Class of 2007 Shines at the Billabong ASP World Junior Titles COOLANGATTA, Australia (Friday, January 11th, 2007) - What an absolutely awesome week it was at North Narrabeen. The world’s premier Under 20 male and female surfers assembled to carve up classic Narra in the Billabong ASP World Junior Titles, the final official championships for 2007.
I’d have to say that over the years this has pretty much come to be one of my favourite events. You see such raw, unrestrained talent. Seedings go out the window as completely unknown kids put on phenomenal performances against the kids with reps. You see it all, juniors going for broke, juniors making rookie mistakes and overcoming them with pure flair, juniors surfing under the priority system for the first time and handling it like a pro.
The class of 07 is a wild bunch of rippers, there were kids in the field who already have huge reps, like Julian Wilson and John John Florence, there were those who were totally unknown talents unearthed, such as 3rd place getter Charles Martin from Guadalupe. This is where you see the sons and daughters of surfing greats making their own mark, like South Africa’s Rudy Palmboom and Brandon Jackson, and of course the Ho siblings Mason and Coco. It is so inspirational to witness these youngsters stepping out on their own, extending their parents heritage into the next generation of surfer.
Former World #2 Luke Egan ran a superb event. He managed the best swell of the events career with, well, the same aplomb he surfs with, running for 5 straight days from the get-go to wrap up both divisions in the same swell cycle. Bringing in the jet skis on the big day was a stroke of genius; it really gave the junior surfers a solid taste of big time surfing. Luke brings a certain calmness and confidence to the table, but he pays very close attention to the little things. It was in fact a decision made while looking at the waves at 10pm Saturday night, when 8 footers were still reeling off, that ensured total success.
The jet ski team had returned to Newcastle after a long day ferrying guys out in semi-wild conditions. Luke realised the swell was not backing off as forecast and decided to try and bring Reece and Josh back down with their skis. The boys were booked for a ski engagement on the Sunday but Luke coaxed them back and this move ensured the Junior Men’s Semi’s and Final would be run off at the perfect tide on a dropping swell. As it turned out he was able to run 25 minute heats all day using the jet ski assist option that ASP has implemented into WCT events.
The day was magnificent; barrels galore were the order of the day, particularly as the tide drew water off the main bank. The last couple years has seen an emphasis on aerial ballet but this edition of the Billabong ASP World Juniors was more traditional carving and tube riding, with additional junior flair. There were so many standouts, the Aussie trio of Owen Wright, Mitch Coleborn and Beau Atchison entertained throughout the morning, young Atchison surfing with the flash of a young Taj, while the overseas connection of Tanner Gudauskas and Nicholau Von Rupp were most impressive.
Actually, the Gudauskas clan had a huge weekend, Tanners brother Patrick taking out the 5 Star O’Neill Sebastian Inlet Pro to set up a double celebration. This family of shredding brothers from San Clemente are definitely on the rise, and because Pablo Paulino already has seeding rights on the 2008 WQS, Tanner, courtesy of his high finish last year, has the seeding rights passed onto him for this year. Germany’s Nicholau Von Rupp is another emerging talent; he cut his teeth in the versatile waves of Portugal and is now looking to capitalize on the emergence of Europe as a global force in the sport.
As stated earlier, Charles Martin surpassed his own expectations to secure a podium finish, the quiet teen from Guadalupe surfing with a maturity beyond his years. It was the finalists who stole the show. Tonino Benson is not only a super talent, he is a very likeable young man who could go a long way in surfing. Hailing from the Big Island, Tonino blends a fresh radical approach with an authoritative presence on a wave. He looked very solid on the big day and when the offshores cleaned it up on Sunday he was stood out from the pack.
Pablo Paulino joins Joel Parkinson as the only two time ASP World Junior Champions. Pablo came through the hardest part of the draw, he got some lucky breaks against the favourite Julian Wilson and danger man Mitch Coleborn, and then went on with the job, peaking at the right time and drawing on his experience to nail down an emphatic victory. Pablo has beefed up since we last saw him and the extra kilo’s converted into power, his carving forehand snaps a highlight of his repertoire.
The girls hit the water on Monday. In a diminishing swell, there were longish lulls but the set waves still offered plenty of performance. Big Louie opted for 30 minute heats and we were treated to mind-blowing , groundbreaking surfing. The amazing thing about it is that the vast majority of the standouts are only 16 or 17 years of age, so not only have they several years in this division but as they grow they will develop power in the surfing. If Stephanie Gilmore is the leading edge of a new wave of surfing, then this is the posse coming up in her wake.
Remember these names. Courtney Conlogue, Alessa Cuizon, Laura Enever, Sage Erikson, Paige Hareb, Coco Ho, Airini Mason, Pauline Ado, Leila Hurst, Nikita Robb, Kirby Wright, and of course Sally Fitzgibbons. These girls rip so hard it’s scary. The depth of women’s surfing was on show at Narrabeen, it was the ideal arena to display the skill levels and the girls rose to the occasion, pushing each other and fighting hard for victory.
Although she just failed to make the final, Local Narrabeen surfer Laura Enever impressed greatly. She has a big, powerhouse repertoire, in fact if she had managed to make it around one more section on her final wave Laura would have in fact toppled eventual champion Sally Fitzgibbons. The finalists thoroughly deserved their shot at the World Title. Paige Hareb is the new surfing pride of New Zealand and took out a class field to step squarely onto the World stage.
Sally Fitzgibbons more then lived up to an enormous reputation. She is so hot. We saw the amazing Carissa Moore debut wonderfully at Snapper Rocks, and although her absence at Narrabeen was conspicuous, there were a handful of girls that have stepped up to somewhere near the same level. One of these is Sally Fitzgibbons. She unleashed a carving snap in the Final that led to a perfect 10, and I kid you not, there was not a better move in the entire event, male or female, and Sally would have nailed a 9.5 in the Men’s division for that ride.
All in all a remarkable event, well done to Sally and Pablo, to Tonino and Paige, and to this fantastic generation of surfers. You are all champions.