Billabong Junior Series Africa #2

Surfing South Africa
Victoria Bay, Southern Cape South Africa
7 - 10 August 2008

Overhead waves and great surfing on Day 2 of Billabong Junior Series at Victoria Bay

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 8 August, 2008 : - - Overhead waves poured down the point at Victoria Bay for Day 2 of the Billabong Junior Series providing competitors with long rides and the opportunity to display their full repertoire of manoeuvres.

Proceedings started with Round 1 of the U16 division where the top two in each heat advanced to meet the top 16 seeds in the division. With the tide dropping and plenty of sets closing out across the bay many of competitors opted to exit the water at the end of their rides and run back along the point before jumping back into the line-up.

Nicholas Preen (Hout Bay) used this option after snapping his leash and losing his surfboard with just four minutes remaining in his heat. Sitting in third place and needing a score of 4.5 points, Preen collected a new leash, sprinted up the point, dived into the surf and caught a wave that enabled him to get the score and advance in second place.

Other to shine in the U16’s included Tokai’s Daniel Wilson who displayed superior strategy, waiting for the best waves and carving up the wave faces with powerful backhand surfing, and Jeandre Blignaut (Melkbosstrand) who cruised to a comfortable heat victory.

With Lifeguards, ER24 Medical Response and two organisers suited up and ready to assist if necessary, the U14 quarterfinals took to the surf with the top six seeds dominating their respective match-ups.

Jarred Veldhuis (Kommetjie) was the standout of the round, posting a near perfect 9.0 point ride and backing that up with a 6.0 to advance to the semis along with second placed Daniel Buitendag, whose local knowledge saw him finish ahead of seventh seed Mikey Venter (Warner Beach).

Accompanied by Billabong Team Manager Ryan Payne and big-wave charger Thomas King-Kleynhans, the U12 semi-finalists then paddled out into what for them were double overhead waves.  Former U12 series champ Max Armstrong (Kommetjie) was unfazed by the conditions and blazed his way into the final along with runner-up and relative newcomer Matthew McGillivray who only started surfing in Port Elizabeth 16 months back.

The second semi saw rising star Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay) catching some of the bigger waves and riding them on his backhand to clinch his place in the final with second placed fellow Capetonian Dylan Wichman (Marina da Gama).

The U14 semifinals provided the biggest upsets of the day when current ratings leader Slade Prestwich (Park Rynie) was joined by Daniel Buitendag in advancing to the final while quarterfinal standout Jarred Veldhuis was eliminated. The second semi saw third seed Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) take the win ahead of Dylan Lightfoot who ousted second seed and fellow Jeffreys Bay ripper Steven Sawyer.

The Round of 48 in the premier Pro Junior (U20) division completed the day’s action with stocky young backhand surfers Daniel Wilson and Jarred Veldhuis dominating heat No. 1, JBay’s Bertie Stuurman ripping the long walls apart for an 8.0 and a 5.5 in heat No. 3, Donovan Zoetmulder (Port Elizabeth) cleaning up in heat No. 5, Dane Staples (St Francis Bay) looking confident and stylish on his way to victory in heat No. 6 and Mark Shepperson (Umdloti) posting the highest heat total of the day, 16.25 out of 20, in the last heat of the round.

See billabong.com/za for all the results and the latest images and news from the event. The recently launched webpage also features athlete profiles, a photo gallery from previous events, local and international video footage, competitions and much more.

The surf is predicted to double in size on Saturday and the top seeds and qualifiers in the U16 and Pro Junior divisions look set for a grueling day of competition. The finals in all four divisions, plus the dynamic Von Zipper Air Show, are scheduled for Sunday when the surf is expected to be similar to today.

The Billabong Junior Series is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport. Ratings points earned in each series event also count towards the annual SSA Pro Surf Tour (PST) rankings. The series is proudly supported by First National Bank, Palmers, Kustom and Von Zipper.

Previous reports:
# 1 : Huge entry for stop #4 of Billabong Jnr Series at Victoria
# 2 : Billabong Jr Series Victoria kicks off in varied conditions
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

www.billabong.com/za
www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

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