Never let first impressions fool you, especially at a contest that involves hordes of hormonal teenagers, demanding parents, and National titles. Day 2 of competition marked just that — revealing thick tension infecting the event’s fun-loving façade. Trestles began to morph from playground to Coliseum — the frontlines of the battle of America’s brightest young shredders.

Although Round 1 of the Open Juniors saw mediocre Lowers lefts and rights, there was no less heart in every kid in a singlet. The usually peaceful cobblestone Trestles shoreline had become a war zone: Family base camps stretched farther north and south and on-deck contestants gazed seaward, ready for the race of paddle-battles and position. They were suited in the latest aquatic armor and equipped with fiberglass blades tucked tightly under their arms, thrust forward, ready to charge. Some were already bruised and broken, like New York wave guerilla Balaram Stack, who had a waterproof cast wound around his wrist — plaster proof of an unwavering commitment to his sport.

Though the Volcom brigade onshore fought to keep the amusement levels high with a sizeable onslaught of arts and crafts, finger paint wasn’t enough to make every contestant a happy camper. The word around the tents was that there had been a bit of a tussle the day before between two competitors — one, a San Clemente local, the other a Hawaiian. Frustration, a natural side effect of tense rivalry, had infected the two groms who were both in hot pursuit of eternal NSSA glory.

read more at surfingmag

Aussie takes down local favorite Royden Bryson in freezing Cape Town barrels

Final

1. Blake Thornton (AUS) 1 500 points $12,000
2. Royden Bryson (ZAF) 1 313 Points $6,000

Semifinals (Winner to final, 2nd = 3rd place, 1 125 pts + $3 500)
SF1: Royden Bryson (ZAF) def. Glenn Hall (AUS)
SF2: Blake Thornton (AUS) def. Jarrad Howse (AUS)

Quarterfinals (Winner to semis, 2nd = 5th place, 975 pts, $2 000)
QF1: Royden Bryson (ZAF) def. Kyle Lane (ZAF)
QF2: Glen Hall (AUS) def. Damien Fahrenfort (ZAF)
QF3: Jarrad Howse def. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
QF4: Blake Thornton (AUS) def. Jean de Silva (BRA)

CONDITIONS: Frigid but pumping offshore conditions came together on the final day with a solid six-foot swell on tap, while just the day prior, nasty storm conditions had forced a lay day. Luckily, the groomed conditions for the finals allowed the venue, Kalk Bay, to pass out some reeling lefthand barrels.

HIGHLIGHTS: Kalk Bay provided Cape Town with its first professional surf competition in 21 years and had hometown hero Royden Bryson taken the win, the local crew surely would’ve thrown a rowdy bash for the boy.
Blake Thorton, who ended up ousting Royden in the final, mentioned that the cold was affecting their surfing. Big, heaving surf at Cape Town in the middle of winter = gnarly. Or just way too much neoprene.

Perhaps more of a lowlight than a highlight, but it’s worth noting that World Tour surfer Jordy Smith went down to Glenn Hall in the Round of 16.

see more at http://www.oneill.com/cwc/southafrica

read  the full story and see more pics at surfline

Rip Curl Pro Search

ASP World Tour event #9
Peniche Portugal
19 – 28 October 2009

Peniche, Portugal — Rip Curl International has today officially announced that the coastal town of Peniche, Portugal, will host this year’s Rip Curl Pro Search, Stop No. 9 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour – to be held October 19 to 28.

The location has been a mystery to most all season, but today’s official press launch in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon unveiled the secret to media and the surfing industry.

“We’re excited about today’s announcement and even more excited to see the industry’s reaction to our decision to hold this year’s Rip Curl Pro Search in the beautiful country of Portugal,” said Scott Hargreaves, Rip Curl Event Manager. “The country has a lot of great waves and we’ve decided to lock in Peniche’s ’Supertubos’ as our event spot. It’s a five-star wave and one of the best beachbreak tubes in the world!”

Supertubos is a powerful A-frame barrel that feeds off deep Atlantic Ocean swells and handles waves up to the 12-15ft (4-5m). Many surfers have nicknamed it the “European Pipeline” due to its similarities to Hawaii’s infamous Banzai Pipeline.

“The wave breaks all year, but the North Atlantic Ocean swells peak in the later part of Europe’s summer,” continued Mr. Hargreaves. “This is why we’ve created the event window in October, instead of the June-July period we’ve had for the past four years.”
The change of schedule will also make this year’s Rip Curl Pro Search the second-to-last event on the ASP Men’s World Tour calendar, meaning for the first time it could be the event where this year’s ASP World Champion is crowned.

find out more at asp