Lizzard Tag Series Event #1

Surfing South Africa
Strand Beach Cape Town South Africa
14 - 15 September 2007

Team surfing makes first stop of the Lizzard Tag Series a hit

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 18 September, 2007 : - - Stormy Cape weather in late July forced the postponement of the first of three inaugural Lizzard Tag events but last weekend (September 15/16) the seventy girls and boys from all parts of the Western Cape who had waited patiently for the event to get under way got their chance to take to the water as members of the 14 teams that participated.

The contest got off to a chilly start on Day One but the second day of competition was held in ideal light offshore winds, 2 foot surf and under sunny skies. Teams included boys and girls, national team members, provincial surfers and rookies and each forty minute heat was run using the International Surfing Association's tag team rules.

With a time limit of 40 minutes each team member had to catch two quick waves, leave the water and tag a teammate in their enclosure. Surfers needed to finish within the time limit to avoid losing points and hold thumbs that  their Power surfer did enough on each of his or her three counting waves to see the team through to the next round.

Team surfing takes far less time to complete than normal contests and is probably surfing's version of 20/20 cricket and sevens rugby. Team members, coaches and spectators get involved in the action and unlike most surfing contests, tag surfing demands team work.

Tag team : photo Lizzard

Over the weekend the focus was on fun as well as competition and with this in mind surfers were encouraged to come up with names for their teams which gave them an identity and team spirit. After a total of five 40 minute heats and two semi finals had been completed, the four teams that reached the final were the Geckos, the Great Whites, the Wannabees and the Conquerors.

For many of the young surfers in the finals it was the first time that they would earn prize-money as Lizzard had put up a generous prize-purse of R5000 which would be divided among the surfers in the finals. With R2000 on offer for the winners to divide five ways the finals were a pretty serious affair and amazingly at the end of forty minutes the top two teams were tied

Organisers used the scores achieved by the Power surfers to break the tie and with a score of 50 (Mellish) to 48 (Bromley), honours went the way of Jacob Mellish's Gecko team with Matt Bromley's Great Whites having to settle for second and a share of R1500. Jeandre Blignault's Wannabees came third and the Conquerors, led by Power surfer Daniel Wilson were fourth.

The next Lizzard Tag Series event will take place at St Mikes on the KZN South Coast on November 3 & 4 and the final event in the series is scheduled for The Pipe at Pollock Beach in PE on November 24 & 25. Only surfers from each region may compete in the Lizzard Tag Series events. Information on the series and entry forms can be completed online at surfing south africa.co.za 

FULL RESULTS

1. GECKO TEAM : 82 POINTS
    JACOB MELLISH
    JONAH PAARMAN
    DYLAN FRICK
    PHILLIP CARSTENS
    TAMMY WYNAND

2. GREAT WHITES : 82 POINTS
    MATTHEW BROMLEY
    TRISTAN VEEN
    CHAD HERMAN
    RYLAN PAGE
    TYLAH TERBLANCHE

3. WANNABEES : 70 POINTS
    JEANDRE BLIGNAULT
    JP OLIVIER
    SABRINA SCOTT
    BRANDON BENJAMIN
    ANOUSH ZAKARIAN

4. CONQUERORS : 66 POINTS
    DANIEL WILSON
    PAPI MAKANYANE
    BENJAMIN DE CASTRO
    SHENEY VEEN
    LUANDA SEPHONG

Previous reports:
# 1 : The Lizzard Tag Series launches at Strand Cape Town
# 2 : Lizzard Tag Series 1 postponed due to wild Cape storm
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

www.lizzard.co.za
www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za
www.lizzard.co.za/Web/advertDetails.aspx?adId=5

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

New! B2B News ASBE-Surf   |  Receive News-Alerts

Robin de Kock

Contests - Surfersvillage