While rolling out the SA Junior Surfing Champs is nowhere near as complicated as the logistics involved in running a country, some of SA’s leaders could most definitely do with a lesson or two from the organisers involved in putting together this event – especially whoever ordered the waves. It was that good.
They would have enjoyed the show too, because the 2013 Hurley SA Junior Champs had everything – sunshine; rain; waves; drama; smiles; wind; did we already mention waves?
Final day morning glory.
The final day dawned with hardly an element out of place, as the sun sent a golden glow over The Point, with cookin’ remnants of the previous day’s mammoth swell refracting along the rocky shore. The scene was set for deciding SA’s best lightie surfers.
Kai Woolf smashes the final day wide open.
11 Year-old goofyfoot, Kai Woolf (EP), kicked-off a ripping last day with some inspirational surfing and a pair of 9-plus scoring rides to grab the highest combined heat score of the event. She’d continue in that form throughout the last day to scoop the Under 13 Girls title ahead of young North Coast ripper (and last year’s champ), Sophie Bell, who some beach-bound ‘judges’ felt was also worthy of victory.
The duo surfed brilliantly, and along with fellow finalists Kirsty McGillivray (EP) and Olivia Izzard (KZNC), SA can be confident of a solid future in Womens’ surfing for years to come.
The lines rolled down the point for the entire glorious day.
Under 13 finalist, Koby Oberholzer (SKZN), earned the Blowing Up Award from Zag for kick-starting a huge day of charging by the Juniors on Day 4, when he paddled out into the heaving lineup to snag the first bomb of the day – after which all the other groms followed bravely.
Koby Oberholzer (SKZN) on the first bomb set of the previous day’s huge swell.
Koby was seconds away from clinching the Under 13 Boys title as well, but local shredder Angelo Faulkner would have none of that, and showed incredible BMT to swat a buzzer-beating runner all the way to the rocks on the inside. The beach exploded for the young champ when his score was announced, clinching the title for himself and his team – the Eastern Province.
Angelo Faulkner floats to victory in the Under 13 Boys division.
Eastern Province had scooped both the Under 13 crowns, but Western Province dominated the Under 15’s, with Ruth Armstrong and Ethan Fletcher claiming the honours. Ethan saved his best for last by scoring the only perfect ten of the event in the final, which featured a vertical hit that had most of the beach on their feet.
The Under 15 Girls final was a tight affair, with all four finalists appearing to struggle to stay in position in the powerful lineup. So, while the top of The Point barrelled beautifully (a rare sight), the girls were pushing under walls of whitewater on the inside – perhaps caught by surprise by the sudden pulse in the ocean. Still, they did manage to snag some good scores on the running walls on the inside and Ruth Armstrong came out on top by heat’s end.
Ethan Fletcher about to go straight up and attack the lip for a perfect 10.
Another buzzer-beater saw the champion decided in the Under 17 Girls division, when Central KZN’s Teal Hogg belted the winning ride in the dying seconds to clinch her first SA title. A girly scream of joy pierced the air as she was chaired up the beach by teammates – clearly she was stoked with her achievement.
Teal Hogg (Central KZN) grabbed this buzzer-beater to claim the Under 17 Girls title.
J-Bay local, Matt Mcgillivray, claimed the Under 17 Boys win to add to his Under 15 title in 2012. Looking at home in the long walls of The Point, Matt’s smooth surfing saw him edge out an impressive Dylan Wichmann (WP), who finised second, with the Boland’s Steff Burrows in third. Steff was unlucky not to find a good back-up score that could have seen him scoop the title for himself. Max Armstrong sat and waited for a wave that never came, and found himself in 4th by the final hooter.
Local shredder, Matt Mcgillivray, puts the icing on his Under 17 Boys title-winning cake.
Winning the Freedom Cup was Western Province, who finished 1900 points ahead of last year’s team champs, Eastern Province, with KZN Central grabbing third, followed by Boland(4th); Border (5th); SKZN (6th); Southern Cape (7th); Zululand (8th) and the SA Development Academy (9th).
Everyone was a winner, though, as J-Bay delivered a spectacular five days of surfing – for which you can get all the behind-the-scenes action on www.sajuniorchamps.co.za, including stacks of photos of cookin’ J-Bay, lightie charging, and the whole story behind a historic event.
Check out the official press release below
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WESTERN PROVINCE CLAIM FREEDOM CUP AT HURLEY SA JUNIOR SURFING CHAMPS
Kai Woolf (EP), 11, won the Hurley Surfer of the Contest award, the Oakley Highest Heat Score and the SA U13 Girls title at the Hurley SA Junior Champs which ended in great waves at Jeffreys Bay on Sunday.
Western Province claimed the coveted Freedom Cup for the provincial team accumulating the highest points at the 2013 Hurley SA Junior Champs which was completed in idyllic one to 1.5 metre waves at the Lower Point today (Sunday).
WP, who last won the team title in Durban in 2011, also clinched two of the six individual titles at stake and provided seven of the 24 finalists, earning 29 670 points to dethrone hosts Eastern Province who totalled 27 770. KwaZulu-Natal Central placed third followed by Boland, Border, Southern KSN, Southern Cape, Zululand and the SA Development Academy team.
Kai Woolf (EP) was crowned the Hurley Surfer of the Contest presented by All Aboard Travel and a trip to Bali valued at R20 000. The 11 year-old Jeffreys Bay local was in outstanding form throughout the event and captured the SA U13 Girls title for the second time along with the Oakley Highest Heat Score award and R3 000 for posting a heat total of 18.75 out of 20 that included a near-perfect 9.75 out of 10 plus a 9.0 in her quarter-final heat earlier today.
