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Surfing action is well underway at the 2015 Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS at Lower Point in JBay. Here’s a roundup of Day 1 and 2 action.
DAY 1
The torrential downpour did nothing to dampen the spirits of the countries top juniors at the start of the Billabong SA Junior Champs. Take SA’s crème de la crème of frothing groms, add in pristine 3-4 foot pristine (did we say pristine) waves and you’re in for a helluva day of surfing down at Lower Point.
The action kicked off with Round 1 of the U17 Boys where eThekwini’s Bevin Willis schooled his opponents, and the crowd, with a lesson in solid power surfing and took out the first heat with a combined total of 12.33.
The cooking Lower Point conditions mixed with an evident fierce rivalry amongst the young water warriors, was the perfect melting pot for the countries top groms to display their surfing talent. To say the least, competition was fierce.
One such stand-out surfer was Cape Town’s Jordy Maree who put together a combination of vertical snaps and impressive carves to rack up a solid heat total of 17.83 out of a possible 20 points. Jordy was left with a 8.33 throwaway score and a firm entry for the BOS Highest Heat Score Award. Not a bad days work from the Kalk Bay local.
Then the heavens opened up and the swell jacked as the much anticipated Sebastian Williams heat hit the water. Williams opened up with a combination of 5 brutal off the tops and finished off with a solid closeout floater. On the following wave, the young Williams brother threw down a turn so devastating that for his competitors, the rest was history.
St Francis local surfer Crystal Hulett took control of her U17 opening heat and convincingly defeated Sam Cele (Etk), Paige Wheal (Cw) and Kayla Verreynne (Eden) with a display of powerful cutbacks and solid snaps.
If the saying “You’re only as good as your last heat” applies, Pippa Jones could retire, and be very stoked about it, after her ultra-powerful display of in-the-pocket surfing that she sprayed in her competitors faces today.
As the day drew closed, stacked swell lines continued to pour into the bay. Perhaps an indicator of what tomorrow has to bring. If it’s anything like today, we’re in for a real treat.
DAY 2
Challenging surf conditions greeted contestants on day 2 of the Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS. Most hardened surfers worth their salt would have passed up the opportunity to surf today, but that same train of thought fortunately does not apply to a junior surfer and even less so to the contestants in this event. A quick glance down the beach this morning would reveal the site of over 100 surfers, absolutely scowling at the fact that they have to wait their turn to surf the highly contestable conditions. As the first siren rung, we knew instantly that we were in for a stellar day of competition.
Opening up the account in the first heat of the day was the U15 girls division. eThekwini’s Sophie Bell took off on the first wave of the day and proceeded to obliterate the lip with the ferociousness that Sophie is well known for. Her backup wave was almost a splitting image of the original and she was justifiably sent through to the next round.
The very next heat in the water featured a powerhouse of the U15 girls division Sophie Bell, Kelly Medley, Sarah Ingram and Amy Launder. Saying that Kirsty McGillivray was the on-form surfer of the day would almost be an understatement after her absolute dominance of her opening heat. McGillivray’s rail-to-rail approach to the bumpy conditions was inspiring to say the least and she easily advanced to the next round with a pair of excellent scores.
By the time the U13 boys entered the water, the beach was alive with spectators and the atmosphere was electrifying. eThekwini’s Tide Lee Ireland is definitely a name to watch out for in the future. To say the least, this kid was toying with the lip at Lower Point like no other surfer today and his mechanical approach easily advanced him to the next round.
The conditions may have continued to deteriorate throughout the day but the action in the water did the total opposite. Ugu’s Christian Brand’s total dominance of his U15 boys heat had the crowd up in arms, as well as Mitch Du Preez’ epic display of grab-rail cutbacks and power surfing.
As the last heat drew to a close and the waves continued to roll down the sensational Eastern Cape point break, one could only notice the crowd of junior surfers at the waters edge waiting to paddle out and show their peers that they are a force to be reckoned with. Mild onshore winds are expected at the start of competition tomorrow, with conditions improving thought out the day. If today was anything to gauge from, we are in for a solid day of surfing from SA’s top juniors.
Words: Brian Hope
Photos: Ian Thurtell and Alan van Gysen
