Local dancer opens Tahiti Nui Pro Junior and Vahine Pro Junior with style. Pic ASP/Will H-S
PAPARA, Tahiti (Wednesday, April 10, 2013) – The second of two back-to-back ASP Australasian Pro Junior Series events in French Polynesia, the Tahiti Nui Pro Junior will get underway today at Papara rivermouth, Tahiti. Papara is a fun beachbreak, with a left and right hander that breaks either side of a rivermouth and today it’s producing fun 2 foot (1 meter) surf for the opening day of competition.
The second annual Tahiti Nui Pro Junior will carry an ASP 3-Star rating for the men’s division and for the fist time the event has added an ASP 3-Star women’s Vahine Pro Junior. This event offers vital points and prize-money towards qualifying for the ASP World Junior Championships.
“We’re excited to be back for the second annual Tahiti Nui Pro Junior,” ASP Australasia General Manager Dane Jordan said. “We are grateful for all the hard work from the Tahitian Surfing Federation to get this event up to a 3-Star rating and for adding a women’s division. It’s a great opportunity for the International surfers to get a taste of the life of a travelling professional surfer and it gives the Tahitians a chance to compete, gain experience and potentially earn a spot on the ASP Australasia team heading to the ASP World Junior Championships.”
Pascal Luciani, contest organiser and representative of the Tahitian Surfing Federation is excited to see the Tahiti Nui Pro Junior return for 2013. Last year this event saw local Tahiti surfer Aiihoe Tefaafana (PYF) finish runner-up and the locals are hoping one of their surfers can go one better this year.
“We are waiting for the Tahiti Nui Pro Junior competition to start at the beautiful spot of Taharu’u beach,” Luciani said. “This year we are hoping that our Polynesian junior surfers will do as well or better than last year. We are also looking forward to the first edition of the girls competition hoping it will allow our surfers to show their potential and motivate more of our young surfer girls to get into competitive surfing.”
