Matty King will take on Jacob Wilcox in tomorrow’s Quarterfinals. Pic Surfing NSW/Smith
MAROUBRA, SYDNEY (Saturday, 18 January 2013): Quarterfinalists were decided today on day two of the 2014 Carve Pro Junior when the event resumed in two-to-three foot north-easterly peaks at Maroubra Beach.
Cooper Chapman (Narrabeen, NSW) continued to impress both the judges and spectators, performing an eclectic mix of powerful frontside manoeuvres which netted him two crucial heat wins across his round of 32 and round of 16 heats. The natural-footer will face Louis Gillick in tomorrow’s Quarterfinals.
“It’s good to get the opportunity to move into the man-on-man heats,” said Chapman. “It was one of my goals to move past the four-man heats and get a bit of practice in. The waves were pretty average in the afternoon, but it’s good to surf in waves like that, as the ocean can throw anything at you really. All the guys in that heat are awesome surfers and have the ability to get big scores in waves like this.”
After a solid match-up in the round of 32, Johnnie Keith (Blue Bay, NSW), charged hard out of the gates and took down an in-form Jackson Giles (Maroubra, NSW), Kalani Ball (Stanwell Park, NSW) and Jeames Young (Angourie, NSW) in the round of 16. The talented natural-footer adapted seamlessly to the conditions and was able to notch up a heat total of 11.96 (out of a possible 20) to move through to tomorrow’s man-on-man Quarterfinals.
“I’m really stoked with that result,” said Keith. “It came down to the wire really, so I’m just really happy that I managed to hold down the lead until the hooter went. My game-plan was to just catch anything I could as the conditions are pretty similar to my hometown beach, so I felt pretty comfortable out there. After I got to the quarterfinals of the Piping Hot Surf Festival at Bells recently I really just wanted to back it up with another quarterfinal finish, so I’m stoked I was able to get there.”
An obscure board selection proved to be the secret weapon for Kelly Norris (Sunshine Coast, Qld) in the round of 16. The stocky natural-footer opted to ride a board with substantial girth, which enabled him to link together difficult sections and adapt effortlessly to the conditions. As a result, Norris was able to progress through two difficult heats today.
“The waves are pretty challenging out there, but the board I’m riding is perfect for the waves,” said Norris. “The board has around 33 litres volume and my shaper told me to ride it if the waves were a little tricky. I took the gamble and fortunately the move paid off. My goal now is to hopefully make it into the semi-finals.”
After a stellar performance in Round 1 yesterday, Luke Hynd (Burleigh Heads, Qld) was unable to mirror the same performance in the round of 32 and was knocked from the event by Kelly Norris (Sunshine Coast, Qld) and Jacob Wilcox (Margaret River, WA) who took first and second respectively.
“It’s a bit annoying to be knocked from the event,” said Hynd. “I really wanted to do well in this comp and hopefully take it out. I’ll shift my focus to the next event now.”
Tomorrow’s event will kick off with the quarterfinals of the 2014 Carve Pro Junior.
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 UPCOMING QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:
QF 1: Cooper Chapman vs. Louis Gillick
QF 2: Jacob Wilcox vs. Kelly Norris
QF 3: Johnnie Keith vs. Matty King
QF 4: Jackson Giles vs. Jared Hickle
CARVE PRO JUNIOR ROUND OF 16 RESULTS:
HEAT 1 – 1st – Cooper Chapman, 2nd – Jacob Wilcox, 3rd – Kai Hing, 4th – Ben Penny
HEAT 2 – 1st – Kelly Norris, 2nd –Louis Gillick, 3rd – Blaine Robinson, 4th – Jake Thompson
HEAT 3 – 1st – Johnnie Keith, 2nd – Jackson Giles, 3rd – Kalani Ball, 4th – Jeames Young
HEAT 4 – 1st – Jared Hickle, 2nd – Matty King, 3rd – Harley Ross-Webster, 4th Jordan Lawler
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
