Southern Cape Surfing Association - SCSA

Shaun Joubert and Nick Godfrey on a roll in Bali

2008-10-15T03:47:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

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)

2008-07-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

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

SA Champs Update - Is this THE year for Southern Cape?

2008-07-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

Reef Wetsuits South African Surfing Champs

Surfing South Africa
Victoria Bay South Africa
24 - 27 July 2008

Reef Wetsuits South African Surfing Champs to hit V-Bay

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 21 July, 2008 : - - 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 and over 100 surfers representing seven provincial teams will be action in this, the 43rd edition of South Africa's longest running event.

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

This will be the fifth time that Southern Cape Surfing Association and Victoria Bay will host 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 year that Reef Wetsuits first 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 Borteletto 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 John Whitmore presented it to SA Surfing 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.

He 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 Victoria Bay.

Llewellyn Whittaker, the 1996 SA Junior champion at Vic Bay, Quiksilver Goodwave winner a few years ago and a multiple British Surfing champion, is back in South Africa running an elite surfschool in Mossel Bay, will be one to watch in the Southern Cape team while former two time SA Champion Wayne Monk of Border is another surfer who has always done well at Vic Bay.

1996 runner up and 2009 SA Masters Team member Gary van Wieringen will turn out for his beloved Southern KZN and the is so in form that he could cause an upset while 2002 SA Team member and WQS surfer 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 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 could cause upsets.

In the U20 Boys division South African star Shaun Joubert must be the favourite to win gold for the host province in this division. The Mossel Bay surfer has won both the Qakley Pro Junior and recently the Mr Price Pro Junior 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 which is headed by defending champion Klee Strachan of Southern KZN and includes 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 of Southern KZN, the defending Women's champion and former two time national champion and WCT surfer and current Women's Masters World Champion Heather Clark 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. In fact Hossack 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 her local break but, glancing at her recent brilliant contest results, it doesn't seem to matter much where she surfs.

In the recent ISA World Junior Championships Buitendag finished 7th overall in the U18 Girls division,sharing the best performance by a South African with fellow Southern Cape surfer Shaun Joubert. In early July the pint sized surfer won the U20 girls title of the Mr Price Pro Junior, matching the victory by Joubert in the Boys division.

Last weekend she came second in an International Pro Junior contest in Biarritz France and when asked how she felt said that she was looking forward to her next contest back home.

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

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 surfingsouthafrica.co.za from July 24.

Surfing South Africa is recognised by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee and the International Surfing Association as the governing body for the sport in South Africa. SSA is made up of seven provinces, Boland, Border, Eastern Province, Kwazulanatal, Southern Cape,Southern KZN and Western Province.

The South African Bodbyboarding 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.

Results for the Southern Cape trials - open division.

2008-07-16T02:35:00.000-07:00

OPEN MEN.
1.Llewellyn whittaker
2.shaun botha
3.adin jeenes
4.sean holmes
5.shane.pratt
6.riaan meintjies
7.matt marais
8.juan introna

u/20 men
1.shaun joubert
2.indi rooken smith
3.andries matthysen
4.peder christensen

open woman
1.adele nortje
2.kira castle

u/20 girls
1.bianca buitendag
2.jelaine hermitte

manager. Taryn pratt (andries matthysen)

Southern Cape surf squad final trials

2008-07-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

The third and final trials will be held at Mossel Bay, Inner Pool on the 12th and 13th of July.
This trial is for everyone, juniors to open division.
Make sure you attend if you want a place on the team and please contact Andries if you can offer any help on the day.

Good luck!

SA Champs

2008-07-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

South African u20 champs at Vic Bay
Next Southern Cape event is the Reef SA CHamps.
When? July 24 - 27
Where? Victoria Bay, S/Cape
Who? Men/Women u20 Boys/Girls

Buitendag on fire, Whittaker wins heat at Mr Price Pro

2008-06-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from full story on www.mrpricepro.com

Mr Price Pro Junior Champion and women’s wildcard Bianca Buitendag, 14, (Victoria Bay) found her form against the event’s top seed and World No. 11 Silvana Lima (Bra). Buitendag defeated Lima who placed second with Claudia Goncalves (Bra) and Marina Werneck (Bra) finishing in third and fourth.

