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Mar 14

2012

Billabong Wetsuit Workshops in Kiel, Hamburg und Wien

Posted by media in Untagged

Billabong präsentiert in diesem Frühjahr erstmals exklusive Wetsuit Workshops in Kiel, Hamburg und Wien. Die Termine finden einmalig Ende März statt und werden geleitet vom Wetsuit Brandmanager bei Billabong Europe François Liets. Liets ist in Europe zuständig für die Koordination der Produkte und das Marketing von Billabong Wetsuits. Billabong bietet den Teilnehmern die einzigartige Gelegenheit aus erster Hand mehr über die Konstruktion, die technische Entwicklung sowie die korrekte Pflege von Wetsuits zu erfahren und zu erfragen. François Liets ist Leiter der Network Surf Division bei Billabong Europe. Die Network Surf Division wurde in Australien von Billabong gegründet und ist eine Organisation, die Big Wave Surfing Expeditionen auf der ganzen Welt unternimmt. Außerdem kümmert sie sich um die Produktentwicklung, den Verkauf und das Marketing von technischen Surfprodukten wie z.B Wetsuits, Surfboards und Leashes. Donnerstag, 29.03.2012 ab ca. 19.00 Uhr Secret Spot Kiel Küterstrasse 5 24103 Kiel Tel. 0049 (0) 431 – 9969633 Freitag, 30.03.2012 ab ca. 19.00 Uhr Wellenreitshop Hamburg Eimsbütteler Chaussee 44 20259 Hamburg Tel. 0049 (0) 40 – 72965775 Samstag, 31.03.2012 ab ca. 15:00 Uhr Blue Tomato Shop Wien Neubaugasse 3 1070 Wien Tel. 0043 (0) 1 52 30 300

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Jan 24

2012

ASP Board of Directors Approves Clearer Pathway to ASP Top 34 Qualification

Posted by ASP-News in Untagged

Pictured: Conner Coffin (USA), 18, is one of several ASP World Junior competitors who will potentially benefit from the clearer pathway to ASP Top 34 qualification.
Credit: © ASP / Robertson

COOLANGATTA, Queensland/AUS (Tuesday, January 24, 2012) – The ASP Board of Directors has voted to ratify several refinements to the ASP World Tour and ASP World Rankings for the 2012 season. These changes will expand upon the December 2011 decision to suspend the midyear rotation for 2012, due to schedule constraints, and continue to provide a clear pathway towards ASP Top 34 Qualification.

“Our commitment is to make the most exciting, successful and relevant tour and we feel that these changes showcase the world’s best talent and continue to provide opportunities for young talent on the rise,” Pat O’Connell, Hurley VP of Sports Marketing and ASP Board Member, said.

Both the ASP World Title Rankings and ASP World Rankings have been reset for 2012 with all surfers starting with zero results. With the deactivation of the midyear rotation, a 52-week rolling ranking was no longer practical and each surfer will build their respective ranking from January to December.

"These changes are a step in the right direction considering the removal of the midyear rotation for 2012, and are in keeping with the World Tours evolution over the past few years,” Kieren Perrow, ASP Top 34 competitor and surfers’ representative, said. “They will provide a clearer and more achievable path for the surfers trying to qualify into the Top 34, and continue our goal of improving the sport for the world’s best surfers. It will be exciting to see how this year unfolds, as the level of talent has never been higher.”

The qualifiers for 2013 ASP Top 34 will consist of:

Top 22 from 2012 ASP World Title Rankings
Top 10 from 2012 ASP World Rankings (those who haven’t already qualified in the above)
Two ASP wildcards

“The qualification process for the 2013 ASP World Title Series will be similar to how it operated during the 2010 transitional season,” Renato Hickel, ASP World Tour Manager, said. “In addition to the above alterations, we have also made several changes to the ASP Prime format and points’ allocation as well as a caveat for the World Rankings of ASP Top 34 surfers. We believe these changes will further close the points’ gap between those on tour and those attempting to qualify for the tour making for a much more dynamic process.”

ASP Top 34 surfers will only be allowed to count their best 3 results in ASP World Title events on their respective ASP World Rankings.

In the new ASP Prime format, there has been an increase in Equal 9th from four per event to eight per events at 2,400 pts. This increase in opportunity will allow for more surfers to record consequential results at ASP Prime events.

The points for Equal 17th place at ASP Prime events have been increased from 1,034 to 1,300 – and for Equal 5th from 3,120 to 3,320. In the specific case of 5th place finishers it will increase its value since there are double the amount of chances to get a 9th with the new ASP Prime format. This will further assist in closing the current points’ gap.

