Shaun Joubert and Nick Godfrey on a roll in Bali

Zag News Story / 14 October, 2008:- Mossel Bay dynamo, Shaun Joubert, showcased Saffa junior talent this week by grabbing third at the Inaugural Oakley Pro Junior International event at Karamas, in Bali. Shaun showed off his power based, Southern Cape tailored surfing, spiced with a top shelf progressive assualt and savvy barrel riding to cut his way through the worlds top international junior surfers and make the semifinals of the event.

Ultimately, Shaun was eliminated by French goofyfooter, Marc Lacomare, who went on to fall to the hands of Hawaiian, Dusty Payne, in the 45 minute final. St Francis junior, Nick Godfrey, also gets a credible mention by grabbing equal fifth place after he bowed out in the quarterfinals.

Well done china's - Check out the official press release below:

Press Release / Oakley / 14 October, 2008:- Hawaiian hot shot Dusty Payne (Maui) barreled his way to victory in the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge to claim the world’s biggest ever pay-day for a pro junior event in Bali, Indonesia today.


Round Two Video
Round 2 Video:
VideoKeramas, an ultra perfect right hand reef break, lived up to its hype, serving out epic 6-8 foot barreling waves for the final day of the inaugural US 75,000 competition.

Payne, 19, rode barrel after perfect barrel to beat French surfer Marc Lacomare (Hossegor) in an extended 45-minute man-on-man final.

Claiming his first win in over eight years, the exciting natural footer excelled in the Hawaiian like conditions, setting the pace on the final day of competition by top scoring across the quarters, semis and final to pocket a mind-blowing US $20,000.

“I’m so happy,” said Payne. I haven’t won an event in so many years. It’s like the best feeling in the world. That’s why I still compete.”

The pressure-packed final saw Payne seal the deal with a 7.73 with just five minutes remaining and then went from strength to strength locking in an 8.50 in the dying minute to put the result beyond doubt.

Payne finishing with a 16.27 two-wave combined total to Lacormare’s 14.33.

“I was behind for nearly the whole final because Marc got a good wave at the start of the heat,” he said. “I just kept busy and luckily I was able to jag a few bombs that allowed me to execute a mixture of moves.”

Gouging goofy footer Lacamore, opened his final account with a 7.50 for an early lead in the close fought final but with minutes remaining he required a 7.10 but only managed a 6.83 on his final ride.

At the completion of the final, Lacomare said he was proud of his result.

“I’m really happy right now,” said Lacomare, who surfed away with US $7,500 for his runner-up finish. “Although I didn’t win, I still posted a really good result against the world’s best juniors. Dusty (Payne) has been surfing amazingly all week, so to go up against him in the final was incredible.”

Wave selection proved the key today as epic barrels pulsed through all day. A light on-shore wind changed conditions for the final but both surfers displayed their versatility with carving manoeuvres as the sets continued to push through.

In semi-final one, Payne used smart surfing strategy against Australian Mitch Crews (Currumbin, Qld), opening quickly with a 9.00 tube ride and then waited patiently in the line-up for his second scoring ride.

With ten minutes remaining Payne posted his second scoring ride of an 8.50 to take the heat lead. The natural footer carved the crystal clean wave face with big hacks in the pocket and critical turns to display his versatility and lock in a finals berth.

In semi two, Frenchman Lacamore epitomised the depth of surfing talent emerging from Europe combining his natural talent with surf savvy to eliminate South African sensation Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay).

The stylish goofy footer used steep take-offs to drop deep into the fast breaking barrels to post a 9.00 and an 8.00 and secure a finals berth with a heat total of 17.00 points to his opponent’s heat tally of 15.97 (out of a possible 20).

Both Crews and Joubert amassing US $4,500 for their equal third placing.

Finishing equal fifth today were the Brazil duo of Miguel Popo and Peterson Crisanto, Indonesian Made ‘Garut’ Widiartha (Kuta) and South African Nick Godfrey. All four surfers collecting US $3,500 for their efforts.

