Written by Ben Kennings, Surfing NZ
The four girls in the Rip Curl New Zealand Junior Surfing Team got their campaigns underway today at the 2011 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship with good results.
Three of the four girls progressed through their heats and into the second qualifying round surfing on the right-hand break of Caballeros in clean 1.0m – 1.5m waves.
The girls were coincidentally paired up against each other in their first round heats and it was Jayda Martin – Fitzharris (Gis) who got the wood over Ella Williams (WGM) the two surfers placing first and second respectively.
Fitzharris scored an 11.83 point heat total building on her scores throughout the 20 minute heat and posting a heat-high 6.33 point ride on her last wave.
“I really wanted to start the heat with a quick wave to get going and build on that” said Fitzharris on a plan that worked perfectly.
Team mate Williams also got off to a quick start with 4.0 and 5.67 point rides before being overtaken by Martin – Fitzharris who feels she gained confidence having with her team mate in the heat.
“I don’t think it eased the pressure – it just made me more confident in my surfing knowing someone else out there who I compete against regularly.”
In the second Kiwi double header Grace Spiers (WGM) was victorious scoring 13.06 out of 20 to win the heat. However this time fellow team mate Alexis Poulter (Rag) was not so lucky coming off a slow start to the heat and a points deficit that she could not escape from placing fourth.
The Under 18 Boys Division surfers contested their second round today with all four Rip Curl New Zealand Junior Surfing Team members in action three of which progressed to the third qualifying round.
Both Joe Moretti (Mimiwhangata) and Tane Wallis (Piha) won their match ups under tight circumstances – Wallis finishing the heat in first equal with Hawaiian Kaimana Jaquias on 7.67 points.
Wallis surfed smoothly during the heat picking off a number of waves down the side of the left-hand point break before venturing to the outside peak and putting pressure on his opponents.
Wallis was stoked at the days end to see his team rolling through the event and working on bettering their current world ranking of seventh.
“Yeah it is good that we have three of the four Under 18 Boys in the main round. Todd and Joe have both been surfing sharp so hopefully we can push on for a good team result.”
Moretti surfed late in the day defeating surfers from USA, Mexico and the United Kingdom in the dying swell and outgoing tide.
“It was a little challenging out there, not many sets, and it is smaller than yesterday. You had to get the inside runners and do turns on them to get the scores” commented a happy Moretti post heat who had a simple game plan of “getting the ball rolling early in the heat” and “getting heaps of waves.”
Todd Doyle (Mnt) showed glimpses of flair in his heat as he was locked in a see-sawing battle for first place with Derek Peters (USA). However Peters ran away with the event posting 9.77 points to Doyle’s 7.50 points which earned him second place.
Unfortunately Ben Poulter (Rag) was edged into third place in his heat losing to American Conner Coffin and Travis Southworth (Mex) – the margin a mere 0.70 points. The loss means that the New Zealand team now has three surfers in the repechage rounds. A loss for these three surfers will mean elimination from the event.
The Under 16 Boys Division was not contested on day two giving Paul Moretti (Mimiwhangata), Dune Kennings (WGM), Adam Grimson (Gis) and Elliot Paerata – Reid (Piha) a day off to cheer on their team.
The Rip Curl New Zealand Junior Surfing Team includes surfers from six regions throughout New Zealand with the small surf town of Whangamata providing three surfers, Northland, Auckland, Raglan, Gisborne all providing two surfers a piece with one representative from Mount Maunganui.
The event is being held at Punta Hermosa, Lima, Peru from the 21st – 29th May with two arenas catering for a record 276 surfers from 27 countries competing at the event.
Day three of the 2011 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship starts overnight Tuesday (1:00am, 25th May). You can catch the entire event live via World Junior Surfing Championship.
Day three schedule (New Zealand time)
Podium One
1:00am Under 16 Boys Qualifying Round 2
2:40am Heat 6 with Paul Moretti
3:20am Heat 8 with Dune Kennings
4:00am Heat 10 with Adam Grimson
5:00am Under 18 Girls Qualifying Round 2
6:20am Heat 5 with Jayda Martin Fitzharris
6:40am Heat 6 with Ella Williams
7:00am Heat 7 with Grace Spiers
Podium Two
1:00am Under 18 Boys Repechage Round 1
2:20am Under 16 Boys Repechage Round 1
3:00am Heat 3 with Elliot Paerata – Reid
7:40am Heat 8 with Alexis Poulter
Please see below for results from the second day of the 2011 Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championship being held in Peru.
Under 18 Boys Qualifying Round 2
Heat 4
1, 9.77, Derek Peters, USA, 2, 7.50, Todd Doyle, NZL, 3, 6.30, Jose Miguel Iriarte, VEN, 4, 4.80, Beau Bromham, UK
Heat 6
1, 7.67, Tane Wallis, NZL, 2, 7.67, Kaimana Jaquias, HAW, 3, 6.34, Lorenzo Avvenenti, TAH, 4, 4.67, Nicolas Vargas, CHI
Heat 11
1, 9.63, Conner Coffin, USA, 2, 7.93, Travis Southworth, MEX, 3, 7.23, Ben Poulter, NZL, 4, 5.10, Max Tucker, UK
Heat 14
1, 7.36, Joe Moretti, NZL, 2, 7.10, Jake Halstead, USA, 3, 5.50, Nahum Corzo, MEX, 4, 4.73, Thomas Good, UK
Under 18 Girls Qualifying Round 1
Heat 11
1, 11.83, Jayda Martin-Fitzharris, NZL, 2, 9.67, Ella Williams, NZL, 3, 1.83, Emer Mc Hugh, IRE, 4, 0.90, Noella Llufin, CHI
Heat 15
1, 13.06, Grace Spiers, NZL, 2, 11.83, Chelsea Tuach, BAR, 3, 8.70, Chelsea Roett, BAR, 4, 6.03, Alexis C. Poulter, NZL
Under 18 Girls Qualifying Round 2 (Yet to be surfed)
Heat 5
Kaena Brandi, BRA, Asako Mizuno, JPN, Jayda Martin-Fitzharris, NZL, Nikki Viesins, USA
Heat 6
Bianca Buitendag, ZAF, Codie Klein, AUS, Reika Noro, JPN, Ella Williams, NZL
Heat 7
Nikki Van Dijk, AUS, Sayaka Muramatsu, JPN, Grace Spiers, NZL, Quincy Davis, USA
Under 18 Girls Repechage Round 1 (Yet to be surfed)
Heat 8
Emily Gussoni, CRC, Paola Duarte, CRC, Alexis C. Poulter, NZL
Under 16 Boys Qualifying Round 2 (Yet to be surfed)
Heat 6
Slade Prestwich, ZAF, Deivid Silva, BRA, Leonardo Fioravanti, ITA, Paul Moretti, NZL
Heat 8
Joaquin del Castillo, PER, Lucas Silveira, BRA, Kanoa Igarashi, USA, Dune Kennings, NZL
Heat 10
Juninho Urcia, PER, Aurelio Blum, ECU, Parker Coffin, USA, Adam Grimson, NZL
Under 16 Boys Repechage Round 1 (Yet to be surfed)
Heat 3
Joaquin Juarez, ARG, Donough Cronin, IRE, Elliot Paerata-Reid, NZL, Manuel Kronfelder, GER