The first stop of the 2012 ASP World Title Series will be the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast from February 25 to March 7, 2012.

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Jan 23

2012

Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast

Posted by ASP-News in Untagged

CAPTION: Ellie-Jean Coffey was one of the goofy-footers who took control of Burleigh today. Pic ASP/Dunbar.

BURLEIGH HEADS, Queensland/Australia (Sunday, 22 January, 2012) – Today saw a slight decrease in swell size at Burleigh Heads for Day 2 of the Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast, and the call was made to run Rounds 1 and 2 of the Women's event. The women went for it in the fun 2 foot (1 meter) surf, putting on a good show for the hundreds of onlookers lining the Burleigh Headland.

Sarah Baum (ZAF) was the talk of the town today after starring in the last heat of Round 1. The young lady from Durban, South Africa used her powerful backhand attack to post the highest heat total of the event thus far - 18.53 (out of a possible 20).

"I surf rights most of the time so I've got a strong backhand," Baum said. "I also think this wave is easy to surf on your backhand because you can get right in the pocket. I was nervous going into this event, but now I'm feeling confident after that 9.93 (out of a possible 10). I was so excited when I paddled into that wave and saw it double up, it allowed me to do a big fins-free turn and that set me up for a great wave."

Sarah Mason (New Zealand) was another goofy-footer to put on a dominant Round 1 performance where she scored a massive heat total of 17.96 (out of a possible 20).

"It's awesome surfing at Burleigh with only a couple of girls out!" Mason said. "I live on the Gold Coast, but I haven't surfed Burleigh in a long time, so it's good to get some nice waves out here. There was some long waits for waves, so you had to make the most of it when they did come through. I watched Matt Lewis-Hewitt's heat online yesterday, it was great to see another Kiwi do well, I'm stoked we both got through."

Alessa Quizon (HAW) used her sharp backhand attack to post some big scores today and skipped Round 2, advancing directly into Round 3. Quizon defeated Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) and Philippa Anderson (AUS) who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.

"I was out there just trying to focus on myself and not worry about the others," Quizon said. "I live at Makaha on the west side of Oahu and there's pretty much only rights, so I get to practice on my backhand all the time, so I feel really comfortable out there."

Ellie-Jean Coffey (AUS) who recently relocated from Crescent Head, NSW to the Gold Coast, put her pointbreak experience to good use today after taking out her Round 1 duel with her younger sister Holly-Sue Coffey (AUS) and current ASP Women's World Junior ratings leader Joanne Defay (FRA).

"It's good to surf against my sister, but it's also nerve racking because if she beat me she'd never let me live it down," Ellie-Jean Coffey said. "I'm so thankful to Billabong for giving me the wildcard into this event, I've got no pressure and nothing to lose, but everything to gain."

Leila Hurst (HAW) is currently 2nd on the ASP Women's World Junior ratings and is looking for a solid result here at the Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast to help her claim the ASP Women's World Junior title.

"I feel like I've got a bit of pressure on me at the moment, but I'm trying to keep it under control and have fun," Hurst said. "I've had a lot of trouble getting waves out here over the past few days, but after spending some time in the lineup I feel like I know where to sit to get the good ones now, so that helped."

Dimity Stoyle (AUS) put on a show for the Sunday crowd at Burleigh Heads today, catching 13 waves and posting some scores in the excellent range courtesy of her smooth style.

"I was having so much fun in that heat!" Stoyle said. "It's only small, but it's really good. I just caught so many waves because it's so hard to get waves freesurfing out here. I live on the Sunshine Coast, but feel at home down here on the Gold Coast because I come down a lot to visit my grandparents a lot."

The Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast will be webcast live via www.billabongpro.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS GOLD COAST WOMEN'S ROUND 1 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Sarah Mason (NZL) 17.96, Nage Melamed (HAW) 12.73, Juliana Meneghel (BRA) 8.67

Heat 2: Alessa Quizon (HAW) 15.27, Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 12.44, Philippa Anderson (AUS) 8.33

Heat 3: Ellie-Jean Coffey (AUS) 12.83, Holly-Sue Coffey (AUS) 12.03, Joanne Defay (FRA) 7.57

Heat 4: Leila Hurst (HAW) 14.73, Eden Putland (AUS) 8.00, Maud Le Car (FRA) 7.97

Heat 5: Dimity Stoyle (AUS) 17.23, Nao Omura (JPN) 8.07, Ren Hashimoto (JPN) 6.33

Heat 6: Sarah Baum (ZAF) 18.53, Quincy Davis (USA) 13.43, Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 10.50

BILLABONG WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS GOLD COAST WOMEN'S ROUND 1 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Maud Le Car (FRA) 11.90, Joanne Defay (FRA) 9.76, Ren Hashimoto (JPN) 7.13

Heat 2: Philippa Anderson (AUS) 13.76, Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 12.33 Juliana Meneghel (BRA) 6.17

The Billabong World Junior Championship is supported by the Queensland Government, through Events Queensland.

The Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast is brought to you by Monster Energy Drink, Sony, Events QLD, Sony Ericsson, VonZipper, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, ASL magazine and Burleigh Boardriders.

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BURLEIGH HEADS, Queensland/Australia (Monday, 23 January, 2012) – The first man-on-man elimination Round at the Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast got under way today in 2 foot (1 meter) runners at Burleigh Heads. The conditions were tricky with good waves on offer, but surfers were forced to be selective and battle for the best waves.

Caio Ibelli (BRA) the top seed in the Billabong World Junior Championships and frontrunner for the ASP World Junior Title is back in winning form after his shock Round 1 loss. Ibelli posted a dominant win in his Round 2 clash with Eli Steele (AUS), mixing rail carves with big aerials to keep his 2011 ASP World Junior Title hopes alive.

"That heat was hard because it was slow and I was feeling a lot of pressure," Ibelli said. "But I started to feel comfortable after getting my first good score, I'm so stoked that I made that heat. Sometimes I don't mind losing in the first round because it makes me angry and fires me up to do well."

Wade Carmichael (AUS), winner of the Von Zipper trials caused a major upset by eliminating 5th seed Dale Staples (ZAF). Carmichael caught the best waves and executed his trademark power carves to take the win and will now face current ratings leader Caio Ibelli (BRA) in Round 3.

"I was nervous because I had a shocker in my last heat," Carmichael said. "I've had a good start to the year with a win at the Bells Pro Junior and the trials here, so I just want to keep that going. I'm not in the running for the ASP World Junior Title, but I still really want to win this event."

Tim Macdonald (AUS) earnt his spot in the event thanks to a runner-up finish in the trials, and today eliminated Ryan Callinan (AUS) in a one sided affair. Macdonald surfed sharp and fast to advanced to Round 3, but it was clear that Callinan was holding back.

"It feels really good to be through to Round 3," Macdonald said. "But I feel bad for Ryan (Callinan), he couldn't really fight back. You can tell that he's injured, but we still had fun catching waves with just the two of us out."

Callinan, the poster boy for the Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast was clearly disappointed with his early exit from the event. It's been a tough couple of months for the young Novocoastrian, Callinan injured right ankle last year and has spent the last few months getting it back to 100%. Then two days ago he injured his other ankle, and went to get scans after his Round 2 loss today.

"It only hurts when I surf," Callinan said. "It feels fine walking, standing and running, but when I put pressure on my bottom turns it doesn't feel right. I'm disappointed, but I'll hopefully be back and ready to go in a couple of weeks."

Kaito Ohashi (JPN) had the crowd on their feet after landing a massive backside fins-free waft, which netted him an 8.87 (out of a possible 10). This is Ohashi's fourth appearance at the Billabong World Junior Championships and by advancing to Round 3 he's already equaled his best result.

"I'm so happy," Ohashi said. "The waves here are so much fun, much better than at my home. It's great to be here and have people enjoy my surfing."

Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) was the standout performer of the day, scoring an near perfect 9.50 (out of a possible 10) on his opening ride. The Portuguese surfer looked at home at Burleigh's right-handers, using powerful, precise snaps and carves to impress the judges.

"The waves are great so I tried to do my best," Ribeiro said. "I've got a good board and I caught a long wave, everything came together for me. I'm very happy to be here at the Billabong World Junior Championships, everyone surfs so good, so you always have to always be at your best."

A call will be made at 7:30am tomorrow for a possible 8am start. The Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast will be webcast live via www.billabongpro.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS GOLD COAST ROUND 2 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 14.83 def. Eli Steele (AUS) 8.17

Heat 2: Wade Carmichael (AUS) 12.83 def. Dale Staples (ZAF) 9.10

Heat 3: Tim Macdonald (AUS) 11.67 def. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 5.00

Heat 4: Nathan Carvalho (HAW) 16.07 def. Frederico Morais (PRT) 14.90

Heat 5: Dean Bowen (AUS) 15.00 def. Mitchell Parkinson (AUS) 10.60

Heat 6: Mateia Hiquily (PYF) 12.23 Creed McTaggart (AUS) 11.76

Heat 7: Kaito Ohashi (JPN) 16.14 def. William Aliotti (FRA) 9.07

Heat 8: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 16.43 def. Deivid Silva (BRA) 13.57

