SUPERTUBOS, Peniche/Portugal (Tuesday, October 25, 2016) - John John Florence (HAW), 22, today clinched the 2016 World Surf League (WSL) Title in dramatic fashion with a victory at the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal in Peniche, marking the first time a Hawaiian has held the world surfing crown since the late Andy Irons (HAW)in 2004.
 
“I honestly can’t believe it right now, it’s obviously not sunk in just yet,” Florence said. "I know my mom and family are watching online right now and I really wish they were here with me. I’m so stoked. I’ve worked my whole life towards this and I have so many people to thank for this.”

Florence’s season started out slowly with mediocre results across the Australian leg before posting a victory in Brazil in May. The Hawaiian carried the momentum of his Rio de Janeiro win to strong showings in Jeffreys Bay (2nd), Tahiti (2nd) and France (3rd) while challengers Gabriel Medina (BRA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Jordy Smith (ZAF)and 11-time WSL Champion Kelly Slater (USA) failed to maintain consistency, eventually falling out of reach in Portugal.
 
“It’s been a long year, but one of the best years in my life, so many fun events and just having a really good time all together and I’ve learned so much,” he continued. “I was expecting it to go to Hawaii and I was just trying to keep surfing through heats.”
 
A six-year competitor on the elite WSL Championship Tour, the Hawaiian had been threatening the throne since his inception in 2011 having previously finished 4th (2012) and 3rd (2014). Seemingly destined for surfing excellence since stepping foot on board at two years young, Florence has spent the last two decades evolving into one of the most dynamic talents the sport has ever seen.
 
“My whole life has gone into this, everything I’ve done but just this year especially, learning so much about competitive surfing, focusing completely on it and having so much help and support, it’s been amazing.” Florence added. “The title was my goal this year so at this point I’m just going to go out and have fun.”

FLORENCE 2016 WSL CT RESULTS - 
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast: 5th
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach: 13th
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro: 13th
Oi Rio Pro: WINNER
Fiji Pro: 5th
J-Bay Open: 2nd
Billabong Pro Tahiti: 2nd
Hurley Pro at Trestles: 13th
Quiksilver Pro France: 3rd
Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal: WINNER
Billabong Pipe Masters: TBD
 
FLORENCE CAREER WSL CT FINISHES:
2011: 34th
2012: 4th
2013: 10th
2014: 3rd
2015: 14th
2016: WSL CHAMPION
 
The newly crowned WSL Champion took on rookie Conner Coffin (USA), 23, in an exciting Final where the two surfers adopted different strategies for the final bout of the European leg. Florence took things to the air with numerous massive rotations while Coffin kept chasing the tubes, successfully navigating a deep one for an excellent 8.60. Florence’s flair peaked in the Final with a huge alley-oop for a 9.50 and the win. Coffin secured a career-high runner-up spot on the Championship Tour and rocketed to No. 19 on the Jeep Leaderboard.
 
“This feels amazing, I love Portugal, the waves are so fun and the people are amazing, food’s good, it feels kind of like California and I feel right at home here,” Coffin said. “Obviously I know John and everyone in his camp from Hurley and Pyzel but I wasn’t thinking of his title too much in my semifinal heat. I was focusing on doing my job, I had a lot to do here in this event to stay on tour for next year so that was my goal. ”
 
World No. 3 Jordy Smith (ZAF), 28, couldn’t match Coffin’s rhythm in their Semifinal clash despite excellent surfing in the Supertubos barrels and was forced out in third position, putting an end to his World Title campaign for 2016.
 
“I’m really happy with that result, obviously I would have loved to go to Hawaii to fight for the title but I’ll take it,” Smith admitted. “I started as an injury wildcard this year so I’m just glad to be back surfing at my best and to end with a title shot is really an achievement so I’m happy with this year. I’m still fighting to try to get second so i’ll continue up to Pipe. After the season ends I just want to take some time off and regroup and try to improve in every aspect that I can towards next season.”
 
Kolohe Andino (USA), 22, secured his second consecutive Semifinal berth following his performance in France, but once again fell just short of reaching the Final, eliminated in this morning’s opening heat by Florence. With a third place in Peniche, the Californian cements his World No.5 position before the final event of the season in Hawaii.
 
The next and final stop on the 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour will be the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons from December 8 - 20, 2016.
 
For more information, check out WorldSurfLeague.com
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Final Results:
1 - John John Florence (HAW) 16.67
2 -  Conner Coffin (USA) 9.93
 
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Semifinal Results:
SF 1: John John Florence (HAW) 13.84 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 8.47
SF 2: Conner Coffin (USA) 15.00 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.37
 
WSL Jeep Leaderboard Top 5 (after MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal):

1. John John Florence (HAW) 56,400 pts
2. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 45,450 pts
3. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 41,700 pts
4. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 38,250 pts
5. Kolohe Andino (USA) 38,150 pts

PRAIA DE SUPERTUBOS, Peniche/Portugal (Monday, October 24, 2016) - The Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal, the penultimate stop on the 2016 Samsung Galaxy World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), ran through the remaining three heats of Round 5 as well as the Quarterfinals at Supertubos to decide the Semifinal match-ups and set the stage for an exciting final day of competition.

