High hopes for SA at Surfing Games
8 October 2008
The South African team to contest the 2008 International Surfing Association World Games left for Costa Da Caparica in Portugal on Tuesday to take part in the event, which runs from 11 October to 19 October. Featuring over 30 countries, the World Games are regarded as the "Olympics" of surfing.
Matthew Moir, the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Longboard champion, will spearhead the South African challenge in Portugal when he sets out to defend the title he won at Huntington Beach, California in 2006.
Ryan Payne of Jeffreys Bay, the top seed in the side, has been appointed captain of the tour party.
Pro Surf Tour champion
2007 SA Champion and Pro Surf Tour (PST) champion Devyn Mattheys is also in the line-up along with current Surfing South Africa PST ratings leader Matthew Kruger and former SA Junior captain and 2007 South African under-20 Champion Klee Strachan.
Multiple national junior champion Tarryn Chudleigh and Chantelle Rautenbach, the 2007 South African under-20 champion and newly crowned South African under-18 champion, are the two women surfers in the side.
The Bodyboard trio is headed up by the experienced Sacha Specker and also includes David Lee and Pamela Bowren.
The 2008 South African team is hoping to match the fourth place achieved by the 2006 South African Team at the ISA World Games in California.
Inspiration
At a ceremony to award the team members their national colours, the surfers were urged to "do their very best and wear the colours with pride“. Providing further inspiration for the team was the beautiful Eduardo Arena Trophy which was won by the South African Masters team in Peru earlier this year.
Team managers Mike Sheppard and Niezaam Jappie were positive about the side's potential and reminded the 2008 side that Jordy Smith, Matthew Moir, and Rosanne Hodge all brought glory to South African surfing in 2006.
Parade of Nations
The ISA World Surfing Games get under way with the Parade of Nations on Saturday, 11 October. It will feature the unique Sands of the World Ceremony where all the attending countries deposit sand from beaches in their respective countries into a special container.
South Africa, with its unique historical links to Portugal, has something special planned for the opening function.
SA's southern hemisphere rivals, Australia, are the defending champions.
The ISA World Games will be broadcast live over the net on the ISA website.
The ISA is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the world governing authority for surfing, bodyboarding and surfriding. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running the World Championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980.
SOUTH AFRICAN TEAM
Men
Women
Longboard
Men’s Bodyboard
Women’s Bodyboard
SAinfo reporter
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