Day 2 of the Vissla ISA World Junior Surfing Championships produced beautiful conditions for the SA groms yet again. Team captain Shane Sykes was the standout in the SA team and advanced to the Main Event Round 3 after winning his U18 boys Round 2 heat. He was joined by fellow team mate, Ntando Msibi, after he managed to finish runner up to Colt Ward (USA) in a nail-biter of a heat. For full information check out the official press release below.
Not a bad view from the lineup on day 2 of the Vissla ISA World Junior Champs.
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MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION
Wednesday October 14, 2015
VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship
Oceanside Pier, California, USA
11-18 October 2015
Shane Sykes Stars as SA Team Posts Mixed Results at VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
Shane Sykes was the star performer for South Africa on Tuesday as the team posted mixed results on the second day of the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship at Oceanside in California.
Spectacular 1.0 to 1.5 metre waves, warm water and pristine weather continued to provide the 322 competitors from 36 countries in the world’s biggest junior surfing event with the ideal conditions in their quest for individual and team honours.
Sykes, the team captain, again led by example, accumulating a heat total of 13.43 to relegate Nolan Rapoza from the strong USA team to the runner-up berth as the pair moved into the last 32 in the U18 boys’ Main Event.
Ntando Msibi joined Sykes in Main Event Round 3 when he finished second behind Colt Ward (USA) in a nail-biting heat where the Durbanite avoided dropping into the do-or-die Repercharge Rounds by finishing just 0.03 of a point ahead of third placed Ramon Barreca from Argentina.
Richard Kidd was not as fortunate, ending his heat 0.06 of a point behind second placed Alejandro Fuenzalid from Chile, and he now faces the prospect of competing in the Repercharge Rounds along with teammate Michael Monk who also placed third in his heat yesterday.
There were no shortage of quality waves on offer.
The U16 boys completed 12 of their 16 Main Event Round 2 heats. Both Sebastian Williams and Luke Malherbe grabbed runner-up spots to remain in the top tier of the event while Adin Masencamp will be action in Heat 15 today against Day 1 highest point scorer Logan Bediamol (HAW) and competitors from Argentina and Ecuador.
Girls’ competition got underway in front of the judges on the South side of the Oceanside pier. All three South Africans in action struggled to find the waves offering high scoring potential and dropped into the Repercharge stream.
In the U18 girls division Teal Hogg could only muster 2.27 points and ended fourth in her opening heat while Chanelle Botha was unlucky to finish third, just 0.10 of a point behind Sofia Loewy from Colombia, in a tightly contested low scoring encounter.
Olivia Izzard was third in her U16 girls’ heat while Sophie Bell will start her campaign in Heat 14 of Round 1 when competition resumes today.
Leonardo Fioravanti, the sole competitor representing Italy, recorded the standout performance in the U18 boys’ Round 2, earning the highest heat total (18.97) and highest single wave score (9.8) out of all the competitors in action on Day 2.
After two days of competition only USA and France have all their team members in the Main Event. Traditional surfing powerhouses including defending team champions Hawaii, along with Australia, Brazil and Peru all have one or more competitors in the Repercharge Round. The first competitors will be eliminated from the event when the cutthroat 15-minute Repercharge Rounds get underway. today
Surfline, the official forecaster, is calling for even more amazing conditions on Wednesday with 3-5’ wave faces (1.0 to 1.5 metre) and occasional larger peaks on the best tides. The morning will feature light offshore wind, trending to light onshore in the afternoon.
See schedule for Day 3 below with the South African team members who will be action and their heat numbers in brackets.
The VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship runs until Sunday 18 October and the action from both sides of the pier can be followed live at http://isaworlds.com/juniors/en/ starting at approximately 4pm SA time daily. The latest news, results, photographs and video footage are also available on the website.
Other ways to follow the South African Junior Team’s progress include:
Daily releases : www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za
Surfing South Africa Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/1Gw6ytp
2015 SA Junior Surfing Team website: www.surfingsouthafricateams.co.za
2015 SA Junior Surfing Team Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/1Lg8M1Q
VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship
Schedule for Day 3 (Wednesday – South African Time)
South Podium:
4pm – 4 heats Girls U-16 Main Event Round 1 (SA’s Sophie Bell Heat 14)
5:20pm – 8 heats Girls U-18 Main Event Round 2
8pm – 8 heats Girls U-16 Main Event Round 2 (?)
10:40pm – 1:10am – 14 heats Boys U-16 Repercharge Round 1 (Joshe Faulkner H2)
North Podium:
4pm – 4 heats Boys U-16 Main Event Round 2 (Adin Masencamp H15)
5:20pm – 13 heats Boys U-18 Repercharge Round 1
8:35pm – 5 heats Girls U-18 Repercharge Round 1 (Teal Hogg H4)
9:50pm – 2 heats Girls U-16 Repercharge Round 1
10:20pm – 1:40am – 14 heats Boys U-18 Repercharge Round 2 (Richard Kidd H9, Michael Monk H16)
Surfing South Africa is the recognised governing body for the sport and is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA). All South African surfing teams that participate in international events are ratified by the Board of Directors of Surfing South Africa.
ENDS
Pictured: South African team captain Shane Sykes won his U18 boys Round 2 heat at the 2015 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Oceanside, California on Tuesday
Photo: ISA / Sean Evans
Note: High resolution images are available to media outlets on request
For further information contact:
Robin de Kock
General Manager
Surfing South Africa
surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
0824541149
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Life’s a Beach Communications
T: (27) 21 783 4965
C: (27 82 423 1964
E: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za
