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New Zealand Team Ready For Action |
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Written by Ben Kennings
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Sunday, 18 May 2008 |
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Paige Hareb - Image Steve Robertson
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The Rip Curl New Zealand Junior Surfing Team are about to embark on another journey to the northern hemisphere. They will begin their quest for glory on 24th of May when they begin competing at the 2008 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships. This year the World Junior Championships will be held in Seignosse, France. The New Zealand team will want to achieve a podium finish in 2008 and better their results from the event in 2007.
The Rip Curl New Zealand team comprises twelve surfers with four surfers in each of the under 18 boys, under 18 girls and under 16 girls divisions. Paige Hareb (Tara) and Airini Mason (Tugun, Qld) will be two of the team’s biggest stars. Both girls have been finalists at the event in past years (Hareb in 2007 and Mason in 2006). The two surfers are now a dominant force on the Australasian Pro Junior Series for surfers under the age of 20. They also contest the World Qualifying Series (WQS) which caters for some of the best female surfers in the world aiming to qualify for the elite Women’s World Tour.
Hareb secured one of the biggest results ever for a New Zealand surfer last month when she won the Drug Aware Pro WQS event in Margaret River, Australia. The result pushed her further into surfing stardom and now gives her a realistic chance at qualification for the Women’s World Tour. Hareb is currently ranked third on the WQS hoping to finish inside the top six to guarantee qualification.
Mason has also been in good form recently placing second at the Sunsmart Pro Junior in Perth, twice defeating current WQS leader Sally Fitzgibbons (Aus). The two surfers will be aiming for nothing short of a world title at this event. Also representing the Kiwis in the girls division are young up and comers Alexis Poulter (Rag) and Rosa Thompson (Auck). This will be Poulter’s second tour while Thompson will be new to the game and eager to taste international competition.
 The under 18 boys comprise four surfers who have spent their summer competing on the Australasian Pro Junior Series. Hardened by the gruelling encounters of this tough series the ‘senior men’ of the team will be vying to match our top girls. Eli Jacobs (Qld) is the only new face in the team. Jacobs who now lives in Queensland, Australia is the highest rated surfer on the Pro Junior Series after solid performances throughout summer.
Matt Hewitt (Mnt) made his debut on the international stage in 2007 with a spectacular third placing in the under 16 boys. Now surfing up a division he will have his work cut out to emulate his success of 2007 but that result will only feed the confident Hewitt’s hunger for more of the same.
Stalwarts of the team Paco Divers and Ryan Hawker complete the foursome. Divers has represented New Zealand for the past three years, Hawker the past two. Both will be hoping for a rich vein of form at the event which in Hawkers case may be aided by the fact that he has surfed events in the region several times in the last three years.
The juniors of the team could spring the biggest surprises. Johnny Hicks (Gis) leads the under 16 boys having already represented his country twice (2006 and 2007). He will now be relatively comfortable with the international pressures of the event. He is joined by Alex Dive (Mnt) who has battled Hicks all summer for top honours at domestic events, the powerful Blake Myers (WGM) and New South Wales based Damien Norman.
Prior to the main event the team will meet South Africa to contest the annually run ‘SANZ’ Trophy held between the two teams. The two teams will fine tune their competitive strategies only days out from the main event while igniting old friendships and meeting new faces. The unique trophy that is up for grabs is made out of a solid Pounamu base with paua inlay and a surfboard made out of South African hardwood. New Zealand will go into the SANZ Trophy as defending champions.
The 2008 Rip Curl New Zealand team is as follows:
Under 18 Boys
Paco Divers – Sandy Bay
Ryan Hawker – Piha
Matt Hewitt – Mount Maunganui
Eli Jacobs - Queensland
Under 18 Women
Paige Hareb – Taranaki
Alexis Poulter – Raglan
Airini Mason – Queensland
Rosa Thompson - Auckland
Under 16 Boys
Johnny Hicks – Gisborne
Blake Myers – Whangamata
Alex Dive – Mount Maunganui
Damien Norman – New South Wales
The 2008 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships is an annual event having been held since 2003. New Zealand has competed at the event since its inception as well as competing at the World Grommet Titles as it was formerly known since 1989. New Zealand has been one of the top nations at each event with Jay Quinn (Gis) securing New Zealand’s first World Championship in the Under 18 Men’s division in 2001. New Zealand also placed fourth in 2007 – it’s highest placing since 2001. The 2008 team were aided by finals berths for Matt Hewitt who placed third in the under 16 boys and Paige Hareb who placed fourth in the under 18 girls. 28 countries are expected to compete at the event in 2008.
The event will be broadcast live over the net via http://www.isaworldchamp.com/. Media releases on the teams performance will be distributed daily throughout the event. For further information regarding the Rip Curl New Zealand Junior Surfing Team, please contact Ben Kennings at Surfing New Zealand 07 8250018, 0212278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz.
Support faxes can be received by the team in France through the following fax number - 0033 825 380 370.
The tour would not be possible without the support of Rip Curl, New Zealand Community Trust and Surfing New Zealand.
Surfing New Zealand are proudly partnered by
Corona
Hyundai
SPARC
Smokefree
Ends
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