COCOA BEACH, Florida/USA (Saturday, March 9, 2013) - Barbados’ Chelea Tuach has won her first Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) event, clinching the 3-Star Ron Jon Roxy Pro Junior in two-to-four foot waves at Sheppard Beach Park in Cocoa Beach.
Tuach, who was a standout on the opening day of competition, has been consistently successful at Cocoa Beach over the course of her young competitive career and her dominance continued with today’s victory.
“I’m so happy to have won this contest,” Tuach said. “I love this wave. I surfed Coco Beach a number of times and won here last year when it was just the Roxy Pro and it wasn’t a Pro Junior yet. When I heard it was a 3-Star this year I was just so stoked to come back. Everytime I go out there I have so much fun. I kept my old faithful board for this event and it worked perfectly for me again.”
Tuach’s victory vaults the young Caribbean talent up the ASP North America Pro Junior rankings and she hopes her Ron Jon Roxy Pro Junior victory will help momentum for her ASP global qualification campaign.
“I’m mainly focusing on Pro Juniors this year and starting to do the ‘QS events to see how I compare,” Tuach said. “I just came from Australia and I’m going to Tahiti after this and will be in California. “
Tia Blanco (San Clemente, CA) finished runner-up at the Roxy Pro Junior today in her first career ASP Pro Junior Final. The 15-year old successfully navigated her way through the trying beachbreak conditions and battled hard to earn her runner-up finish.
“This is my first time to Florida,” Blanco said. “This is my third Junior Pro contest and my first final. The girls were ripping out there I’m really stoked. I was trying to find the good waves out there and overall it worked out pretty well. I’m happy with second place.”
In addition to the completion of the Ron Jon Roxy Pro Junior, men’s top seeds took to the water to decide the Quarterfinalists for the Ron Jon Quiksilver Pro Junior.
Victor Bernardo (BRA), who began his campaign in Round 1 of the Ron Jon Quiksilver Pro Junior, continued his tear at Cocoa Beach today with a convincing Round of 32 win to advance to the Quarterfinals while earning the day’s top scores. Bernardo has recently relocated to California to pursue his professional career and is looking to build a seed on the ASP North America Pro Junior Series.
“I’m really happy,” Bernardo said. “That wave reminds me of Brazil and I feel at home out there. I feel comfortable, but I’m not that confident because there are lots of good guys in this event, so I’m just doing hard. I’ve been staying with Jake Halstead in California and his family has given me such incredible support. Hopefully I can do well in the Quarterfinals tomorrow.”
Daniel Glenn (USA) quickly changed his strategy in the Round of 32, shifting from the north end to the south end of Sheppard Beach Park in search of better waves. Glenn’s quick thinking paid off, as he went on to take a commanding victory while advancing to the Quarterfinals.
“I started out over to the north end and saw the right peak down the south end of the beach and just went for it,” Glenn said. “I ended up catching a few good waves down there. It turned out well.”
A Ron Jon Quiksilver Pro Junior Champion will be crowned tomorrow.