Competing in her first ever WQS event, Buitendag out-positioned her more accomplished rivals, picking off the better of the set waves to advance in first with a combination of good scoring rides.

“Is she (Silvana Lima) the top seed? Oh, I never even knew,” Buitendag admitted. “She’s actually on the cover of my maths book at school, doing this huge air!”

With a sensational win in the Pro Juniors on Saturday, Buitendag looks poised for further upsets at this event.

“I’ve had a very good warm up so far with the junior contest, so I just want to stay focussed throughout the whole event,” Buitendag continued. “My Junior win influenced me a lot in this heat because I have been surfing New Pier a lot and I know what the waves are doing.”

South African surfers Dave Richards (Kommetjie), Llewelyn Whittaker (Victoria Bay) and Ryan Payne (St Francis Bay) won their respective heats while Devyn Mattheys (EL), Simon Nicholson (Dbn), Michael February (Kommetjie), Clinton Gravett (EL), Casey Grant (Scottburgh), Shawn Dennis (Dbn), Mathew Kruger (Dbn) and Frankie Obherholzer (Warner Beach) all advanced in second.

The Mr Price Pro continues tomorrow with the remainder of the Men’s Round of 144 (heats 13- 24) followed by the Men’s Round of 144 (heats 1 – 12). The women will have a lay day.

South African u20 champs at Vic Bay

2008-06-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Next Southern Cape event is the Reef SA CHamps.
When? July 24 - 27
Where? Victoria Bay, S/Cape
Who? Men/Women u20 Boys/Girls

Well done Bianca and Shaun!

2008-06-28T11:04:00.001-07:00

Mr Price Pro Junior completed - Shaun Joubert and Bianca Buitendag take top spots!

Southern Cape surfers Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) and Bianca Buitendag (Victoria Bay) outshone the local competition at Durban’s New Pier today, winning the 3A rated Surfing South Africa Mr Price Pro Junior in clean 0.5 meter waves.

Joubert, 17, sealed the deal with the only perfect ten-point ride of the competition, defeating the KwaZulu-Natal trio of Kyle Lane (Umhlanga), Rudy Palmboom (Bluff) and Casey Grant (Scottburgh) by posting a two wave heat total of 15.25 (out of a possible 20.00).

“It’s amazing,” Joubert said. “I’ve never done it before, I’m really happy with a ten and to win was even better!”

Joubert took home R4000 as well as a coveted wildcard spot into the Men’s Round of 144 in the 6-Star ASP Men’s World Qualifying Series Mr Price Pro that gets underway on Monday.

“It’s probably as good as the win,” Joubert said referring to his wildcard. “It’s huge for me because I’ll be starting the WQS next year so it’s a big stepping stone to getting there.”

Despite only waist high waves on offer at New Pier, Joubert managed to paddle into a reeling right hander, executing a series of powerful snaps and finishing off with a furious front side air-reverse to earn the perfect score.

The victory marked Joubert’s second major Pro Junior victory at the same break this year after winning the Oakley Pro Junior at Easter.

“New Pier has been good to me,” Joubert confirmed. “It’s a fun wave and I always enjoy it. The water is warm and it is long rights so I couldn’t ask for anything better!”

Kyle Lane, 18, put on a similarly impressive display, jumping from fourth to first in the last five minutes when he posted an excellent 8.00 point ride off a punchy inside wave - relegating Palmboom and Grant down one place to third and fourth respectively.

“The whole heat I was sitting out there and didn’t really get any waves, then as soon as I got that 8, I thought ’maybe I have a chance, maybe I can win this’,” Lane said. “But well done to Shaun, he got that 10 and won and second is still good, it’s better than third or fourth.”

Two times South African U14 champion Bianca Buitendag, 14, defeated a trio of girls three years her senior to capture the biggest victory of her career, earning R4000 as well as a wildcard into the 5-Star Women’s WQS Mr Price Pro.