After the giant surf and strong winds that produced legendary performances yesterday, the final day of the Hurley SA Junior Champs dawned sunny and still with the classic waves that Jeffreys Bay is renowned for peeling down the rocky point, setting the scene for a historic finale to an event that will be remembered forever.
The remaining heats of the U17, U15 and U13 Girls divisions were run before the U13 Girls final took the pulsing overhead waves with Kai Woolf just holding off the challenge of 2012 champion Sophie Bell (KZNC) to reclaim the title she won as nine year-old in Durban in 2011.
Angelo Faulkner made it two titles in a row for EP when he produced a determined performance in his home surf to narrowly outscore Koby Oberholzer (KZNC) by 14.75 points to 14.15 and clinch the SA U13 Boys crown.
The 2013 SA U15 Girls champion is Ruth Armstrong (WP) who triumphed in a see-saw battle where just 0.50 of a point separated the winner from runner-up Cana Foster (KZNC) and 2012 champion Crystal Hulett (EP) in third place.
Supergrom Ethan Fletcher surfed an incredible U15 Boys final, posting a perfect 10 point ride and backing that up with an excellent 8.50 to mount the victory dias ahead of WP teammates Jordy Maree and Jake Elkington.
The U17 Girls title went to Teal Hogg (KZNC) who delivered a come from behind victory with a great ride in the dying seconds to overtake Robyn van der Merwe (EP) by just 0.35 of a point.
Matt McGillivray (EP), last year’s U15 Boys champ and Surfer of the Contest, was the standout performer in the U17 Boys division this year and duly clinched the title when he finished ahead of Dylan Wichmann (WP), Steff Burrows (Boland) and Max Armstrong (WP).
Max Armstrong won the Red Bull Best Air award and the R5 000 that went with it for his perfectly executed air reverse on the opening day of the event while Koby Oberholzer (KZNC) was awarded the Zigzag Blowing Up prize-purse of R3 000 for charging throughout the event.
The Skullcandy Team Spirit Award went to \Southern KZN who were always the first team on the beach and supported their teammates vocally from the shoreline and Wayne Monk took out the My Dad’s Shred Sesh presented by Firewire Surfboards and Country Felling Surfshop with Llewellyn Whittaker and Frankie Oberholzer the closest challengers.
Go to http://www.sajuniorchamps.co.za/videos.php for video highlights of each day’s action at the event.
2013 Hurley SA Junior Champs (Lower Point, Jeffreys Bay)
Results:
Freedom Cup (Provincial team points)
1. WESTERN PROVINCE – 29 670 points
2. EASTERN PROVINCE – 27 770
3. KZN CENTRAL – 26 290
4. BOLAND – 21 300
5. BORDER – 19 010
6. SOUTHERN KZN – 17 931
7. SOUTHERN CAPE – 15 855
8. ZULULAND – 13 546
9. SA DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY – 13 045
Boys U17
1. Matt McGillivray (EP)
2. Dylan Wichmann (WP)
3. Steff Burrows (BOL)
4. Max Armstrong (WP)
Girls U17
1. Teal Hogg (KZNC)
2. Robyn VD Merwe (EP)
3. Inge McLaren (BOR)
4. Chanelle Botha (SKZN)
Boys U15
1. Ethan Fletcher (WP)
2. Jordy Maree (WP)
3. Jake Elkington (WP)
4. Tristan Lev (BOL)
Girls U15
1. Ruth Armstrong (WP)
2. Cana Foster (KZNC)
3. Crystal Hulett (EP)
4. Michelle Verreynne (SC)
Boys U13
1. Angelo Faulkner (EP)
2. Koby Oberholzer (KZNC)
3. Max Elkington (WP)
4. Karl Steen (KZNC)
Girls U13
1. Kai Woolf (EP)
2. Sophie Bell (KZNC)
3. Kirsty McGillivray (EP)
4. Olivia Izzard (KZNC)
Hurley Surfer of the Contest presented by All Aboard Travel:
Kai Woolf (EP)
Oakley Highest Heat Score:
Kai Woolf (EP)
Red Bull Big Air:
Max Armstrong (WP)
My Dad Shred Shesh by Firewire Surfboards:
Wayne Monk (Border)
Skullcandy Team Spirit:
Southern KwaZulu-Natal
Zigzag Blowing Up Award:
Koby Oberholzer (KZNC)
Rebel Surfboards Highest Placed Development Surfer:
Sne Makhuba (SA Development Academy)
Dutchie Surfboards Highest Placed Unsponsored Surfer:
Dylan Wichmann (WP)
All the action and behind the scenes highlights at the 2013 Hurley SA Junior Champs can be followed on the following digital platforms:
Hurley FB: https://www.facebook.com/Hurley.ZA
Hurley Twitter: https://twitter.com/HurleyZA
SA Junior Champs: https://twitter.com/sajuniorchamps (Results Only)
Twitter account – @HurleyZA and the hashtag #sajuniorchamps
Hurley Instagram: http://instagram.com/hurley_za
Daily blogs, interviews, video uploads, images and results will be posted on www.sajuniorchamps.co.za and results can also be found at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za
The South African Development Academy team is participating thanks to a grant from Sport and Recreation South Africa.
The Hurley SA Junior Champs is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), recognised by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and Sport and Recreation SA as the national governing body for the sport. SSA is a member of the International Surfing Association (ISA), the world’s governing body for surfing.
The 2013 Hurley SA Junior Champs is supported by All Aboard Travel, Skullcandy, Red Bull, Zigzag, Oakley, Neff, Vans Off The Wall, FUTURELIFE and Island Tribe in association with Sticky Bumps Wax, Channel Islands and Mayhem surfboards.
Well done competitors, well done Hurley, well done Zigzag. Such a sick event.