Heat 9: Caue Wood (BRA) 9.93 def. Kan Watanabe (JPN) 8.60

REMAINING BILLABONG WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS GOLD COAST ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:

Heat 10: Kalani David (USA) vs. Dylan Lightfoot (ZAF)

Heat 11: David Van Zyl (ZAF) vs. Kaishu Tanaka (JPN)

Heat 12: Evan Thompson (USA) vs. Pierre-Valentin Labo (FRA)

Heat 13: Arashi Kato (JPN) vs. Michael February (ZAF)

Heat 14: Chase Wilson (USA) vs. Keala Naihe (HAW)

Heat 15: Dylan Kowalski (USA) vs. Andrew Doheny (USA)

Heat 16: Lucas Silveira (BRA) vs. Hiroto Arai (JPN)

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Jan 21

2012

Action, Excitement And Upsets On Day 1 Of The Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast

Posted by ASP-News in Untagged

CAPTION: Jack Robinson (Margaret River, WA/AUS), the youngest surfer in the Men's draw. Pic ASP/Dunbar.

BURLEIGH HEADS, Queensland/Australia (Saturday, 21 January, 2012) – The opening day of the Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast was treated to 2 - 3 foot (1.5 meter) surf rolling through the Burleigh Heads rock break. Competitors were reviling in the super clean conditions that offered a mix of long walls, ramps for airs and even a couple of tube sections.

Connor Coffin (California, USA) opened the day with a solid heat win, showing the rest of the competitors the way the section of Burleigh known as 'rockies' should be surfed with his rail carves and snaps timed to perfection.

"It's really, really fun out there!" Coffin said. "I've never seen it break right along the rocks so clean and perfect like this before. Rincon is just like this, it's exactly like a shoulder high day at home, so I felt super comfortable out there. Right points are my favourite waves to surf - besides barrels, so I was loving it."

Matt Lewis-Hewitt (New Zealand) only got a last minute call up into the Billabong World Junior Championships after the equal number 1 seed, Davey Cathels (NSW/AUS) had to withdraw due to an ankle injury. Lewis-Hewitt didn't waste the opportunity, he went out and launched some big manoeuvres and caused a major upset by defeating Caio Ibelli (Brazil), sending the current ASP World Junior ratings leader into Round 2, while Lewis-Hewitt advanced directly into Round 3.

"I was sitting on the inside waiting for them to read out the scores, I was pretty nervous," Lewis-Hewitt said. "Then they announced that I'd won, it felt great. Having a tough first heat and coming away with the win is a big confidence booster. Being the only Kiwi in the main event and having a few of the boys over here giving me support feels awesome! I love surfing at Burleigh, I've surfed a few events here before and I love going right and taking to the air."

Filipe Toledo (Brazil) turned heads in his opening round encounter, the young Brazilian who's currently 7th on the ASP World Junior ratings mixed massive fin blasts with huge aerials to notch a huge heat total of 15.84 (out of a possible 20).

"I've been training hard at home in Brazil, so I've come over here feeling relaxed," Toledo said. "The wave here is so good, I've never surfed at Burleigh before and I love it. I'm glad to have won the heat because my surfboards never arrived from Brazil so I had to surf on a brand new DMS board, and it went great."

Jack Robinson (Margaret River, WA/AUS), the youngest surfer in the Men's draw at a mere 14-years-old had the big crowd that lined Burleigh Point on their feet with his last minute heroics. Robinson was sitting in 3rd position with 45 seconds on the clock when he took off on a nice looking wave, did a couple of turns then launched into an alley oop aerial, scoring an 8.60 (out of a possible 10) and jumped into 1st position.

"I was feeling confident that I could get the score, I just knew I had to sit down the line on and catch a little runner," Robinson said. "I practice my airs a bit and it came in handy today. On that wave I knew this nice section was coming, so I did a check turn and then the air and landed, it felt pretty good."

Jack Freestone (Currumbin, QLD/AUS), reigning ASP World Junior Champion was on point for his first heat of the new year. Freestone scored an 8.00 and a 7.57 (out of a possible 10), to easily take the heat and progress to Round 3.

"It feels so good to do an event where I get to wake up in my own bed, we're constantly on the road so to be at home and surf my local break is amazing," Freestone said. "I'm feeling pretty bad for Davey (Cathels) missing out on this event, we're good friends and he was in the ratings lead and hurt his ankle so he's got to be devastated. I'm not really thinking about World Titles, I'm just focusing on winning the event and surfing my best."

Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) did the South African contingent proud by finding some decent scoring rides in the tricky, wind affected afternoon conditions. De Vries defeated brazilian Lucas Silveira (BRA) and fellow South African Dylan Lightfoot (ZAF) who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.

