Mr. Price Pro

ASP 6-Star WQS Mens event
ASP 6-Star WQS Womens event
Ballito, KZN South Africa
29 June - 5 July 2009

Live Coverage  |  Results/Photos/Videos etc

Record entry for women's Mr Price Pro Ballito

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 2 June, 2009 : - - Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal -- In just under four weeks a select crop of professional surfing’s brightest female stars will touch down on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast to compete in the largest and only international women’s surfing event on the African continent, the Mr Price Pro Ballito.

The 5-Star ASP World Qualifying Series event, stop No. 6 of 9 on the WQS tour, has this year recorded the highest number of entries in the history of the event with a record 68 women, including 11 of the World’s Top 17 confirmed to compete.

Boasting an incredible R240 000 (US$30 000) in prize money as well as the exciting new mobile event venue of Ballito, the event that runs from June 27 – 28, 2009 will see surfers from as far afield as Brasil, Peru, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii and the USA fly halfway across the globe to etch the prestigious Mr Price Pro Ballito title next to their name.

“I think the girls are really looking forward to the venue change,” ASP Africa Operations Manager and Contest Director Colin Fitch said. “In 2006 we had 65 surfers and we thought that was a good number, this year we have had a few more locals trying to enter and have put them onto the waiting list, as our event is currently full.”

Crowning world champions since the women’s division was first introduced to the Gunston 500 back in 1992, with former winners including 7X ASP World Champion Layne Beachley (Aus), former ASP World Champion Sofia Mulanovich (Peru) and 2X reigning ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (Aus), the event promises to showcase professional women’s surfing at its best.

Leading the field is current World No. 3 Page Hareb (New Zealand), the first New Zealand surfer ever to qualify for the ASP Women’s World Tour. Hareb is one of the fittest athletes on tour and has climbed to an incredible World No. 3 position after two events in top tier competition.

World No. 6 Sally Fitzgibbons (Aus), the fastest ever qualifier for the ASP Women’s World Tour who won the WQS in record time in 2008, will be a treat to watch in Ballito. Her reputation for racking up excellent scores in the dying minutes of critical heats, making her one of the most feared and respected competitors on tour to date.

Hawaiian powerhouse World No. 6 Coco Ho (Haw), descendent of surfing’s royal bloodline being the daughter of Hawaiian charger Michael Ho, will make her presence felt as the current WQS ratings leader and will be the girl to beat at this event.

Others to watch out for include World No. 8 Rebecca Woods (Aus), former Mr Price Pro Champion Jacqueline Silva (Bra) (2001), Men’s World No. 17 Jeremy Flores’s girlfriend (France) World No. 9 Bruna Schmitz (Bra), joint World No. 13’s Amee Donohoe (Aus) and Alana Blanchard (Haw), not to mention former Mr Price Pro runner-up and current World No. 16 Jessi Miley Dyer (Aus), as well as fellow World No. 16 ranked surfer Megan Abubo (Haw).

Shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton (Haw), who lost her left arm in a horrific accident in 2003 and has inspired millions by returning to the competitive surfing circuit to become one of the sports top young up-and-comers, will return to this year’s Mr Price Pro Ballito for her third consecutive year. Hamilton will be a treat to watch as she unleashes her powerful Hawaiian style on the waves of Ballito.

The South African contingent looks equally fierce with local knowledge set to see our girls sail past many of their international counterparts at this event. South Africa’s only female ASP World Tour campaigner World No. 13 Rosy Hodge (EL) will lead South Africa’s finest into battle. Hodge remains the highest placed South African in the history of the event after placing equal third here in 2006.

Queen of Ballito Tammy-Lee Smith will be among the toughest to beat at her home break. The local charger who recently finished third at the South African Championships has grown up surfing in Ballito and is hoping for a fairytale finish at her sponsor’s event.

WQS No. 10 Nikita Robb (EL) has returned from an extended stay in Australia and will be eager take on her international rivals on home spoil.

Former ASP World Tour veteran and recently crowned South African champion Heather Clark (Port Shepstone) will be a formidable competitor with almost two decades worth of competition experience set to give her the upper hand over many of her younger rivals.

Other South Africans hoping to make their mark include Tarry Chudleigh (Kommetjie), Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand), Heidi Palmboom (Bluff), Sarah Baum (South Coast), Bianca Buitendag (George) and former WQS campaigner Stacey Guy (Cape Town).

The Mr Price Pro Ballito will also include an exciting Glodina Expression Session adding the ‘wow’ factor to the event as the contestants attempt to complete the most radical surfing maneuvers, for the chance to pocket a slice of the R15 000 prize purse.

The Mr Price Pro Ballito will be broadcast live on the webcast on mrpricepro.com. The website also features live scores, image galleries, interviews, profiles and more. The 6-Star Mens Mr Price Pro Ballito follows on from the women’s event and kicks off from June 29 – June 5, 2009.

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Previous reports:
# 1 : Mr Price Pro comes to Ballito on the KwaZulu-Natal coast
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

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Mr Price Group
Pierre Tostee
PATostee@mrpricegroup.com

Issued By
Kirstin Scholtz
kirstin@coveredimages.com

WQS Contests - Surfersvillage