E-Pro Goes Large
Monday 27 July 2020 The Rip Curl E-Pro virtual surfing tournament has attracted so much attention, organisers have opened up a standalone women’s event and expanded the men's field to 48.
The South African iteration of the global Surf Web Series kicks off on 1 August 2020, with equal prizes for men and women, R10,000, with R10,000 set aside for the Red Bull Best Tube Award.
After initially catering for 32 surfers, men and women combined, the event has now expanded to 48 men and 8 women. There are just two slots left open in the men’s division, and contest organisers are still prepared to accept those two entries to fill the available spots.
The women’s event is full. Along with the original list of surfers entered, some fresh names on the list include Shane Sykes, Koby Oberholzer, Simo Mkize, Scott Venter, Mitch Du Preez, Gavin Roberts, Karl Steen Luke Thompson, Nate Plomaritis and Zoé Steyn. Full entry list and flow-chart to be released soon.
The judges are all world-class, comprising ISA head judge Cyril Nel, ISA head judge Bongani Xulu, ISA judge Johno Hutchison and SSA head judge Dillan Lowenthal. The Fifth judge is the public vote.
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ROUND 1 HEAT 1: Here's an example from four entrants in the Mexican event.
How to Enter
Contact Craig Jarvis on info@craigjarvis.co.za and enter your name on the entry list. Submit your first and second round clips by 25 July. A clip can be any wave, under 8 foot, that was surfed in South Africa between 1 March 2019 and 25 July 2020.
Any surfer who has entered but does not submit rides in time will be excluded, and the first alternate will take his or her place. Surfers are also encouraged to send their first and second round entries as soon as possible, to get the competition ball rolling.
It is a simple format, with surfers entering one wave (one clip) per heat. Every heat they advance they have to utilize another wave and another clip. This is where the strategy comes in, with surfers deciding where to drop their best clips.
About the Event
The Rip Curl E-Pro is presented by Shaka Surf Store, an online store selling bespoke, eco-friendly surfboard fins of exceptional quality and design. Oakley has sponsored R10,000 worth of eyewear, with Oakley sunglasses going to the men and women’s winners and runners-up. The Rip Curl E-Pro is supported by Surfing South Africa, and www.wavescape.co.za is the official media partner. The Rip Curl E-Pro virtual surfing contest is powered TCS-WiFi and The Computer Shop, who have rigged the event head office with high-speed WiFi.
Full details https://www.surfwebseries.com/
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