Author: AdminBallitoPro

Fire Up Your Stoke, a one night culinary extravaganza, is set to take place on Wednesday, 29 June, in the main festival area at Willards Beach and forms part of the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong’s twelve-day festival. The festival runs alongside the main feature which is the ongoing surfing action with top international surfers battling it out for the number one spot. The Fire Up Your Stoke programme is packed with a number of delectable cook-off competitions for chefs of all ages, onstage entertainment including a fashion show, wine, whiskey and craft beer tastings and an exclusive showing of Matt Bromley’s new surf movie ‘Risky Business’.

Local pro surfer Emma Smith and WSL IT Manager Mano Ziul from Rio, Brazil, will be going head to head in the celebrity cook off. Smith and Ziul will have 30 minutes to cook and each create a dish containing the ingredients from their mystery baskets. The Fine Young Cooks Competiton which is open to all budding young chefs aged 7 – 13 years old, will consist of 10 teams of 2 chefs competing in a sosatie making competiton, where they will be cooking on Weber Gas Q braais. Each team will be required to make their own secret sosatie and side dish. The “Ultimate Grill Off Ballito Style” competition will see 7 teams of 2 battling it out over Weber Gas braais to be crowned the Ballito Grill champs for 2016. They will be required to present judges with a starter and main dish or a main and dessert dish. All dishes will be judged by three of South Africa’s renowned chefs, MasterChef South Africa winner, Roxi Wardman, Ultimate Braai Master competitor, Eldry Liebrandt and Louis Pillay of Team Shisa Mfethu.

Local restaurants East Oasis, Caffee Lusso, Mozambik Ballito, Grandstand and Mozambik Gateway will be up against each other in the “Battle of the Ballito Burgers” competition showing off their signature burgers and side dishes in a bid to gain support from the public and claim the title.

Be sure not to miss out on any of the evening’s non-stop entertainment!

The Fire Up Your Stoke evening is proudly supported by Lifestyle Centre and Lifestyle Superspar, Chilloes, Hirschs and Weber.

Fire Up Your Stoke programme:
5pm to 5.45pm: Fine Young Cooks Comp
5.50pm to 6.30pm: First showing of Matt Bromley’s Risky Business
6.35pm to 6.50pm: Simply Models Fashion Show
6.55pm to 7.50pm: Ultimate grill-off Ballito style – Battle of the Ballito Burger
7.55pm to 8.10pm: Up Cycle Fashion Designers’ Competition 8.35pm to 8.50pm: Winners’ announcements
8.55pm to 9.35pm: Second showing of Matt Bromley’s Risky Business

 

The Ballito Pro and the Ballito Women’s Pro, both presented by Billabong, got underway in highly contestable one metre waves, light winds and warm sunshine at Willard Beach in Ballito today (Monday).

The women’s contest, a World Surf League (WSL) QS1,000 rated event with R20 000 in prize-money at stake, took to the early morning high tide conditions at Bathers Beach. With both right and left breaking waves available, organisers completed the second, third and fourth rounds, leaving just four surfers to contend the one-on-one semi-finals.

Sarah Baum (ZAF) was the standout performer, showcasing her crisp turns and strategic wave selection. Baum won all three of the heats she contested, delivering the highest single ride score, a near-perfect 9.67 out of 10, and the highest two-wave heat total – 16.27 out of 20.

“I waited a while and got that good first ride and then it was a bit tricky out there, but there were a couple good waves and I found my second one,” said Baum. “I’m happy to be back with my family and to see all my friends. It’s really good to be back in warm water and I’m hoping to do one or two events if I have enough points and money to get to them.”

Baum will be up against Nikita Robb from East London, the defending Ballito Women’s Pro champion, in the first of the semi-finals when the women’s contest resumes. The second semi features Skye Burgess (AUS,) whose dynamic style saw her progress through three rounds a duel with uMhlanga local Teal Hogg, where the winner advances to the final.

WSL Deputy Commissioner Travis Logie decided to move Round 1 of the men’s event to Surfer’s Beach as the tide dropped. With US $260 000 (about R4 million) at stake and the highest available rankings points on offer, competition was fierce from the outset and a number of results turned on the last ride.

The vastly experienced Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) found the best waves and delivered a heat total of 14.84, the highest of Round 1, to move through to the Round of 96 along with heat runner-up Jose Ferreira as the pair eliminated Takumi Nakamura (JAP) and Dale Lovelock (AUS) in the last heat of the day.

Other internationals to shine included Cory Arrambide (USA), Ian Crane (USA), Nic Von Rupp (PRT) and Victor Bernardo (BRA), all of whom are looking for a good result in Ballito to build momentum for the rest of the QS circuit in the second half of the year.

“I’m looking to get a good result here so I can maintain my spot and move forward for the second half of the year,” said Arrambide who hails from Ventura in California. “I got a few really good rides and got some decent scores, so I’m stoked. I’m playing it heat by heat and after growing up surfing amateur events and junior pros, I just trying to qualify.”

It was a disappointing day for the local men with Saturday’s Trials winner Casey Grant (Scottburgh), Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), David van Zyl (Glenashley) and Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) all eliminated in the first heats.

“It didn’t go as I planned – I thought I would be able to see a distinct peak but the waves are so tricky and it’s hard to find a runner,” said Lightfoot. “The standard is really high and the South Africans really need to up their game. Hopefully Mikey (February), Beyrick (de Vries) and Matt (McGillivray) can take it tomorrow.”

