Sarah Leads Top Seeds in Margate

Overcast conditions and occasional drizzle did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the hundreds of people who flocked to Margate Beach on Saturday for the opening day of the Billabong ‘Girls Get Out There’ Summer Surf Series.

The spectators were treated to spectacular performances by the country’s top female surf stars, who tore apart the 0.6 – 1.3 metre waves breaking powerfully on the Margate sandbank, while enjoying an endless stream of beach activities, music and promotions during the all-girls celebration of the surfing lifestyle.

The top seeds in the various divisions dominated the opening rounds, displaying the depth of talent that exists on the SA coastline. Former World Tour campaigner and Port Shepstone local Heather Clark was an early standout in the 3A rated, R12 500 Open women’s division, easily winning her Round 1 heat and then advancing to the semi-finals with another assured performance.

Nikita Robb, who finished her rookie year on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) rated a creditable 19th, was another who took control in the testing conditions. The 19 year-old East Londoner demolished her opponents in the Open Quarterfinals with scores of 8.25 and 7.70 in the first five minutes of the heat and also advanced to the semis of Pro Junior (U20) division with two scores over 7.0.

The biggest upset of the opening day came when diminutive 13 year-old Sarah Baum (Athlone Park) and Tasha Mentasti (Durban) placed first and second to eliminate second seed Tammy-Lee Smith (Chaka’s Rock, KZN).

Baum was on fire, recording the highest heat total of day one – 16.0 out of 20 – in the Pro Junior quarterfinals and on current form will cause many more shock results in the future.

Perennial Margate winner Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie) stayed on track for both the Pro Junior and Open titles, where she is the defending event champion, and the 2006/7 Girls Get Out There series champion Sarah Maritz (Warner Beach) also remained in contention for the R5 000 Open winner’s payout.

The fiercely contested U15 girls division saw Kommetjie girls Holly Armstrong and multiple WP champion Tanika Hoffman joined by fellow heat winners Caryn MacNicol (Scottburgh) and rising star Sabrina Scott (Glencairn, CT) in the semis.

Janelle Rademeyer (Scottburgh) and Gina Smith (East London) were victorious in the opening heats of the Novices division which is for girls under 18 who have not previously won an event.

Beach activities abounded throughout the day as Soft Lips Yoga sessions and free learn to surf lessons conducted by former ISA world champion Ant Brodowicz and his son Byron were held, Girls Inc ran a painting competition for teams of five where the best artwork produced over the weekend will win the team free underwear for a year and Seventeen Magazine took photos to post on website, distributed complimentary copies of the publication and provided prizes for lucky draws and give-aways.

The action continues on Sunday when the semi-finals and finals in all divisions will be held along with an Expression Session featuring the top performers and those on the beach can expect loads more sand and surf lifestyle promotions.

The Billabong ‘Girls Get Out There’ Summer Surf Series is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA) and proudly supported by Soft Lips, FNB, Von Zipper, Kustom, Tropitone and Seventeen Magazine. Lifestyle and action coverage of the events will appear in the Seventeen Magazine publication, on the Seventeen Magazine website, and on SuperSport in television documentaries produced by Silver Bullet Productions.

Girls in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KZN can also look forward the Billabong ‘Girls Get Out There’ summer fun coming to a beach in their area. Following the Margate event, the summer surf series visits Jeffreys Bay (15-16 December) and Cape Town (2-3 February 2008) before wrapping up in Scottburgh on the KZN coast on 16-17 February where the 2008 series champions will be crowned.

Fast Facts: What: The first of four events in the 2007/8 Billabong ‘Girls Get Out There’ Summer Surf Series, the country’s biggest and most lucrative all-girls surfing series catering for every aspect of the rapidly expanding female surfing scene from ‘Learn to Surf’ lessons and beach games to contests featuring SA’s top surfing stars.

When:  Saturday & Sunday 8-9 December 2007 – From 8am to 3pm daily

Where:  Margate Beach, the heart of the Hibiscus Coast on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast provides a multiple peak beach break offering ideal waves for beginners and experts alike.

Who: Sarah Maritz, the 2006/7 Billabong ‘Girls get Out There’ series champion, heads the seeding in the Open women. Defending event champion Tarryn Chudleigh is seeded fifth in the Open women and first in the Pro Juniors.

Format:  All heats consist of a maximum of four surfers. The organisers use various elimination formats to determine the top four in each division who then contest the finals. The finals in all divisions will be staged on Sunday 9 December.

Introductory surf lessons will be conducted by fully qualified surf instructors with all equipment provided. Sessions will be held at twice daily on Saturday and Sunday. Those keen to try surfing are requested to arrive early to ensure their participation.

There are also free Yoga sessions and various promotions and beach games throughout the event conducted by TV personality Marius Roberts.

Status:  The Billabong ‘Girls Get Out There’ Surf Series is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national governing body of the sport in this country and the local affiliate of the International Surfing Association (ISA).

Results from the 3A rated Open Women and Pro Junior (U20) events also count towards the annual SSA Pro Surf Tour (PST) titles

Prize-Money:  There is a total of R26 100 in prize-money and prizes at stake. The top eight finishers in the Open division share R12 500 with R5 000 going to the winner while the top 8 in the Pro Juniors share R10 000 (R4 000 for the winner). The four finalists in the U15 and Novice divisions share prizes to the value of R2 500 and R1 100 respectively.