With over 150 groms absolutely frothing to wreak havoc on its perfectly tapered walls, The Point in Jeffreys Bay is about to get blasted by the Hurley SA Junior Champs – set to get underway next week.
They’re excited, because it’s hard to imagine a wave more perfectly tailored for lightie shredding.
The Point was cooking for last year’s SA Junior Champs.
Yes, it may be considered a little ‘soft’ by today’s standard, but The Point is custom-built for putting on a good performance, and separating the winners from the losers – which, let’s face it, is the reason you host a contest.
Its long walls keep begging you to belt them harder with every turn, as you glide down the line on a endless wall that has just started it’s slow dance after a speedy run from Boneyards, through Supers’ racetrack, and past Tubes.
Supertubes’ incredible racetrack, before it bends tantalizingly into the Point.
It’s not the adrenaline-pumping race that so many of us crave at places like Skeleton Bay or G-Land, but it’s a wave that offers a lot of time and space – highlighting the strengths (and weaknesses) in your technique.
Get your timing and positioning right and you’re smashing that sweet wall right the way to the beach, but get it wrong and you’re going to lose that momentum and fall behind.
Matt Mcgillivray had his timing spot-on in 2012 to earn himself the ‘Surfer of the Contest’ award.
But it’s not just the fact that it’s an exceptional wave that has motivated Hurley to make The Point the permanent home for the SA Junior Champs – as opposed to moving it from province to province, as was the case in the past.
It’s also because of the fact that Jeffreys Bay is still the Mecca of South African surfing, and it continues to exude that sweet anticipation in the air when you visit – those lines; the sunrises which remind you that you’re in a special place; the dolphins; the tales from the past; and of course the excitement of potentially catching the wave of your life – all the things that make J-Bay special.
“J-Bay is the real deal surfers village of Africa” says Hurley’s Jevon Le Roux – who grew up surfing its perfect walls. “It’s every grommets dream to travel up or down the coast and enjoy the waves. I guess for them it’s that one place they draw on their notepads while daydreaming at school during class.”
Just another lousy morning in J-Bay – Pffft!
For some of these groms it will be their first journey to SA’s surfing Mecca – their rite of passage – and they’ll be able to go back to school and tell their own stories of J-Bay’s perfect waves.
And while they’ll no doubt give it their all as they compete for provincial and personal glory, these young guns are mostly looking to just have a little fun.
The action kicks off next week Wednesday, with hosts Eastern Province looking to defend the title they claimed in 2012.
Zag’s going to be down on the beach amidst all the fun and bringing you the inside scoop, but you can also stay connected to the 2013 Hurley SA Junior Champs by following www.sajuniorchamps.co.za