“I’m very happy and stoked because I really trained for this,” Buitendag said. “I was expecting to do well but never to get this far! I’m excited that the Mr Price Pro is coming up, so I am going to start focussing on that."

Despite being penalised for interferences in both the semi-finals and finals, Buitendag let her surfing do the talking posting an excellent 8.75 point ride off her last wave of the heat to defeat Chantelle Rautenbach, 18 (Melkbosstrand), Tarryn Chudleigh,18 (Kommetjie) and Faye Zoetmulder ,17(Port Elizabeth).

“I just think that the interferences, they might just be a bog-out for some people, but if you think past that and stay focussed you might be able to make it through,” Buitendag said. “After I got the interference in the final I was just thinking ’what happens if I get the interference and I still win!’ and I did, so it’s not impossible.”

Competitors in the Mr Price Pro will enjoy a lay day tomorrow, while Monday sees the start of the 5 and 6-Star Women’s and Men’s ASP World Qualifying Series events underway.

Rip Curl Gromsearch - Bianca Buitendag does good!

2008-06-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

Beyrick de Vries wins Rip Curl Gromsearch series in Durban

Press Release / Rip Curl / 22 June, 2008:- Beyrick de Vries posted a hard fought victory at the first event in the 2008 Rip Curl Gromsearch series presented by Island Tribe on Sunday, defeating national junior team-mate Davey Brand (Kommetjie) in the premier U16 boys final at Dairy Beach in Durban.

The 15 year-old from Umhlanga opened his account in the final with a strong 7.5 point ride before Brand, who had earlier relegated de Vries to second place in their quarterfinal match up, came back with an excellent 8.5 followed by a 5.5. However, it was to be de Vries’ day as he responded with 7.75 on his last ride to clinch the win by 15.25 vs. 14.00.

“I knew I needed to do a couple of big manoeuvres on the outside before linking to the inside section to beat Davey and I managed to do that on my last wave, so I’m stoked to win,” de Vries said.

De Vries went on to dedicate his victory to a plucky Mikyle le Roux, a relative newcomer to contest surfing, who chose to participate in the event despite tragically losing his mother on the night before following a car accident that also claimed the lives of his sister and other family members.

Western Cape surfers JC Susan (Melkbosstrand) and Jacob Mellish (Somerset West) finished equal third after losing to Brand and de Vries respectively in their man-on-man semi-final encounters. All four receive invitations to the Rip Curl Gromsearch Grand Finals that will be held ‘somewhere’ on the KwaZulu-Natal coastline in November.

The U16 girls’ title went the way of Bianca Buitendag from George who was undefeated throughout the event which started at Ushaka Island on Saturday before moving to Dairy Beach on Sunday. Buitendag, the highest placed SA team member in the U18 girls division at the recent ISA World Junior champs in France, relegated team-mate Sarah Baum (Athlone Park) to second place ahead of Heather Klug (Glenmore) and Tanika Hoffman (Kommetjie).

It was Baum who secured the U14 girls’ crown though, beating a trio of KZN South Coast opponents in Chanelle Botha (Warner Beach), Caryn MacNicol (Scottburgh) and Courtenay Ellish (Warner Beach), who finished second to fourth.

Kommetjie phenomenon Benji Brand, who only turns 12 at the beginning of July, emerged triumphant in both the U12 and U14 boys’ finals. The stocky goofy-foot (rides with right foot in front) reveled in the left breaking waves at Dairy Beach, posting some of the highest scores of the event.

Benji beat Josh Smit (Athlone Park) in the man-on-man U14 boys final where Max Armstrong (Kommetjie) and Slade Prestwich (Park Rynie) finished equal third after winning the U12 boys from Jason JJ Harris (Scottburgh), Armstrong and Brett Payn (Port Edward).

The top four in each division received invitations to compete in the SA Grand Finals in KZN in November where the winners of the U16 boys and U16 girls’ divisions will earn invitations plus airfare to the Rip Curl Gromsearch International Finals held at Bells Beach in Australia next Easter.

