Jake Sylvester (AUS) 2013 Rangi Pro Junior champion. Pic ASP/Will H-S
RANGIROA, French Polynesia (Monday, April 8, 2013) – Jake Sylvester (Newcastle, NSW/AUS) today claimed the title of 2013 Rangi Pro Junior event champion over Mitch Parkinson (Gold Coast, QLD/AUS) in solid 6 foot (2 meter) stand up barrels in the Tuamotu atolls in French Polynesia.
This is Sylvester’s second win in a row on the ASP Australasian Pro Junior Series after he took out the season opening event at Surfest in his hometown of Newcastle. Sylvester was unstoppable this week, consistently posting big scores with a combination of deep tubes and explosive turns.
“It was a slow final, but I’m over the moon,” Sylvester said. “I saw that the last few heats the waves were slowing down so when I got a wave I knew I had to make the most of it. I think after winning the first event it’s helped me to be more relaxed and surf better and be more confident. I was sort of lucky the waves slowed down because Mitch (Parkinson) has been getting the best barrels all week. This event and the waves have been amazing, I’m so happy right now.”
This runner-up finish for Parkinson is his best ever result at an ASP Pro Junior Series event, he came close to the win but struggled to find the open barrels that saw him post big results throughout this whole event. Parkinson’s surfing really suits this wave and he’s already looking forward to returning next year.
“It just wasn’t my day today,” Parkinson said. “I’m grateful to be in the Final of an ASP Pro Junior event, it’s a good milestone for me. I wanted to win really bad, but I’ll be back bigger and stronger for this event next year. We’ve been so blessed with good surf, but I’m kind of glad it’s over because I have cuts and scrapes all over my body.”
Soli Bailey (Byron Bay, NSW/AUS) and Jack Scollard (Central Coast, NSW/AUS) finished equal third with both surfers going down in unfortunate circumstances. Bailey who scored an epic 19.25 (out of a possible 20) earlier in the event, only managed to score 2 points in his Semifinal bout against Parkinson, after a massive lull and being out of position for the best waves. Scollard who threaded deep barrels all event was behind in his Semifinal against Sylvester, when he threw himself over the ledge on a solid wave and popped up after a wipeout with a shoulder injury.
