Press Release / Quiksilver / 15 June, 2008:- A weekend of surf that saw waves fluctuating between good, very good, and excellent, saw young Kommetjie surfer Davey Brand win his first crown in the second leg of the Quiksilver King Of The Groms series.
Davey was a motivated and on-form surfer throughout the event that saw many a favourite surfer ousted in the earlier rounds. The waves at Inner Pool were high-performance walls that saw some massive scores along with some hair-raising close-calls on the rocks.
The first U20 semi-final saw Warner Beach surfer Klee Strachan lose his fin to the hungry rocks in the first few minutes of his heat, and a board replacement was necessary. This didn’t hamper the powerful natural-footer in any way as he powered past Davey Brand for the win.
Local surfer Shaun Joubert showed his local knowledge in the second semi, with fins-free turns, aerial moves and some big carves scoring him points that eclipsed last year’s event champion Nicky Godfrey from Cape St Francis.
The U20 final was the highest scoring heat of the entire event, with both Strachan and Joubert surfing at the top of their game and going for broke in front of the assembled crowds.
Klee Strachan’s top two scores were 9-pointers (out of a possible 10) giving him a heat total of 18 points (out of a possible 20) the sort of score that would win most contests hands-down. Mossel Bay’s Shaun Joubert displayed some incredible surfing to score a 9-pointer and a second 9.25 wave, to score 18.25 (out of a possible 20) for an incredibly close but deserved victory.
“It was good of Quiksilver to run this event at the best place,” said a smiling Joubert as he was awarded the trophy and cheque for R5,000 in front of his home crowd supporters. “Big thanks to all the locals for all their support.”
Without wishing to detract from the U20 surfers, this event was all about the premier U16 Groms, and they were all intent on impressing and doing big turns in the perfect reeling surf. The first semi was between the Kommetjie brothers Davey and Benji Brand, with Davey getting the nod over his younger, but equally determined brother.
By the time the second semi came around, the waves at Inner Pool were excellent. The wind had swung to a light offshore south-west, and long, lined up four-foot sets were spinning down the point for the competitors. Steven Sawyer from Jeffrey’s Bay had been surfing brilliantly on his backhand all weekend but Mikey February was finding the waves to his liking as well, and deposed of the talented upstart.
The final of the premier U16 Grom Division also enjoyed some epic pulses of swell as Davey Brand and Mikey February went to town. Brand opened his account quickly with a great wave that he cracked on his backhand for a score of 7.75 (out of a possible 10.) February replied with a couple of good rides but when Davey picked up the wave of the final and smashed it all the way to the pool for a score of 9.5 (out of a possible 10) it was all over for February.
“Thanks to everyone who helped with this event,” said Brand, as he was crowned as King Of The Groms. “and thanks to my friends, family and sponsors and to everyone who came down to support. This was a great event.”
The series winner of the Grom division becomes the King Of The Groms and wins a berth into the International Quiksilver King Of the Groms event in France. The winner of this event gets a wildcard into the trials of the two Quiksilver WCT events, the most coveted and sought-after grom prize in the world.
For his achievement in getting a third place in the U16 Grom division at the tender age of 11, Benji Brand was awarded the MP3 player.
Final Results
U20
1. Shaun Joubert (MBay)
2. Klee Strachan (Wnr)
3. Davey Brand (Komm)
3. Nick Godfrey (Cstf)
U16 Grom Division
1. Davey Brand (Komm)
2. Mikey February (Komm)
3. Benji Brand (Komm)
3. Steve Sawyer (JBay)
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