BILLABONG PRO J-BAY : Kelly Slater the top seed in revised heat draw

Thedraw for Africa’s only ASP World Tour event, revised following the withdrawalof 2009 event winner Joel Parkinson, who suffered an horrendous cut to hisright foot while practicing in Australia on Friday, and 2009 semifinalist andfellow Australian Kai Otton (neck injury), was announced yesterday with Slaterfollowed in the seeding by previous Billabong Pro J-Bay winners Taj Burrow (2007)and reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (2002 & 2007), both fromAustralia.

SAsurfing super-star Jordy Smith is the No. 4 seed, the highest seeding for aSouth African since the event became a top-tier ASP World Tour event in 1996.The 22 year-old Durbanite and current World No. 2, who has spent more surfingat Jeffreys Bay than any of the other top contenders, has the opportunity to becomethe first from this country to head the ASP World Title Race Rankings if hefinishes ahead of Slater in the event.

Brazil’shighest ranked campaigner, Adriano de Souza, is the No. 5 seed and then comeBobby Martinez, the top rated goofy-foot (rides with right-foot in front); progressivewizard and fellow American Dane Reynolds; regular top-5 stalwart Bede Durbidge (AUS);rookie and winner of the last event in Brazil (USA), Jadson Andre, with TaylorKnox (USA), in his 17^th season at the highest level of competitionsurfing, rounding out the top 10.

Excitementis mounting for the event as Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the BillabongPro J-Bay, predict ideal 2 to 2.5 metre waves with bigger sets and favourableweather conditions at Supertubes for Thursday (15 July), the opening of the11-day waiting period that runs until Sunday 25 July. Contest director MikeParsons (USA) will be keen to get the event underway and then pick the bestconditions for the approximately four days of competition required to crown the2010 champion.

Inaddition to the prestige and US $50 000 (approx. R375 000) winner’spaycheque, this year’s event has several sub-plots that will raise theinterest levels and increase the tension factor for all the competitors.

Slater,the current World No. 1 after winning Stop No. 2 at Bells Beach and finishing runner-upin Brazil, is bidding for an unprecedented 10^th ASP World Title. The38 year-old Floridian, acknowledged as the best competitive surfer of all time,already holds a string of records including the youngest (20 in 1992) andoldest (36 in 2008) ASP World Champion, has won the most events and prize-moneyand is the only surfer to have his name etched on the Billabong Pro J-Bayperpetual trophy four times (1996, 2003, 2005 & 2008).

Smith,who in his third year amongst surfing’s elite reached his first final atthe opening event of 2010, defeating Slater and Reynolds on his way to arunner-up finish at Snapper Rocks, will be focused on winning his first ASPWorld Tour event, becoming the first South African since 1996 to reach thefinal at J-Bay and to topping the ASP World Title Race rankngs.

Thehuge pressure on every competitor brought about by the cut in the ASP WorldTour field from the current 45 to just 32 after the next event, the BillabongPro Tahiti in August, means every heat at J-Bay will be fiercely contested asespecially those near or outside the cutoff point scramble for ratings pointsto ensure the their participation in the last five events before the ASP WorldChampion is crowned in Hawaii in December.

Thisscenario includes Travis Logie (Durban), the only other South African amongstthe top 45, who leapfrogged into the No. 30 spot following his 9^thplace in Brazil after a pair of 33^rd finishes in the first twoevents of the season. Logie is right on the cusp of qualification but still haswork to do at Jeffreys Bay to retain or improve his position and claim a spotfor the second half of the year.

Twomore locals, Sean Holmes (Cape Town) and Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) have beenallocated wildcards directly into the main event and there is every chance thata fifth South African will claim the third and final wildcard. This will go tothe winner of the VonZipper Superheat, run immediately before the first heat ofthe Billabong Pro J-Bay and features Ryan Payne, winner of the locals only XcelPro Showdown at Supertubes and red-hot junior Dale Staples, both from StFrancis Bay, who are pitted against international stars and Billabong teamriders Heath Joske (AUS) and Keanu Asing (HAW).

TheBillabong Pro J-Bay is South Africa’s only ‘green’ surfingevent and the organisers will again be implementing a comprehensive set ofinitiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of the event and raise awareness ofclimate change, its effects and how everyone can contribute to mitigate these.

Allthe action during the event will be webcast LIVE at www.billabongpro.com with commentary inEnglish and Portuguese. The official event website features plenty ofadditional content including a series of Webisodes covering the event, its topcontenders, the wildcards and the greening initiatives to be implemented, alongwith news, photos, video-on-demand highlights of every wave ridden and interactivecompetitions.

The2010 Billabong Pro J-Bay is proudly supported by Eastern Cape Tourism, Virgin Atlantic,Monster Energy, Vida e Caffe, Corona and Tavcor

2010BILLABONG PRO J-BAY

Drawfor Round One

Heat1: Taylor Knox (USA) , Luke Munro (AUS) , Adam Melling (AUS)

Heat2: Jadson Andre (BRA) , Andy Irons (HAW) , Jay Thompson (AUS)

Heat3: Bede Durbidge (AUS) , Luke Stedman (AUS) , Nate Yeomans (USA)

Heat4: Dane Reynolds (USA) , Daniel Ross (AUS) , Marco Polo (BRA)

Heat5: Bobby Martinez (USA) , Jeremy Flores (FRA) , Blake Thornton (AUS)

Heat6: Adriano De Souza (BRA) , Tiago Pires (PRT) , Tim Reyes (USA)

Heat7: Jordy Smith (ZAF) , Tom Whitaker (AUS) , Joan Duru (FRA)

Heat8: Kelly Slater (USA) , Damien Hobgood (USA) , Wildcard 3

Heat9: Taj Burrow (AUS) , Kieren Perrow (AUS) , Wildcard 2

Heat10: Mick Fanning (AUS) , Roy Powers (HAW) , Wildcard 1

Heat11: C.J. Hobgood (USA) , Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) , Neco Padaratz (BRA)

Heat12: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) , Patrick Gudauskas (USA) , Tanner Gudauskas (USA)

Heat13: Michel Bourez (PYF) , Dean Morrison (AUS) , Matt Wilkinson (AUS)

Heat14: Chris Davidson (AUS) , Mick Campbell (AUS) , Brett Simpson (USA)

Heat15: Adrian Buchan (AUS) , Ben Dunn (AUS) , Dusty Payne (HAW)

Heat16: Owen Wright (AUS) , Travis Logie (ZAF) , Drew Courtney (AUS)