Durban Results

U/16 Boys
1. Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga)
2. Davey Brand (Kommetjie)
=3. JC Susan (Melkbosstrand)
=3. Jacob Mellish (Somerset West)

U/14 Boys
1. Benji Brand (Kommetjie)
2. Josh Smit (Athlone Park)
=3. Slade Prestwich (Park Rynie)
=3. Max Armstrong (Kommetjie)

U/12 Boys
1. Benji Brand (Kommetjie)
2. Jason JJ Harris (Scottburgh)
3. Max Armstrong (Kommetjie)
4. Brett Payn (Port Edward)

U/16 Girls
1. Bianca Buitendag (George)
2. Sarah Baum (Athlone Park)
3. Heather Klug (Glenmore)
4. Tanika Hoffman (Kommetjie)

U/14 Girls
1. Sarah Baum (Athlone Park)
2. Chanelle Botha (Warner Beach)
3. Caryn MacNicol (Scottburgh)
4. Courtenay Ellish (Warner Beach)

Davey Brand wins King of the Groms at Mossel Bay

2008-06-18T02:03:00.001-07:00

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)

Border take out the 2008 SA Masters champs - again!

2008-06-17T08:10:00.001-07:00

Press Release / Surfing South Africa / Monday 17 June, 2008:- Host province Border have won the team title at the 2008 Reef Wetsuits SA Masters Championships which was completed Sunday (June 15 ) after four days of competition held in excellent 4 - 6 foot waves at Nahoon Reef, East London.

This is the second year in a row that the team from East London has won the Masters Cup and underlines the depth and passion there is for Masters surfing in Border. Their winning total of 34,570 points was less than the 37,000 points they scored at Victoria Bay last year but they still finished some 9000 points ahead of neighbours Eastern Province.

This was a great result for Eastern Province who have worked hard at creating an interest in masters surfing in the area and they deserved their improvement from fourth in 2007 to second this year.

KZN came last in 2007 but improved to third place this time, finishing just 1000 points behind EP, while Western Province paid the price for not having a full team at the event and slipped to fourth. Boland came fifth, Southern Cape sixth and former champions, Southern KZN took the wooden spoon back home.

In the individual results Ryan Ribbink of KZN took the Senior Men's (over 30) title posting 14,50 to second placed Gary van Wieringen (SKZN) 13.00. Graeme Field (WP) was third with 12,70 points to his name and host province Chairman Tristan Johnson came fourth.

In the over 35 Masters Division Border stalwart Wayne Monk beat second placed Andrew Carter (EP) by 15,10 points to 14,35 with Rob Pollock (SCAPE) third on 13,80 and Carl Roux (SKZN) fourth.

SA Masters Team members and East London brothers David and Andre Malherbe had the crowd on their feet in the Grandmasters (Over 40) final as they traded wave for wave in the final with older brother David eventually coming out on top. His score of 17,85 was the highest in any of the finals and the fact that Andre came second with 17 points is an indication of how competitive this heat was. Another Border surfer, Gareth Sepp, came third with a score of 16 and Steve Adshade (EP) was fourth.

Steven Hair (SCAPE) posted 17,75 to beat World Championship runner up Nick Pike (Border) in the Kahunas (over 45) division. Pike scored 16 points to third placed Colin Buitendag (SCAPE) 12,75 and David Stubbs (WP) was fourth.

Two time World Champion and five time SA Champion Chris Knutsen (KZN) added another title to his name when he beat Brian Heathcote (Border) in the Grandkahunas (over 50) final scoring 13 points to Heathcote's 7,25. Jeremy Zinn (WP) was third and Tortie Cloete (SCAPE) was fourth.

Border President Dave Fish easily won the Veterans Final posting a 15.75 heat score at the tender age of 58. Mush Hide (EP) was second with Rob Head (KZN) third and Mike Godfrey (KZN) fourth.

The over 100 surfers that took part in the 2008 Reef Wetsuits SA Masters Championships were protected by three Shark Shields which were used at a South African surfing contest for the first time.

