Sea Harvest SA Junior Surfing Championships Day Three:
Sea Harvest SA Junior Surfing Championships Day Three
Lower Point, Jeffreys Bay – at the opening function for this tournament on Tuesday evening, Surfing South Africa General Manager Robin De Kock mentioned to all the stoked young surfers assembled, that there will 8 winners and about 200 losers in this event, and we have started losing some of those surfers now.
This the 23rd edition of the Sea Harvest SA Junior Surfing Championships is running like clockwork either way, with great surf on tap for all competitors, and the forecast looks decent for the next day or two, but with a little rain on the way for Sunday afternoon.
The surf was small today; the weather unseasonably warm, and the spirits were high as the U18 boys hit the water. Luke Slijpen and Ryan Lightfoot won through, along with Eli Beukes and Daniel Orpen in the early heats of the day. Recent Billabong Seal Point Pro Junior winner Bryce Du Preez, and Angelo Faulkner were also successful in the small surf, along with Tide-Lee Ireland and Saxton Randall. Slijpen and Beukes put on their usual polished display as the sun beat down and all surfers and spectators huddled under their gazebos, sheltering from the sun.
In the U14 Boys it was great to see River Gericke and Ben Ribbink advancing, and Kyra Bennie and Nate Colby also won their heats, convincingly. Surprise won his heat with some fast backhand surfing, along with Evan Spittal and Connor Slijpen, along with Joel Fowles. The U14 Boys have possibly got the most spirit, and the most determination, always battling it out till the last second, always fighting till the bitter end. There is much at stake for these guys. They are the next generation of competitive surfers who will soon be competing in the big leagues.
All eyes were on the U12 Quarterfinals, as the waves started fizzling on the rocks at Lower Point. With such small waves, selection was most important, as we had already seen quite a few surprises in the U14 division due to either poor wave selection or inconsistent sets. Gordon Falangile won the first heat and advanced with Ryan Schoon, with both surfers banking great scores in the tiny runners.
In heat number 2 there was a massive surprise when Levi Kolnik picked up the best wave of the afternoon to perform a series of critical turns and combination turns all the way through to the inside for a 10-point-ride across the board for the wave of the day. He backed it up with a 7.25 and the heat was his. There have not been many 10-point rides awarded these days, with the judges not budging until something seriously dynamic goes down, so Levi’s wave lit up the point for an unanimous decision. Josh Malherbe fought back hard with a 7.75 ride and a 7.15 to get a good second place and advanced through to the semi-finals.
Cooper Smith and Rory Dace were two more surfers who advanced from the U12 Quarterfinals, and they were joined by Levi Epenetos and Llewellyn Engelbrecht, as our top young surfers advanced to face another day of spirited surfing.
The screaming and shouting continued on the beach however, with the districts cheering and supporting their team members till the bitter end. As he evening chill hit the air and the final few heats finished off, it was another great days’ surfing coming to a close.
Video: Sea Harvest SA Junior Surfing Championships Day Three
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