The event schedule for the 2009/10 Rip Curl GromSearch Series presented by Snickers has been released and grommets across Australia will be waxing their boards in anticipation of Stop 1 in Victoria this September.

The Rip Curl GromSearch is Australia’s only national junior event series and gives surfers aged 16 and under the opportunity to test themselves against their friends, peers and interstate visitors alike. Each of Australia’s surfing states score a spot on the series calendar, with the timing usually coinciding with school holidays to ensure everyone gets a chance to surf an event in their own backyard.

The GromSearch series makes use of a unique national ratings system that gives competitors the opportunity to gauge their level of surfing against other surfers on a national scale.

Individual event Champions in the 16’s division from each of the seven events earn an invitation to compete in the National Final, which is held during the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach over Easter. The male and female champions of the National Finals are then invited to represent Australia in the International Final.

One surfer who knows just how valuable this experience can be is teenager and 2009 Rip Curl Women’s Pro wildcard Nikki Van Dijk (Phillip Island, VIC). Van Dijk was the star of last season’s GromSearch, powering right through the 2008/09 series all the way to the International Final which she won at the record age of 14.

2009/10 AUSTRALIAN RIP CURL GROMSEARCH CALENDAR:

VIC, Jan Juc Beach, 22-25 September 2009
NSW, Coffs Harbour, 14-17 October 2009
WA, Mandurah, 24-25 October 2009
TAS, Clifton Beach, 7-8 November 2009
SA, Middleton, 21-22 November 2009
QLD, Duranbah Beach, Gold Coast 14-18 December 2009
NSW, Cronulla, Sydney 22-25 January 2010

Australian Final: 28 March 2010
International Final: 1-5 April 2010 – Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach

The 2009/10 Rip Curl GromSearch series is proudly presented by SNICKERS in association with Waves Magazine, Fuel TV, and Surfing Australia.

Further information on the GromSearch series can be accessed at ripcurl.com  Surfing Australia can provide competition entry forms as well as updated information on each of the events proceedings and surfers ratings which is accessed at surfingaustralia.com

more info and story at surfingaustralia.com

Billabong ISA World Surfing Games

International Surfing Assn.
Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica
1 – 8 August 2009

“Yes, yes, I will be in Costa Rica for the ISA World Surfing Games representing Peru in this great event,” affirmed Sofía Mulanovich, the Champion of the 2004 International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games Ecuador 2004 and the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour (WCT) Champion as well. She will return to the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009, which will take place in Playa Hermosa July 31 to August 8, after two absences in California and Portugal.

With the integration of one of the most famous surfers in the world–Mulanovich has won the Surfer Magazine Poll Awards the past three years–the Peruvian adds a cache to the Costa Rica version of the World Surfing Games. For the surfer herself, she is pleased to return to the Games in a Latin American country.

“I am pleased to represent Peru in Latin American countries. Although it is a different experience, it is a place where they speak to you in Spanish. And at the same time, it is better than competing in countries that are far away,” the Peruvian declared.

At the same time that Mulanvich won the World Surfing Games Ecuador 2004, she was able to pull through the best year of the WCT, the Women’s World Tour. With this, she obtained two of the most important surfing titles in the world, a feat obtained solely by Peru in the history of the sport.

With that kind of history to live up to, the country of Peru has summed the best and most recognized of their surfers to profit at the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009. In doing so, they are a likely favorite to enter the Top 10.

The Peruvian National Surf Team are: Open: Gabriel Villarán, Javier Swayne, Alvaro Malpartida and Matías Mulanovich. Women: Sofía Mulanovich and Analí Gómez. Longboard: Picolo Clemente and Tamil Martino.

Among these names, Peru has offered up Latin American, Pan-American and ASP Junior title winners with surfers Villarán, Swayne and Gómez.

With the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009 already drawing 35 countries to Playa Hermosa, more and more countries are revealing their star players, while some other teams are revealing their full lists. Venezula offered the name of Francisco Bellorín, a surfer who dominates the Asociacion of Latinamerica de Surfistas Profesionals (ALAS) Latin American circuit. Argentina, another Hispanic giant that performed with excellence at the Huntington, California World Surfing Games in 2006 and have evolved remarkably since then, will bring 2006 Latin American Champion Martín Passeri and the Latin Longboard BiChampion Martín Pérez.

The múltiple Chilean Junior ALAS Champion Manuel Selman, is a member of his team’s national selection. Selman is currently surfing the WQS, where he is today proudly representing South America in the ASP circuit. Panama is bringing with them the unique surfer of the región, Gary Saavedra, who is the 13-time Panamanian National Surf Champion, and “The Most Professional” surfer, according to ALAS. In 2005, Saavedra obtained the Pan-American Subchampionship.

Another neighboring country to Costa Rica that will take advantage of the logistics is Nicaragua, who will be making their first appearance at the World Surfing Games. Their team will be comprised of the Central American Junior Champion Rex Calderón, who is also a Champion in Open and Junior in Nicaragua as well.

Meanwhile, please find below more countries and their slate of team members who will be participating in the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009.