"It's so important to win that 1st Round heat because you get to skip Round 2," De Vries said. "This pointbreak is quite different to others, so I'm stoked that my board was feeling good in that heat, and now I'll have even more time to figure out what boards and fins work best out here. It also gives me more time to get over the jet lag, I'm still waking up at 3am every morning."

Jake Halstead (HAW) notched the second highest heat total of the day, 16.17 (out of a possible 20), benefitting from a last minute swap to a board more suited to the low tide.

"Being in heat 13 I got to watch pretty much every heat today and see how the conditions were changing," Halstead said. "I just went out and tried to have fun, that's what I always try to do. I was going to ride a polyurethane board, but changed to an epoxy, it linked through the sections a lot easier, so it was a good decision on that one."

A call will be made at 7:30am tomorrow for a possible 8am start. The Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast will be webcast live via www.billabongpro.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS GOLD COAST ROUND 1 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Conner Coffin (USA) 13.00, Chase Wilson (USA) 9.34, Deivid Silva (BRA) 8.66

Heat 2: Soli Bailey (AUS) 12.67, Arashi Kato (JPN) 8.93, Ryan Callinan (AUS) N/S

Heat 3: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 15.84, Evan Thompson (USA) 7.97, William Aliotti (FRA) 7.60

Heat 4: Keanu Asing (HAW) 13.90, Mateia Hiquily (PYF) 11.64, David Van Zyl (ZAF) 7.17

Heat 5: Peterson Crisanto (BRA) 16.33, Mitchell Parkinson (AUS) 14.43, Kalani David (HAW) N/S

Heat 6: Jack Robinson (AUS) 12.33, Dale Staples (ZAF) 11.97, Caue Wood (BRA) 8.73

Heat 7: Jack Freestone (AUS) 15.57, Nathan Carvalho (HAW) 11.93, Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 8.90

Heat 8: Matt-Lewis Hewitt (NZ) 13.24, Caio Ibelli (BRA) 13.16, Eli Steele (AUS) 9.94

Heat 9: Garrett Parkes (AUS) 15.27, Wade Carmichael (AUS) 9.83, Creed McTaggart (AUS) 8.74

Heat 10: Marco Fernandez (BRA) 12.83, Tim Macdonald (AUS) 8.27, Kaito Ohashi (JPN) 8.20

Heat 11: Ian Gouveia (BRA) 9.56, Kan Watanabe (JPN) 9.50, Dylan Kowalski (USA) 6.63

Heat 12: Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 13.77, Lucas Silveira (BRA) 9.57, Dylan Lightfoot (ZAF) 8.16

Heat 13: Jake Halstead (HAW) 16.17, Frederico Morais (PRT) 9.84, Hiroto Arai (JPN) 9.77

Heat 14: Matt Banting (AUS) 15.50, Andrew Doheny (USA) 10.30, Dean Bowen (AUS) 9.63

Heat 15: Medi Veminardi (REU) 11.33, Keala Naihe (HAW) 8.87, Kaishu Tanaka (JPN) 7.74

Heat 16: Thomas Woods (AUS) 14.10, Michael February (ZAF) 13.43, Pierre-Valentin Lab (FRA) 12.83

The Billabong World Junior Championship is supported by the Queensland Government, through Events Queensland.

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Jan 21

2012

ASP World Junior Champions To Be Decided At Next Week's Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast

Posted by ASP-News in Untagged

Pictured: Davey Cathels (North Narrabeen, NSW/AUS) competing at last year's Billabong World Junior Championships.

Credit: © ASP/Kirstin.

COOLANGATTA, Queensland/Australia (Monday, 16 January, 2012) – The world's best junior surfers are descending on Burleigh Heads for the third and final stop on the 2011 ASP World Junior Tour, the Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast - the event that will decide the 2011 Men's and Women's ASP World Junior Champions.

After exciting events in Bali and Brazil the 2011 ASP World Junior Tour moves to Burleigh Heads, Australia for the Billabong World Junior Championships. This is the event's first year at Burleigh Heads after previously running at classic surfing locations such as Sydney's North Narrabeen, Victoria's Phillip Island and Maui's Honolua Bay. Burleigh is the ideal location for crowning an ASP World Champion as it's the location where man-on-man competition surfing was born at the 1977 Stubbies.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh welcomed the world's best junior surfers to Queensland, and highlighted the positive impact the event will have on the State’s tourism industry.

"Hosting this event at the iconic point break of Burleigh Heads is a real coup for Queensland," said Ms Bligh. "With the Billabong World Championships joining a string of great events on the Gold Coast including the Breaka Burleigh Pro and the 2012 ASP World Surfing Awards. Attracting world class major events is part of our plan to continue building Queensland's bright future. We look forward to welcoming the top international junior surfers to the Gold Coast in 2012."

