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The best junior surfers in the country are heading to JBay for the first event of the 2015 Billabong Junior Series presented by BOS. Here’s some insight into how you win a surf contest.
The series forms part of the JBay Winterfest will carry both Pro Surf Tour (PST) and World Surf League (WSL) Pro Junior ratings, so in line with that the contest adheres to the International Surfing Association (ISA) standard in judging, the same one used at World Surf League (WSL) events, such as the J-Bay Open.
This states that ‘the surfer must perform committed radical maneuvers in the most critical sections of a wave with style, power and speed to maximise scoring potential.’
Further is reads: ‘Innovative and progressive surfing will be taken into account when rewarding points for committed surfing. The surfer who executes this criteria with the highest degree of difficulty and control on the better waves shall be rewarded with the higher score.” In Average Joe Street English – the best surfing on the best waves.
Judging is done by a panel of four qualified judges, overseen by a head judge. Each heat is 20 minutes long and a rider can catch a maximum of 12 waves, with the top two of those counting.
The contest will go down at the surf spot known as Magnatubes, just up the road from Supertubes. Click here for more details on the Billabong Junior Series JBay event.
The break at Magna’s is exposed, so picks up more swell than the other breaks on the famed stretch, which means the youngsters could be in for some big waves. It also breaks faster than Lower Point, where most other junior contests take place, which will make wave selection crucial.
High performance surfing coach Llewellyn Whittaker outlined what he will be telling his riders. “The judges will be looking for combinations and variation for sure,” he says.
“And…although it fits the criteria, the juniors also need to be careful of doing one big turn early on,” explained coach Lu. “Depending on the tide the waves at Magnas can be quite fast, so it’s actually about taking a high line and then building speed and waiting for the wave to open up. Or if you see it is going to shut down, do one big, critical maneuver.”
The contest also has a number of international surfers entered, including Australians Ethan Ewing, Shaun Manners and Liam O’Brien, as well as Griffen Colapinto and Eithan Osborne from the USA and Hawaiian hotshot, Seth Moniz. South African challengers include Dylan Lightfoot, recent RVCA Pro Junior Champ, Matt McGillivray and Joshe Faulkner.
Join the conversation online with the event hashtag: #BillabongJnr
