 C'mon peeps - let's get some Friendly City vibes going and all chip in to help get new Millers Local Alfonso Peters to Taiwan to compete for the SA team in the WSL 2018 World Longboard Champs this November. Alfonso moved down to PE earlier this year and is now a regular out at Millers. He is a super smooth surfer and all-round lekker ou, and needs help to get to the World Champs. Check out his Funding page here: https://gogetfunding.com/help-alfonzo-get-to-world-champs-in-taiwan/ Even if you can lob in R10, it will all add up and help him get to the R22k he needs to cover flights, accommodation, food, visas and travel insurance.  Alfonso is an inspirational guy who has overcome huge challenges in his life to get where he is today - a great surfer, a loving husband, and a a proud new dad. He moved from Cape Town to PE earlier this year to become the Manager of the Port Elizabeth Waves for Change organisation. He has been surfing for over 14 years, and represented South Africa at the ISA World Longboard Championships in China in January this year. Alfonso had a tough childhood, and moved from Mitchell's Plein to Manenberg when he was young after the death of his father. As troubled teenager he would run away from home, get in trouble for theft. He would later live on the streets and in shelters on and off for eight years. "It's tough and there's a lot of poverty. Living there [in Manenberg] I didn't have hope and dreams. I wanted to be a gangster myself... I nearly went that route."— Alfonso Peters After he got in trouble with the police, a social worker invited him to a camp that changed the trajectory of his life. When he went back to school and moved to live in Muizenberg with his social worker, Ryan, Alfonso came across a pamphlet offering a free surf programme. "I was absolutely hooked... It gave me something to wake up to in the morning. It was my passion and kept me sane."— Alfonso Peters https://gogetfunding.com/help-alfonzo-get-to-world-champs-in-taiwan/ Throw a few shaka's - and a few bucks - Alfonso's way peeps!
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 Event: Billabong Junior Series Status: WSL JQS 1,000 rated events for U18 Boys & Girls, SAST events for U16 & U14 Boys & Girls, and U12 Boys & Girls. Venue: Seal Point, Cape St Francis, Eastern Cape Dates: September 28 – 30. Seal Point, Cape St Francis – The best junior surfers in the country are arriving in Seal Point for the final event in the 2018 Billabong Junior Series. The surf forecast for the contest has signs that it might be an epic weekend of surfing at the ever-consistent Seal Point, with plenty of swell around for the competitors to display their top surfing skills to the judges. This event is possibly one of the most crucial junior surfing tournaments of the year, with much at stake for the competitors. Firstly there are the stand-alone event results, with surfers wanting to win this contest for points and prize money. Leading on from this, there are the Billabong Junior Series winners. Two event results count for these winners – from both the Billabong Junior Series Ballito and Seal Point events. This event will also crown the World Surf League (WSL) Africa Junior champions, which will also lead on to the qualification for the WSL World Junior Championships, including the top four men and top two women surfers who will compete in the World Junior Championships in Taiwan in December 2018. It promises to be an action-packed and dramatic weekend of surfing.  The WSL Africa Men’s Junior Tour is currently being led by Luke Slijpen, with Eli Beukes and Max Elkington hot on his heels, and Dillon Hendricks and Bryce Du Preez not far behind. Slijpen has had an excellent competitive year and has a healthy lead in this division, with Beukes more than one thousand points behind him.