1) Australia-Confirmed

2) Bahamas
1 Blake Sands Open Men
2 Corey Engle Open Men
3 Joshua Sands Open Men
4 Warren Knowles Open Men
5 Sarah Cox Open Women
6 Joshua Sands Longboard
7 Brad Boyd Longboard

3) Barbados
1 Stefan Corbin Open Men
2 Simon Coles Open Men
3 Christopher Clark Open Men
4 Jonathan reece Open Men
5 Chelsea Tuach Open Women
6 Kenneth Tuach Longboard
7 Kevin Jones Longboard
8 Peter Corbin-Mgr Team Official
9 Nicholas Donawa-Coach Team Official

4) Brazil-Confirmed

5) France
1 Jeremy Flores Open Men
2 Mickael Picon Open Men
3 Marc Lacomare Open Men
4 Maxine Huscemot Open Men
5 Pauline Ado Open Women
6 Lee Ann Curren Open Women
7 Antione Delpero Longboard
8 Remi Arauzo Longboard
9 Michel Plateau-Tm Mgr Team Official
10 Patrick Flores-Coach Team Official
11 Pierre-Marc Gaillard-Kine Team Official
12 Thierry Durantel-Medical Team Official

6) Ireland
1 Fergal Smith Open Men
2 Liam Joyce Open Men
3 Stephen Kilfeather Open Men
4 Ronan Oertzen Open Men
5 Nicole Morgan Open Women
6 Tahlia Britton Open Women
7 John McCurry Longboard
8 Emmet O’Doherty Longboard
9 Stevie Burns-Mgr Team Official
10 Marcos Dias-Coach Team Official

7) Japan
1 Kai Ojima Open Men
2 Syuuhei Kato Open Men
3 Yoji Oosedo Open Men
4 Yuki Kobayashi Open Men
5 Nao Oomura Open Women
6 Minato Takahashi Open Women
7 Yuku Okazaki Longboard
8 Yuta Morimoto Longboard
9 Yoshio Sekiguchi-Mgr Team Official
10 Oasamu Yoshinagu-Coach Team Official
11 TBD Team Official

8) Mexico-Confirmed

9) New Zealand
1 Billy Stairmand Open Men
2 Guaranga Ormond Open Men
3 Jay Quinn Open Men
4 Matt Hewitt Open Men
5 Daisy Thomas Open Women
6 Laura Rishworth Open Women
7 Daniel Procte Longboard
8 Thomas Kibblewhite Longboard
9 David Van Staden-Mgr Team Official
10 Jay Quinn-Coach Team Official

10) Nicaragua
1 Rex Calderon Open Men
2 Luis Chamorro Open Men
3 TBD Open Men
4 TBD Open Men
5 Jose Hernandez Longboard
6 Javier Baldovinos-Mgr Team Official
7 Tony Longobucco-Coach Team Official

11) Peru-Confirmed

12) Puerto Rico-Confirmed

13) South Africa
1 Brandon Jackson Open Men
2 Rudy Palmboom Open Men
3 Damien Fahrenfort Open Men
4 Ryan Payne Open Men
5 Rosanne Hodge Open Women
6 Nikita Robb Open Women
7 Justin Bing Longboard
8 Michael Hill Longboard
9 Mike Sheppard-Mgr Team Official
10 Graham Hynes-Coach Team Official
11 Ant Brodowicz-Dep Coach Team Official
12 Kevin Olsen-Asst. Coach Team Official

14) Switzerland
1 Jurg Diemand Open Men
2 Roland Hauser Open Men
3 Christian Bulling Open Men
4 Stefan Vogel Open Men
5 Andrea Rodriguez Open Women
6 Celine Gehret Open Women
7 Stefan Vogel Longboard
8 Sven Grossenbacher Longboard
9 Tino Staheli-Mgr Team Official
10 Nicolas Foftu- Media Team Official

15) Tahiti-Confirmed

16) Trinidad & Tobago
1 Chris Dennis Open Men
2 Jason Apparicio Open Men
3 Che Lovelace Open Men
4 Alan Davis Open Men
5 Micheline Ferreira Open Women
6 TBD Team Official
7 TBD Team Official

17) USA-Confirmed

18) Venezuela-Confirmed

WA’s Best Longboard Surfers set to battle it out at the Whalebone Classic

West Australia’s richest longboard surfing event the annual Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) specialty rated Whalebone Classic is set to hit the surf at Iso’s Reef, Cottesloe this weekend.

The States best longboarders will be ‘walkin the walk’ while spectators will be ‘talking the talk’ as they watch the competitors executing a range of traditional moves like hanging ten and drop knee cutbacks.

With 9 different divisions catering for all ages and abilities from Under 18 boys and girls to Over 60’s, as well as a Stand Up Paddle race, this is the biggest Whalebone Classic ever.

Without defending Whalebone Champion Dane Pioli who is overseas on sponsorship commitments, the way is open for some of WA’s young chargers to take this year’s title and a share of over $5,000 in prize money.

With the likes of newly crowned State Champion Rahn Goddard and local hotties Jock Bahen, Ben Proudfoot and Denmark’s Patrick McCarthy the Cottesloe Beach Hotel pro division is sure to provide some exciting surfing.

read more at surfingaustralia