Kolohe Andino (USA), 22, got busy early to lock in two scores in the opening minutes of his Quarterfinal battle against reigning WSL Champion Adriano De Souza (BRA), including a 7.67 for a super late take-off under the thick lip of a left-hander, threading the barrel to exit cleanly as the crowds erupted. The Californian later found an absolute gem of a tube for a near-perfect 9.67 and the first place into the Semifinals. De Souza, 2011 event winner, is eliminated in Equal 5th place.

“I was just trying to relax and stay calm but it was hard because I had to be turned on all day ready for my heat,” said Andino. “I had a lot of pent up energy out there for sure. I just try not to worry about other people. I struggle with confidence a bit so I try to only worry about myself and just trust my abilities.”

Current Jeep Leaderboard frontrunner John John Florence (HAW) and Julian Wilson (AUS) went head-to-head in an amazing match-up and both found multiple excellent waves, scoring back-to-back barrels to keep the Portuguese fans entertained for whole duration of their 35-minute battle. Florence managed to squeeze out of an endless righthand barrel for a 9.30, the highest scored ride of the heat and walked away with the win and his spot in the Semifinals. A win in Portugal will see Florence claim his maiden WSL Title. Wilson, currently in 6th place on the Jeep Leaderboard, goes home in Equal 5th place.

“This morning Connor (Coffin) and I paddled out first thing in the dark and it was pretty wild and raw, there was a couple of fun ones between some of the big closeout sets,” Florence said. “We kept staying on hold and it was right on the verge of being all-time all day and finally for the last call it kind of cleaned up and there’s some really fun peaks out there. When it’s like that you got to surf it like a free surf, you’re looking for any open wave, even the little ones stand up bigger than you think they are.”

Earlier in the day Wilson dispatched Michel Bourez (PYF) in Round 5 before being eliminated in Equal 5th place. The Australian navigated the moving Supertubos lineup and found two impressive scores of 8.50 and 7.83, placing Bourez in a combination situation. Bourez wasn’t able to find the opportunities and finished Equal 9th.

Rookie Conner Coffin (USA), 23, defeated Miguel Pupo (BRA) in the third Quarterfinal to secure his season’s best result to date as the young Californian is guaranteed an equal third place in Peniche. In a slower paced match-up against the Brazilian, Coffin managed to find two good waves for a 12.66 heat total and his first CT Semifinal.

“I really like Portugal - it’s a special place for me,” Coffin stated. “I had a good results here on the QS (Qualifying Series) last year and that was a large part of me qualifying. Being in the Semifinals feels great and I’m looking forward to it.”

Earlier in the day Coffin took on Jeremy Flores (FRA) in Round 5 and got the advantage, eliminating the Frenchman in Equal 5th place, his best result of the season.

Sebastian Zietz (HAW) opened his Quarterfinal account with a near-perfect ride on a long and throaty righthander for a 9.23 and a solid option for the win early on. Jordy Smith (ZAF), 28, waited patiently to find his own first good score of 7.40 and break out of the combination situation with fifteen minutes remaining in their heat.

In an exciting exchange, Zietz started on the first wave of a set and got a little shade on a short ride, but as he paddled back out was forced to witness Smith’s impeccable timing on a super deep and long tube, the South-African claiming the event’s first perfect 10 point ride for his effort. Time ran out quickly from there and Smith claimed the last ticket for the Semifinals while Zietz takes home an Equal 5th place. If Florence makes the Final, Smith is the only surfer who can send the title race to Hawaii with a win.

“It was an incredible wave, I had a few opportunities, one left before and I didn’t come out and that one massive right but it didn’t have any exit, so I felt like sooner or later the door was going to open,” Smith reflected. “I haven’t had a barrel like that in so long, what a feeling to get it in a contest and especially when you need it the most!”

Zietz clinched his place in the Quarterfinals by eliminating Stuart Kennedy (AUS) in Round 5.
Contest officials will reconvene at 8AM Tuesday to reassess conditions for a potential final day of competition at the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal.

Surfline, official forecast partner of the WSL, are calling for:
Very solid but easing surf for Monday with strong SSE becoming SE/ESE winds resulting in gradually improving conditions. Dropping swell mix for Tuesday with easing ESE winds. Smaller leftovers for Wednesday/Thursday with minor WNW swell to close out the final days of the waiting period.

The Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal will run from October 18 - 29, 2016 and be LIVE via webcast on WorldSurfLeague.com and on the WSL mobile app.

Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal Round 5 Results:

Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 9.90 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 7.57
Heat 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 16.33 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 6.06
Heat 3: Conner Coffin (USA) 7.26 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 6.17
Heat 4: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 8.80 def. Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 8.43

Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal Quarterfinal Results:

QF 1: Kolohe Andino (USA) 17.34 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 8.10
QF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 16.90 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.57
QF 3: Conner Coffin (USA) 12.66 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 5.94
QF 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.40 def. Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 13.56

Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal Semifinal Match-Ups:
​
SF 1: Kolohe Andino (USA) vs. John John Florence (HAW)
SF 2: Conner Coffin (USA) vs. Jordy Smith (ZAF)

​PICO DO FABRIL, Peniche/Portugal (Saturday, October 22, 2016) - The Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal, the final European Stop of the Samsung Galaxy World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), resumed today in pumping six-to-eight foot surf at the secondary venue of Pico do Fabril in Peniche. Competition ran through the Round 4 and the opening heat of Round 5 before contest officials decided to put the event on hold through the low-tide and eventually called it off for the rest of the day.
 
Current No. 1 on the Jeep Leaderboard John John Florence (HAW), 24, was the first surfer to find an absolute gem in the moving lineup of Fabril to lock in a long and hollow barrel and a quick closeout hit for an excellent 8.50 and the heat lead over Michel Bourez (PYF) and reigning WSL Champion Adriano de Souza (BRA). Florence continued to distance himself from his opponents with flawless surfing on the large lefts on offer to move into the Quarterfinals and push Kolohe Andino (USA) out of the WSL Title race.
 
“As I was paddling into that wave I was just looking at Adriano (de Souza) thinking he might get it but I just had to go just in case and luckily as I was getting to the bottom I saw him just not get it, that thing was just so perfect!” Florence said. “When we first rocked up in the dark it looked like just big closeouts but as the light came up we saw some perfect lefts, this bank is amazing and hopefully it holds through the low tide.”
 
Kolohe Andino (USA), 22, dominated the opening heat of Round 4 to claim his ticket for the Quarterfinals in Peniche. Fresh from a third place finish in France, the Californian continued to showcase his excellent form in the solid surf of Pico do Fabril and put Australians Joel Parkinson (AUS) and Julian Wilson (AUS) in a combination situation, courtesy of his radical backhand attack and great wave selection.
 
“It was pretty tricky, I checked this morning and it was bombing, lots of closeouts and the swell has straightened out so it’s pretty quick,” Andino explained. “I’m really stoked to have picked the good waves in that heat that allowed me to do some turns. I’ve never beaten Joel (Parkinson), he’s always “out man-ed” me in the past and Julian (Wilson) -- we’ve had a bunch of heats together and he’s always super hard to beat so I’m really stoked to get that one.”
 
Miguel Pupo (BRA), 24, capitalized on attacking the pumping lefts on his forehand to relegate Jeremy Flores (FRA) and Sebastian Zietz (HAW) to the fifth round, while he’ll join Florence and Andino in the Quarterfinals. Pupo’s 16.43 combined heat total was built on a clean tube and a combination of slick turns on a lengthy ride.
 
“Yesterday was the heat of my life against the best surfer in the world Kelly (Slater), today I felt more relaxed and just tried to have fun and catch waves,” Pupo admitted. “I used the same board I surfed in Rio and also Fiji, it felt really good there and today it’s a good left so I was happy with that.”
 
World No. 4 Jordy Smith (ZAF), 28, clinched a last-minute win over Stuart Kennedy (AUS) and 2016 WSL Rookie Conner Coffin (USA) to advance directly into the Quarterfinals and keep his World Title race alive in Portugal. Smith, who opened his account with a decent 5.83, remained patient and waited all the way into the final moments of the 35-minute matchup to unleash on a solid set wave for a massive 8.83 and the win.
 
“I have to do the same thing every time I compete, I have to get my morning surf and get the jitters out,” Smith said. “I was the first one out this morning, only got one wave but it was a good one, then I only got two more in my heat! High tide is definitely better for the number of rides that are makeable but right now on the low it’s really crunching on that bank and it became like a massive rip bowl. I was so lucky to sneak that last wave under priority.”
 
De Souza, 29, was the last surfer to take it to the water today before competition was put on hold and eventually called off for the day. The reigning WSL Champion narrowly edged out Joel Parkinson (AUS) in a low-scoring round five affair to advance into the Quarterfinals where he’ll be facing Andino when the event resumes.
 
“It was such a hard heat, conditions were really tricky only a few waves in the inside were good but the judges usually want to see the bombs so it was tough to make the right decisions,” De Souza said. “What I did on the outside turned out to be enough, so I’m glad to be in the quarters and I can’t wait for the next battle. With this result I’ll have a chance at Pipe to fight for a spot in the Top 5 so I’m really happy with that. I’ll try my best here and as soon as we’re finished in Portugal, my training and my focus will be on Hawaii.”
 
Event organizers will reconvene at 8 a.m. (local time) tomorrow morning to assess conditions and make the next call.
 
Surfline, official forecast partner of the WSL, are calling for:
Stronger NW/WNW swell for Saturday with better conditions at the more northerly facing spots as onshore winds develop and increase for Supertubos. Rising surf for Sunday with strong SW winds setting up unfavorable conditions for many locations. Very solid surf for Monday with strong SSE winds. Easing swell mix for Tuesday with more manageable SE becoming ESE/E winds. Smaller leftovers for Wednesday/Thursday with minor W/WNW swell to close out the final days of the waiting period.
 
The Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal will run from October 18 - 29, 2016 and be LIVE via webcast on WorldSurfLeague.com and on the WSL mobile app.
 
Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Kolohe Andino (USA) 16.83, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.10, Julian Wilson (AUS) 9.43
Heat 2: John John Florence (HAW) 16.33, Michel Bourez (PYF) 8.70, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 5.70
Heat 3: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 16.43, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.16, Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 11.20
Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.66, Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 10.86, Conner Coffin (USA) 10.84
 
Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal Round 5 Results:
Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 9.90 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 7.57
 
Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal Remaining Round 5 Match-Ups:
Heat 2: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Julian Wilson (AUS)
Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Conner Coffin (USA)
Heat 4: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) vs. Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
 
Upcoming Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal Quarterfinal Match-Ups:
QF 1: Kolohe Andino (USA) vs. Adriano de Souza (BRA)
QF 2: John John Florence (HAW) vs. TBD
QF 3: Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. TBD
QF 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. TBD

​SUPERTUBOS, Peniche/Portugal (Thursday, October 20, 2016) - The Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal, the final European stop of the 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour, ran through the opening five heats of Round 2 before being called off in inconsistent surf. It was a day of high-stakes match-ups with the top three surfers on the Jeep Leaderboard all battling to avoid early elimination and remain in the hunt for the elite surfing crown.
 
The day opened with a low-scoring affair, which saw Jeep Leaderboard frontrunnerJohn John Florence (HAW), 24, keep his Portuguese campaign alive by defeating young wildcard Miguel Blanco (PRT). Florence managed to lock in two average scores for a clean backhand tube ride and a couple of turns on a medium sized righthander. His win keeps the WSL title race interesting as he advances into Round 3. Blanco leaves his first CT event with a 25th place finish.
 
“It was a super important heat getting pushed to the second round, it was a bit nerve wrecking sitting around for a couple of days just trying to get in that mindset to surf a heat and then wait for the next call,” Florence reflected. “I’m glad we waited until today, but conditions are still really hard. Hopefully it’ll be fun this afternoon.”
 
World No. 2 Gabriel Medina (BRA), 22, had an extremely close encounter with rookieRyan Callinan (AUS) and narrowly edged out the Australian to follow Florence into Round 3 and keep his title hopes alive. The former WSL Champion tried to take it to the air but repeatedly missed his landings on a couple of major maneuver attempts, resorting to tight turns on the hollow faces of Supertubos to advance.
 
“It was really hard, I got two pretty bad waves but fortunately it was enough to make it through,” Medina said. “I’m stoked to be in Round 3. Everyone is good, can do airs, get barreled and do big turns so I’m just trying to get my own waves and do my best.”
 
As waves turned on Jeremy Flores (FRA), 28, blasted through the opening minutes of his battle against current World No. 3 Matt Wilkinson (AUS), to put the Australian in a 17.00 point combination situation early in the heat. The Frenchman navigated a lengthy forehand barrel and punctuated the ride with a committed floater for an excellent 9.00 point ride, and quickly backed it up with a similar barrel on his backside this time to clinch an excellent 8.00 and build the highest heat total of the day. Flores’ victory at Supertubos puts a stop to Wilkinson’s WSL Title bid in 2016.
 
“I just got lucky, I got all the waves for once!” Flores stated. “I paddled left the waves came to me, I paddled right the waves came to me so there was a lot of luck involved, I’m sure if Wilko (Matt Wilkinson) got those waves he would have done great too. It’s amazing, I feel like I haven’t won a CT heat in so long and it’s good to surf against the top guys, I really have no pressure against them, all I want to do is not finish last on the rankings.”
 
Wilkinson’s early exit in Peniche marks the end of an amazing run for a maiden WSL Title with a third 25th place result this season. The talented goofy-foot had a dreamy start with back-to-back wins on the Gold Coast and at Bells Beach, a runner-up spot in Fiji, before his season was completely turned around with repeated second and third round exits in the previous four events.
 
“That heat was very disappointing, but I’ve had a great year and it’s been so much fun being in this position,” Wilkinson admitted. “There’s still one event remaining so hopefully I can put another massive result on the board and I’d love to do well at Pipe. I’ve had the best year of my career by far and I’m excited to keep it going the next few years and hopefully find myself a World Title in the next few years.”

Just before competition was put on hold through the low tide and eventually called off for the day, Filipe Toledo (BRA), 21, easily dispatched Adam Melling (AUS), finding excellent rides to post an impressive 15.17 heat total for his place in Round 3. The defending event champion lofted a clean aerial rotation on a medium-sized right for one of his best two scores and found a long backhand tube for his second.
 
“It was a really intense day yesterday trying to get the best updates from my family,” Toledo said. “It was perfect because I watched everything on FaceTime. It was the best feeling in the world. She’s so healthy and 100% perfect -- the prettiest baby I’ve ever seen. A lot of emotions when I was paddling out today. I was just thinking about my family and I feel so blessed. I feel relaxed and happy now and I can’t wait for the next round.”
 
2012 event winner Julian Wilson (AUS) will also advance through to Round 3 after defeating Alex Ribeiro (BRA) in Heat 4.