In the WSL Africa Women’s Junior Tour rankings, Kai Woolf is out in front with a comfortable lead over second ranked Zoe Steyn, with Sophie Bell in third place going in to this event. Kirsty McGillivray and Kayla Nogueira make up the remainder of the top five positions. Both divisions contain a number of surfers who have improved dramatically over the last year, and there is every possibility of an upset in either division from the likes of Karl Steen and Daniel Emslie in the men’s, and Ceara Knight and Sne Makhubu in the women’s divisions respectively, to name a few. In the U16 Boys division, all eyes will be on Tide Lee Ireland, York Van Jaarsveldt and Mitch du Preez, while in the U16 Girls division Zoe Steyn, Kayla Nogueira and Gabi Lailvaux are just three surfers who look set to dominate. “It has been a good year for Junior Surfing in the country, and the Billabong Junior Series has been a great success,” said Billabong South Africa Marketing Manager Chad D’Arcy. “We’re immensely proud of this series as it finishes its 21st year in the country, and we are looking forward to another positive year next year for both Junior Surfing as well as the Billabong Junior Series.” The Billabong Junior Series runs from Friday to Sunday when all the event and series champions will crowned at the awards ceremony on the beach. Facebook: Billabong South Africa: www.facebook.com/Billabong Billabong Women’s South Africa: www.facebook.com/BillabongWomens @billabongwomens_za @billabongsa Hashtag: #BillabongJNR The Billabong Junior Series is supported by BOS, VonZipper, Surfing South Africa and the World Surf League.  LEMOORE, California/USA (Sunday, September 9, 2018) – Carissa Moore (HAW) andGabriel Medina (BRA) have won the inaugural Surf Ranch Pro presented by Hurley, Stop No. 8 on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). Today’s victory is the first of the season for Moore and her first on the CT since the Roxy Pro France last year. The win sees the three-time WSL Champion take home 10,000 points and move up one place to World No. 4 on the Jeep Leaderboard with two events remaining in the women’s CT season. “I’m ecstatic to walk away with a win at the Surf Ranch Pro and this facility is such a new thing, so it’s such an honor to be a part of. It’s been a crazy year so far and we have two more events, and I’m just super stoked. My biggest goal is just to finish the year off strong and re-qualify because I’m not in the Title race. I just want to have a strong performance and gain some confidence hopefully for next year.” The surfer from Hawaii dominated the Final Day from the start and posted two excellent scores on her first run to claim first place. Moore went on to improve her total with an incredible second run where she earned two excellent scores and a 17.80 total (out of a possible 20). It was Moore’s decimating forehand that proved to be the dominant factor for the win. Medina takes home his second CT win of 2018 with victory at the Surf Ranch Pro, now earning back-to-back wins against the world’s best. The 2014 WSL Champion narrowed the gap between him and Jeep Rankings Leader Filipe Toledo (BRA) with his 11th career CT win. “It was amazing to win again, especially here at the Surf Ranch, and it feels good to get a little closer to Filipe (Toledo),” Medina said. “Filipe is so dangerous, he’s probably the best at the Surf Ranch, so it’s special to win. There are no words. I am so happy right now. I surfed the way I wanted to. It’s totally different from surfing in the ocean, but I’ll take it! It’s the most high-performance wave I think we’ve ever surfed and it’s good to feel we are on level ground with the other guys. There are three more events so they should be fun ones.” Medina’s win today looked to be in jeopardy after an uncharacteristic fall on his opening left, but he was quick to bounce back and posted an excellent 8.73 on the right run. Medina then went on to take advantage of the makeup left granted to competitors due to the infrequency of wave quality and soared his signature, ending air maneuver to earn a near-perfect 9.13. Six-time WSL Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) could not quite put her dream run together on Finals Day, but still finished in second place. The Australian’s brilliant performance on her last run earned her an 8.87 (right) that moved her up to second place over World Title contenderLakey Peterson (USA) and 16-year-old rookie Caroline Marks (USA), who both failed to improve their scorelines. Gilmore will retain the yellow Jeep Leader Jersey and has increased her lead over Peterson heading into the Roxy Pro France. “You just have to take a few deep breaths and just focus on what you can do,” Gilmore said. “It was a stressful moment and I just had to make a right. I haven’t made one all today and I didn’t think it would beat the 9. It’s nice to hold onto the lead. Lakey (Peterson) is fighting super hard. She’s a tough competitor, all of them are. But, now we’ll head to France and see what happens