KwaZulu Natal Longboard Surfing Association New Pier, Durban, S Afr. 17 - 22 April 2006
LONGBOARD CHAMPS POISED FOR A CLIMACTIC FINISH
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 21 April, 2006 : - - In what has already been hailed as the most successful longboarding competition on South African shores to date, the 2006 Jeep/Suncoast SA Longboard Surfing Championships are set for a climactic finish in Durban on Saturday.
Making full use of their home ground advantage, the KwaZulu Natal longboarding team put in another solid showing on the penultimate day despite tricky surf at Durban’s New Pier. The team now find themselves in good position to overthrow Western Province from their throne of longboarding dominance and return the team trophy back to the Kingdom of the Zulu for the first time in six years.
KwaZulu Natal’s bid for the trophy was aided in no small part by a solid showing in the Grandmaster’s and the Veteran’s divisions, where members of the KZN team occupy three of the top four positions in both divisions going into today’s final. Leading the charge is KZN team captain, Mark Brodowicz, who has been in devastating form throughout the event and is a favourite to take the title in the Veteran’s division.
In the Open Men’s division, four KZN surfers in the form of Jason and Brandon Ribbink, Donald Brierly and Brad Trickett will have to battle hard if they want to overcome the skills of Western Province’s reigning South African Champion, Matthew Moir and their teenage wildcard sensation, Justin Bing, who is also competing in the Junior division semi final.
But Durban’s all round waterman, Jordy Smith, is hoping to add the South African Junior Longboard title to his impressive bag, that already includes the South African and World Junior Surfing Championship titles. He will pose tough opposition for Bing and if his form is anything to go by, will be right up there when the final siren sounds.
In the Women’s division, Lisa Smith is the sole KZN representative competing amongst a surging sea of Western Province names that include Roxy Towill, Simone Robb and Tara Hossack. The Western Province girls surfed with power and aggression yesterday, and will look to continue that trend today. The U18 Girls final is a far more balanced affair with Nicole O’ Driscoll and Jessica Lefevre representing KZN and Vinita Oosthuizen and Hannah Bing representing Western Province.
Donald Paarman showed that the Eastern province team are not to be underestimated either, after he advanced to the Super Veteran final despite breaking his board and having to ride a borrowed one for the remainder of his semi final match-up. However, reigning SA Champion, KZN’s Hugh Thomspson, will be determined to retain the title that he won in Cape Town last year.
The Puma Western Province team have only lost the South African team trophy once in the past 12 years of competition. This year, however, those figures mean very little as the KZN team goes into the final day of competition with a slight numerical advantage over the long- standing champions.
While the Eastern Province team have only limited numbers going into the final round, their presence is not without threat. Greg Smith and Dylan McLeod will be looking to nullify the KZN vs. WP feud, when they compete in the Open Men’s Heats tomorrow. Dave and Johno Hill will be hoping for a Super Veteran and Junior division title respectively.
The semi finals and finals of the Men’s Open and Junior Divisions as well as the finals of all the other divisions will be run today at either Durban’s New Pier or Suncoast Beach. Please call the event hotline for confirmation of the venue. (076 731 5644).
The prize giving ceremony will be held at Suncoast Beach at 6pm on Saturday. Members of the press, however, will be able to obtain results shortly after the final heat, which should finish between 1pm and 2pm.
The 2006 South African Longboard surfing championships are proudly sponsored by Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World and Jeep Clothing and Accessories. The supporting sponsors are Fosters, Aquellé, Hurricane, Island Tribe, Mad Buzz energy drink, Marshall Surfboards, Steffanuti and Bressan (scaffolding) and 3663.
For more information on the 2006 South African Longboard Championships sponsored by Jeep and Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World, please visit the South African Longboard Surfing Association website: http://www.salsa.co.za.
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