Bianca Buitendag and Shaun Joubert - top S.Cape performers

Press Release / Billabong South Africa / 21 September, 2008:- Klee Strachan clinched the prestigious Pro Junior title in the five-event, R230 000 Billabong Junior Series, maintaining his ratings lead despite finishing equal fifth behind Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), the winner of the final event in the series at Jeffreys Bay on Sunday.

Strachan, 19, from Winkelspruit, also secured an invitation to the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in Australia in January by retaining his No. 1 ranking and securing the 2008 ASP Africa Pro Junior title.

Staples pocketed US $2 000 (approx R16 000) for his victory over defending series and event champion Rudy Palmboom (Bluff) in the man-on-man final of the ASP Africa sanctioned, Grade 1 Pro Junior event. The 17 year-old Eastern Cape local led throughout the 25 minute heat, posting 6.0 and 7.5 point rides early on and then sealing the victory with an excellent 8.0 two minutes from the end.

The win rocketed Staples from 11th to second on the Billabong Junior Series ratings with Nick Godfrey (Cape St Francis), who was ousted by surprise package Chris Leppan (Umhlanga) in the quarters, taking third place overall.

Staples, who dedicated his victory to legendary South African surf coach Graham Hynes, had earlier beaten his younger brother, Dane, in the quarters and good friend Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) the semis. Palmboom sidelined Brendon Gibbens (Kommetjie) and then Leppan in the semis on his way to the final.

Strachan will be joined by Godfrey, Joubert and Casey Grant in the ASP Africa squad in Australia with Palmboom, currently No. 107 on the WQS ratings, likely to join them as the highest internationally ranked local Pro Junior.

Sarah Baum, (Athlone Park, 14) proved the depth of talent amongst the country’s rising female surf stars, defeating event favourite Bianca Buitendag (George, 15) in the final of the girls specialty event to earn an invitation to the World Junior Champs plus R12 000 sponsored by First National Bank towards her airfare to Australia.

Baum put on an outstanding display of high performance surfing in the wind affected waves, grabbing the lead with a 6.25 at the start of the heat and then slamming the door on her opponent with a 7.25 that consisted of just two massive manoeuvres.

The always tightly contested U16 boys division delivered another cracker with Somerset West’s Jacob Mellish securing the biggest win of his career in a dream performance. The national team reserve and consistent finalist was awarded 7.5 and 6.4 point scores to record a narrow victory over Davey Brand (Kommetjie) with Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) and David van Zyl (Glenashley) taking third and fourth.

His haul of R2 000 and 1 000 points catapulted Mellish into third place on the yearend ratings, behind U16 series champion de Vries and runner-up Brand, and a share of the prize-pool provided by Billabong and First National Bank.

Jeffreys Bay locals Dylan Lightfoot and Steven Sawyer dominated the U14 final with Lightfoot capturing the event title. Sarah Baum upset her male peers by reaching the final where she finished third, ahead of Daniel Buitendag, brother of Bianca who she went on the defeat in the girls’ event.

Slade Prestwich (Park Rynie), who was eliminated by Sawyer and Baum in semifinals, held onto his ratings lead to add the U14 series title to the U12 crown he won last year, with Sawyer and Lightfoot moving into second and third places overall thanks to their results in the final event.

Max Armstrong (Kommetjie) posted his second successive victory in the U12 boys, scoring a 7.0 early in the final to finish ahead of Jason JJ Harris (Scottburgh), an out of rhythm Benji Brand (Kommetjie) and 10 year-old Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay), who was appearing in his fifth final of 2008.

The result was almost enough to give Armstrong a second U12 series crown to go with his 2006 title. He finished an agonisingly close second behind Brand, the final points tally being 3730 points to 3720 from the best four out of five results, with Maree taking third overall.

The spectacular finale to the Von Zipper Air Show saw Casey Grant (Scottburgh) boost back-to-back ‘no hands, inverted aerials’ on the same wave to bag the R2 000 winner-takes-all prize-money.