there.” Toledo continues to be one of Surf Ranch’s most dynamic performers and one of the sport’s greatest showman. The current World No. 1 showcased his incredible aerial antics once more, landing three airs on the wave that earned him an all but perfect 9.80 (out of a possible 10). Now, the Brasilian heads into a crucial European leg with Medina only 3,100 points behind him. “I feel great. I made a few mistakes throughout the whole event and I could have done better on the left and be in first right now,” Toledo said. “But, I’m really happy to be a part of it. This is a new era of surfing and I have to thank all the fans for coming out here. It’s always scary to compete against these guys. They’re in the Top 5 for a reason, but I’m just trying to concentrate on myself and do my job and make sure I stay really far away from them.” The Surf Ranch Pro provided the first artificial wave to host World Title implications since 1985 and both the men and women’s Word Title races heated up in Lemoore this past weekend. While the Toledo’s impressive lead has been cut in half by Medina’s impeccable performance, Gilmore created an even greater deficit between her and Peterson. “I’m stoked to get the opportunity and I sort of felt like I did enough, but I can only control what I can control,” Peterson said. “Congrats to Carissa (Moore), and I’m looking forward to France, but just disappointed I didn’t get the score in the end. I want to grow from it, get better, and learn from it and make myself a better surfer.” Surf Ranch Pro Men’s Final Results: 1 - Gabriel Medina (BRA) 17.86 2 - Filipe Toledo (BRA) 17.03 3 - Kelly Slater (USA) 16.27 4 - Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 15.77 5 - Owen Wright (AUS) 15.40 6 - Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.37 7 - Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 15.07 8 - Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.96 Full men’s results available HERE: http://www.worldsurfleague.com/events/2018/mct/2791/surf-ranch-pro/results Surf Ranch Pro Women’s Final Results: 1 - Carissa Moore (HAW) 17.80 2 - Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.70 3 - Lakey Peterson (USA) 16.57 4 - Caroline Marks (USA) 14.77 Full women’s results available HERE: http://www.worldsurfleague.com/events/2018/wct/2792/surf-ranch-pro-womens/results For highlights from the Surf Ranch Pro pres. by Hurley, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com. 2018 WSL Men's CT Jeep Leaderboard (After Surf Ranch Pro): 1 - Filipe Toledo (BRA) 49,785 points 2 - Gabriel Medina (BRA) 45,685 3 - Julian Wilson (AUS) 37,125 4 - Italo Ferreira (BRA) 31,825 5 - Owen Wright (AUS) 29,485 2018 WSL Women's CT Jeep Leaderboard (After Surf Ranch Pro): 1 - Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 61,175 points 2 - Lakey Peterson (USA) 54,260 points 3 - Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 41,415 points 4 - Carissa Moore (HAW) 41,235 points 5 - Caroline Marks (USA) 37,000 points    LEMOORE, California/USA (Thursday, September 6, 2018) – The inaugural Surf Ranch Pro presented by Hurley commenced today in Lemoore, California with the world’s best surfers taking on inland California’s man-made wave, the Surf Ranch. Surfing in a format new to the Champion Tour (CT), eighteen men and ten women tested the leaderboard structure today at Stop No. 8 on the World Surf League (WSL) CT. The competition today and tomorrow host the Qualifying Rounds, where each surfer will surf four waves each (two rights and two lefts). On Saturday, all competitors will have one last chance to make the Final with two more waves (one right and one left). Kelly Slater (USA), the wave’s co-creator and 11-time WSL Champion, ignited the day’s performances with a big 8.50 (out of a possible 10) on his right-hander in Run 2 and totaled a 14.57 (out of a possible 20). Slater’s opening run was easily forgettable, but he came back firing to make up for it and now holds the No. 1 spot for the men’s event. “For us first guys going it’s a lot of pressure on us to set the standard so we can be in the mix later,” Slater said. “I feel like I surfed the left better on my first wave but the second one I was chasing and not transitioning well. The first run was below average. I fell on both and felt like I should’ve been a touch deeper. But, just the way the tube section works, sometimes the wave slows down right there and forces you out then you just pull back in.” Surf Ranch Pro Trials winner Hiroto Ohhara (JPN) surfed the event’s first wave to the tune of an average 4.50, letting his nerves prevail. Ohhara recovered on his second run for a 6.00 and still has two waves to showcase his talents. Joan Duru (FRA) took over his opening day runs against Keanu Asing (HAW) and Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) after following up on his second run right-hander with explosive backhand surfing to garner a 6.23, which moved into No. 2 on the overall standings. However, Ian Gouveia (BRA) came out and took the No. 2 from Duru