It was another great day to be a surfer in Port Elizabeth on Sunday, 26 March. While the swell had dropped off, it was straight back to the action in the Billabong Junior Series presented by All Aboard event #1, and it was going to go all the way through to the podiums.
As a result of the smaller swell and easterly wind, it was decided after a few heats at Pollock Beach to go mobile, and to head on over to the wild side to a fun little right-hander known as Lochness. Fun it was, with high performance right-handers zippering down the little point-style wave, and with just one odd rock lurking towards the end of the ride.
It’s always a great decision when an event goes mobile. A little bit nerve wracking to make the call, but once mobilized and then at a new and better venue, it’s all smiles. The fun right-hander of Lochness became the new contest venue. Daniel Emslie put his right-breaking Nahoon experience to work, with a few great rides to take honours in the U14 Boys division, and Kayla Nogueira put on a great effort on her backhand and showed the world that her hard training and coaching under the High Performance Surfing Academy in Durban is paying off.
Zia Hendricks, u/12 girls winner. © Kody McGregor
The U16 girls was a shoot-out between the two HPSA star pupils in Kayla and Sne Makhubu, with Kayla getting the double and Sne coming in second ahead of Tayla Coning and Zoe Steyn in fourth.
In the U16 Boys it was a fierce battle between the two Cape Town surfers in Max Elkington and Eli Beukes, with the goofy-footed Elkington getting the nod. Buekes was ahead of Bryce Du Preez, with Dillen Hendricks in fourth.
“It was a weird kind of heat,” said a stoked Max after the final had finished. “We were still busy paddling out when the siren went but I managed to pick up a good one right off the bat which was pretty cool. Then I sat. I must have sat for nearly fifteen minutes before I got that second good one.”
It was enough to see Max to a well-deserved victory however.
“It has been a great event,” said Max. “There has been a cool vibe and we’ve all enjoyed it. My goal going forward after this event is to try and make ISA World’s again and to improve on my result there from last year.”
With the cross-shore wind sweeping across the wildside, there was much anticipation around the VonZipper Air Show, and it didn’t disappoint. Llandudno-trained Luke Slijpen took to the skies and one well-aimed forehand waft saw him with the airshow with ease.
u/10 boys winner, Sergio Nogueira. © Kody McGregor
At the end of the day it was a great contest, and a feel-good vibe to have some serious surfing competition vibes in Port Elizabeth. This year is looking like it’s going to be a great year for surfing in South Africa, with a wealth of new events, and developments in the sport. There are opportunities to be had on the Billabong Junior Series as well as the City Surf Series, and it’s time that South African surfers put their head down, do the hard yards and make careers for themselves. With these extra competitions and opportunities we now have no excuses to not get results, forge careers and push forward on an international scale.
We have a full Billabong Junior Series of four events, we have the five event City Surf Tour, we have the return of the Cell C Goodwave, and with the like of the aforementioned Cell C, Corona and Volkswagen climbing onboard to work with our surf industry to make our surfers the best in the world, there really are no excuses. It might take a little longer than we would like, but if we get onto the road and we stick with it, and keep a positive vibe going within our sport, we can do nothing else but succeed. When we do succeed, those few naysayers, those negative heroes who do nothing else but moan, chastise and criticize every effort that contest directors, sport administrators and management does, will eventually get weeded out to where they belong.
A change is gonna come. You can feel it.
Final results
VZ Airshow
Luke Slijpen
Best Claim
Davey Emslie
U10
1. Sergio Nogueira
2. Davey Emslie
3. Michael Russel
4. Josh Malherbe
U12 Girls
1. Zia Hendricks
2. Lisa Van Heerden
3. Emma Bedser
4. Luanne Hurst
U12 Boys
1. Kyra Bennie
2. Nathan Plomaritis
3. CJ Posthumus
4. Ethan Currin
U14 Girls
1. Kayla Nogueira
2. Lisa Van Heerden
3. Aimee Du Preez
4. Caroline Brown
U14 Boys
1. Daniel Emslie
2. Nate Spalding
3. Mitch Du Preez
4. Travis Pearce
U16 Girls
1. Kayla Nogueira
2. Sne Makhubu
3. Tayla Coning
4. Zoe Steyn
U16 Boys
1. Max Elkington
2. Eli Buekes
3. Bryce Du Preez
4. Dillen Hendricks
*Featured Image: Max Elkington / Photo By: Kody McGregor
Ja… sure…its good to be positive for our saffas surf future.
But lets be realistic, dreams are dreams and facts are facts.
Lets not get confused.
I would rather groom them into teritary education simultaneously with surfing.
Or is the industry just grooming our youngsters as future employees?
That is the question.