Billabong ASP World Junior Championships

ASP WJC Mens and Womens Event
North Narrabean, Sydney Australia
1 - 8 January 2007

Billabong ASP World Junior Championships - International Surfing Contingent To Contest Trials Event

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 7 December, 2006 : - - SIXTEEN athletes from around the globe will descend upon the waves of North Narrabeen this December, all vying for one of the two remaining berths in the annual Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.

The Trials event, sponsored by prominent eyewear manufacturers Von Zipper, takes place on December 31st and provides the collection of hopefuls a last chance at sealing a position in the prestigious Billabong ASP World Junior Championships, commencing the following day, January 1st, 2007.

The field comprises of the eight surfers seeded highest outside the top five in this year’s Australasian Junior Series, six International competitors, as chosen by the ASP, and two wildcards, selected by sponsors, Von Zipper and Billabong.  Now entering its eighth event in nine years, the Billabong ASP World Junior Championship is the richest and most important Pro Junior contest on the planet, offering a substantial US$62,000 (AU$78,500) combined prize purse.

The pedigree displayed upon the championship’s ‘past winners’ list speaks for itself, featuring some of the sport’s elite. ASP Men’s World Tour number five, Joel Parkinson, claimed an unprecedented pair of victories in 1999 and 2001, whilst three-times World Champion, Andy Irons, gained recognition with a blistering performance resulting in a win in 1998.

Success at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships places a surfer squarely on the road to a successful professional surfing career. This year’s Von Zipper trialists will be desperate to secure a position in the main event, but their victory shall be no easy task, with any one of their number having proven themselves all too worthy of qualification.

Lennox Head’s James Wood is one of ten Australian surfers to earn themselves a position in the Von Zipper event. Not only has Wood managed to secure a slot in the trials but he has done so by the narrowest of margins, selected as a wildcard entrant.  “I’ve had a pretty poor year, making a few mistakes in a few heats, so it’s good to get such a boost” said Wood. “I’m stoked to get in.

“If you win it (the Billabong World Junior), it’s a big stepping stone. You get the seeding points for the major, five- and six-star WQS (World Qualifying Series) events and it gives you a massive advantage.”  This year is particularly important for Wood. At twenty years of age and with his 21st birthday falling next May, this is possibly the last time he will be given the opportunity to make a strong impression in a 20 and Under event.

Wood isn’t the only Australian surfer to benefit from a trials position. Gerroa surfer, Dean Bowen, was also fortunate in securing a wildcard. At only 15-years-old, what Bowen lacks in age against his peers he more than makes up for in his ability as a competitive surfer. Mitch Coleborn (Maroochydore), Owen Wright (Culburra) and Nick Riley (Fairlight) are also among the eight trialists qualifying from the Australasian Junior Series.

“This is definitely the biggest junior event of the year,” said Coleborn. The 19-year-old Sunshine Coast surfer is also delighted to have qualified for even the trials. “There are only a few surfers from Australia (qualifying for the Von Zipper Trials) so I’m stoked,” said Coleborn. “The trials alone are as hard as the main event, possibly even harder, because everyone is hungrier for the win.

“To win the World Junior title would be absolutely amazing because there’s simply nothing bigger.” It’s not only the local talent that he and the other nine Australians will be challenged by. Competitors from Israel, Bali, Great Britain, Japan and Tahiti will also be competing for a place in the main event.

21-year world tour veteran Luke Egan (Gold Coast), who assumes the role of contest director of the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships over the New Year, says the level of trials surfing is second to none.  “The reality is, most of these guys only just missed the cut in qualifying for their respective region,” said Egan. “Any of these guys, should they make the main event, are more than capable of taking down some of their more fancied competitors.

“The hardest thing about the trials and coming up against a wildcard in round one is that you never know what to expect,” he said. “In my last year on tour I came up against a trials wildcard at Teahupo’o and got flogged, so you can never count them out or think you’ve got an easy heat.”

The Von Zipper Trials take place at North Narrabeen on December 31st, 2006, preceding the Billabong ASP Junior Championships, which run from January 1st to January 8th 2007.  The Billabong World Junior Championships are supported by Panasonic, Vodafone, Clearasil, UV Triplegard, Hawaiian Airlines, MTV, Kustom, Von Zipper, Nixon, NSW Sport and Recreation and the Warringah Council.

The Von Zipper Trials
Australasian Qualifiers:
Mitch Coleborn (Maroochydore)
Owen Wright (Culburra)
Brendan Leckie (Palm Beach QLD)
Tom Rudd (Avalon)
Nick Riley (Fairlight)
Luke Cheadle (Culburra)
Stephen Walsh (Lennox Head)
Sam Page (Manly)

ASP Qualifiers:
Mor Meluka (Israel)
Jonathon Klien (Israel)
Wayan “Raditya” Rhondi (Bali)
Reuben Ash (Great Britain)
Hedetoshi Kirizume (Japan)
Heiari Williams (Tahiti)

Sponsor Wildcards:
Dean Bowen (Gerroa)
James Wood (Lennox Head)

About the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships
The Billabong ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Junior Championship is the most sought after junior surfing accolade on the planet and is recognised globally as the future of surfing.  Seen as a stepping-stone to elite world tour, the event, now in its eighth year was originally held in Hawaii before relocating to Australia. Finding a home at the historically esteemed North Narrabeen beach in Sydney, it now run’s during the first week of January each year.

The prestigious event attracts qualifiers from eight world regions including Australasia, North America, South America, Hawaii, Asia, South Africa, Europe and a specially sanctioned ASP International region. Each of the representatives has won through grueling regional circuits to earn their place among the top 45 junior men and 18 junior women in the world, a feat in itself. The $US 62,000 ($AUD 80,000) prize purse qualifies the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships as the richest junior surfing event in the history of surfing.

The eventual victors will stand alongside the 2006 elite men’s world tour winner Kelly Slater and the eventual women’s world champ at the official ASP ceremony in March 2007, crowned as the worlds only true professional junior surfing champions. They will also join an esteemed list of former champions including Three Time World Champion Andy Irons (Haw) and Australian super-star Joel Parkinson.

Previous reports:
# 1 : Coming soon
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

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Steve Robertson

Contests - Surfersvillage