with a 7.23 and 7.10. The Brasilian has put his time in at the WSL Surf Ranch, coming up from Southern California every chance he could, and it’s showing in his early performances. “I just wanted to go out and get two good scores so I could really push it Saturday,” Gouveia said. “It felt good to get that 7 on my second left after getting a decent score on my first try. I’ve been out here as much as I can to learn this wave because it’s still so tricky, but the more you surf it the more comfortable you can feel. I’m looking forward to the next one and going for more to stay in for the finals.” Tomas Hermes (BRA) made a charge up the leaderboard to No. 3 following his terrific display of WSL Surf Ranch knowledge, but it was Sebastian Zeitz (HAW) who topped Slater for the highest single-wave score of men’s opening day with an 8.67 after locking into a deep barrel ride and then delivering multiple power turns. The Kauai, Hawaii, native knows the importance of this event and is eyeing down a much-needed result, but sits just outside the top 8 on the standings after Adriano de Souza (BRA) pushed him out with a solid performance. “I’m kind of on the bubble at World No. 21 and there’s a big point gap so I’m just trying to climb up there with a big result,” Zeitz said. “I was a little nervous after the test event since it suited the smaller guys more, but after getting that 8.67 I know it can be done. The goofy-footers have a little more room to move on the left, but it’s definitely the most level playing field that surfing’s seen and in that case the best surfer should win.” The world’s best women followed suit with impressive surfing. Coco Ho (HAW) leads the pack with Californians Sage Erickson (USA) in second and Courtney Conlogue (USA) in third. Wrapping up a brilliant day of competition, Ho shook off her subpar practice waves and delivered a jaw-dropping performance. The ten-year CT veteran stepped up with the day’s top single-scoring wave of women’s competition, an 8.17, and heat total of 14.94. “I actually fell on my first two practice waves, so I didn’t come here confident, but I just hopped on the board I rode in Spain and it felt amazing,” Ho said. “Knowing there’s not a lot of pressure on the Qualifying Series (QS) anymore put me in a good mindset whether I fell on those waves or not. But, we were just laughing about it because the next wave isn’t until Saturday, which I think shows who’s a natural on their board and not able to surf for a few days then come back perform.” Event wildcard Bethany Hamilton (HAW), injury replacement Macy Callaghan (AUS), andPaige Hareb (NZL) got opening round action underway as Hareb’s backhand attack shined to earn a 13.00 heat total and the outright lead -- but only briefly after Sage Erickson’s (USA)debut. The Ojai, California, native stepped up and delivered on her second right to earn a solid 14.07 heat total heading into the weekend’s third run. “I couldn’t have anticipated how it was going to feel being in the pool, alone, with the jersey on and I’m happy to say I’m loving it,” Erickson said. “I’m loving competing more than ever in this event because there’s a perfect wave under my feet. Mentally I feel good and my ability has been there this year, but I haven’t had the chance to show that or feel confident. But, here I do being in California even though there’s still a lot of work to do. I’m excited to have my family and friends here this weekend so I think I’ll be in even higher spirits.” With the eight surfers completing rides ranging from throwaway scores to excellent surfing, six-time WSL Champion, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), and World Title contender Lakey Peterson (USA) know what’s required of them tomorrow. During the Qualifying Round, each athlete will surf six waves (three lefts and three rights) over three runs (made up of one left and one right consecutively). The best scoring right and the best scoring left are added together to create each athlete’s total score. At the end of the Qualifying Round the Top 8 Men and Top 4 Women on the leaderboard will advance to Final. The Final will see each athlete surf another three runs (six waves total) and the male and female surfers with the highest score will win the event. View the full men’s schedule HERE and the full women’s schedule HERE. Competition will resume tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. PST with Malia Manuel (HAW) up first. Men’s Surf Ranch Pro Qualifying Round Leaderboard Top 8: 1 - Kelly Slater (USA) 14.57 2 - Ian Gouveia (BRA) 14.33 3 - Tomas Hermes (BRA) 14.20 4 - Yago Dora (BRA) 13.80 5 - Joan Duru (FRA) 13.73 6 - Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 13.70 7 - Connor O’Leary (AUS) 13.56 8 - Adriano De Souza (BRA) 13.56 Full men’s leaderboard HERE. Women’s Surf Ranch Pro Qualifying Round Leaderboard Top 4: 1 - Coco Ho (HAW) 14.94 2 - Sage Erickson (USA) 14.07 3 - Courtney Conlogue (USA) 13.54 4 - Paige Hareb (NZL) 13.00   |
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