2009 South Coast Tourism South African Surfing Championships
A premier Surfing South Africa tournament
St Michaels on Sea, Southern KwaZulu Natal
May 28 – 31, 2009
Thursday May 28 : Day One

St Mikes delivers the goods on Day One of the 2009 South Coast Tourism South African Surfing Championships

Competitors in the first round of the Men’s and Under 20 Boys Divisions of the 2009 South Coast Tourism South African Surfing Championships were treated to typical six foot St Mikes surf on Day One of this premier Surfing South Africa event and made the best of the conditions.

In the Men’s division Southern KZN surfers used their local knowledge to produce four heat winners in Gary Van Wieringen, Gary Footit, Ryan Balfour and Gavin Roberts and they have advanced to Round Four. Another SKZN surfer,Wynand Louw, came second and advances to Round Three.
Border secured three wins with former two time SA Champion Wayne Monk, Philip Malherbe and 2007 SA Champion Devyn Mattheys advancing to Round Three while teammate Tyrell Johnson’s second place sees him in Round Three.
Josh Salie and Brandon Roberts were Round One winners for Western Province and David Richards posted a second place while Llewellyn Whittaker was the only Boland Round One winner. Teammates Peder Christensen, Johan Kriek and Mikhail Thompson secured second place finishes and will advance to Round Three alongside Paul Canning, Wes O’Driscoll, Michael Vawda and Manfred Adrio of KZN and defending champion Shaun Payne of Eastern Province.
Dylan Stone of Eastern Province won his heat and advances to Round Four as does Dylan Stewart of KZN.

First round upsets included that of WQS surfer Dan Redman of KZN who is in the repercharge round along with 2008 finalist and SA Team captain Ryan Payne of EP.

In the Under 20 Boys Division Western Province and KZN posted two wins each in Mikey February and Jaco Steyn and Chris Leppan and Haydn Mc Nicol respectively while 2007 U20 champion Klee Strachan of Boland secured a win as did Remi Petersen of Eastern Province.
Mbongeni Hlengwa,a SSA Lotto Scholarship recipient and Southern KZN teammate David Defillipi as well as Donovan Zoetmulder of Eastern Province, Bolanders Jacob Mellish and Tommie Kruger and KZN surfer Shawn Dennis all secured second spots in their respective Round One heats and advanced to Round Three.
The major upsets in this division was the third place finish by former SA Under 20 Champion Kyle Lane of KZN who will now have to fight his way out of the repercharge round.

This is the seventh time that the Southern KZN Surfing are hosting the South African Championships and the sixth time that St Mikes is the venue for the event.
Support by South Coast Tourism is a unique first for the tournament as it is the first time that a tourism body has ever sponsored the South African Surfing Championships.

The opening function was held at Backline in Margate at 6pm on Wednesday night (May 27) and the event will conclude with the finals in the Men’s Women’s, Under 20 Boys and Under 20 Girls Divisions on Sunday May 31.

The venue can be viewed on webcam each day by going to www.margate.co.za.

The contest is presented by Surfing South Africa (SSA) who are recognised by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA) as the governing body for the sport in South Africa.
The host province is Southern KZN which affiliated to the national body back in 1971.

SSA is made up of six provinces: Boland, Border, Eastern Province, KwaZulu Natal, Southern KZN and Western Province. The South African Bodyboarding Association, the South African Longboarding Association and the South African Students Surfing Union are also affiliated to Surfing South Africa.

SSA sanctions the annual Pro Surf Tour (PST), coordinates and runs National Surfing Championships, selects National teams and is responsible for the administration of the sport.

The 2009 South African Surfing Championships is presented by Surfing South Africa, hosted by Southern KZN Surfing and supported by South Coast Tourism info@tourismsouthcoast.co.za
Photos – Julie de Vries

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And now the world has discoved Alana Blanchard. Things will not be the same after this Rolling Stone Article.

Arnette All-Day Antics
Presented by Jack’s Surfboards

ASP Grade 3 Pro Junior Mens event
54th Street, Newport Beach California
6 – 7 June 2009

Arnette All-Day Antics launches event #3 at 54th Street

San Juan Capistrano, Ca — The third of 10 stops on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) North America Pro Junior Series is just weeks away from commencement with the ASP Grade-3 Arnette All Day Antics Pro Junior presented by Jack’s Surfboards, which will run at 54th Street in Newport Beach, California from June 6-7, 2009.