Event organizers will reconvene at 8 a.m. (local time) tomorrow morning to assess conditions and make the next call.
 
Surfline, official forecast partner of the WSL, are calling for:

W swell filters in and offers lully/inconsistent sets but fun surf for Thursday before easingon Friday. Winds are generally most favorable in the mornings with light onshore winds developing in the afternoons on Thursday and Friday. Swell mix is expected for Supertubos on Saturday with deteriorating conditions. Solid surf for Sunday and Mondaybut side/onshore winds are an issue. Easing surf looks likely for Tuesday/Wednesdaywith improving winds and conditions for Supertubos. The more northerly facing breaks around Peniche will see solid surf over the weekend and into early next week but strong local winds will be an issue at times.
 
The Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal will run from October 18 - 29, 2016 and be LIVE via webcast on WorldSurfLeague.com and on the WSL mobile app.
 
Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: John John Florence (HAW) 10.54 def. Miguel Blanco (PRT) 8.60
Heat 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 9.84 def. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 9.43
Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 17.00 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 10.00
Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) 8.33 def. Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 6.73
Heat 5: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 15.17 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 4.90
 
Upcoming Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal Round 2 Match-Ups:
Heat 6: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Matt Banting (AUS)
Heat 7: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Heat 8: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 9: Caio Ibelli (BRA) vs. Davey Cathels (AUS)
Heat 10: Stuart Kennedy (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 11: Nat Young (USA) vs. Conner Coffin (USA)
Heat 12: Keanu Asing (HAW) vs. Kanoa Igarashi (USA)

Nelson Mandela Bay Clinches Coveted Freedom Cup at Billabong SA Junior Champs

Adin Masencamp & Kirsty McGillivray Claim U17 SA Titles
Max Elkington & Kai Woolf Crowned U15 Champions
James Ribbink & Kayla Nogueira Clinch U13 Crowns

Nelson Mandela Bay clinched the coveted Freedom Cup for the team accumulating the highest points at the 2016 Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS, which was completed in good one metre waves at the Lower Point in Jeffreys Bay today (Sunday).

The team from the host district also claimed two of the six individual national titles at stake and provided five of the 24 finalists, earning a total of 28,440 points. Defending team champions Cape Town (27 706) finished in second position with eThekweni (26 290) in third place and Buffalo City in fourth. They were followed in the team standings by Cape Winelands, Eden, Ugu, the SA Development Academy and uThungulu.

Adin Masencamp (Cape Winelands) capped a great year of competition by capturing the U17 Boys’ title in a hard fought final. The 17 year-old from the Strand relegated Ford van Jaarsveldt (Cape Town Surfriders) to his second successive runner-up berth in the country’s most prestigious junior surfing event.

Joshe Faulkner (Nelson Mandela Bay) added a significant contribution to his team’s total by finishing third while Luke Malherbe (Buffalo City) took fourth place.

Kirsty McGillivray (Nelson Mandela Bay) made it back-to-back SA titles when she added the U17 Girls’ crown to the U15 Girls’ title she won last year. Using her local knowledge, the Jeffreys Bay local caught the best of the one metre offshore waves, with Nina Harmse (Eden) coming in second, Sophie Bell (eThekweni) third and Anna Jellema Butler (Cape Town Surfriders) fourth.

Max Elkington (Cape Town Surfriders) clinched a third consecutive SA title, and his 15th national title overall, when he won the U15 Boys’ division in an extremely narrow win over Nelson Mandela Bay standout Angelo Faulkner, who was the only surfer to earn a perfect 10 point ride during the event. Karl Steen (eThekweni) and Ryan Lightfoot (Nelson Mandela Bay) finished third and fourth respectively.

Elkington, who was crowned the U13 Boys’ champion in 2014 and then topped the U15 division last year, just five months after falling off the roof of his house and crushing his arm so badly that doctors considered amputation before managing to get the blood flowing and saving it, was elated with his last gasp victory.

“There weren’t many waves, but I started off with an okay ride and backed it up with a 7,” Elkington explained. “Then Angelo got a bomb and when I heard he got an 8 I was a little nervous. Right at the end I caught an insider and rode it as well as I could and got a decent score. So stoked!”

Great wave selection and a her signature vertical backhand manoeuvres saw Kai Woolf (Nelson Mandela Bay) emerge triumphant in the U15 Girls’ final, where Cape Town Surfriders’ teammates Summer Sutton and Julia Plougmann earned second and third places ahead of Gabi Lailvaux (eThekweni), who was last year’s U13 champ.

The U13 Boys’ and Girls’ divisions were dominated by youngsters from Durban and East London. James Ribbink is the 2016 Boys’ champion after finishing ahead of fellow eThekweni team member Luke Thompson, with Buffalo City’s Mitch du Preez and Daniel Emslie taking third and fourth in the final.

Kayla Nogueira (EThekweni), a finalist last year, grabbed her first SA title by outscoring Lhea Johnston (Buffalo City), Jessie Powell (Ugu) and Zoe Steyn (Buffalo City) who finished in that order.