The Shark Shields were attached to buoys just outside the lineup. The batteries on each unit were replaced by the local lifesavers every four hours giving eight hours of protection to the surfers in the event.

Surfing South Africa are holding National Trials at Nahoon Reef on Monday June 16. These trials will be used to select the South African Masters Team which will defend the World Title won in Peru earlier this year at the ISA World Masters championships in 2009.

FULL RESULTS OF 2008 Reef Wetsuits SA Masters Championships

SENIORS (OVER 30)
1. RYAN RIBBINK: KZN
2. GARY VAN WIERINGEN: SKZN
3. GRAEME FIELD: WP
4. TRISTAN JOHNSON: BOR

MASTERS (OVER 35)
1. WAYNE MONK: BOR
2. ANDREW CARTER: EP
3. ROB POLLOCK: S/CAPE
4. CARL ROUX: KZN

GRANDMASTERS (OVER 40)
1. DAVE MALHERBE: BOR
2. ANDRE MALHERBE: BOR
3. GARETH SEPP: BOR
4. STEVE ADSHADE: EP

KAHUNAS (OVER 45)
1. STEVEN HAIR: S/CAPE
2. NICK PIKE: BOR
3. COLIN BUITENDAG: S/CAPE
4. DAVID STUBBS: WP

GRANDKAHUNAS (OVER 50)
1. CHRIS KNUTSEN : KZN
2. BRIAN HEATHCOTE : BOR
3. JEREMY ZINN : WP
4. TORTIE CLOETE : S/CAPE

VETERANS (OVER 55)
1. DAVE FISH: BOR
2. MUSH HIDE: EP
3. ROB HEAD: KZN
4. MIKE GODFREY: KZN

PROVINCIAL TEAMS
1. BORDER 34570
2. EASTERN PROVINCE 25786
3. KWAZULUNATAL 24720
4.WESTERN PROVINCE 22736
5. BOLAND 14374
6. SOUTHERN CAPE 13760
7. SOUTHERN KZN 9438

learn to surf with a pro...

2008-06-05T13:58:00.001-07:00

Llewelyn Whittaker runs a surf school in Mossel Bay called
Waves School of Surfing. Here's what he has to say about it:
Waves school of surfing is a school where I can share all my years of experience and knowlege with the youth of today. It is this experience and knowlege that will give them the confidence to take on any challenge that they may face in the future. It is a school of learning, motivation and encouragment, a place where kids can build thier self esteem and find their strengths in a secure and controled environment.

You can contact Llewelyn at llewellyn.whittaker@gmail.com
See his Surf School Blog at www.wavesschoolofsurfing.blogspot.com/

SCSA - Live Music and Sunday Lunch

2008-06-03T05:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday 8 June, Milkwood Village from 12pm.

Tickts cost R100 to raise money for the Masters surf team trip to SA Champs.

Bring your friends along for the cause.

Third and Final Trial for juniors and open division.

2008-05-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

The third and final trial for the juniors and open Southern Cape team selection will be held on 12th and 13th July in Mossel Bay.

The venue will be at the Inner Pool.

Entries close at 7.30am

Meet at the carpark. Queries? Contact Andries

If you want to see what the current points totals are then contact steve@health-synergetics.com for the spreadsheet.

Masters Team - SA Champs, East London

2008-05-16T02:20:00.000-07:00

The Masters team for Southern Cape has been decided:

30-34:

Shane Pratt (1), Steven Hurt (2)

35-39:

Rob Pollock (1), Juan Introna (2), Steven Pollock (3)

40-44:

Andrew Launder (1), Gary Rolfe (2), Andries Matthysen (3)

45-50:

Steven Hair (1), Colin Buitendag (2)

50+

Archie Swanson (1), Charlie Voget (2)

The competition is being held at Nahoon Reef, East London from the 12th to the 16th of June (Thursday to Monday). All participants need to arrange their own transport and accommodation, but Andries is looking for some support from a sponsor to help with the costs. Please confirm your place in the competition with Andries: 071 506 7974