Davey Cathels (North Narrabeen, NSW/AUS), winner of the first event on the ASP World Junior Tour in Bali and current equal first on the ratings is looking forward to the tour coming to Australia.

"I've been surfing at home and doing a lot of fitness training with my mate Dave Kennet and I've been doing some mock heats and surfing with Nathan Webster, so I'm feeling good," Cathels said. "Winning the ASP World Title would be massive! Not many people get to say they're a World Champion and that's something I would cherish for rest of my life. I love the Gold Coast and Burleigh is a lot of fun, and I think heaps of my friends are gonna come up and watch."

Caio Ibelli (BRA) took out the second event on the ASP World Junior Tour in his home country of Brazil and shares the lead on the ratings with Cathels. Ibelli is excited to be a contender and looking forward to seeing how the title race unfolds.

"I'm felling very stoked to be coming back to Australia to compete in the Billabong World Junior Championships," Ibelli said. "I don't feel any pressure, my mind feels good coming into this event. I only want to get good waves at Burleigh and have fun in the water. Last year I spent 4 months in Australia so I had lots of sessions at Burleigh. I'm a regular footer so I feel really comfortable out there and I can't wait to surf Burleigh again!"

Jack Freestone (Gold Coast, QLD/AUS) reigning ASP World Junior Champion is still in the title race with an outside chance of being the first surfer to win back-to-back ASP World Junior Titles. Despite needing the front runners to exit the event early Freestone can't be ruled out of the Title race yet, as he will have the hometown support and local knowledge.

"I live just over the hill at Currumbin and surf Burleigh whenever I can," Freestone said. "To compete for a World Title in front of my family, friends and supporters is a dream come true and a challenge that I'm looking forward to. I'd love to win back-to-back ASP World Junior Titles, but that's not my main focus because there are a lot of scenarios that need to play out for that to happen. My focus is to compete and surf the best that I can and hopefully that's what it takes to the win the Title or the event or both."

Johanne Defay (FRA) is currently ranked number 1 on the ASP Junior Women's World Rankings after coming 3rd and 2nd at the first two events on ASP Women's World Junior Tour. Defay will be looking to keep the title in France after fellow countrywoman Alizee Arnaud (FRA) won the ASP World Junior Title at last year's Billabong World Junior Championships.

"I feel pretty good, I'm already on the Gold Coast in order to train and prepare for the event," Defay said. "It is true that French have had success in this event and I think it's an honour to be in this position and say that I might be next on the list! But it's just a might! I just try to not think too much about it and not put pressure on myself."

Dimity Stoyle (Sunshine Coast, QLD/AUS) is another consistent performer on the ASP Women's World Junior Tour after a 2nd and a 5th place finish in the first two events. Stoyle will be looking to capitalise on the tour coming to her home state of Queensland.

"I'm pretty excited for Burleigh, it's going to be a tough event," Stoyle said. "I haven't surfed Burleigh that much, but it's a really fun wave when it's on, so I'm really hoping we get some good waves. The pressure is definitely on for everybody, it's the final event and it's pretty close between the top few so it's going to be a great contest!"

The Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast will be webcast live via www.billabongpro.com

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Jan 21

2012

ASP International Initiates Anti-Doping Policy at Elite Level of Competition

Posted by ASP-News in Untagged

Pictured: The new ASP Anti-Doping Policy is activated for the 2012 season.
Credit: © ASP / SCHOLTZ

COOLANGATTA, Queensland/AUS (Monday, January 16, 2012) – ASP International has initiated a new Anti-Doping Policy for the world’s best surfers which will be activated for 2012 ASP World Title season.

“This policy represents a consensus between our surfers, events and administrators in evolving the sport of surfing to a more professional level,” Richard Grellman, ASP Executive Chairman, said. “The desire to initiate this kind of policy has existed within ASP for several years now and with the approval of resource and budget allocation at the November 2011 Board Meeting, we are pleased to announce its activation. We believe this to be an important further step in enhancing professional surfing.”

The new ASP Anti-Doping Policy will apply to ASP Top 34 and ASP Top 17 members competing on the ASP World Title Series and ASP Women’s World Title Series respectively. ASP surfers played a crucial role in the initiation of this policy and are in full support of its activation.

“The men strongly support the implementation of the ASP Anti-Doping policy,” Kieren Perrow, ASP Top 34 competitor and surfers’ representative, said. “It is a positive step which enhances the professionalism of competitive surfing and sends a great message to the kids out there who look up to us as role models.”