Ford van Jaarsveldt reduced the disappointment of finishing runner-up in the U17 Boys’ for the second year running by successfully completing the best aerial manoeuvre and pocketing the cash in the winner-takes-all VonZipper Airshow. Kai Woolf received the BOS Highest Heat Score Award for her phenomenal total of 18.63 out of 20.

Cape Town Surfriders repeated their 2015 victory in the Billabong / Bad Billy’s Tag Team Paddle Battle and Nelson Mandela Bay were again judged to be the team displaying the best spirit throughout the event and received their second successive Skull Candy Stay Loud Team Spirit Award.

The 2016 Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS, the 20th edition of the country’s premier surfing contest for competitors aged 17 and younger, will be remembered by all who attended for the five days of epic waves at the Lower Point in Jeffreys Bay and the stellar performances by the country’s top young surfers.

“Phenomenal conditions and, in my humble opinion, this event had the best junior surfing standard I’ve ever seen at an SA Champs,” said experienced contest director Johno Hutchison of Ballito.

2016 Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS

Results

Freedom Cup (District team points)
Nelson Mandela Bay 28,440 points
Cape Town Surfriders 27,706
eThekweni 26,290
Buffalo City 22,690
Cape Winelands 21,916
Eden 16,501
Ugu 15,686
SA Development Academy 12,588
uThungulu 4,920

Boys U17
Adin Masencamp (Cape Winelands)
Ford van Jaarsveld (Cape Town Surfriders)
Joshe Faulkner (Nelson Mandela Bay)
Luke Malherbe (Buffalo City)

Girls U17
Kirsty McGillivray (Nelson Mandela Bay)
Nina Harmse (Eden)
Sophie Bell (eThekweni)
Anna Jellema Butler (Cape Town Surfriders)

Boys U15
Max Elkington (Cape Town Surfriders)
Angelo Faulkner (Nelson Mandela Bay)
Karl Steen (eThekweni)
Ryan Lightfoot (Nelson Mandela Bay)

Girls U15
Kai Woolf (Nelson Mandela Bay)
Summer Sutton (Cape Town Surfriders)
Julia Plougmann (Cape Town Surfriders)
Gabi Lailvaux (eThekweni)

Boys U13
James Ribbink (eThekweni)
Luke Thompson (eThekweni)
Mitch Du Preez (Buffalo City)
Daniel Emslie (Buffalo City)

Girls U13
Kayla Nogueira (eThekweni)
Lhea Johnston (Buffalo City)
Jessie Powell (Ugu)
Zoe Steyn (Buffalo City)

Specialty Awards

Billabong / Bad Billy’s Tag Team Paddle Battle
Cape Town Surfriders

BOS Highest Heat Score
Kai Woolf (Nelson Mandela Bay) – 18.63 points

VonZipper Airshow
Ford van Jaarsveldt (Cape Town Surfriders)

Skull Candy Stay Loud Team Spirit Award
Nelson Mandela Bay
​
As part of Surfing South Africa’s commitment to transformation, the South African Development Academy team is participating thanks to a grant from Sport and Recreation South Africa.
More information on the Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS can be found at:
Hashtag: #SAJuniorChamps

Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS
Lower Point, Jeffreys Bay
October 5-9, 2016 

Girls Light Up Jeffreys Bay on Day 2 of Billabong SA Junior Champs
Overhead Waves and Offshore Winds Deliver Excellent Conditions

It was the turn of the country’s top young female surfers to light up the waves at the Lower Point in Jeffreys Bay as an overhead Easterly swell and offshore winds combined to deliver excellent conditions for Day 2 of the Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS on Thursday.

Girls in the U17, U15 and U13 divisions went ballistic on the long lines of swell peeling down the rocky point as they started their campaigns for individual national titles and the prized Freedom Cup team trophy at the country’s premier surf location.

The U17 Girls were first up and 2015 U15 champion Kirsty McGillivray (Nelson Mandela Bay) showed she will be a force to be reckoned with again this year. The Jeffreys Bay local used her local knowledge to catch the best waves and executed flawless bottom turns and sweeping cutbacks to post a heat-winning performance and advance directly to Round 3.

“The waves were really fun this morning so I was just amped to go have a fun surf,” said McGillivray. “I didn't really worry about the other competitors, just focused on my own surfing, and it paid off.”

Sophie Bell (eThekweni), who also moved up a division after finishing runner-up in the U15’s last year, was just as impressive in the second heat of the day. Finding waves with plenty of wall to work on, Bell used her signature vertical top to bottom repertoire of manoeuvres to grab victory.

Taghiti Gericke and Nina Harmse, both representing the Eden district, then posted back-to back heat wins for their team before the U15 girls took over the line-up.

Summer Sutton and Maya Shefer Boswell from Cape Town Surfriders, the defending Freedom Cup holders, revelled in the conditions and earned victories, as did rapidly rising standout S’Nenhlanhla Makhubu (eThekweni). Kai Woolf from hosts Nelson Mandela Bay delivered a dazzling display of backhand surfing, throwing plenty of spray as she carved multiple turns off the top of the waves to win her heat, with Amy Launder (Eden) emerging victorious in the last heat of the round.

