The best for Mr Price Pro Junior
21 June 2006
South Africa's junior surfers are preparing for the event of the year, the Mr Price Pro junior, which runs as a precursor to the six-star World Qualifying Series Men's event at Durban's North Beach from 30 June to 1 July.
The R25 000 event for junior men and women is one of the most lucrative on the local Pro Junior Surf Tour and affords surfers the unique opportunity to compete before a global audience.
As part of the 10-day surfing festival that annually attracts over 200 of the world's leading professional surfers, as well as a cavalcade of international judges, organisers, press media, camera crews, team managers and the who's who of the surfing industry, the junior surfers have more than just prize-money to gain.
Top-seed
Eager to make the most of the occasion is top-seed in the Men's division, East London's Keegan Nel, who reached the quarterfinals last year.
Nel is the current South African
Junior Champion and is followed by defending event champion Brandon Jackson who posted a decisive victory over Damien Farhenfort in the finals last year.
Coached by his father, former Springbok surfer Bruce Jackson, Brandon is the reigning ASP Africa Pro Junior Champion and second-seed for the event in which he anticipates reaching the finals.
Capable of causing an upset
Cape Town surfers Dave Richards and Brandon Roberts, as well as the Bluff's Rudy Palmboom, are the third, fourth and fifth seeds respectively and are equally as capable of causing an upset at the event.
Although Jordy Smith and Fahrenfort are way down at 17th and 19th seeds respectively, the two surfers have proved the most dominant this year, and a win from either one is almost expected.
Last year’s ASP Africa Pro Junior women's champion Rosy Hodge is the number-one-seed in the women’s division.
A stronghold on the SA junior
scene
With an enormous amount of international experience, Hodge has had a stronghold on the local junior scene for many years and is certain to feature through to the final day.
However, Hodge can expect to come up against some tough competition from reigning South African Junior Champion Tammy Lee Smith, who was runner up at the event last year and is the number-two-seed for the event.
Smith had an exceptional run at the Mr Price Pro last year, where she finished in the quarterfinals of the women's five-star division, and was the highest placed South African at the event.
National junior team members
National junior team members Nikita Robb and Tarryn Chudleigh are the third and fourth seeds.
A total of 46 men and 24 women have entered the event, including three Australians, Brent Power, Nicola Atherton and Amy Stewart.
Although entries have officially closed, late entries will be accepted, but
surfers will lose their seedings.
All the action will be broadcast via the live webcast, meaning that surfing fans across the globe will be able to watch their favourite surfers in action, live from North Beach by logging onto Mr Price Pro.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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