The ASP Anti-Doping Policy involves standards prescribed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code and Prohibited List with any testing performed implemented at International Standards.

“As the sport of surfing continues to grow its audience every year, so grow the responsibilities of our athletes,” Jessi Miley-Dyer, surfers’ representative and newly-appointed ASP Women’s World Tour Manager, said. “The activation of the ASP’s Anti-Doping Policy is a logical step in the organization’s continued pursuit of professionalism and has the full support of the women.”

The new ASP Anti-Doping Policy can be viewed in full at http://www.aspworldtour.com/pdf/aspantidopingpolicy.pdf

The first stop of the 2012 ASP World Title Series will be the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast from February 25 to March 7, 2012.

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Jan 21

2012

Revamped ASP World Surfing Awards Ready for World’s Best Surfers this February

Posted by ASP-News in Untagged

Pictured: Kelly Slater (pictured) at last year's ASP World Surfing Awards will be on stage again this year to accept his 11th ASP World Title trophy.
Credit: © ASP / SCHOLTZ

COOLANGATTA, Queensland/AUS (Wednesday, January 11, 2012) – The ASP World Surfing Awards will draw the world’s best surfers to Australia’s Gold Coast once again this February, but this season's incarnation of the gala event will provided in an exciting new format with both surfers and fans participating in the awarding of athletes. New awards have been added, the production has been enhanced, tickets will be available to the general public and the event will be webcast LIVE via YouTube.

Surfing’s “night of nights”, the 2012 ASP World Surfing Awards will be held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on Thursday, February 23, and will officially recognize last season’s top performers.

ASP World Surfing Awards:
- ASP World Champions
- ASP World Runners-Up
- ASP Rookies of the Year
- Peter Whitaker Award
- Breakthrough Performers

The world’s best surfers will take the night to trade out their boardshorts and bikinis for suits and dresses, and this year’s ASP World Surfing Awards will feature an array of new accolades voted on by the surfers themselves.

Voted by Surfers:
- Surfer’s Surfer (surfer on tour with the most admirable qualities)
- Heat of the Year
- Maneuver of the Year

For the first time in the event’s storied history, the 2012 ASP World Surfing Awards will allow fans to participate in the selection process of four new publicly-voted awards.

Voted by the Fans:
- Male Entertainer of the Year (In and out of the water)
- Female Entertainer of the Year (In and out of the water)
- Most Underrated Male Surfer
- Most Underrated Female Surfer

TO VOTE, click on ASPWorldSurfingAwards.com

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Jan 21

2012

ASP International Appoints Jessi Miley-Dyer as ASP Women’s World Tour Manager

Posted by ASP-News in Untagged

Pictured: Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) will transition from the singlet to the head office as she begins her appointment as ASP Women’s World Tour Manager in 2012.
Credit: © ASP / SCHOLTZ

COOLANGATTA, Queensland/AUS (Tuesday, January 3, 2012) – ASP International is pleased to announce the appointment of Jessi Miley-Dyer to the ASP Women’s World Tour Manager position, effective immediately.

"We're very pleased to welcome Jessi to the ASP management team as Women's Tour Manager,” Richard Grellman, ASP Executive Chairman, said. “In addition to competing against the world's best over the past six years, Jessi has served as surfers' representative and board member and brings a wealth of experience to the position. We're confident that she'll serve the girls well as we work towards stabilizing and enhancing this dimension of our sport."

Miley-Dyer, a former ASP World Junior Champion and six-year veteran of the elite ASP Women’s World Tour, is excited about transitioning to the head office and working with the world’s best surfers in this new capacity.

"It's an honor to serve the girls on tour right now,” Miley-Dyer said. “I've been following the tour my whole life and can confidently say that we've never had such an incredible mix of talent as we do in 2012. It's an exciting time for women's surfing and I'm looking forward to working with the girls this season."

Miley-Dyer will commence her role as ASP Women’s World Tour manager immediately. The ASP Top 17 will begin the 2012 ASP Women’s World Title season at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast from February 27 to March 7, 2011.

2012 ASP WOMEN’S WORLD TITLE SCHEDULE:

Roxy Pro Gold Coast (February 25 – March 7, 2012)

Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach (April 3 – 9, 2012)

TSB Bank New Zealand (April 11 – 15, 2012)

Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic (April 18 – 23, 2012)

Billabong Rio Pro (May 9 – 13, 2012)

Roxy Pro (July 10 – 14, 2012)

Nike US Open of Surfing (July 30 – August 5, 2012)

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Jan 21

2012

ASP Surfers and Board of Directors Vote to Deactivate the Midyear Rotation in 2012

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Pictured: With the deactivation of the midyear rotation in 2012, Gabriel Medina (BRA), 18, will be a mainstay amongst the world’s elite throughout the whole of next season.
Credit: © ASP / CESTARI

COOLANGATTA, Queensland/AUS (Wednesday, December 28, 2011) –The ASP Board of Directors has voted to deactivate the midyear rotation in 2012, citing scheduling uncertainties as the primary reason.

