Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) overcame a strong challenge by Nic Godfrey (Cape St Francis) to snatch victory in good, clean, one-metre offshore waves at the internationally rated ASP Grade 2 Oakley Pro Junior at Durban’s New Pier. The inaugural junior surfing event was a highlight of the Vodacom Easter Adrenaline festival driven by the KZN Department of Transport which runs until Monday, March 24 on the Durban beachfront.

 

6.17, leaving Godfrey with the tall order of scoring a near perfect 9.67 to take the lead and the Joubert showed patience during the final by waiting 10-minutes before his first ride. This paid off as he scored an 8.5 with some vertical turns off a good quality outside set wave. Joubert consolidated his lead with a title. Unfortunately for Godfrey, with time running out, he was unable to find a suitable wave, and so lost out to a deserving Joubert. As winner of the event, Joubert takes home US$2500, while Godfrey pockets a tidy $1100 for his second place. Both surfers qualify for the final championship event of the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge to be held in Bali later this year.

 

 Joubert was understandably ecstatic, saying winning was “the best feeling ever”. He also rated the boat trip to Bali, with the chance to compete with some of the world’s best junior surfers, as a great opportunity. He thanked his sponsors, and Oakley in particular, for all the effort that they put into this contest. Seth Hulley, Oakley Africa’s Core Sports Manager, got a special mention for all the assistance he has given Joubert in furthering his surfing career. Hulley was “super stoked with the event” and says that, as sponsors of the contest, they “couldn’t have asked for more” with one of their riders winning the main event. According to Hulley, the “great waves and great weather” made the Oakley Pro Junior’s South African debut a huge success, setting an impressive precedent for future Oakley events both locally and internationally.



 

The Oakley Pro Junior, as part of the Vodacom Easter Adrenaline Festival driven by the KwaZulu Natal Department of Transport, benefited significantly from the great weather. With clear blue skies and a light offshore breeze, an estimated 200,000 people flocked to Durban’s beachfront promenade to enjoy the festivities. With other extreme sports such as freestyle motocross and jet skiing on show, the action over the weekend has been nonstop.

 

The Red Bull Air Show Surfing Expression Session was surfed as a prelude to the final of the Oakley contest, with contestants taking advantage of the left and right breaking waves on offer. The rising tide again resulted in improved conditions, and Rudy Palmboom (Bluff) was the first to take some initiative with a massive backhand air reverse. Soon after, Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga), Chris Leppan (Umhlanga) and Hayden MacNicol (Scottburgh) also put themselves in contention for the most radical aerial maneuver prize. Chad du Toit, after busting two airs on one wave, took an early lead in the race for the best overall performance of the Air Show, although Jaco Steyn (Melkbos Strand) also had some consistently strong rides. Ultimately, it was Rudy Palmboom who prevailed with the most radical aerial manoeuvre, while Jaco Steyn was confirmed as the best overall performer. Both surfers won R2500 for their efforts. Medi Veminardi (Reunion) won the ZigZag Blowing Up Award, and R1000, for consistently going as large as possible.



 



The first quarter-final was an explosive affair, with Oakley team riders Shaun Joubert and Chad du Toit (Durban) going head to head in a high scoring and aggressive heat. Du Toit had a great start, opening his account with an 8.0. Joubert, however, fought back with the highest scoring wave of the event, a 9.0. Du Toit, needing an 8.01 off his final wave to clinch a spot in the semi’s, was caught frustratingly short with a 7.93. Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit) and Mike February (Kommetjie) faced off in another of the quarter-finals. Strachan reaped the benefits of his decision to surf mostly inside waves, leaving February stranded on the outside needing a big score with no waves in sight. Other surfers advancing to the semi-final stage were Hayden MacNicol and Nic Godfrey.

 

Strachan and Joubert, the two consistent standout surfers of the event, were unlucky to be matched up in the first semi-final. They traded big scores for most of the heat, and with the clock running down Strachan was in need of a 7.83 to regain the lead. He only managed a 7.50, and after looking so good for most of the contest, claimed an equal third. Hayden MacNicol and Nic Godfrey contested the second semi-final which, although not as explosive as the first, was just as close. Godfrey managed to sneak the win and advance to the final, with a heat total of 14.17 out of a possible 20.



Given the success of this years Oakley Pro Junior and the Vodacom Easter Adrenaline Festival powered by the KwaZulu Natal Department of Transport, Seth Hulley and Oakley are looking forward to building on the achievements of this year’s contest.

Durban’s New Pier is one of the great hotbeds in surfing, and thanks to Jordy Smith, it’s even more on the world’s radar than ever before. The thing is, the South African talent boom doesn’t begin and end with Jordy. Just ask the big man himself, “you should see the kids that are coming up,” he explained in an interview with SURFER.



Well, if you wanted to get a little glimpse into the future tune into the Oakley Pro Junior that’s going down this weekend at New Pier. And not only is the field stacked, most notably by 2007 ASP Africa Junior Champion, Rudy Palmboom, Jr., but the surf, as you can tell by the video clip attached to this story, the surf has been absolutely pumping.



While Rudy Palmboom is the favorite, there will be 32 of South Africa’s top junior men vying for a $10,000 prize purse and a good start to their 2008 ASP Africa Junior title campaign. Among others, Klee Strachan, who won the Expression Session at last year’s Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in Australia, as well as Oakley wildcards Shaun Joubert and Lungani Memani should all be in contention.



Ah but wait, there’s more. The Oakley Pro Junior at New Pier is also the second qualifier for the new Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge, which goes down in Bali this October. Taking the top two finishers from six different qualifying events, so far the Australian leg is in the books and Julian Wilson and Lincoln Taylor have already qualified from South Straddie. The New Pier event is stop number two, so more than just prize money and ratings points, the allure of vying for world domination in the best of Bali is also dangling prominently out there.

By Surfer Correspondent Jeff Mull



Cory Arrambide. Read that name again. Now once more. You got it? Good, cause this is a name that you should commit to memory. Why should you care who this kid is? Well, for one, he just annihilated three of the best kids the East Coast has to offer on their home turf at the Billabong Sebastian Inlet Pro Junior, taking the first scalp in the form of an event win in the cutthroat Pro Junior Series.



At the Billabong Sebastian Inlet Pro Junior, Cory took on and defeated the Geiselman brothers and Evan Thompson in the final, three of the most highly touted young surfers coming out of Florida today. According to Mike Parsons, event director, “He [Arrambide] was clearly the best surfer in the event today as he put it all together with a deserving win.” With a combined two-wave score 17.50, the goofyfoot out of Ventura, California tore apart the 3-foot windswell and effectively became the man to beat in this year’s Pro Junior series.

   

This is by no means Cory’s first venture into the limelight. As the team captain for the 2007 USA Surf Team, Cory’s proven that he’s got the moxie to lead from the front. When he was 12, Cory broke the record for most NSSA event wins with a mind-numbing 21 victories, 12 of which were consecutive. And with one of the most viscious backside hacks in the business, bar none, Cory Arrambide is a name we expect to hear a lot in the coming years.



Results of the Billabong Sebastain Inlet Pro Junior

Final:

1 - Cory Arrambide (USA) 17.50

2 – Evan Geiselman (USA) 10.50

3 – Eric Geiselman (USA) 10.25

4 – Evan Thompson (USA) 7.55