Billabong Junior Series Final Event

Surfing South Africa
The Point, J-Bay South Africa
18 - 21 September 2008

Strachan heads ratings for Billabong Junior Series finale at Jeffreys Bay

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 16 September, 2008 : - - Klee Strachan heads the ratings in the premier Pro Junior boys’ division going into the fifth and final stop on the 2008 Billabong Junior Series to be run at The Point in Jeffreys Bay from Thursday to Sunday, 18-21 September.

The 19 year-old from Winkelspruit, just south of Durban, has had an outstanding year, winning the Durban leg of the series and finishing runner-up at St Mikes and Victoria Bay to hold a 455 point lead over second ranked Chad du Toit (Durban).

The 1 500 points on offer to the winner of the ASP Africa sanctioned, R37 500 Grade 1 Pro Junior event at JBay means that the top seed needs reach the semifinals to ensure that he will be crowned the 12th annual series champion on Sunday.

Du Toit is best placed to capitalise on any slip up by Strachan, although he must win the event and Strachan finish fifth or lower to snatch the crown, while the likes of Kyle Beach (Queensburgh), Nick Godfrey (Cape St Francis), Brendon Gibbens (Kommetjie), Kyle Lane (Umhlanga) and others can still force their way into contention for a place in the top three on the series ratings and a share of the R28 000 series prize-pool.

The one to beat will be Rudy Palmboom (Bluff), the 2008 Billabong Junior Series Pro Junior champion, who will be competing in just his third event in the 2008 series. Currently rated No 107 on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS), Palmboom is the defending event champion and the seventh seed this year.

The points from the Pro Junior event at JBay also count towards the 2008 ASP Africa Pro Junior title. The top four on those ratings after JBay earn highly coveted invitations to the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in Australia in January.

Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga), with three wins in the four events to date, holds an insurmountable lead in the U16 boys’ ratings. In the absence of Michael February, who will be competing in France this weekend, the second and third places in this division are wide open with Dane Staples (St Francis Bay), Jacob Mellish (Somerset West), Davey Brand (Kommetjie), Devin Lane (Umhlanga) and David van Zyl (Glenashley) all capable of grabbing a share of the prize-pool.

The U14’s see Slade Prestwich destined to claim the series title with the likes of JBay locals Steven Sawyer and Dylan Lightfoot, Diran Zakarian (Melkbos) and Jarred Veldhuis (Kommetjie) in contention for second and third on the yearend rankings.

The final of the U12 boys from the fourth event at Victoria Bay last month was postponed due to dangerous conditions and will be completed at JBay before they get their fifth event underway. Benji Brand, winner of the first three events of the year, heads the ratings with fellow Kommetjie surfer Max Armstrong in second, followed by Jason Harris (Scottburgh) and Capetonians Jonah Paarman (Kommetjie), Ethan Fletcher (Hout Bay) and Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay).

The country’s top eight Pro Junior girls will also showcase their talents at JBay in the Billabong World Junior Championship Trials. Using the same one-on-one format that will be used at the event in Australia in January, the girls will be competing for a single invitation to the surfing world’s most prestigious junior (U20) tournament, plus R12 000 towards an air-ticket to Australia sponsored by First National Bank.

The competitors include Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie), Sarah Baum (Athlone Park), Heidi Palmboom (Bluff), Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbos), Lisa Mace (Kommetjie) and Morag Steele (Somerset West), who were the top six in the Billabong Girls Get Out There series completed earlier this year, along with wildcards Nikita Robb (East London) and Bianca Buitendag (George).

The spectacular Von Zipper Air Show has also been expanded and there will be separate events for the U12, U14 and U16 boys’ divisions on the first three days. The winner of each of these events will join the top aerial surfers from the Pro Juniors in the grand final on Sunday, where the champion will pocket the winner-takes-all R2 000 prize-purse.

The Billabong Junior Series is proudly supported by First National Bank, Palmers, Kustom and Von Zipper.

The 2008 Billabong Junior Series started at St Mikes (21-23 February) before moving to Durban (25-27 April), Cape Town (9-11 May) and Victoria Bay in the Southern Cape (7-10 August). It concludes in Jeffreys Bay (18-21 September) where the series champions will be crowned for the 12th successive year.

www.billabong.com/za

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

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

Life's a Beach Communications

Junior Contests - Surfersvillage