pro-Teen Series Wollongong
Mar 16-19                        Billabong Pro-Teen Series Raglan NZ
Mar 29-Apr 2                   Wild Surf Co/Billabong Pro-Teen Series Newcastle
Sep 27-Oct 1                   Billabong Pro-teen Bells Beach

www.billabong.com.au 
www.billabonggirls.com.au

Previous reports:
# 1 : Billabong Pro Teen Series kicks off at Manu Bay, Raglan 
# 2 : Raglan cranking for Billabong Pro-Teen Series Day Two
  

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Simon Barratt - Billabong
sbarratt@billabong.com.au 

Ben Kennings - Surfing NZ
benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz 

Junior Contests - Surfersvillage