Billabong ASP World Junior Champs

2007 ASP World Junior Championships

Aussie Junior Surfers To End World Title Drought In Sydney

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 26 December, 2007 : - - Sydney's North Narrabeen will play host to junior surfers from around the globe in the early days of 2008, for the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.  The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships is the premier event for junior surfers aged 20 and under and is seen by competitors as a primary stepping-stone to a career as a professional surfer.

Eight world regions will be represented with all contenders having placed in the top five of their respected regional junior circuits, a mean feat in itself.  The Australian Pro Junior Series alone features over 200 hopefuls. 

The event has not produced an Australian champion for five years, with world tour surfer Joel Parkinson’s (Coolangatta) victory of 2001 being the last time the host nation claimed a junior men’s title.  Australian junior women have won two consecutive titles courtesy of Sydney surfers Jessi Miley-Dyer and Nicola Atherton.

Two Brazilians, one Hawaiian and a South African, have successfully thwarted Australia’s hopefuls over the past four years. While all competitors surf individually, Australia will be represented by Mitchell Coleborn (Maroochydore), Julian Wilson (Coolum), Heath Joske (Nambucca), Jayke Sharp (Coffs Harbour), Beau Atchison (Copacabana) and Matt Wilkinson (Copacabana).

Sally Fitzgibbons (Gerroa) and Airini Mason (Tugun) will represent Australia in the junior women’s. Top ranked Australian Coleborn believes this will be the year an Australian will break through for a win. “It has been a long time since an Aussie has won the men’s,” said Coleborn. “I know how hungry everyone is for the title this year.”

“It really is the biggest contest of the year for us and you know that the best guys from around the world are going to be there, but we have a solid team.” Fellow Aussie representative Heath Joske (Coffs Harbour) is also adamant that 2007 will see a change in fortune.

“Everyone in the contest is a major threat,” he said.  “There are no walk through heats and you'll have to be on your game from heat one. I think the Aussies are just as good as everyone else if not better, Mitch has been surfing amazing all year, as have Julian, Jayke and Beau.”

A win at the world junior championships is rewarded with a guaranteed main round seed into all top rated world qualifying series (WQS) events in 2008. “My main goal next year is to do well on the ‘QS [World Qualifying Series],” said Coleborn. “So to win the World Juniors and get that seed for the year would take away so much stress and pressure.”

The Billabong World Junior Championships begin at North Narrabeen beach on January 3rd.  The Von Zipper Trials will be held on January 2nd  award two places into the main draw.  The event will be broadcast live via the internet on billabongpro.com. The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships are supported by Panasonic, The Association Of Surfing Professionals, Von Zipper, The Warringah Shire Council and Surfing NSW.

Teams:

ASP South America Qualifiers
1 Charlie Brown
2 Wiggolly Dantas
3 Robson Santos
4 Yan Guimares
5 Giancarlo Zampieri
WQS to be decided
1 Bruna Schmitz
2 Marina Werneck

ASP Australasia Qualifiers
1 Mitchell Coleborn
2 Julian Wilson
3 Heath Joske
4 Jayke Sharpe
5 Beau Atchison
WQS Matt Wilkinson
1 Sally Fitzgibbons
2 Airini Mason (NZ)

ASP Hawaii Qualifiers
1 Casey Brown
2 John John Florence
3 Clay Marzo
4 Kyle Ramey
5 Dusty Payne
WQS Mason Ho
1 Alessa Cuizon
2 Leila Hurst

ASP Africa Qualifiers
1 Rudy Palmboom
2 Brandon Roberts
3 Brett Shearer
4 Brandon Jackson
5 Josh Redman
WQS Clinton Gravett
1 Tarryn Chudleigh
2 Nikita Robb

ASP Europe Qualifiers
1 Adrien Valero (FRA)
2 Jatyr Berasaluce (ESP)
3 Nicolas Von Rupp (PRT)
4 Romaine Cloitre (FRA)
WQS Charley Martin (GLP)
1 Lee Ann Curren (FRA)
2 Pauline Ado (FRA)

ASP Japan Qualifiers
1 Noboyuki Osawa
2 Kento Takahashi
3 Keito Matsuoka
4 Shu Hagiwara
WQS Tatsuya Fukugawa
1 Nao Omura
2 Asako Mizuno

ASP North America Qualifiers
1 Adam Wickwire
2 Nick Rozsa
3 Cory Arrambide
4 Chris Waring
WQS Tanner Gudauskas
1 Courtney Conlogue
2 Sage Erickson

ASP International Emerging Nations
1 Angelo Lozano (MEX)
2 TBC
3 TBC

ASP Main Event Wildcards
1 Pablo Paulino (BRA)
2 TBC

Billabong Main Event Wildcards
1 Torrey Meister (HAW)
2 Tamaroa McComb (PYF)

Trials (1st and 2nd to main event)

1 Brendan Leckie (AUS)
2 Blake Wilson (AUS)
3 Madison Williams (AUS)
4 Owen Wright (AUS)
5 Parrish Byrne (AUS)
6 Ashley King (AUS)
7 Nick Riley (AUS)
8 Reuben Levitt (AUS)
9 Laurie Towner (AUS)
10 Jean Sebastian Estienne (FRA)
11 Tahitian Junior #2 (series yet to be finalised)
12 Mustafa Jensen (IND)
13 Israeli #1- Ido Ksantini
14 Israeli #2 Yonatan Klein
15 Granger Larson (HAW)
16 Spare - (we have nominated Shaun Joubert, 16yo, ZAF)

The Von Zipper Trials will award WJC wildcards at Narrabeen

Previous reports:
# 1 : Lineup for ASP World Junior Championships announced
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

www.billabong.com.au
www.aspworldtour.com

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Billabong Media
Simon Barratt
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Steve Robertson
stever@surfingaustralia.com.au

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