The Quiksilver Pro Junior reloads for Durban...

Beyrick de Vries & Slade Preswich © Patterson / Quiksilver Quiksilver Pro Junior New Pier, Durban 24 April 2011 Surf City To Play Host To South Africa’s Top Junior Surfers This Easter Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 14 April, 2011 : - - New Pier, Durban -- Surf City Durban is the place to be this Easter, with a variety of events taking place along the recently renovated beachfront, these events will be headlined by the Quiksilver Pro Junior 2011 surfing contest. To bolster this year’s junior surfing event locals and holiday-makers will be able to enjoy beach soccer, volleyball, touch rugby, learn to surf lessons and other activities which will all be taking place along Durban’s beachfront this Easter. For decades Durban has played host to top class international and local surfing events. The Gunston 500, Quiksilver Pro Durban, Mr Price Pro, Glodina Night Surfing Classic, Quiksilver ISA World Games and many other profiled events have been staged at what has been deemed one of the most consistent and welcoming surf destinations in the world. Warm water, beautiful weather, consistent surf, piers and easy access to the surf makes it a sought-after destination for all traveling surfers. Durban has also produced some top internationally ranked surfers through the ages, this includes the likes of Shaun Tomson, Martin Potter, Mike Burness and more recently Travis Logie and Jordy Smith. Smith is currently ranked as world number 2 after finishing behind 10 times ASP World Champion Kelly Slater in the 2010 season. The Quiksilver Pro Junior 2011, which is a 2 star rated ASP Pro Junior, aims to create a platform for junior surfers to compete, challenge and push one another giving them experience on a big stage, and to then use that experience when competing abroad. Over 80 of the country’s best junior surfers will be in Durban competing for over R100 000 in prize money and other generous prizes. The event gets underway on Friday 22 April and ends on Sunday 24 April. Local favourites include Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) and David van Zyl (Glen Anil) who are both very familiar with the event venue, New Pier. The King of the Groms is the younger division in the event and caters for surfers under the age of 16. The U16 winner will receive R5 000 and an all expenses paid trip to France for the international finals in October, an opportunity of a lifetime for young surfers. Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) will be hoping to defend his title but may not have it all his own way with the likes of Diran Zakarian (Cape Town) and Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffrey’s Bay) hot on his heals. The event will kick-off on Friday morning with the Future Stars division which sees 9 surfers from Surfing South Africa’s transformation program competing for a wildcard spot in the Pro Junior main event. Fika Ngubane is the lone surfer from Kwa-Zulu Natal and aims to impress at this year’s event, “I am really excited for the event this year, it’s such a great opportunity and there is such a cool vibe down at the beach”, said an upbeat Ngubane. All Future Stars will be flown to Durban and accommodated courtesy of Quiksilver. There will be Quiksilver and Skullcandy prizes on offer in the Expression Session before the finals, which is bound to produce some mind-blowing surfing. The finals for all four divisions will be held on Sunday (24 April) afternoon with the prize giving and crowning immediately after at the event site. All photos, videos, results and more can be found at the event’s website: quikprojunior.co.za as well as facebook.com/quiksilver. The Quiksilver Pro Junior and King of the Groms is presented by the City of Durban together with additional sponsorship support from Independent On Saturday, Skullcandy, SuperSport, Red Bull, Bokomo and Nestle Pure Life Water. www.quikprojunior.co.za