“This has been an extremely challenging decision for us to make,” Dave Prodan, ASP International spokesman, said. “We believe that the 2011 rotation brought in some incredible talent that proved they deserved to be amongst the world’s best with their performances throughout the back half of the year. However, the instability of the ASP schedule (especially in 2012) makes the concept very difficult to manage. Where would we schedule the rotation? How do we ensure there are fair and balanced opportunities in every rotation for surfers to qualify? As we have been since our inception, we are a sport governed by the surfers for the surfers and it is in this spirit that we have voted to deactivate the midyear rotation in 2012. We believe this decision is best for the upcoming season and we will continue to discuss the future of the rotation within the sport.”

The motion to discontinue the midyear rotation was initially tabled and supported by the surfer stakeholder group, headed by representative and 2012 Billabong Pipe Master Kieren Perrow (AUS), 34.

“The midyear rotation worked out better than we could have imagined this season, but looking ahead, the surfers feel that it will not have the long-term effects desired for the sport,” Perrow said. “This is felt by the majority of the surfers from the very top of the ASP Top 34 to the qualifiers in the Prime and Star events. What we have created is a system in which the very best surfers in the world are currently within the ASP Top 34, but the process of getting there is becoming disorganized. We don’t want that and the decision to not have the midyear rotation in 2012 is the best thing for the sport.”

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Jan 21

2012

O’Neill Cold Water Classic Santa Cruz Confirmed for 2012 ASP World Title Series

Posted by ASP-News in Untagged

Pictured: The Northern Pacific power of Steamer Lane will host the world’s best surfers next year as the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Santa Cruz joins the 2012 ASP World Title schedule.
Credit: © O’NEILL

SANTA CRUZ, California/USA (Thursday, December 22, 2011) – The O’Neill Cold Water Classic Santa Cruz has been confirmed as an elite ASP World Title event for 2012. The world’s best surfers will journey to Northern California next November for the 10^th of 11 stops on next season’s ASP World Title Series.

“We’re very happy to confirm the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Santa Cruz as an ASP World Title event in 2012,” Renato Hickel, ASP World Tour Manager, said. “Santa Cruz offers a variety of world-class waves for our surfers to perform on and we’re hopeful that conditions will deliver for the world’s best to do battle in.”

The O’Neill Cold Water Classic has a long-standing history of competition, previously as an ASP World Title event (before the two-tier system) and then as an ASP Star and ASP Prime event. Next year’s status as a returning elite ASP World Title event coincides with the 60^th anniversary of the O’Neill family’s contribution to surfing.

"We are excited to see a World Tour level event return to Santa Cruz as part of O'Neill's 60 Year anniversary,” Pat O’Neill, President & CEO of O’Neill Wetsuits, said. “Santa Cruz, with its rich surf history and tradition, is the perfect venue for this pivotal event. Mainland surfing started in Santa Cruz, Jack O’Neill developed many pioneering surf inventions here and it’s been home to the O’Neill brand for over half a century. Santa Cruz has always been regarded as a true surf community and was named the number one surf town in the U.S. by Surfer magazine. With a World Tour event in 2012 and the possibility of the World Champion being crowned, we expect to see an exciting chapter in surfing history written right in our front yard."

An ASP event for over three decades now, the O’Neill Coldwater Classic has been championed by California standouts such as Tom Curren and Bobby Martinez from Santa Barbara, Kieran Horn, Adam Replogle and Nat Young from Santa Cruz, Richie Collins from Newport Beach and San Clemente’s Nathan Yeomans.

Illustrating the global impact of the event, the winners’ dais has also hosted international standouts Martin Potter (GBR), Joel Parkinson (AUS), Toby Martin (AUS), Jordy Smith (ZAF), Matt Wilkinson (AUS) and most recently Miguel Pupo (BRA). When the ASP Top 34 hit Santa Cruz next November, you can expect another worthy name to be added to such a historic list.

"Joining the other great events on the ASP World Tour makes celebrating O'Neill's 60th anniversary in 2012 even more exciting," Toby Bost, CEO of O'Neill Clothing USA, said. "With such a prestigious event, coupled with the amazing group of past winners and new crop of incredible talent on the Tour, there will definitely be a lot of anticipation and energy heading into Santa Cruz next year."

The world’s best surfers will contest the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Santa Cruz from November 2 – 12, 2012

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