Organisers will meet at 7am local time for a possible 7.15 start. The Round of 96 sees the top seeds take to the surf, including Jordy Smith (ZAF), Caio Ibelli (BRA) and Jeremy Flores (FRA).

All the action from the Ballito Pro, including live webcast while the event is running, can be found at www.worldsurfleague.com

Ballito Pro presented by Billabong Round 1 Results
Heat1. Victor Bernardo (BRA) 13.50, Derek Peters (USA) 13.00, Andy Criere (FRA) 10.84, Casey Grant (ZAF) 6.80
Heat2. Ian Crane (USA) 14.47, Nic Von Rupp (PRT) 13.66, Mason Ho (HAW) 11.97, Brian Toth (PRI) 11.67
Heat3. Lucas Silveira (BRA) 13.30, Leandro Usuna (ARG) 12.97, David Van Zyl (ZAF) 12.90, Hiroto Arai (JPN) 9.74
Heat4. Noah Schweizer (USA) 11.07, Robson Santos (BRA) 10.43, Dale Staples (ZAF) 9.46, Jean Da Silva (BRA) 8.97
Heat5. Seth Muniz (HAW) 12.50, Mihimana Braye (PYF) 10.00, Kaito Ohashi (JPN) 9.10, Torrey Meister (HAW) 7.74
Heat6. Cory Arrambide (USA) 14.60, Rafael Teixeira (BRA) 12.70, Kiron Jabour (HAW) 9.27, Dylan Lightfoot (ZAF) 6.00
Heat7. Thomas Fernandez (PRT) 10.90, Griffin Colapinto (USA) 10.83, Kaito Kino (HAW) 9.17, Perth Standlick (AUS) 7.44
Heat8. Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) 14.84, Jose Faulkner (PRT) 13.00, Takumi Nakamura (JPN) 12.73, Dale Lovelock (AUS) 11.73

Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong Upcoming Semi-Final Heats
Semi1: Sarah Baum (ZAF) vs. Nikita Robb (ZAF)
Semi2: Skye Burgess (AUS) vs. Teal Hogg (ZAF)

Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong Round of 8 Results
Heat1. Sarah Baum (ZAF) 16.27, Nikita Robb (ZAF) 12.27, Heather Clark (ZAF) 7.80, Olivia Brand (ZAF) 6.50
Heat2. Skye Burgess (AUS) 10.90, Teal Hogg (ZAF) 10.16, Faye Zoetmulder (ZAF) 8.50, Nicole Pallet (ZAF) 7.37

Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong Round of 16 Results
Heat1. Sarah Baum (ZAF) 14.33, Heather Clark (ZAF) 12.80, Emma Smith (ZAF) 10.00, Crystal Hulett (ZAF) 6.34
Heat2. Nikita Robb (ZAF) 9.66, Olivia Brand (ZAF) 7.60, Tarryn Chudleigh (ZAF) 6.90, Sam Cele (ZAF) 2.97
Heat3. Skye Burgess (AUS) 14.84, Teal Hogg (ZAF) 9.56, Danielle Johnson (ZAF) 6.10, Monik Santos (BRA) 5.63
Heat4. Faye Zoetmulder (ZAF) 10.50, Nicole Pallet (ZAF) 8.24, Tammy-Lee Smith (ZAF) 7.97, Sophie Bell (ZAF) 6.53

Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong Round of 24 Results
Heat1. Sarah Baum (ZAF) 14.33, Nikita Robb (ZAF) 13.77, Zoe McDougal (HAW) 6.93, Olivia Izzard (ZAF) 5.20
Heat2. Tarryn Chudleigh (ZAF) 11.20, Crystal Hulett (ZAF) 9.00, Chanelle Botha (ZAF) 6.94, Monique Gresse (ZAF) 3.00
Heat3. Skye Burgess (AUS) 14.33, Tammy-Lee Smith (ZAF) 7.83, Kirsty McGillivray (ZAF) 5.67, Gina Smith (ZAF) 2.83
Heat4. Faye Zoetmulder (ZAF) 12.83, Monik Santos (BRA) 11.00, Kayla Nogueira (ZAF) 9.00, Natasha Van Greunen (ZAF) 4.64

Casey Grant (Scottburgh) dominated the SSA Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong at Willard Beach in Ballito on Sunday to earn a the final berth 112 man field for the R4 million WSL QS10,000 rated Ballito Pro presented by Billabong which starts at the same venue on Monday.

Grant, the runner-up to Jordy Smith in the 2010 edition of the Ballito event, posted five of the top 10 scores during the one-day Trials event and came storming back from an uncharacteristically slow start in the final to snatch victory with an excellent ride in the last minute.

“I fell on my first wave so I was a little bit nervous, but I got a good one and was in third place and knew that the judges reward you if you go for broke,” said Grant. “I was lucky enough to get a wave with a lip and I pulled off a little air-reverse and the judges rewarded me for that. It’s an awesome feeling to make it into the main event again as I haven’t been competing for a while now.”

Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay), the runner up the Billabong Junior Series QS1,000 event yesterday, looked like he was on his way to victory when he seamlessly stitched together three vertical backhand manoeuvres that earned him a near-perfect 9.50 with just four minutes remaining.

Needing an excellent 8.44 for to take the lead, Grant earned an 8.67 for his last ride, relegating Maree, the WSL Africa Junior rankings leader, to the runner-up spot for the second time in as many days. Chad du Toit (Durban) and Slade Prestwich finished third and fourth respectively.