See www.billabong.com/za for all the results and the latest images and news from the event. The webpage also features athlete profiles, a photo gallery from this and previous events, local and international video footage, competitions and much more. The US $5 000 Grade 1 Pro Junior boys event was sanctioned by ASP Africa.

The U16, U14 and U12 divisions were 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.

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

2008 Billabong Junior Series Final Series ratings (Best 4 out of 5 results)

Pro Junior boys
1. Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit)
2. Dale Staples (St Francis Bay)
3. Nicholas Godfrey (Cape St Francis)
4. Chad du Toit (Berea)
5. Brendon Gibbens (Kommetjie)

U16 Boys
1. Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga)
2. Davey Brand (Kommetjie)
3. Jacob Mellish (Somerset West) 2970 pts

U/14 Boys
1. Slade Prestwich (Park Rynie
2. Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay)
3. Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay)

U/12 Boys
1. Benji Brand (Kommetjie)
2. Max Armstrong (Kommetjie)
3. Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay)

Jeffreys Bay (Event No. 5 of 5)

Pro Junior Boys
1. Dale Staples (St Francis Bay)
2. Rudy Palmboom (Bluff)
3. Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay)
3. Chris Leppan (Umhlanga)
5. Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit)
5. Dane Staples (St Francis Bay)
5. Brendon Gibbens (Kommetjie)
5. Nick Godfrey (Cape St Francis)

Pro Junior Girls (Specialty event)
1. Sarah Baum (Athlone Park)
2. Bianca Buitendag (George)
3. Nikita Robb (East London)
3. Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie)

U16 Boys
1. Jacob Mellish (Somerset West)
2. Davey Brand (Kommetjie)
3. Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga)
4. David van Zyl (Glenashley)

U14 Boys
1. Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay)
2. Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay)
3. Sarah Baum (Athlone Park)
4. Daniel Buitendag (George)

U12 Boys
1. Max Armstrong (Kommetjie)
2. Jason JJ Harris (Scottburgh)
3. Benji Brand (Kommetjie)
4. Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay)
Von Zipper Air Show
Casey Grant (Scottburgh)

SURFING MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION
Monday, July 21, 2007

2008 Reef Wetsuits South African Surfing Championships
A premier Surfing South Africa tournament
Victoria Bay, Southern Cape
July 24 - 27, 2008.


Popular Victoria Bay to host 2008 Reef Wetsuits South African Surfing Championships this week

Victoria Bay, the picture perfect premium point break near George on the Southern Cape coast, will host the 2008 Reef Wetsuits South African Surfing Championships from Thursday July 24 to Sunday July 27.

Over 100 surfers representing seven provincial teams will be action in this, the 43rd edition of South Africa's longest running national surfing event.

Competitors have been selected for their provincial teams after participating in rigorous trials and will be focused not only on achieving individual glory in one of the four divisions but will also be surfing for team honours and winning the 35 year-old Presidents Cup.

This will be the fifth time that Southern Cape Surfing Association and Victoria Bay hosts the premier championship on the Surfing South Africa calendar.

The first time was back in 1984 when John Pfaff was host Chairman and although the powerful KZN Team won the Presidents Cup that year, local legend and 1982 SA Team member, Leonard Giles, became the South African Men's champion. Giles was the king of Victoria Bay in the 70's and 80's and his fearsome backhand attack at this magic surfspot became legendary.

In 1990, the first year that Reef Wetsuits sponsored the South African Championships, Carl Roux of KZN took the premier title and once again it was KZN who went home with the Presidents Cup. Roux went on to finish a close second in the 1992 ISA World Games in France and will again represent South Africa when he competes in the ISA World Masters Championships in early 2009.

Brad Bricknell of Border won the Men's crown at Victoria Bay in 1996 and went on to captain South Africa to victory at the ISA World Surfing Games in Durban in 2002.

In 2002 Vic Bay again hosted the SA Championships and although Antonio Bortoletto of KZN took the Men's title, it was Border who won the Presidents Cup. In doing so they joined KZN and Western Province as the only provinces to win this coveted piece of silverware since it was presented to SA Surfing by John Whitmore in 1973.

