Quiksilver King of the Groms Series
Presented by Virgin Mobile in Association with Resolution

Surfing South Africa
Cape Town South Africa
14 - 15 March 2009

February and de Vries walk away with the titles at the first leg of the 2009 Quiksilver King of the Groms

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 15 March, 2009 : - - Cape Town, South Africa -- Kommetjie local Michael February has been crowned King of the Groms after taking out the title and the R3,500 winner's cheque in the premier Under 16 division at the first leg of the 2009 Quiksilver King of the Groms following an amazing display of power surfing in the cold waters of Long Beach, Cape Town today.

February came up against fellow Long Beach local and close friend Davey Brand in the two-man final but took an early lead that Brand was unable to surpass. As the final seconds ticked down the ocean went flat and Brand was left needing more than 9 out of a possible 10 points to take the title from February.

Today's win puts February at the top of the log for the 2009 King of the Grom series which will see two more legs contested in Mossel Bay on 13 and 14 June, with the final event taking place at Southbroom on the KZN south coast on the weekend of 15 and 16 August.

February is the defending champion and will be vying to take the title again and secure his ticket to France where the eventual series winner will contest the world final of the Quiksilver King of the Groms. The world final will be held in conjunction with the 2009 Quiksilver Pro France WCT contest.

"I'm really stoked with the win," said the shy sixteen year old natural footer as the winners crown sat securely on his head, "especially because it was in my hometown and at my local surf spot. My mom, dad and brother were all on the beach watching and cheering me on and it feels great to win the title with them watching me."

The fourteen year old duo of Slade Prestwich of Scottburgh and Kommetjie's Jarred Veldhuis, two of the youngest competitors in the event, put on an impressive display to make the semi-finals and place tie-third. The invaluable series points will ensure the young duo are kept in the running to secure their ticket to France.

In the Under 20 division the Umhlanga Rocks contingent proved their mettle outside of KwaZulu-Natal's warm waters as they dominated the division and filled three of the top four positions. As the surf came to life for the final at Long Beach, 16 year old Beyrick de Vries found himself sitting in the perfect position to catch one of the waves of the event.

Within mere seconds of the siren signalling the start of the heat, de Vries paddled into a four foot left-hander that walled up across the idyllic backdrop of Hout Bay in the distance. And as de Vries went to work on the wave, smashing it mercilessly with his powerful backhand attack, fellow Umhlanga surfer and finalist Chris Leppan could only sit and watch.

As de Vries finished up in the crashing shorebreak, everyone on the beach knew Leppan would have a hard time answering back to de Vries's wave. The judges awarded de Vries an 8.25 out of a possible 10, which the lithe natural-footer quickly backed up with another 8 to put the final nail in Leppan's coffin.

"It was great surfing against Chris in the final," said de Vries as he received his R5,000 winner's cheque. "We're good friends and surf together almost everyday in Umhlanga, so although we were competing we were way more relaxed than we might have been had either of us come up against someone else. I think picking up an 8 in the opening seconds of the final made me a lot more relaxed than him though!"

De Vries's win also places him at the top of the under 20 series at this stage, and one step closer to securing the return ticket to Hawaii, surfing's ultimate proving ground, for the 2009 winter season that the eventual series winner will be awarded. However, fellow finalist Leppan and tied-third place semi-final finishers Kyle Lane (Umhlanga Rocks) and 2008 U20 series champion Nick Godfrey (St Francis) will be going all out to usurp de Vries's lead at the Mossel Bay and Southbroom events.

Consisting of an Under 16 and an Under 20 division, the focus of the King of the Groms series is primarily on the Under 16 division, and has become one of the driving forces in unearthing South Africa's blossoming surfing talent as entrants compete for R22,000 in prize money at each leg. The first event in Kommetjie was a mobile event with the first day taking place at Witsands and the final day at Long Beach, Kommetjie.

Another highlight of the day was the Virgin Mobile Expression Session which took place between the semi-finals and the final to allow the finalists time to prepare for their last heat. As 12 selected contestants took to the water to put on an amazing display of progressive surfing, judges Dane Patterson and Stanley Badger had a tough time deciding where the R2,000 prize money would go. But ultimately Long Beach local Matt Bromley was awarded R1,000 cash for landing the best move of the session, a huge 360 aerial, while Chad du Toit (Durban) was a clear stand-out and walked away with R1,000 for the Best Wave.

The Quiksilver King of the Groms is presented by Virgin Mobile in association with Resolution, and is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa. Entry forms for the remaining two legs can be obtained by logging on to surfingsouthafrica.co.za

www.quiksilver.co.za
www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

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Dane Patterson

Groms - Surfersvillage