Grant will get his Ballito Pro campaign underway in the first heat of the event where he faces Victor Bernardo (BRA), Derek Peters (USA) and Andy Criere (FRA). The top two in each heat advance to the next round while the surfers finishing third and fourth are eliminated with earnings of US $500 (about R7 500).

The two heats in the first round of the QS 1,000 Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong were run between the semi-finals and the final of the Trials event. Zoe McDougall, the 16 year-old Hawaiian who won the U18 Girl’s Junior final yesterday, was again the standout performer.

McDougall and Tarryn Chudleigh (Kommetjie) advanced from the first heat with Ballito local Tammy-Lee Smith and Faye Zoetmulder (Port Elizabeth) progressing to the Round of 24 from Heat 2.

The Ballito Pro and the Ballito Women’s Pro run from Monday 27 June to Sunday 3 July.

While the surfers ride the waves, the Ballito Pro Festival is set to turn up the heat in KwaDukuza by offering the best in beach, music and sports entertainment. Locals and holiday-makers will be spoilt for choice with the week-long festival featuring the ‘Fire up your stoke: Night of food & wine’, an extreme sports programme and an exciting retail area, while the Five Star Ballito Pro Free Music Concerts powered by 5FM bring some of South Africa’s most talented music acts to the stage in Salt Rock.

South Africa’s own Jordy Smith headlines a world-class field for Ballito Pro presented by Billabong which runs from Monday 27 June to Sunday 3 July at Willard Beach in Ballito.

The first World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series QS10,000 rated event to be staged in 2016, the Ballito Pro has attracted entries from a dozen of the elite top 34 ranked surfers on the WSL Championship Tour (CT), along with another 100 international and local competitors who will be vying for a share of the R4 million prize-purse and the maximum rankings points for a QS event.

Smith, the current world No. 10, the 2010 Ballito champion and 2013 runner-up, is determined to give his South African fans plenty to cheer about this year after an injury affected first round exit from his only QS appearance in home surf last year.

“The Ballito Pro is a great event and my win in 2010 is a really special memory,’ said Smith who has been competing in the world’s longest running professional surfing event since 2003. “I always want to win so badly in front of everyone at home and the support is always so crazy that I try extra hard.”

The top 10 seeds for the 48th edition of the event that started out as the Durban 500 in 1969 include Brazilians Caio Ibelli, Miguel Pupo, Jadson Andre and defending event winner Alejo Muniz; Australians Davey Cathels, Jack Freestone and Matt Banting; Californian Kanoa Igarashi and Jeremy Flores of Reunion Island.

Other internationals to watch out for include former event winners Tim Reyes (USA), American brothers Pat and Tanner Gudauskas, current QS rankings leader Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) and world No. 6 Sebastian Zietz (HAW).

Alongside Smith, the South African challenge for the title will come from Beyrick de Vries from nearby uMhlanga, who is the 53rd seed; Michael February (Kommetjie), the highest QS ranked local, who is nursing an ankle injury; and Dale Staples (St Francis Bay). Jeffreys Bay residents Dylan Lightfoot and Matt McGillivray have been awarded the wildcards that go to the country’s two highest ranked QS surfers who do not automatically qualify for the event.

The final slot in the main event goes to the winner of the all South African, 32-man SSA Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong, which is being run today (Sunday) at Willard Beach.

The QS1,000 rated Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong starts today and will run in conjunction with the men’s event.

While the surfers ride the waves, the Ballito Pro Festival is set to turn up the heat in KwaDukuza by offering the best in beach, music and sports entertainment. Locals and holiday-makers will be spoilt for choice with the week-long festival featuring the ‘Fire up your stoke: Night of food & wine’, an extreme sports programme and an exciting retail area, while the Five Star Ballito Pro Free Music Concerts powered by 5FM bring some of South Africa’s most talented music acts to the stage in Salt Rock.

The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).

Adin Masencamp (Strand) and Zoe McDougall (HAW) clinched the premier U18 Boys’ and Girls’ titles at the Billabong Junior Series event which ended in tricky one metre onshore waves at Willard Beach in Ballito on Saturday.

The latest edition of the world’s longest running series of surfing events for junior surfers aged 18-and-under featured World Surf League (WSL) JQS 1,000 rated events for U18 boys and girls alongside Surfing South Africa (SSA) Pro Surf Tour (PST) events for U12 boys and U14 and U16 boys and girls.

Masencamp had to play catch up early in the U18 Boys’ final when current WSL Africa Junior rankings leader Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay) opened the 30 minute encounter with a solid ride of 7.17 out of 10 and then added a 5.33.

But full of confidence after his stellar performance in posting the highest heat total of the event in yesterday’s semi-finals, Masencamp answered back with scores of 6.17 and an excellent 8.67, the highest of the heat, to take the lead. Needing 7.43 for the win with seven minutes remaining, Maree had priority and waited patiently for a wave with scoring potential while his opponent stayed busy patrolling the lineup and found a corner to blast a couple of explosive turns for a 7.17 that clinched the title.

“He started off with a 9 and I was like “Aw no!” And then when I got a couple of waves I knew that if I could get a good wave I could get the score,” said Masencamp.”I’m feeling pretty great, and super pumped to be in the trials and surf against the big guys. Thank you to Billabong for putting on a great event, for the housing and for supporting me. And of course a big thanks to G-Force surfboards for the best boards.”

