Slade Prestwich (17, Durban) placed second at the 2011 Quiksilver Pro Junior
and will be hoping for one better this year. Photo Credit: Luke Patterson
New Pier, Durban – Easter weekend will once again play host to South Africa’s most anticipated junior surfing event, the Quiksilver Pro Junior and King of the Groms. Top junior surfers will be making their way to Durban, the warmest place to be, to do battle for top honours in the four divisions that make up this popular Easter event.
The ASP 1 star Pro Junior division caters for all surfers under the age of twenty while the King of the Groms divisions are sanctioned by Surfing South Africa and cater for youngsters below the age of sixteen. The under sixteen, under fourteen and under twelve divisions provide a great platform for young surfers to be able to compete and gain experience. The winner of the under sixteen division will be flown to France in September to compete in the international Quiksilver King of the Groms finals alongside the Quiksilver Pro France World Championship Tour (WCT) mens event, a prize highly valued by all aspiring young pro surfers.
Beyrick de Vries, the 2011 Quiksilver Pro Junior winner, is excited that the event is back on the calendar and that it is being held at New Pier, “Winning last year's Quiksilver Pro Junior was unbelievable, it was a big win for me and now I am competing on the World Qualifying Series, I am still a junior and cant wait for this years event, I have been away but heard that the waves have been pumping in Durban with all of the cyclone swell. New Pier is always such a good wave for a contest and hope that it turns on again this year,” said an excited de Vries who is currently in Newcastle, Australia surfing in the Burton Toyota Pro. De Vries will have his work cut out for him defending his title with likes of David van Zyl (Durban), Michael February (Cape Town) and Slade Prestwich (Durban) all having entered this year’s event. Prestwich put on an amazing display of surfing at last year’s event falling short to de Vries in the final heat. De Vries was on fine form scoring a massive 15.67 out of a possible 20 in the man-on-man 2011 final.
In the premier under 16 King of the Groms division, favourites include South African junior team members Max Armstrong and Steffen Burrows, both of Cape Town as well as Matthew McGillivray (Port Elizabeth) and Shane Sykes (Salt Rock, KZN). Included in the event is the annual Future Stars division whereby eight surfers from Surfing South Africa’s transformation program are selected, accommodated at the event and compete for a berth as a ‘wildcard’ in the main Pro Junior division. Last year saw Brandon Benjamin of Cape Town claim the title and advance to the round of sixteen. Benjamin has been selected once again to take part in this year’s edition of the event.
The event boasts a total of R65 000 in prize money and is presented by the City of Durban. There will also be a Skullcandy Expression Session where judges will be looking for the two most radical and innovative maneuvers, each will be rewarded with R2 500. Co-sponsors include Independent on Saturday, Skullcandy and Red Bull.
Junior surfers wanting to enter the event can visit:
Quiksilver Pro Junior – www.aspafrica.com
King of the Groms – www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za
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