Rusty Pro
presented by Mini

2A rated ASP Pro Junior
New Pier, Durban Beachfront
23 - 25 June 2006

Jordy Smith Surfs into Record Books at Rusty Surf Pro

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 25 June, 2006 : - - Jordy Smith (Umbilo) surfed his way into the ASP Africa record books at the Rusty Surf Pro presented by MINI for winning both the Pro Junior and Pro Men’s titles in the same event at New Pier at the weekend. In addition to his victories Smith also laid claim to the highest heat tally and single wave scores of the event. In the Pro Women’s division Rosanne Hodge (East London) put on a sensational surfing display to claim victory.  

The 2A rated ASP Africa Pro Surf Tour (PST) event carried a total prize purse of R20, 000. The surf conditions improved dramatically as the swell increased over the course of the day with some 1.5 to 2-metre sets arriving in time for the finals. 

“I had my sights set on winning the Pro Junior title so taking the Pro Men’s final after that was a bonus. I am stoked to have achieved something like this which has never been done before,” said Smith clutching both winners’ cheques which amounted to R6, 000.  

2003 and 2004 ASP PST Pro Junior Champion Smith who has already notched up six victories in 2006 is well on his way to being the most successful Pro Junior surfer ever in South Africa. With three more Pro Junior contests left on the 2006 calendar all eyes will be on Smith who has now snatched the current ratings lead away from Keegan Nel (East London). 

In the Pro Men’s final Smith asserted his dominance by riding on the first wave of the heat scoring 5.0-points which he replaced with two identical scores of 7.17-points. Gavin Roberts (Scottburgh) and Shaun Payne (St Francis Bay) stopped at nothing to try to catch Smith and were frustrated by the long lulls between sets. Spectators were treated to a ding dong battle and a flurry of wave exchanges which resulted in the top three surfers being separated by a negligible 0.2-point. Smith won with 12.5 out of a possible 20 points; Roberts finished up with 12.43 and Payne was breathing down their necks with 12.30-points.

Highlights included Roberts’s tail slide re-entry and Payne’s forehand air. Despite some strong surfing in the earlier rounds, Daniel Redman (Morningside – Durban) lacked a second high scoring ride in the final and took fourth. Smith’s Pro Men’s victory has boosted him into the current top 14 on the ratings with a tally of 2039 points. 

In the Pro Junior final Smith took no prisoners and led as soon as the siren sounded when he caught his opening wave. Dave Richards (Cape Town) showed his class taking the runner up slot ahead of Brandon Roberts (Cape Town). Josh Redman (Morningside – Durban) was unable to get a wave with high scoring potential and placed fourth. 

In the Pro Women’s division the two young East Londoners Rosanne Hodge (East London) and Nikita Robb (East London) went head to head in an epic showdown snatching top honours away from the more experienced local surfers. Some of the best waves of the day came through during this final and all of the women put them to good use with some exceptional surfing. Hodge finished with 15.33 points out of a possible 20 ahead of Robb who had a heat total of 14.9 points. Despite achieving some high scores earlier in the event, Tasha Mentasti (Durban North) and Tamarys de Maroussem (Westbrook) had to be content with third and fourth place respectively.  

“I’m so stoked to have won today, it was such a tight final and I knew I had to up my game because I had not won an event in a while so this is a great confidence booster before the Mr Price Pro,” said Hodge.  

The Expression Session was won by Stanley Badger (Cape St Francis) for a sensational relatively new aerial manoeuvre called a “Passion Pop”. 

Smith’s unrivalled performance in the ASP Africa PST event caught the eye of the Zigzag team and he was finally presented with the prestigious Zigzag Blowing Up Award after a few close calls.  

“Jordy has never won our award before but today’s performance was exceptional. Not only did he earn the best single wave score and highest heat tally, he outdid himself by winning both titles. Up until now it was difficult for us because Jordy always blows up in the water but for us to recognise him with our award he had to do something extra special,” commented Mike Frew Zigzag Publisher.  

The event which started on Friday, June 23 drew to a close after an action-packed three days with two spectacular rainbows glowing across the contest area at the second annual Rusty Surf Pro presented by MINI. 

The Rusty Surf Pro presented by MINI provided a great opportunity for local surfers to get focused ahead of the Mr Price Pro six star ASP World Qualifying Series event which takes place from 1 to 9 July at North Beach.  

Rusty Surf Pro presented by MINI Results

Pro Men’s Final:
Jordy Smith (Umbilo - Durban)
Gavin Roberts (Scottburgh)
Shaun Payne (St Francis Bay)
Daniel Redman (Morningside – Durban) 

Pro Women’s Final:
Rosanne Hodge (East London)
Nikita Robb (East London)
Tasha Mentasti (Durban North)
Tamarys de Maroussem (Westbrook) 

Pro Junior’s Final:
Jordy Smith (Umbilo – Durban)
Dave Richards (Cape Town)
Brandon Roberts (Cape Town)
Josh Redman (Morningside – Durban)  

Expression Session: Stanley Badger (Cape St Francis)
Zigzag Blowing Up Award: Jordy Smith (Umbilo – Durban)

www.rusty.com

Previous reports:
# 1 : 2006 Rusty Pro Shines With Support From Mini
# 2 : Rusty Pro's mens heats dominated by the young guns
# 3 : Mixed Results on Day 2 at Rusty Pro presented by Mini 


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

New! Get the latest news with Surfersvillage News-Alerts 

Mike Varikas
sales@rusty.co.za

Olivia Jones Communications
olivia@atomgate.com

Junior contests - Surfersvillage