Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro

Men's 4 Star WQS Event
Women's 4 Star WQS Event
Soldiers Beach, Norah Head NSW
11 - 16 March 2008

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Soldiers Beach turns on for Arrive Alive Pro opening day

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 11 March, 2008 : - - Soldiers Beach, NSW -- Soldiers Beach turned it on for the opening day of the Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro, with perfect conditions generating some dazzling surfing from the world’s best. With more than 140 of the hottest surfers converging on the Central Coast beach break, the surfing which eventuated was of the highest calibre.

Led by some young Australian rippers the morning action was electric. Early standout was Laurie Towner (Angourie) who took the second highest wave score of the day with an 8.17 (out of a possible 10) and went on to a convincing win ahead of Parish Byrne (Wollongong). 

Towner is world renown as a fearless big wave charger but he also has an outstanding all round competitive record through junior and pro junior surfing in Australia.His recent exploits in some of the worlds most serious waves have taken their toll on Towner who has spent a lot of time in recovery recently however today’s win looks to be the start of a comeback for the stylish Northern NSW surfers.

Pitted in one of the toughest heats of the morning, Towner demonstrated his immense talent – shaking off an injury ravaged 12 months. “I was really happy with my heat, I’m feeling really good right now,” he said. “This is only the third contest I’ve surfed over the past three quarters of a year due to a run of injuries I’ve had. I’m just focusing on my free surfing this year and looking toward building my fitness back up.”

Laurie Towner : photo Steve Roberts

Current ASP Australasian  Junior Series ratings leader Stuart Kennedy was also in sparkling form, accruing the highest total heat score with a combined wave score of 16.26 (out of a possible 20). “I would really like to do well in this event. At the moment I’m just trying to focus on my surfing and build my profile as a good consistent surfer,” he said. “To me it’s more about improving my surfing and heat scores at this point in time.”

Looking at getting their 2008 campaigns off to a solid start at the 4-star rated World Qualifying Series (WQS) event were Clint Kimmins (Gold Coast) and veteran Matt Bemrose (Curl Curl) – both going progressing to the next round.

While Bemrose is looking towards building for his assault at the World Amatuer Titles in August through forging a solid foundation for the following Australian WQS events, Kimmins focus lies in qualification for the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT).

“I got off to a bit of a slow start in my heat, but I knew all I needed was a mid-range score to get through.” Following a win at the Rip Curl MP Classic at Kirra earlier in the year, Kimmins is 100% focused upon qualifying for the Dream Tour. “I’m really focused on making the WCT next year. Red Bull have given me the opportunity to use their training facilities all over the world, so I’m pumped for a big year,” he said.

Parrish Byrne : photo Steve Robertson

The action continued right through the afternoon with numerous impressive performances which included Hawaiian Gavin Gillette, former world junior champion James Wood (Lennox Head) and Nth Sydney surfer Alex Chacon.

Round two of the Arrive Alive Men’s will likely run tomorrow along with the opening round of the Arrive Alive Women’s . Men’s top seeded surfers are introduced in round two and include Current ASP World Tour Surfers Michael Campbell and local favourite Adrian Buchan.

The Arrive alive Central Coast Pro will see 144 male and 64 female surfers compete for total divisional prize money purses of US$80,000 and US$25,000 respectively, plus valuable early season WQS ratings points.  The event will be webcast live at the event website arrivealivepro.com. The event website will feature live scores, heat by heat results, daily news as well as photo and video galleries updated daily.

The Arrive alive Central Coast Pro is proudly supported by the NSW Motor Accidents Authority, Wyong Shire Council, The Beachcomber Hotel, Ocean & Earth, ASP Australasia, Surfing NSW, NBN Television, Central Coast Sun Weekly, Star FM, Australia’s Surfing Life and Greater Toukley Vision.

Steve Noble : photo Steve Robertson

About Arrive alive
Arrive alive is the NSW Motor Accidents Authority’s (MAA) youth road safety program. The MAA regulates the Compulsory Third Party (CTP) personal injury insurance scheme in NSW (known as Greenslips). The MAA is concerned about the over-representation of young people aged 17 to 25 in road crashes. Young drivers in this age group are at a higher risk of crashing than drivers of older ages for lots of reasons, including their inexperience, attitudes to driving and a tendency towards risk taking behaviour.

The MAA has a major commitment to improving road safety in NSW, and recognises that achieving this requires effective communication with young people about risk taking on the roads. This is where Arrive alive comes in. Arrive alive includes a range of programs that reflect common interest areas for young people. These programs aim to involve young people in activities they enjoy while positively influencing attitudes and behaviours on the roads.  The MAA wants to see young people stay safe on the roads and Arrive alive!

Previous reports:
# 1 : Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro readies for March 11 launch
# 2 : Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro rolls out with opening party
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

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Arrive Alive Media
Steve Robertson
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Michael Tyrpenou
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