Round 2 of the U15 Girls division was run at the end of the day’s action and saw Chalize Coetsee (Ugu), Kira Bester (Cape Winelands) and Hannah Moerdyk (Buffalo City) keep their hopes of higher honours alive by advancing to Round 3. They were joined by Juliet Fiet and Beth Ingram (both Cape Winelands) and Claire Haskins (Ugu) from the second heat.
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The U13 Girls made full use of the opportunity of having just three rivals in the line-up as the waves continued to pump and Ceara Knight (Cape Town Surfriders), Kayla Nogueira (eThekweni) and Zoe Steyn (Buffalo City) won their respective Round 1 heats.

Round 2 of the U17 Boys division saw those who finished outside the top two in their opening encounters yesterday get another chance and the likes of Jamie Irvine and Brody Rudling (both eThekweni), Cape Town Surfriders’ Joe Webster and Andrew Laverge from the SA Development Academy team made amends with heat-winning displays.

Thomas Lindhorst and Keegan Mitchell (both Buffalo City) and Sam Bennie and Julian Zens (both Cape Winelands) were the heat winners in the U15 Boys’ Round 2.

Organisers are expecting another day of excellent conditions on Friday with a full line-up of high performance action on the schedule.

The Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS runs until Sunday 9 October when the winners in the U17, U15 and U13 boys’ and girls’ divisions will be crowned the 2016 SA Junior Champions. The district team accumulating the highest point tally across all divisions will be awarded the coveted Freedom Cup.

The event also offers number of lucrative specialty awards totalling more than R15 000 for both surfers and their teams. These include the Billabong / Bad Billy’s Tag Team Paddle Battle, BOS Highest Heat Score, VonZipper Airshow and the Skullcandy Stay Loud Team Spirit awards.

As part of Surfing South Africa’s commitment to transformation, the South African Development Academy team is participating thanks to a grant from Sport and Recreation South Africa.

All the action from the Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS can be followed via:

Hashtag:       #SAJuniorChamps

Facebook:
Billabong South Africa
www.facebook.com/Billabong
Billabong Women’s South Africa: 
www.facebook.com/BillabongWomens

Instagram:
Billabong South Africa  - @BillabongSA
Billabong Women’s South Africa - @Billabongwomens_za

Website:
Contest format and results will be posted daily on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za 

The Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS is proudly supported by VonZipper, Skullcandy, Neff and Zigzag Surfing Magazine.

Surfing South Africa is the recognised governing body for surfing in South Africa. SSA is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA)

Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS
Lower Point, Jeffreys Bay
October 5-9, 2016 

Stellar Performances by SA’s Young Surfers in Billabong SA Junior Champs at Jeffreys Bay
Ideal Conditions on Opening Day of 20th National Junior Championships

South Africa’s top young surfers produced stellar performances in the ideal conditions at the Lower Point in Jeffreys Bay as they started their campaigns for prized national titles and team honours on the opening day of the Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS.

The Under 17 boy’s division got the 20th edition of the country’s premier junior event underway in solid 1 to 1.5 metre waves and glassy conditions. Ford van Jaarsveldt, the top seed from defending team champions and Freedom Cup holders Cape Town Surfriders (CTS), immediately set the bar high with outstanding progressive surfing in the first heat of the event.

Van Jaarsveldt advanced directly to Round 3 along with heat runner-up Henco Scholtz from Cape Winelands (CW). Third and fourth placed Caleb Cronje from Buffalo City (BC)) and Kyle Hartley from Eden were relegated to Round 2 elimination encounters where only a top 3 finish will see them progress to Round 3.

Ethan Fletcher and Gabriel Fernandez, both CTS, posted heat wins to join teammate Van Jaarsveldt in Round 3, as did Luke Malherbe (BC) and newly crowned Billabong Junior Series U18 champ Adin Masencamp (CW).

Joshe Faulkner, Rewaldo Abersalie and Sebastian Williams weighed in with victories that demonstrated the hosts Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) will be pushing hard for both the individual and the team titles this year, while Koby Oberholzer from eThekweni (ETK) and Liam de Villiers from Uthungulu (UTHU) delivered standout performances to claim heat wins of their own.

The U15 boy’s division was next up and all five team riders from Cape Town Surfriders, Nelson Mandela Bay and eThekweni either won or finished runner-up in their respective heats to skip the cutthroat Round 2. Aya Gericke (Eden) showed he also will be a contender for the title by relegating defending SA U15 boys champion Max Elkington (CTS) to second place in their clash.

The U13 boys continued the assault on the overhead waves late in the day, impressing the judges and spectators alike with their radical manoeuvres. Alec Townsend (CTS), Mitch du Preez and Daniel Emslie (both BC), C Jay Posthumus (NMB) and James Ribbink (ETK) all delivered heat-winning performances.

The biggest upset of the day came when defending U13 boys’ champion Brayden Bergset (ETK) was relegated to Round 2 after finishing third behind Kye McGregor (NMB) and Jordan Boshoff (UGU) in their opening round battle.

The Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS runs until Sunday 9 October when the winners in the U17, U15 and U13 boys’ and girls’ divisions will be crowned the 2016 SA Junior Champions. The district team accumulating the highest point tally across all divisions will be awarded the coveted Freedom Cup.

The event also offers number of lucrative specialty awards totalling more than R15 000 for both surfers and their teams. These include the Billabong / Bad Billy’s Tag Team Paddle Battle, BOS Highest Heat Score, VonZipper Airshow and the Skullcandy Stay Loud Team Spirit awards.

As part of Surfing South Africa’s commitment to transformation, the South African Development Academy team is participating thanks to a grant from Sport and Recreation South Africa.

All the action from the Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS can be followed via:

Hashtag:       #SAJuniorChamps

Facebook:
Billabong South Africa
www.facebook.com/Billabong
Billabong Women’s South Africa: 
www.facebook.com/BillabongWomens

Instagram:
Billabong South Africa  - @BillabongSA
Billabong Women’s South Africa - @Billabongwomens_za

Website:
Contest format and results will be posted daily on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za 

The Billabong SA Junior Champs presented by BOS is proudly supported by VonZipper, Skullcandy, Neff and Zigzag Surfing Magazine.

Surfing South Africa is the recognised governing body for surfing in South Africa. SSA is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA)

The 19th annual Billabong Junior Series champions were crowned at Seal Point in Cape St Francis after the second and final event in 2016 series was completed in highly contestable one metre waves and a stiff onshore breeze on Sunday.

Adin Masencamp (Strand) and Sophie Bell (Salt Rock) clinched the coveted U18 boys’ and girls’ Billabong Junior Series titles. The pair also topped the World Surf League (WSL) regional rankings lists and were crowned 2016 WSL Africa Junior champions.

The U16 boys’ and girls’ series titles were won by Max Elkington (Kommetjie), who was the only surfer across all divisions to win both the Ballito and Seal Point events, and Kai Woolf (Jeffreys Bay), who accumulated the same total as Bell over the two events, but won the title after a count-back.

Durbanites dominated the younger divisions with Tide-lee Ireland and newcomer S’Nenhlanhla Makhubu claiming the U14 series titles and Luke Thompson is the 2016 U12 boys’ series champion.

Masencamp secured both his titles after posting a phenomenal 17.93 heat total, including a near-perfect 9.33, in his semi-final victory over Ford van Jaarsveldt (Kommetjie). Masencamp went on to fall on two of his three rides in the final, finishing runner-up to 16 year-old Sebastian Williams (Durban), but his second place in the event was enough to earn the series crown and to overtake Jordy Maree (Kommetjie) on the WSL Africa Junior rankings.

Williams won his first WSL sanctioned junior event with great display of innovative surfing and rocketed into second place on the season-ending Billabong U18 series standings. He will join Masencamp, Maree and Jake Elkington (Kommetjie) in the four man squad who will represent WSL Africa at the WSL World Junior Championships in Australia in January 2017.

Bell won the U18 girls’ event today with Kirsty McGillivray (Jeffreys Bay) the runner-up. The pair finished in the same order in the Billabong and WSL Africa rankings and will join the four boys in Australia early next year.

Max Elkington defeated his SA junior teammate Koby Oberholzer (Warner Beach) in the U16 boys’ final today. The 15 year-old from Kommetjie has now claimed a phenomenal 14 national age group titles and this is his fifth consecutive Billabong Junior Series crown.

In the U16 girls, Woolf emerged victorious over Bell to frank the tremendous form she has shown over the past couple of years. McGillivray ended third and rising star Anna Jellema Butler (Kalk Bay) in fourth place.

The U14 boys’ event title went to Nate Spalding who finished ahead of fellow Durbanite Ireland, York van Jaarsveldt (Kommetjie) and Sam Bennie (Vredehoek). Emerging talent S’Nenhlanhla Makhubu won the U14 girls with Kayla Nogueira (Durban), Summer Sutton (Kommetjie) and Gabi Lailvaux (Westbrook) taking second to fourth places.

Thompson won the U12 boys’ event, overcoming James Ribbink (Durban North) who was one of the standouts in yesterday’s action. The winner of the Ballito event, Daniel Emslie (East London), finished third and Christian Venter (Melkbosstrand) took fourth.

With the finals completed and the tide dropping, the VonZipper Air Show was moved to the beach break where Eli Beukes (Kommetjie) landed the best aerial manoeuvre and pocketed the R2 000 winner-takes-all prize-purse.

Calvin Goor (Salt Rock) won the BOS ‘Best Carve of the Event’ and a surfboard, with Mitch Du Preez (East London) claiming the R2 000 for the Neff ‘Forever Fun’ award and James Ribbink earning an additional R2 500 for the Skull Candy ‘Stay Loud’ award.

Full results for all divisions can be found at http://www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and the scores and results for the U18 boys’ and girls’ divisions can be found athttp://bit.ly/2dLc5Zb.
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The Billabong Junior Series is supported by VonZipper, BOS, Neff, Skull Candy, Surfing South Africa and the World Surf League.