Froth Time

“J-Bay is the real deal surfers village of Africa,” says ex J-Bay local and Hurley SA MD, Jevon le Roux. “With the support of the local surf community and the town municipality, Surfing South Africa rallied the provincial surfing structures to break tradition and build an event franchise that would be good for Jeffreys Bay and Junior Surfing.”

The premier Surfing South Africa (SSA) event promises to be even slicker and pro-comp like than in 2012, with the selected provincial surfers from up and down the coast being able to look forward to what Le Roux calls, ‘Five days of surf grommet heaven.’ He says that a big focus for 2013 has been on upgrading the event infrastructure and the media team to better tell and spread the daily happenings. “We really want produce content that the kids can share their experience with friends far away,” he says.

All to shred for

The groms will lay it on the rail and beyond for the six individual SA titles at stake in the U17, U15 and U13 categories for boys and girls. Hosts Eastern Province dominated last year’s event in their home surf, winning the team title for the first time and clinching three of the individual titles.

This year teams from 2012 runners-up KwaZulu-Natal Central, 2011 champions Western Province, Southern KZN, Border, Boland, Zululand, Southern Cape and the SA Development Academy will be going all out in their quest to secure the Freedom Cup and individual national titles.

While the SA titles hold the major bragging rights (and Green Jackets) and will undoubtedly by the major focus for the top contenders, there are also five speciality awards on offer:

• Hurley Best Surfer presented by All Aboard: a R20k trip to Bali
• Red Bull Best Air - R5k
• Oakley Highest Heat Score - R3k
• Zigzag - Blowing UP R3k
• Skullcandy Team Spirit - R3k (to the team)
• Van's - Tarp Surf Champ - Product from Vans
• “A major aim of the event is partnering with supporting sponsors,” says Le Roux. “And they’ve brought along some pretty awesome franchises to the event.”

Who to look out for

Being the premier event of the year, all the usual suspects will be in the mix. Look out though, for EP kingpin Matt McGillivray, who won every heat on his way to claiming the Hurley SA U15 boys’ title in 2012. He was also crowned surfer of the contest and won the Red Bull Airshow.

The innovative regularfoot has had a quiet year due to injury (by his premium standards – he still represented his country at the DAKINE ISA World Junior Champs) but is now fully fit and focussed. Matt will be looking to tap into his new-found form and his local knowledge of the break at Lower Point to fire in the Boys U17 in 2013. “I am really stoked the event is at Point,” he says. “It's great that I don't have to travel and can just walk down to the beach.”

If you’ve been buried under reef rock and haven’t heard the names Max Armstrong, Jordy Maree or Kai Woolf, write those down. Be sure though, that the event is bound to unearth some new names as well.

“The kids have been putting in the hours for this event. There is no doubt the level of surfing will be elevated. A perfect heat score is very likely at this year’s event,” says Le Roux.

Follow all the action

See video highlights from the 2012 champs and preview for 2013 at the event website www.sajuniorchamps.co.za. Daily blogs, interviews, video uploads, images and results will be posted on this site.

In addition social media is going to hum via these channels:

• Hurley FB: https://www.facebook.com/Hurley.ZA
• Hurley Twitter: https://twitter.com/HurleyZA
• SA Junior Champs: https://twitter.com/sajuniorchamps (Results Only)
• Twitter account – @HurleyZA and the hashtag #sajuniorchamps
• Hurley Instagram: http://instagram.com/hurley_za