The victory earned Masencamp R8 000 and 1 000 points which saw him overtake Jake Elkington into second place behind Maree on the WSL Africa Junior rankings He also took the early lead in the chase for the prestigious Billabong Junior Series U18 boys’ crown that will be decided at the second and final event at Seal Point in September.

The U18 Girls’ final was a closer affair where Hawaiian Zoe McDougall led from start to finish over Kirsty McGillivray (Jeffreys Bay), but only established a comfortable lead in the last minute when she added a 5.93 to her opening 6.67. McDougall (16), who is staying with the McGillivray family while in South Africa, was elated to collect an event win in just her fourth day in the country.

“It was an interesting final with Kirsty, my good friend whom I’m staying with. Just fun, no hassling, just trading waves,” said McDougall. “I’m pretty stoked, and I’m happy with the results, but mostly I’m using this event as practice for the QS so I hate to mess up the ratings, but I’m glad Kirsty’s in first.”
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The Under 16 Boys’ final was a see-saw battle with Kommetjie’s Max Elkington snatching victory in the closing minutes with a 6.60 and an excellent 8.33 to overtake good friends Eli Beukes and Luke Slijpen. The pair tied on 13.0 points each but Beukes finished second thanks to having the highest single wave score, while Karl Steen finished fourth.

Elkington and Beukes join Masencamp and Maree in the SSA Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong which will be run at Willard Beach on Sunday. The Trials winner is awarded the final spot in the112 man field for the R4 million QS10,000 rated Ballito Pro presented by Billabong which runs from Monday June 27 to Sunday 3 July at the same venue.

Salt Rock local Sophie Bell had the partisan crowd cheering when she claimed the U16 Girls’ title ahead of Kai Woolf, Kayla Nogueira and S’Nenhlanhla Makhubu. Makhubu, competing in her first nationally rated event, made it two finals in succession when she also placed third in the U14 Girls behind winner Gail Lailvaux and runner-up Nogueira, with Zoe Steyn taking fourth.

The U14 Boys title went to Tide Lee Ireland in a narrow win over York van Jaarsveldt, Mitch du Preez and Nate Spalding while Dan Emslie showed he has the talent to follow in the footsteps of his famous father Greg when he selected the best waves and convincingly won the U12 Boys’ division. Luke Thomson grabbed second spot with Alex Townsend third and James Ribbink fourth

RESULTS
(All South African unless indicated)

Billabong Junior Series U18 Boys Final Results
1. Adin Masencamp (Strand) 15.84pts
2. Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay) 12.50pts

Billabong Junior Series U18 Girls Final Results
1. Zoe McDougall (Hawaii) 12.60pts
2. Kirsty McGillivray (Jeffreys Bay) 8.00pts

Billabong Junior Series U16 Boys Final Results
1. Max Elkington 14.93pts
2. Eli Beukes 13.00pts
3. Luke Slijpen 13.00pts
4. Karl Steen 9.54pts

Billabong Junior Series U16 Girls Final Results
1. Sophie Bell 12.17pts
2. Kai Woolf 11.10pts
3. Kayla Nogueira 6.50pts
4. S’Nenhlanhla Makhubu 6.10pts

Billabong Junior Series U14 Boys Final Results
1. Tide Lee Ireland 11.00pts
2. York Van Jaarsveldt 10.47pts
3. Mitch Du Preez 10.20pts
4. Nate Spalding 7.87

Billabong Junior Series U14 Girls Final Results
1. Gabi Lailvaux 10.00pts
2. Kayla Nogueira 9.27pts
3. S’Nenhlanhla Makhubu 9.00pts
4. Zoe Steyn 2.17pts

Billabong Junior Series U12 Boys Final Results
1. Dan Emslie 14.00pts
2. Luke Thompson 11.76pts
3. Alex Townsend 11.33pts
4. James Ribbink 10.70pts

The lucrative specialty awards went to:

VonZipper Airshow – R2 000
Calvin Goor
Zigzag Blowing Up Award – R2 000
Bevan Willis
BOS Best Carve of the Contest – surfboard
Luke Thomson
Neff – Forever Fun – R2 000
Sebastian Williams
Skull Candy – #StayLoud Award – R2 500
Ford Van Jaarsveldt

WSL Africa Junior Rankings (After Billabong Junior Series Ballito)
Boys
1. Jordy Maree 1750 points
2. Adin Masencamp 1560 pts
3. Jake Elkington 1310 pts
4. Bevan Willis 860 pts
5. Max Elkington 825 pts

Girls
1. Kirsty McGillivray 750 points
2. Sophie Bell 560 pts
3. Natasha van Greunen 420 pts
3. Olivia Izzard 420 pts
4. Taghiti Gericke 395 pts
4. Kayla Nogueira 395 pts

The Billabong Junior Series was supported by KwaDukuza Municipality, VonZipper, Zigzag, BOS, Neff, Skull Candy, Surfing South Africa and the World Surf League.

Hashtag: #BillabongJNR

A recent study revealed that by 2050, there will be more plastic – by weight – than fish in the ocean. This deeply disconcerting fact is evidenced for surfers on a daily basis, when having to wade through the remnants of human consumption while catching waves, and it’s the drive behind this year’s Ballito Pro, presented by Billabong, Save the Waves campaign.

“For humans, single-use plastic has become an everyday convenience and, often, not much thought goes into where it ends up,” explained event co-ordinator, Collette Bundy. “This ‘throwaway’ mentality has led to devastating results for our oceans and marine life, and it’s time we turn the tide on this destructive behaviour.”

