Blaine Robinson going through the lip and into the next Round. Pic Surfing NSW/Smith
MAROUBRA, SYDNEY (Friday, 17 January 2014): Day one of the 2014 Carve Pro Junior kicked off in windy two-to-three foot peaks today at Maroubra for the second stop of the 2014 ASP Australasian Pro Junior Series.
Cooper Chapman (Narrabeen, NSW) got off to a flying start early in a morning successfully linking together a chain of frontside turns on long right-handers. The talented natural-footer managed to knock current Australasian Pro Junior Series leader Soli Bailey (Byron Bay, NSW) down into second spot in the process with a heat total of 11.80 (out of a possible 20 points).
“It feels really good to get that first heat win for the year,” said Chapman. “This event is perfect practice for the Australian leg of the World Tour. It was a really good experience to surf against Soli (Bailey). He’s leading the ratings at the moment and he looks like a real contender to take out the whole series, so it’s a great feeling to get a win against him.”
Luke Hynd (Gold Coast, Qld), showed his eclectic repertoire over the course of his Round 1 heat attempting several aerials and frontside reverses. The Burleigh Heads goofy-footer took down a star-studded lineup, which included Riley Laing (North Entrance, NSW), Harrison Steele (Wollongong, NSW) and Sandon Whittaker (Avoca, NSW) to claim a convincing victory in his first heat.
“I felt really good going out there,” said Hynd. “The waves were fun, the water was warm and the day is nice and sunny, so I just really went out there with the intention of having fun. When I got that 8-point-ride (out of a possible 10 points) straight away, I knew I had the rest of the heat to get another good score so I just decided to go for a few airs. I just really hope the waves continue to build over the weekend. My goal is to win an ASP Junior Series event over the course of the year and hopefully finish in the top five.”
Local knowledge came into play when Monty Tait (Maroubra, NSW) successfully nabbed himself a 15.67 heat total – the highest of the day. The natural-footer and local favourite continued to build on the momentum that saw him finish runner-up in the 2013 Australian Junior Surfing Titles when he edged an in-form Matty King (Ulladulla, NSW) into second position.
“I’m really happy overall,” said Tait. “I’ve been training pretty hard lately and to get a win in the first heat just feels amazing. Having a comp at home is about as good as it gets. I didn’t go out in the heat with any sort of game-plan. I just knew what I had to line up with and I stuck with it.”
Following an impressive performance at the recent 2014 Piping Hot Surf Festival in Victoria, Jacob Wilcox (Margaret River, WA) proceeded to use his lethal backhand attack to nab himself a convincing heat victory with a total of 14.90 points. The talented goofy-footer performed a flurry of backside hits to book his spot in the second round.
“The waves were pretty tricky out there, but there was the odd right-hander coming through that allowed for a few turns,” said Wilcox. “I’m just happy to get off to a good start this year. Hopefully I can keep the momentum going over the rest of 2014.”
The 2014 Carve Pro Junior is a new ASP Australasia Pro Junior Series event, which is factored into the three-day Ocean and Earth Teenage Rampage.
All competitors are advised to ring the event hotline (0458 247 212) by 6.45am on competition days to confirm location and running order.
CARVE PRO JUNIOR ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1 – Cooper Chapman, Jake Thompson, James McMorland, Teague Robinson
Heat 2 – Soli Bailey, Brendan Hay, Louis Gillick, Kai Hing
Heat 3 – Blaine Robinson, Nick Callister, Ben Penny, Riley Laing
Heat 4 – Kelly Norris, Jesse Horner, Jacob Wilcox, Luke Hynd
Heat 5 – Harley Ross-Webster, Monty Tait, Jackson, Giles, Sean Mawson
Heat 6 – Kalani Ball, Matty King, Josh Hay, Harrison Mann
Heat 7 – Jordan Lawler, Jeames Young, Harrison Martin, Jack Teague
Heat 8 – Zachary Vaughan, Johnnie Keith, Jared Hickle, Chris Zaffis
The Carve Pro Junior and the Ocean and Earth Teenage Rampage are proudly sponsored by Carve, Ocean and Earth, Be the Influence – Tackling Binge Drinking, Randwick City Council, Australian Skin Cancer Clinics, HIF, Souths Juniors, Ohana Ocean Athletics, Coastalwatch, Surfing World, NSW Sport & Recreation, ASP Australasia and Surfing NSW.
About the Ocean and Earth Teenage Rampage: Since 2007, more than 2500 kids have participated in the Ocean and Earth Teenage Rampage around Australia. 2014 will be the second year the former grassroots junior’s series will be compressed and fine-tuned into an elite event.
About Carve: Carve is an Australian based and owned company, established in 1998. This ever growing brand has embedded itself into a wide range of sporting and lifestyle markets, with a presence locally & in the international market place, with a core goal to supply quality products that won’t buckle the bank account. With an over 70-plus strong team covering a wide range of sports & lifestyles including surfing, snowboarding, FMX, MX, MTB, kiteboarding, golf, DJ’s and musicians