The 2007 Reef Wetsuits SA Championships was held at Nahoon Reef in East London and hosts Border won the Presidents Cup by the proverbial mile. Nahoon Reef local Devyn Mattheys won the Men's title and will be back at to defend it at Victoria Bay next week.

Mattheys can expect tough opposition from Southern Cape stalwart Sean Holmes who, although a two-time SA Champion in 1998 and 2000, National team member in 2004 and Red Bull Big Wave Champion in 2000, has never won a major title at his home break of Victoria Bay.

Llewellyn Whittaker, the 1996 SA Junior champion at Vic Bay, will be another local to watch out for. The powerful goofy-foot won Quiksilver Goodwave a few years ago, is a multiple British Surfing champion and is now running an elite surfschool in Mossel Bay.

Former two-time SA Champion Wayne Monk of Border is another surfer who has always done well at Vic Bay while 1996 runner up and 2009 SA Masters Team member Gary van Wieringen will turn out for his beloved Southern KZN and could cause an upset.

WQS surfer and 2002 SA Team member Dan Redman and 2006 SA Team member Matt Kruger are the pick of the KZN Men's team. 2006 President's Cup winners Western Province will be hoping Josh Salie can reproduce the form that saw him win the recent SA Students Surfing Championships at Seal Point while Eastern Province's Ryan and Shaun Payne and Simon Fish have good contest pedigrees and are also contenders for the men’s crown.

Shaun Joubert must be the favourite to win gold for the host province in the U20 Boys division. The 17 year-old from Mossel Bay surfer won the Oakley Pro Junior at Easter and the Mr Price Pro Junior at the end of June and is without a doubt the best young surfer to come out of South Africa since Jordy Smith.

However there are plenty of good surfers in this division headed by defending champion Klee Strachan of Southern KZN and including high flying 2008 SA junior team member Nick Godfrey of EP, Border's Clinton Gravett, former U20 champion Kyle Lane of KZN as well as Southern Cape born and bred Jaco Steyn and 2008 SA Junior team member Mikey February, both surfing for WP.

Sarah Maritz, the defending Women's champion and Heather Clark, the former two-time national champion, WCT surfer and current ISA Women's Masters World Champion, give Southern KZN the edge in this division.

Other surfers who have posted good results in recent years are 2006 SA Champion Penny Robarts of Boland, Stacey Guy of WP, Tasha Mentasti of KZN and Tara Hossack of EP who won the U20 girls title in 2002 when she represented Southern Cape,

In the U20 girls division the smart money will be on Bianca Buitendag of Southern Cape to become the youngest girl to win this premier title. Victoria Bay is the 14 year-old’s local break and her recent brilliant contest results include 7th overall in the U18 Girls in the recent ISA World Junior Championships in France, winner of the U20 girls title at the Mr Price Pro Junior and last weekend she was runner-up in her first International Pro Junior contest in Biarritz, France.

Buitendag's biggest challenges will come from defending champion and fellow SA Junior team member Chantelle Rautenbach of Boland, tough competitor Alice McGregor of Border, talented duo Tanika Hoffman and Holly Armstrong of WP and Faye Zoetmulder of EP.

The seven provincial teams will gather at the Far Hills Country Hotel at 7pm on Wednesday night July 23 for the Opening Function and the event will run from Thursday July 24 to Sunday July 27.

Heats and each day's results will be posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za from July 24.

/Ends

About Surfing South Africa (SSA)

Surfing South Africa is recognised by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA) as the governing body for the sport in South Africa.
SSA is made up of seven provinces: Boland, Border, Eastern Province, KwaZulu-Natal, Southern Cape, Southern KZN and Western Province.
The South African Bodyboarding Association, the South African Longboarding Association and the South African Students Surfing Union are also affiliated to Surfing South Africa.
SSA sanctions the annual Pro Surf Tour, coordinates and runs National Surfing Championships, selects National teams and is responsible for the administration of the sport. www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za


Compiled by
Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Photo: Chris Jones, Surfer: Adin Jeenes
Please contact Surfing South Africa on 0824541149 for all Media information