In merely a few decades, the amount of plastic collected on earth has reached astronomical proportions with one garbage truck of plastic dumped into the ocean every minute. It will currently take an entire millennium for the earth to rid itself of all the plastic, yet the amount keeps growing.

One plastic form in particular, microplastic, is particularly harmful to sea life. This disintegrated plastic is mistaken by marine animals for food and ingested, damaging the internal organs of fish.

And they aren’t the only ones to suffer as it’s estimated that nearly every sea bird on earth has ingested plastic in their lifetime. Further to this, about 100 000 marine mammals and sea turtles die each year after mistaking plastic for food, or becoming fatally entangled in the substance.

Bundy said that, for centuries, people have shared a deep connection with the ocean, understanding that it is the lifeblood of the ‘blue planet’, but somehow this connection has deteriorated over time.

“The ocean connects us globally, through many ways, such as surfing,” she explained. “To encourage this connection, we need to take drastic steps to make amends for past pollution, ensuring the oceans remain a safe haven for all marine life.”

Through the Save the Waves campaign – sponsored by Dolphin Coast Waste Management – organisers hope to educate and create awareness about the hazards of plastic, prompting better disposal and recycling of products. To visually portray this reality, Joe Wire Crafts created a large wire dolphin, three metres in length, which will be displayed at Willard Beach. Visitors are encouraged to dispose of plastic in the dolphin’s mouth, thereby indicating the amount of plastic that would, otherwise, have ended up in the ocean.

In addition to this, recycling stations have been erected at various locations throughout the Ballito Pro, ensuring no litter is discarded onto the seashore.

The Ballito Pro, presented by Billabong, will be taking place at KwaDukuza’s Willard Beach from 22 June to 3 July. Visitors to the longest continually running professional surfing event will have a host of outside festival-related activities to keep them entertained including beach and extreme sports, a culinary evening, retail and food stalls as well as the Five Star Ballito Pro Free Music Concerts Powered by 5FM from 30 June to 2 July.

Adin Masencamp (Strand) earned a spot in the final of the premier U18 Boys’ division of the Billabong Junior Series at Willard Beach in Ballito by posting the highest heat total of the contest in a ‘Super Heat’ semi-final victory over KwaDukuza local Bevan Willis today.

After a low-scoring first semi-final, where top seed Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay) defeated Jake Elkington with heat scores of 9.64 to 6.83 in the wind-affected head-high waves, Willis shot out of the blocks in the second semi by producing a near-perfect ride of 9.0 out of 10.

Masencamp stayed busy, locking in an excellent 8.83 and minutes later adding an 8.57 to take the lead, with Willis requiring 8.40 to win the heat. The Umdloti resident took his challenge to the air, landing a massive air-reverse but came up just short when the judges awarded him 8.07.

Both surfers continued to hunt for more waves as the clock wound down. Masencamp closed out the victory by using his priority to block Willis on his final ride, claiming a 17.40 vs. 17.07 win before they rode in together on the same wave in great display of sportsmanship.

The final, a top of the rankings showdown between undefeated current WSL Africa Junior No. 1 Maree and No. 3 ranked Masencamp, promises to deliver fireworks on Saturday. Both have already qualified for the two spots in the SSA Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong which takes place on Sunday.

The winner of the 32-man all-South African trials event earns a spot in the R4 million Ballito Pro presented by Billabong which runs from 27 June to 3 July at Willard Beach

The final of the U18 Girls’ division will see the only international competitor in the event, Zoe McDougall (Hawaii), take on Kirsty McGillivray (Jeffreys Bay) after both came through hard fought semi-final duels.

The Hawaiian was made to battle all the way to the last seconds before overcoming Kai Woolf, who spends half the year in Jeffreys Bay and the other half in New Zealand. McGillivray saw off the challenge of Sophie Bell from nearby Salt Rock in a tense, low-scoring encounter.

Bell will be satisfied with the fact that she advanced to the final of the U16 Girls’ where she will take on Woolf, Kayla Nogueira and up and coming talent S’Nenhlanhla Makhubu, while the U16 Boys’ final features Karl Steen, Luke Slijpen, Max Elkington and Eli Beukes.

Nogueira and Makhubu are also in the U14 Girls’ final, along with Gabi Lailvaux and Zoe Steyn. The U14 Boy’s final will pit semi-final winners Tide-lee Ireland and Mitch du Preez against their respective runners-up York van Jaarsveldt and Nate Spalding.

The U12 Boys’ final, which gets proceedings underway on Saturday, is made up of James Ribbink, Alex Townsend, Luke Thomson and Dan Emslie

There are a number of specialty awards that will be determined on Saturday, including:

VonZipper Airshow – surfer landing the best aerial manoeuvre – R2,000
Zigzag Blowing Up Award –standout performance, most impressive surfing over the week – R2,000
BOS Award – Best Carve of the Contest – wins a surfboard
Neff – Forever Fun – “The surfer that spits out something new, exciting and has the most fun doing it” – R2,000
Skull Candy – #StayLoud Award – “Takes risks, steps away from the herd, expresses themselves in their surfing style and lives life to full volume” – R2,500

The U12, U14 and U16 divisions are Surfing South Africa 3A Pro Surf Tour events with prize-money of R2,600 for the U12’s and while the other divisions each share R4,600.

The premier U18 Boys’ and Girls’ events are World Surf League (WSL) Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) 1,000 rated events offering prize-purses of R20,000 and R10,000 respectively.

The U18 boys have an added incentive as the top two placed surfers will be awarded wildcards into the SSA Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong on Sunday 26 June. The winner of this 32-man, all-South African trials event will earn the last spot in the R4 million Ballito Pro presented by Billabong that runs from 27 June to 3 July at Willard Beach.

Scheduled for Wednesday to Saturday, 22-25 June, the Billabong Junior Series is supported by KwaDukuza Municipality, VonZipper, Zigzag, BOS, Neff, Skull Candy, Surfing South Africa and the World Surf League.

Hashtag: #BillabongJNR

RESULTS
(Names in order 1st to 4th ; All South African unless indicated)

Billabong Junior Series U18 Girls Semi-Final Results
S1: Zoe McDougall (HAW) 11 .67 def. Kai Woolf (Jeffreys Bay) 9.44
S2: Kirsty McGillivray (Jeffreys Bay) 6.16 def. Sophie Bell (Salt Rock) 3.73

Billabong Junior Series U18 Boys Semi-Final Results
S1: Jordan Maree (Kalk Bay) 9.64 def. Jake Elkington (Kommetjie) 6.83
S2: Adin Masencamp (Strand) 17.40 def. Bevan Willis (Umdloti) 17.07

Billabong Junior Series U18 Girls Round of 8 Results
Heat 1: Kai Woolf, Zoe McDougall (HAW), Olivia Izzard, Taghiti Gericke
Heat 2: Sophie Bell, Kirsty McGillivray, Natasha Van Greunen, Kayla Nogueira

Billabong Junior Series U18 Boys Round of 8 Results
Heat 1: Jordan Maree, Jake Elkington, Alexander Van Rijswijk, Ford Van Jaarsveldt
Heat 2: Adin Masencamp, Bevan Willis, Koby Oberholzer, Liam de Villiers

Billabong Junior Series U16 Boys Semi-Final Results
S1: Karl Steen, Luke Slijpen, Calvin Goor, Ryan Lightfoot
S2: Max Elkington, Eli Beukes, Sebastian Williams, Koby Oberholzer

Billabong Junior Series U16 Girls Semi-Final Results
S1: Kai Woolf, S’Nenhlanhla Makhubu, Zoe Steyn
S2: Sophie Bell, Kayla Nogueira, Zoe Smith

Billabong Junior Series U14 Boys Semi-Final Results
S1: Tide Lee Ireland, York Van Jaarsveldt, Alex Townsend
S2: Mitch Du Preez, Nate Spalding, James Ribbink

Billabong Junior Series U12 Boys Semi-Final Results
S1: James Ribbink, Alex Townsend, Matt O’Brien
S2: Luke Thomson, Dan Emslie, Christian Venter

South Africa’s top under 18 surfers went ballistic in the chunky, overhead waves on the second day of the Billabong Junior Series event taking place at Willard Beach in Ballito on Thursday.

With R20 000 in prize-money at stake, along with rankings points that count towards the Billabong Junior Series, the World Surf League (WSL) Africa junior title and selection for the squad for the WSL World Junior Championships, as well as two spots in the SSA Ballito Pro Trials on offer, the competitors pulled out all the stops as they carved, sliced, diced the waves and flew through air in their efforts to progress to the next round of competition.

Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay) justified his top seeding by winning his Round of 16 heat after riding an incredible 14 waves in the 25 minute encounter. Maree’s powerful turns and gravity defying manoeuvres saw him finish ahead of fellow Capetonian Ford van Jaarsveldt (Kommetjie) and the pair advanced to the last eight in the U18 boys’ event.

“The conditions are super hard out there, you can’t really read how the waves are going to break, but if you wait a bit and find a wedge you can connect a few turns,” said Maree. “This event is really important because it qualifies for the U18 WSL worldjunior champs, which is the biggest event that you can do. And the Billabong Series is the longest running event for juniors, so it’s always a big thing to win an event and at the end of it to win the series.”

Many heats turned on the last ride with Koby Oberholzer snatching second place behind Adin Masencamp in the last seconds of their heat while Alex van Rijswijk’s commitment on hollow, closed out wave saw him earn a berth in the next round.

The U18 girls were equally determined to succeed, pitting themselves against waves that increased in size as the Spring high tide filled in, creating conditions that tested the athletes courage, determination and physical ability.

Diminutive Kai Woolf demonstrated her heart and comfortably won her clash while Zoe McDougall, the only international competitor in the event, showed the value of her Hawaiian experience by advancing along with Taghiti Gericke. Kirsty McGillivray charged to victory ahead of Salt Rock local Sophie Bell, and Kayla Nogueira moved through with the rapidly improving Natasha van Greunen.

The day’s action started with the youngest division, the U12 boys, strutting their stuff in the mellower early morning conditions. Rising stars James Ribbink, Luke Thompson and Dan Emslie won their opening duels and will compete against their respective runners-up in Friday’s semi-finals.

The eight girls in the U14 division were equally competitive with Zoe Steyn and Gabi Lailvaux taking the heat wins and being joined by second placed Kayla Nogueira and S’nenhlanhla Makhubu in the final which will take place on Saturday, along with the finals of all the other divisions.

There are a number of specialty awards that will be determined on Saturday, including:

VonZipper Airshow – surfer landing the best aerial manoeuvre – R2,000
Zigzag Blowing Up Award –standout performance, most impressive surfing over the week – R2,000
BOS Award – Best Carve of the Contest – wins a surfboard
Neff – Forever Fun – “The surfer that spits out something new, exciting and has the most fun doing it” – R2,000
Skull Candy – #StayLoud Award – “Takes risks, steps away from the herd, expresses themselves in their surfing style and lives life to full volume” – R2,500

The U12, U14 and U16 divisions are Surfing South Africa 3A Pro Surf Tour events with prize-money of R2,600 for the U12’s and while the other divisions each share R4,600.

The premier U18 boys’ and girls’ divisions are internationally rated World Surf League (WSL) Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) 1,000 events offering prize-purses of R20,000 and R10,000 respectively.

The U18 boys have an added incentive as the top two placed surfers will be awarded wildcards into the SSA Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong on Sunday 26 June. The winner of this 32-man, all-South African trials event will earn the last spot in the R4 million Ballito Pro presented by Billabong that runs from 27 June to 3 July at Willard Beach.

Scheduled for Wednesday to Saturday, 22-25 June, the Billabong Junior Series is supported by KwaDukuza Municipality, VonZipper, Zigzag, BOS, Neff, and Skull Candy, Surfing South Africa and the World Surf League.

Hashtag: #BillabongJNR

RESULTS
(Names in order 1st to 4th ; All South African unless indicated)

Billabong Junior Series U18 Boys Round 2 Results
Heat 1: Jordan Maree, Ford Van Jaarsveldt, Calvin Goor, Luke John Slijpen
Heat 2: Jake Elkington, Alexander Van Rijswijck, Sebastian Williams, Ethan Fletcher
Heat 3: Liam de Villiers, Bevan Willis, Max Elkington, Angelo Faulkner
Heat 4: Adin Masencamp, Koby Oberholzer, Joshe Faulkner, Rewaldo Abersalie

Billabong Junior Series U18 Girls Round 1 Results
Heat 1: Kai Woolf, Olivia Izzard, Crystal Hullet
Heat 2: Zoe McDougall (HAW), Taghiti Gericke, Danica Stockigt, Sam Cele
Heat 3:Kayla Nogueira, Natasha Van Greunen, S’Nenhlanhla Makubu
Heat 4: Kirsty McGillivray, Sophie Bell, Tayla de Coning.

Billabong Junior Series U18 Boys Round 1 Results
Heat1: Ford van Jaarsveldt, Jake Elkington, Tide-Lee Ireland
Heat 2: Sebastian Williams, Luke John Slijpen , Saxton Randall
Heat 3: Max Elkington, Rewaldo Abersalie, Jonathan Coffee
Heat4: Koby Oberholzer, Angelo Faulkner, Donovan Wichmann

Billabong Junior Series U14 Girls Semifinals Results
S1: Zoe Steyn, Kayla Nogueira, Lisa Van Heerden, Aimee du Preez.
S2: Gabi Lailvaux, S’nenhlanha Makubu, Lhea Johnson, Gabbi Herbst.

Billabong Junior Series U12 Boys Round 1 Results
Heat 1: James Ribbink, Christian Venter, Matthew Coetzer
Heat 2: Luke Thompson, Alex Townsend, Kai Hall, Julian Carbonel
Heat 3: Dan Emslie, Matt O’Brien, Callum Whittle

The Semi-Finalists in the Under 14 and U16 Boys’ and U16 Girls’ divisions were decided on an exciting opening day of surfing in the Billabong Junior Series event at Willard beach in Ballito on Wednesday.

Overcast conditions and clean one metre (hip to head high) waves that improved during the day gave the country’s top junior surfers the canvas on which to utilise their full repertoire of manoeuvres as they battled to advance to the business end of the prestigious 3A rated SSA Pro Surf Tour (PST) events.

Sebastian Williams (Jeffreys Bay), the reigning Billabong Junior Series U16 boys’ champion, was one of the standout performers on the day, winning both his opening heat and his Quarter-final clash to move into the Semi-Finals.

“That heat went good, I saw the previous heats were slow but I got a decent wave in the first 5 minutes and that kind of set my tone for the rest of the heat,” said Williams. “I’m hoping to defend my title as it’s my last year in the under 16’s. I’ve been doing this division since I was under 12, but I enjoy competing a couple of divisions above my age.”

Max Elkington was seeded into the Quarter-Finals and won his opening heat to advance to the semis along with heat runner-up and fellow Kommetjie resident Eli Beukes. Elkington and Beukes will be up against Williams and Koby Oberholzer in the second Semi-Final where the top two will progress to the four-man Final.

Kai Woolf (Jeffreys Bay) produced her customary display of high performance surfing in the U16 girls’, moving into the semis along with runner-up and Salt Rock local Sophie Bell. Kayla Nogueira and Zoe Smith won their Round 1 encounters and newcomer S’nenhlanhla Makhubu (Durban) finished second to reach the semis in a PST event for the first time.

The day’s action started with the U14 boys’ division in what for many were overhead waves. The three Round 1 heats were won by York van Jaarsveldt, Nate Spalding and Mitch du Preez who advanced to the last six together with their respective runners-up.

The youngest division, the U12 boys, will get the Day 2 action underway followed by the U14 girls before the U18 boys and girls take to the surf on Day 2 of the event on Thursday.

