Vodacom Bodyboarding Showdown
presented by Vodacom and SABC

Bay of Plenty Beach Durban, South Africa
30 June 2006

Vodacom Bodyboarding Showdown: Sorenson Causes Upset Beating Former World Champ

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 1 July, 2006 : - - The Vodacom Bodyboarding Showdown at the Bay of Plenty on Friday, June 30 had all the ingredients required to make a spectacular event with perfect scores, upsets and world class bodyboarding performances.

The Vodacom Bodyboarding Showdown is a South African Bodyboarding Association (SABA) sanctioned specialty contest boasting a R10, 000 prize purse which was shared amongst the five divisions - Pro, Drop Knee, U20, U15 and Ladies. 

”The standard of riding at this event was really high and there were many big upsets. Standouts from a judging perspective were Ray Kean’s 10 point ride in the Drop Knee heat and Marc Lightley’s deep tube ride,” commented one of SABA’s most respected judges Sascha Taljaard. 

One of the day’s biggest surprises came when North Beach local rider Robyn Sorenson (Berea) defeated hot shot Karla Costa-Taylor (Berea) who has a world title to her name. 2004 SA Women’s Bodyboarding Champion Sorenson carefully selected the best set waves and outscored her more experienced rival.

Former national team member Kamala Botha (La Lucia) placed third on an impressive comeback trail with Lize-Mari Ras (Durban North) putting on an improved performance to finish fourth. 

Sihle Xaba : photo courtesy Vodacom

The Pro Final was off to a slow start with only three waves ridden during the first ten minutes. Alistair Taylor (Berea) sprang into action in the second half of the heat executing big reverse spins off the lip with style. Five times SA Bodyboarding Champion Philip Rodrigues (Durban North) replied with some strong rides which included a large air-roll-spin manoeuvre which earned him second place behind Taylor.

Less than two points separated national bodyboarding team member Wesley Fischer (Berea) and Sihle Xaba (Durban) who finished third and fourth respectively. “I was stoked with how the Vodacom Bodyboarding Showdown went today - we had fun waves, great weather and an awesome atmosphere at the beach. It’s great to be back with Vodacom sponsoring our bodyboarding event at the Durban Beach Africa festival.

I was also thrilled to have won the final which was tough and hard fought, but that makes it all the better to have come out on top against such good riders,” commented Pro winner and current SABA Chairman Alistair Taylor. 

The U20 Final proved to be an extremely close tussle with only one point separating first and third place. It was Charles Pass’s (Westville) moment in the sun when he squeezed past Michael Ostler and Stephen Jansens (Westville) to capture first place. Timothy Singh (Berea) showed promise with his fourth place finish. 

The Drop Knee showdown also came down to the wire with the usual favourites fighting for first place. Wesley Fischer (Berea) pipped Sascha Taljaard (South Beach) to the winner’s post with his fluid backhand style. Rheinhardt du Toit (Richards Bay) and Ray Kean (Durban North) stayed in the running for the title but despite shining earlier in the event they finished third and fourth. 

In the U15 Final Janneck Ferrandi (Umdloti) almost doubled the scores of his nearest competitor Adam Waites (Durban North) with Warren ven der Merwe (Richards Bay) placing third. Despite making the final, reigning South African Boy’s Bodyboarding Champion Ian Campbell (Morningside) had to leave the event early so that he did not miss his flight to Plettenberg Bay. 

The Vodacom Bodyboarding Showdown was run by the North Beach Bodyboarding Club. 

The surf conditions deteriorated over the course of the day, competitors were greeted by 1.5-metre perfection in the morning which flattened out with the high tide and cross-shore winds making for tricky conditions during the finals.  

The Vodacom Bodyboarding Showdown was one of the water sports highlights at the 2006 Durban Beach Africa festival in association with Vodacom and the SABC; the festival runs from June 30 to July 9 along the Golden Mile. Vodacom has a reputation for being the Greatest Supporters of SA supporters. 

The next stop on the SABA tour is the SABA Wedge Classic which runs from July 3 to July 7 at Plettenberg Bay. 

Vodacom Bodyboarding Showdown Results

Pro Final
1. Alistair Taylor (Berea)
2. Philip Rodrigues  (Durban North)
3. Wesley Fischer (Berea)
4. Sihle Xaba (Morningside)  

Ladies Final
1. Robyn Sorenson (Berea)
2. Karla Costa-Taylor (Berea)
3. Kamala Botha (La Lucia) 
4. Lize-Mari Ras (Durban North)  

Drop Knee Final
1. Wesley Fischer (Berea)
2. Sascha Taljaard (South Beach)
3. Rheinhardt du Toit (Richards Bay)
4. Ray Kean (Durban North)  

U20 Final
1. Charles Pass (Westville)
2. Michael Ostler (Westville)
3. Stephen Janssens (Westville)
4. Timothy Singh (Berea)  

U15 Final
1. Janneck Ferrandi (Umdloti)
2. Adam Waites (Durban North)
3. Warren ven der Merwe (Richards Bay)
4. Ian Campbell (Morningside) 

www.vodacom.co.za 

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