The two day event will be webcast live and play host to the nation’s top ASP Pro Junior talent in what will be a critical stop in all surfer’s campaigns towards qualification for the ASP World Junior Championships.

The 2009 ASP North America Pro Junior Series is a qualifier for the ASP World Junior Championships; with all surfers on the series looking to compile their best five results to earn a top three regional finish at year’s end. Arnette’s decision to upgrade their Pro Junior to an ASP Grade-3 event translates into additional points on offer in the Newport contest, which will play a vital role in each surfer’s qualification for the prestigious event held in Narrabeen, Australia.

“We are fired up for the second annual Arnette Pro Jr,” Arnette Brand Manager Joe Freitag said.  “Coming off of such a successful event last year, and working with such great partners as Jack’s and ASG, we’ve decided to up the ante and upgrade the event to a 3-grade, giving younger competitors a greater opportunity to battle it out and earn points on the ASP North American Pro Junior Series.”

Andrew Doheny (Newport Beach, CA), 16, is a local at 54th street and was also a qualifier for the ASP World Junior Championships last year. The talented regular-footer is hungry to post an impressive performance in front of his home crowd and is out to utilize his local knowledge in the Arnette Pro Junior to help his cause.

“Newport is my home,” Doheny said. “It is just really nice having a contest at home, but in the end it is a beachbreak so it’s all about wave selection.”

Doheny is also looking to utilize the event’s ASP Grade-3 status to help him earn back-to-back qualifications for the ASP World Junior Championships next year. Since there are two ASP Grade-3 events and one ASP Grade-4, the Nike Pier Pressure, on the 2009 calendar, the Newport Beach local is well aware of the importance of a big result at the upcoming event.

“The contest is very important,” Doheny said. “Whether or not you go to Australia will be decided by how you do at the two Grade-3’s and the Grade-4. I am really looking forward to the event and I am stoked that it is at [54th Street].”

Nat Young, who is a constant threat to all competitors on the ASP Pro Junior Series, is also on the hunt for a win at the Arnette All Day Antics Pro Junior. Young hopes that a solid result at the event at 54th Street will help pave the way to a successful campaign for the 2009 season.

“I think it is very important to do well in this contest,” Young said. “Since it’s a Grade-3, there are more points involved and I think whoever wins this contest will be sitting well for qualification to worlds. There is a Grade-4 and another Grade-3, but it would be good to have a really good result early on in the year.”

Young has already had a successful year on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS), with standout performances against some of the world’s finest international competitors and now he’s looking to carry the confidence earned from those events over to his regional ASP Pro Junior campaign.

“I think it definitely helps with confidence,” Young said. “I just had the hardest heat of my life at Lowers with C.J. (Hobgood) and Dane (Reynolds). However, I try not to underestimate anyone, because anyone can have a good 20 minutes. And when I do underestimate someone I usually end up losing to him.”

The Arnette All Day Antics Pro Junior will run from June 6-7, 2009 at 54th Street in Newport Beach, California and will begin at 8 am local time. For the first time, both days of the event will be shot in High Definition and webcast LIVE via arnetteprojunior.com.

About Arnette: Established in 1992 and headquartered in Southern California, over the past seventeen years Arnette has firmly established itself as a respected leader in the global eyewear market. Arnette’s mission is simple; to offer stylish eyewear that fuses progressive design, maximum functionality and unparalleled quality, with the hard-charging, action sports lifestyle it was born from.  Backed by a family-like crew of talented athletes and influencers spanning the skate, surf and wake communities, Arnette’s diverse collection is available at finer retailers worldwide.  For more information and to find an authorized dealer in your area, check out: arnette.com  Arnette is a Luxottica Group company.

About Jack’s: Jack’s Surfboards reached a milestone in 2007 celebrating it’s 50th year in business. Since 1957, Jack’s has built a reputation as an icon in surf retail. It has been the place to go for surf fans around the world to find the newest surf products and clothing labels. Offering a huge selection of surfboards, wetsuits, skateboards, snowboards, apparel and accessories, Jack’s is Orange County’s premier surf shop.

About Sourceinterlink Media’s Action Sports Group (ASG): Reaching more than two million enthusiasts, Source Interlink Media’s Action Sports Group (ASG) is the dominant force in the action sports and adventure sports arenas. In addition to publishing leading lifestyle publications such as Surfer, Surfing, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Bike, Powder and Canoe & Kayak, Source Interlink Media’s ASG delivers a cutting-edge network of online properties, events and television programming.

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