Lower Point in Jeffreys Bay is readying itself for a grom invasion next month, with the third annual RVCA Junior Challenge set to take place between 13 – 15 June. And SA’s top Under 20 surfers will be there in force, amped to show everyone what they’re made of.
They can’t wait… Lower Point is calling.
At last year’s event, James Ribbink impressed the judges to claim victory in the Under 10 division, before paddling out two heats later to grab the Under 12 title too. It was a great display of determination by the Durban ripper, and that’s only the youngest two divisions. The battles for supremacy get even tougher as the divisions move up, and last year saw some great ones. Darkhorse, Bevan Willis, grabbed the Under 16 title in a stacked final, while Emma Smith made sure her sister, Gina, would be standing on the second step of the podium by clinching the win in the Under 20 Girls final.
And let’s not even talk about the intensity in the Under 20 final, which saw two of J-Bay’s best Juniors, Dylan Lightfoot and Matt McGillivray, go head-to-head in a closely-fought battle. Matt took the title in the end, earning an entry into last year’s JBU Supertrial presented by RVCA.
Matt McGillivray was the man to beat at last year’s RVCA Junior Challenge.
So, who will stand out at this year’s event? With the bar continually being raised by SA’s Juniors, it’s going to be exciting to watch.
Check out the press release below for more details.
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The RVCA Junior Challenge 2015 – Facts and Figures and Other Such Info
Highlights from the 2014 RVCA Junior Challenge.
Jeffreys Bay – The immensely popular RVCA Junior Challenge surfing event is returning to the waves of the Lower Point in JBay, and the 2015 event is going to be a few notches up from last year. RVCA South Africa has promised a 3-day surfing celebration for the junior surfers of our country, making everyone very excited.
What is it? – With the risk of being boring and repetitious, allow us to describe the event as such – three days of competitive surfing, having fun and being healthy at the beach. The RVCA Junior Challenge is a core surf event, focussed on a back-to-basics approach to enable the groms to get the best waves for an event and thus concentrate on their surfing above anything else.
Where is it going to take place? At the Lower Point in Jeffrey Bay. The right-hand point break is a perfect competitive arena for the junior surfers, and the grass patch and braai area is the ideal place to set up camp. There will be a tent in place for the restaurant and for the prize giving, and plenty of other interesting diversions in and around the event site.
It’s hard to find a venue better than this. Lower Point in J-Bay plays host.
When is it going down? The RVCA Junior Challenge will take place 13 – 15 June, which is a Saturday to Monday period. The Monday is a school holiday and the Tuesday is a public holiday – Youth Day. Yay for long weekends! The fact that the event has been moved forward to June shows RVCA’s committment to ensuring good waves for the groms. Historically, June has always been a great month for surf in the JBay region.
Why is it happening? RVCA enjoy getting down and hanging out with the best junior surfers in the country, the groms, the up-and-comers and everyone else who enters their events. This is a grass roots event, and RVCA are proud to be involved in developing junior surfing in South Africa. Other people who enjoy hanging out and watching the junior surfers (we sometimes call them co-sponsors or event supporters) are Red Bull, Stance, Firewire, Futures Fins, Havaianas, Nixon, Rayne Cameras and Zigzag Magazine.
Who is going to be in it? Well, last year had the biggest entry into a junior event, and this year could be the same. There are the following divisions: Boys U10, U12, U14, U16 and U20, and Girls U16 and U20, so there are going to be a lot of surfers competing at the event. In fact, it might even turn out to be the biggest junior event in the country.
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The RVCA Junior Challenge is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa. Surfing South Africa is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), and recognised by the Dept. of Sport and Recreation as the national controlling body for surfing.
Event Social Media
RVCA South Africa
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RVCA.South.Africa
Twitter: @RVCA_SA
Event hashtag: #RVCAChallenge
For RVCA info contact – Melissa Willams
e: melissa@rvcasouthafrica.co.za
t: 072 488 4279
For media enquiries contact – Craig Jarvis
e: info@craigjarvis.co.za
t: 082 376 4443
