Girls to Get Back into the Surf

 

 

South Africa’s mid-year international contest season is now in the history books and attention shifts to the domestic scene as the race for the country’s most prestigious junior surfing titles resumes at Victoria Bay in the Southern Cape next weekend. 

 

Scheduled for Thursday to Sunday, 9-12 August, the fourth stop on the R220 000 Billabong Junior Series has attracted a massive entry of 167 of the country’s top 20 year-old-and-younger competitors aiming for event and series honours.

 

And the premier Pro Junior (U20) boys and girls’ divisions also have international glory to aim for, as the five highest-rated boys and the top girl after the fifth stop in Jeffreys Bay in September earn invitations to the R420 000 Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in Sydney, Australia in January.

 

Tarryn Chudleigh has reigned supreme in the Pro Junior girls in 2007, winning all of the first three events, and the 16 year-old from Kommetjie will be going all out to reach her first final in a series event at Vic Bay.

 

But with current WQS No. 13 Nikita Robb (East London) and local phenom Bianca Buitendag (George), both finalists last year, along with recently crowned SA U20 champ Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbos) and the incredibly talented Sarah Baum (Athlone Park) and Heidi Palmboom (Bluff) all in the mix, it will not be any easier for Chudleigh this year.

 

Each series event also features a spectacular Von Zipper Air Show where the country’s best exponents of new-school aerial surfing really cut loose with the winner taking home R1 800 for successfully completing the single best manoeuvre in the air.

 

There are also Kustom awards for the top local boy and girl and the coveted Zigzag ‘Blowing Up’ award of R1 000 and its unique replica hand grenade trophy at each event.

The Billabong Junior Series is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA) and proudly supported by First National Bank, Palmers, Kustom, Von Zipper, Red Bull and Silver Bullet Productions.

 

The 2007 series started at St Mikes in February followed by Durban (March 29-April 1) and Cape Town (May 17-20). After Victoria Bay (August 9-12) the 11th annual series champions will be crowned in the legendary surf Mecca of Jeffreys Bay (September 21-24).