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Eight provincial teams and a host of stars all set to compete in the 2013 Cool Shoe South African Surfing Championships in Durban

 

The 2013 Cool Shoe South African Surfing Championships is the 48th edition of one of the longest running surfing tournaments in the world and will take place at Durban’s New Pier from June 27th  to 30th .

 

This year’s tournament will feature a current World Champion, a former World Champions, a number of World Championship medal winners, all four defending South African Champions and a host of current and former national team members Presented by Surfing South Africa and hosted by KZN Central Surfing Association, the 2013 Cool Shoe South African Surfing Championships will not only decide the four individual champions for 2013 but will also determine which province will claim the 43 year old iconic Presidents Cup.

 

 

There is no prize money on offer at this year’s SA Championships and surfers will be competing for honour, trophies and medals.

 

However they will be able to accumulate Surfing South Africa Pro Surf Tour ratings points as the SA Championships is a 3A Rated contest on the Pro Surf Tour.

 

 

Eight provinces will be represented at this year’s Cool Shoe SA Surfing Championships. They are defending champions Western Province, hosts and 2012 runners up KZN Central, 2009 Champions Eastern Province, 2010 & 2011 Presidents Cup winners Border, Boland, Southern KZN, Southern Cape and Zululand.

 

 

Western Province won the Presidents Cup at the 2012 Championships in Cape Town last year and will travel to Durban for the 2013 Cool Shoe SA Championships determined to become the first team in history from the Cape to win the title in KZN.

 

 

Included in the WP side are Mike February, the 2012 Under 20 Boys champion and member of the 2013 South African Team which won the World Championship team gold medal at the recent ISA World Surfing Games in Panama as well as Brandon Benjamin, Max Armstrong and Daniel Wilson while 2012 Under 20 Girls finalist and former Durban local Nikita Kekana and talented Nina Woermann are the Under 20 Girls representatives 2010 SA Under 20 Champion and former national team member Matt Bromley, 2006 SA Under 20 Champion Josh Salie, Jordan Alexander and Neil Zietsman are the Men’s representatives while current Under 20 Pro Surf Tour champion Tanika Hoffman and multi capped Tarryn Chudleigh will compete in the Women’s division. Hoffman is a member of the South African Team that won gold at the ISA World Games and Chudleigh is a former national team member.

 

 

Hosts KZN Central have dominated the South African Championships in Durban and since 1965 have won the team title on every occasion that the event has been held along the Golden Mile. Last year KZN Central finished second to Western Province but this year a power packed KZNC team is determined to win back the trophy that has eluded them since 2008.

 

2013 SA Team member David Van Zyl heads up the Under 20 Division for KZNC with 2013 SA Junior Team member Josh Smit, Mikey Venter and Wade Simkiss filling the other three slots. 2012 SA Under 20 champion Heidi Palmboom and current SA Junior team member Nicole Pallet are the two Under 20 Girls in the KZNC side.

 

2012 SA Men’s runner up Dan Redman, 2012 National team member Brandon Jackson and 2010 National team members Chad du Toit and Matt Kruger make up a formidable Men’s quartet while Kat Steffen and Lynne Mackey are the two Women representatives for the hosts.

 

 

Eastern Province have SA Junior Team captain Dylan Lightfoot and fellow Jeffrey’s Bay surfers Steven Sawyer, Jerry Van Wyk and current SA Under 15 champion and Junior Team member Matt McGillivray as their Under 20 Boys line up while Jeffrey’s Bay sisters Emma & Gina Smith are the Under 20 Girls. Emma is a two time SA Junior Team member and Gina is the Under 17 SA Champion and current SA Junior Team vice captain.

 

Remi Petersen, Bruce Campbell, Ari Kraak and Mike Hill are the Men’s team and Faye Zoetmulder, a member of the SA Team which won gold in Panama, will surf in the Women’s division.

 

 

The Border Team is headed up by current World Masters Champion, 2012 PST Champion, 2012 SA Masters Champion and four time South African Men’s champion Greg Emslie. Emslie won the 2013 World Masters title in Ecuador two months ago and helped the South African Team achieve a silver medal at the event. A former World Tour campaigner, Emslie remains one of South Africa’s most exceptional surfers of the last two decades. Joining him in the Border Men’s side are fellow SA Masters teammate Wayne Monk, a former double Men’s champion, 2008 national team member Devyn Mattheys and former SA Universities champion Clinton Gravett. