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Billabong Pro and Grom Series Combine For Big Weekend of Surfing |
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Written by Ben Kennings
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Tuesday, 07 February 2012 |
This coming weekend sees the combination of two events rolled into one at Whangamata with the postponed Billabong Pro presented by Sony and the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge both taking place at Whangamata from Friday 10th February.
After a less than ideal surf forecast over Auckland Anniversary Weekend, a
delay was forced on the Billabong Pro.
Now it will double up with the originally scheduled Billabong Grom
Series and this time with a more favourable surf outlook.
The Billabong Pro presented by Sony will commence on the Friday with a good
1.0m of easterly swell forecast. The
event is attracting the top surfers from around New
Zealand to the Coromandel
Peninsula seaside town as well as some
of New Zealand’s best
freestyle motocross exponents who will be putting on an exhibition in Williamson Park behind the Surf Club.
The change in dates for the event has allowed Maz Quinn (Gis) the ability
to return to fitness after injuring his back while surfing over the Christmas
period. Quinn missed the National
Championships in January due to the injury but for the first time in six weeks
he entered the water in the weekend.
Fellow Gisborne surfer Chris Malone will go into the event as the number
one seed with National Champion Billy Stairmand (Rag) competing at an
international event in Australia
and unable to attend the event.
Stairmand is joined by several other surfers competing overseas
including Jay Quinn (Gis) and Richard Christie (Mah) who are both over in Brazil
contesting their first major event of the year.
The Women’s Division will see Thandi Durham – Tipene (Tara) enter the water
as the new National Champion. She takes
on a swag of young guns coming through the ranks including local surfers Grace
Spiers and Ella Williams, Jayda Martin – Fitzharris (Gis), Alexis Poulter (Rag)
and Rosa Thompson (Auck).
The Under 20 Men’s Division will be contested for the first time this
season. Great Barrier
Island surfer Sid West
will go into the event as the number one seed with a number of top junior
surfers having moved up into the Open Men’s Division. West will be joined by Tane Wallis (Piha) and
Jacob Kohn (Gis) and Joe Moretti (Moretti) as well as the new crop of surfers
that have recently moved up from the Under 16 Boys Division including Sean
Kettle (Tara), Adam Grimson (Gis) and Paul
Moretti (Mimiwhangata).
The youngsters contesting the Billabong Grom Series presented by
Oceanbridge will do so hot on the heels of the first event of the series held
at Mount Maunganui over Waitangi weekend. Elliot Paerata – Reid (Piha) and Gabriela
Sansom (Albany)
got the best possible start to the series winning the first event in the Under
16 Divisions. This weekend they will
take on double duties with both surfers contesting the Billabong Pro as well.
Another win by with Paerata – Reid of Sansom will see them go into the
final event with a good chance of winning the series and the trip to Australia to compete in the Occy Grom Comp held
in Queensland
during July. A further three trips are
also up for grabs in the Under 14 Boys Division and the Under 12 Boys with Kehu
Butler (Mnt) and Kea Smith both having won their respective divisions at the
first event of the year, Butler
making it a double with the Under 12 Boys Division win.
The Billabong Pro presented by Sony is now in its
eighth consecutive year and boasts the largest prize pool of the New Zealand Pro
Series with over $12,800 of cash and prizes up for grabs.
Please see below for winners of the event over the past five years and the top
rated surfers in the Open Men’s and Women’s Divisions on the New Zealand Pro
Series.
Open Men’s
2007 – Daniel Kereopa (Rag)
2008 – Maz Quinn (Gis)
2009 – Bobby Hansen (Gis)
2010 – Maz Quinn (Gis)
2011 – Richard Christie (Mah)
Open Women’s
2007 – Jessica Santorik (Rag)
2008 – Jessica Santorik (Rag)
2009 – Laura Rishworth (Mnt)
2010 – Jessica Santorik (Rag)
2011 – Sarah Mason (Gis)
Juniors
2007 – Ryan Hawker (Piha)
2008 – Ryan Hawker (Piha)
2009 – Keone Campbell (Tara)
2010 – Johnny Hicks (Gis)
2011 – JC Susan (Mnt)
Current New Zealand Pro Series Standings
Open Men’s Division
1. Billy Stairmand (Rag)
2. Chris Malone (Gis)
3. Tim O’Connor (Mnt)
4. Matt Hewitt (Mnt)
5. Jay Quinn (Gis)
5. Bobby Hansen (Gis)
7. Zen Wallis (Piha)
7. Alex Dive (Mnt)
Open Women’s Division
1. Thandi Durham – Tipene (Tara)
2. Mischa Davis (Piha)
3. Ella Williams (WGM)
4. Jayda Martin – Fitzharris (Gis)
5. Grace Spiers (WGM)
5. Jessica Santorik (Rag)
Please see below for the remaining events, dates and
locations for the New Zealand Pro Series:
Billabong Pro presented by Sony –
10-12 February, Whangamata
O’Neill Sequence Surf Shop Pro –
25-26 February, Gisborne
Rip Curl Pro – 16-18 March, Raglan
Entry into the
events can be completed at Surfing New
Zealand under events. Complete the
entry process online or download entry forms and send them in.
Further
Information
For further information on the Billabong Pro
presented by Sony please contact Surfing New Zealand’s Ben Kennings on 021
2278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz. Alternatively contact Billabong Event Manager
AJ Matthews on 0212416227 or email aj.matthews@billabong.co.nz.
Imagery
Web clips and newsfeeds will be distributed free of charge from each
event. Please contact Ben Kennings for
further details.
High resolution action images of the surfing at all events on the New Zealand
Pro Series will be available to media free of charge upon request.
Event Hotline
The Surfing New Zealand
event hotline is 0211134506. This will
be updated daily at approximately 7am with venue, divisions contested and
conditions.
Partners
Generous support from Billabong, Sony, Monster,
Skinny, Von Zipper, Nixon, The Edge and Von Zipper has made this event
possible.
Surfing New Zealand Newsletter
If you want to keep updated with surfing information delivered right to your
inbox then sign up to the SNZ
Newsletter.
Follow Surfing New Zealand and the Billabong Pro
pres by Sony
Live results will be feed live to the SNZ website via twitter so stay tuned
with up to date results. Alternatively
follow the action via the SNZ
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Ends
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