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New Zealand Team Underway In Ecuador |
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Written by Ben Kennings
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Thursday, 02 April 2009 |
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Alex Dive - Image ISA/Lobo
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The Rip Curl New Zealand Junior Surfing Team has contested the first two days of the 2009 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships notching up some impressive wins against the world class surfers from 28 countries around the world.
Nine of the twelve-strong team remain in the main event with three surfers having been relegated into the repercharge rounds. Being an ISA event, all surfers get two ‘lives’ at the event meaning a surfer can lose in Round 1 of the event and still move through to the final and win a world title.
The 2009 ISA Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championships is being held at Salinas, Ecuador. The prestigious event takes place from the 28th of March through to the 5th April.
Bay of Plenty duo Alex Dive and Matt Hewitt have shown superior skills advancing through to the final 32 surfers in the Under 18 Men’s Division. Overnight Dive won his second round heat posting a brilliant 13.83 scoreline. Hewitt placed second in his heat scoring 12.84 out of a possible 20.
Dive defeated surfers from Hawaii, South Africa and Brazil to win his heat posting scores of 7.83 and 6.0. Equally as dominating was Matt Hewitt who posted scores of 8.17 and 4.67 to beat surfers from South Africa and Hawaii.
Overnight the Under 18 Girls got their campaigns underway with Alexis Poulter leading the way with an intelligently surfed heat. Poulter scored 9.83 to win her heat. India Wray-Murane (Raglan) and Rosa Thompson (Auckland) placed second in their heats to also move through the first round.
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Johnny Hicks - Image ISA/Lobo
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Surfers to be relegated into the repercharge rounds included Buck Woods, Johnny Hicks and Jayda Martin Fitzharris all of Gisborne. Woods and Hicks were contesting their second round match ups and both stumbled in heats that they should have advanced through. Martin-Fitzharris encountered a difficult heat first up and placed third but bounced back late in the day winning her repercharge round heat.
On the first day of the event the Under 16 Boys all progressed through their heats. Australian based Damo Norman was the pick of the boys performances winning his heat which included a 6.83 point ride – the ninth highest scoring wave of the round.
Ben Poulter (Raglan), Todd Doyle (Mount Maunganui) and Joe Moretti (Mimiwhangata) all made it through their first round heats placing second.
The Under 16 Boys are likely to hit the water for round 2 on day three of the event as well as the Under 18 Girls.
The swell is expected to increase further from the current 1.0m – 1.5m size at present.
Prior to the event kicking off the New Zealand team contested the SANZ Challenge with South Africa. The two time defending champ Kiwi team were defated by a strong South African outfit who won all three divisions as well as placing first and second in the tag team event. Shaun Joubert won the Under 18 Boys Division despite coming up against three Kiwis in the final. Joe Moretti (Mimiwhangata) was the most impressive in the Under 16 Boys making it through to the final as did Jayda Martin Fitzharris in the Under 18 Girls.
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Alexis Poulter and Matt Hewitt - Image ISA/Lobo
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Haka - Image ISA/Lobo
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Kiwi Team with ISA Pres. Fernando - Image ISA/Lobo
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Please see below for day two results of the Rip Curl New Zealand Junior Surfing Team competing at the 2009 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships being held at Salinas, Ecuador.
Under 18 Boys Qualifying Round 1
Heat 71, Alex Dive, NZL, 2, Yuto Takahashi, JPN, 3, Daniel Kelly, MEX Heat 101, Jonhny Hicks, NZL, 2, Kai Ojima, JPN, 3, Othmane Choufani, MOR Heat 221, Buck Woods, NZL, 2, Taiki Kurokoshi, JPN, 3, Shane Simmonds, JAM Heat 271, Matt Hewitt, NZL, 2, Kaishu Tanaka, JPN, 3, Kai Lowe, MEX
Under 18 Boys Qualifying Round 2
Heat 31, Alex Dive, NZL, 2, Matthew Bromley, ZAF, 3, Filipe Brás, BRA, 4, Tanner Hendrickso, HAWHeat 61, Ian Gouveia, BRA, 2, Angelo Bonomelli, ITA, 3, Francisco Alves, POR, 4, Johnny Hicks, NZLHeat 121, Johan de Aguiar, VEN, 2, Rainers Peña, VEN, 3, Francisco Sousa, POR, 4, Buck Woods, NZLHeat 131, Miguel Pupo, BRA, 2, Matt Hewitt, NZL, 3, Dale Staples, ZAF, 4, Kyle Galtes, HAW
Under 18 Boys Qualifying Round 3 (Yet to be surfed)
Heat 1Jordih Watson, AUS, Danny Bishko, CRI, Alex Dive, NZL, Eric Torres, PRCHeat 8Johnatan Zambran, ECU, Matt Hewitt, NZL, Nat Young, USA, Joaquin d Castillo., PER
Under 18 Repercharge Round 2 (Yet to be surfed)
Heat 5Aaron Reid, IRE, Johnny Hicks, NZL, Armani Green, JAM, Julio Querales, VENHeat 11Albee Layer, HAW, Buck Woods, NZL, Lloyd Jacks, JAM, Cillian Ryan, IRE
Under 16 Boys Qualifying Round 1
Heat 71, Slade Prestwich, ZAF, 2, Ben Poulter, NZL, 3, Iarom Travers, IRE, 4, Philipp Mappes, GER Heat 111, David Brand, ZAF, 2, Todd Doyle, NZL, 3, Leonardo Fioravanti, ITA, 4, Conor Maguire, IRE Heat 151, Mikey February, ZAF, 2, Joe Moretti, NZL, 3, James Garvey, IRE, 4, Cain Logue, IRE Heat 191, Damien Norman, NZL, 2, Dane Staples, ZAF, 3, Alejandro Satt, CHI, 4, Vasco Fragoso, GER
Under 18 Girls Qualifying Round 1
Heat 71, Tanika Hoffman, ZAF, 2, Rosa Thompson, NZL, 3, Ocean Diamond, PRC, 4, Jodie Tracy, GER Heat 111, Sarah Baum, ZAF, 2, India Wray Murane, NZL, 3, Kelly Laide, PRC, 4, Pamela Verboonen, MEX Heat 151, Bianca Buitendag, ZAF, 2, Liza Caban, PRC, 3, Jayda Fitzharris, NZL, 4, Ninotchka Acevedo, PRC Heat 191, Alexis Poulter, NZL, 2, Kirsty Delport, ZAF, 3, Virginia Giesen, GER, 4, Alejandra Gil Lopez, GUA
Under 18 Girls Qualifying Round 2 (Yet to be surfed)
Heat 4Kaleigh Gilchrist, USA, Chelsea Tuach, BAR, Malia Manuel, HAW, Rosa Thompson, NZLHeat 6Lakey Peterson, USA, Gabi Rowe, UK, Leila Hurst, HAW, India W. Murane, NZLHeat 9Kirby Wright, AUS, Valeria Sole, PER, Alexis Poulter, NZL, Ana Sarmento, POR
Under 18 Girls Repercharge Round 1
Heat 71, Jayda Fitzharris, NZL, 2, Tassy Swallow, UK
The 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. In 2008 the New Zealand team placed sixth at the event with the best result coming from Airini Mason who placed fourth in the Under 18 Girls Division.
The event is being broadcast live over the net via www.isasurf.org. Media releases relating specifically to the New Zealand team’s performance will be distributed throughout the event.
For further information regarding the New Zealand Junior Surfing Team please contact Ben Kennings at Surfing New Zealand 07 8250018, 0212278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz.
Surfing New Zealand are proudly partnered by
Corona
Hyundai
SPARC
Smokefree
Ends
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