The finals of all the divisions will be run on Saturday when an exciting lineup of speciality awards will also be decided:

VonZipper Airshow – surfer landing the aerial manoeuvre – R2,000
Zigzag Blowing Up Award –standout performance, most impressive surfing over the week – R2,000
BOS Award – Best Carve of the Contest – wins a surfboard
Neff – Forever Fun – “The surfer that spits out something new, exciting and has the most fun doing it” – R2,000
Skull Candy – #StayLoud Award – “Takes risks, steps away from the herd, expresses themselves in their surfing style and lives life to full volume” – R2,500

The U12, U14 and U16 divisions are Surfing South Africa 3A Pro Surf Tour events with prize-money of R2,600 for the U12’s and while the other divisions each share R4,600.

The premier U18 boys’ and girls’ divisions are internationally rated World Surf League (WSL) Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) 1,000 events offering prize-purses of R20,000 and R10,000 respectively. The points earned count towards determining the Billabong Junior Series and WSL Africa overall champions.

The U18 boys have an added incentive as the top two placed surfers will be awarded wildcards into the SSA Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong on Sunday 26 June. The winner of the all-South African trials event will land a berth in the R4 million Ballito Pro presented by Billabong.

Scheduled for Wednesday to Saturday, 22-25 June, the Billabong Junior Series is supported by KwaDukuza Municipality, VonZipper, Zigzag, BOS, Neff, and Skull Candy, Surfing South Africa and the World Surf League.

Hashtag: #BillabongJNR

The countdown has begun to one of the biggest holiday events on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, the Ballito Pro, presented by Billabong Festival, which runs at KwaDukuza from 22 June to 3 July.

“The warm coastal atmosphere, laid back lifestyle and stunning setting really makes KwaDukuza the ideal venue for this annual sporting and entertainment festival,” said event organiser, Collette Bundy. “This year is set to be one of the best events with more music, food and entertainment than ever before.”
Centred around the main event – the international surfing contest – the festival offers a range of exciting activities throughout the two weeks, for all ages.

This year sees the introduction of the Fire Up Your Stoke evening on Wednesday 29 June at the main festival area at KwaDukuza’s Willard Beach starting at 5pm. The evening involves fun cook-offs as well as wine and whiskey tasting. Contestants can enter various cook-off categories including the Mini Cooks (ages 3 to 6) preparing sweet treats; Fine Young Cooks (ages 7 to 12) making mouth-watering kebabs and the Ballito Grill Champs braai-off for adults. There will also be an ongoing Battle of the Ballito Burger whereby local restaurants will sell their best burgers with the public voting for the number one dish. Anyone wanting to enter one of the contests can do so by emailing fireupyourstoke@gmail.com

Fire Up Your Stoke will also include live music, dance and fashion entertainment as well as an exclusive film premiere by Billabong Team Rider and Big Wave surfer, Matt Bromley. Shot by New Zealand filmmaker, Guy Mac, ‘Risky Business’ will be shown to audiences, for the first time ever, at the event.

World-ranked extreme motorcyclists, Bruce and Brent le Riche – sponsored by Monster Energy Drink – will keep the crowds mesmerised at Willard Beach from Thursday 30 June to Sunday 3 July. The two perform a range of spectacular motorcycle trial stunts on a specially made rig consisting of ramps, walls, steps and other death-defying obstacles. Monster’s mini skate ramps will also offer young skate enthusiasts much enjoyment.

On Thursday 30 June, thrill-seekers can head to the Mamba Skate Park – organised by the Peg Lunar Projects – which has been transformed into a jungle providing skaters with a surreal racetrack. This track offers skaters a new experience of technical racing and spectators some non-stop entertainment along with music, food and drinks. The top prize is R2 000 cash as well as a host of Peg products. Entrance is R30 for riders, R20 for spectators with registrations at www.mambaskate.com

Music-lovers will not be disappointed by this year’s Five Star Ballito Pro Free Music Concerts powered by 5FM at Salt Rock Main Beach from Thursday 30 June to Saturday 2 July. South Africa’s hottest bands and artists – including Kwesta, NastyC, Shortstraw, Desmond & the Tutus, a host of 5FM DJ’s and many more – will take to the Salt Rock beach stage. Crush Night Club will host the Battle of the DJs, and the Five Star Ballito Pro Free Music Concerts’ Official After Parties. The concerts will start at 4pm each afternoon, continuing until late in the evening, and there will be food and drink on sale. People are welcome to bring picnic blankets and chairs, although the lively music is sure to get the crowd on its feet.

At Willard Beach there will be a number of children’s events including a Kiddies Corner with face painting, water balls, sandcastle-building contests and a Kiddies Beach dash. For the older crowds, the Beach Festival offers beach soccer, Learn to Surf and volleyball. The Retail Area will ensure visitors are kept enthralled with daily live entertainment, fashion shows, dance displays, a food court, cider garden, arts and crafts as well as a number of other exhibitions and retail stalls.

Through the Save the Waves campaign – sponsored by Dolphin Coast Waste Management – organisers also hope to educate and create awareness about the hazards of plastic, prompting better disposal and recycling of products. There will be a large wire dolphin, three metres in length, at Willard Beach and visitors are encouraged to dispose of plastic in the dolphin’s mouth, thereby indicating the amount of plastic that would, otherwise, have ended up in the ocean. In addition to this, recycling stations have been erected at various locations throughout the Ballito Pro, ensuring no litter is discarded onto the seashore.

Make your way to one of South Africa’s leading holiday spot from 22 June to 3 July to get involved in all of the vibrant coastal action!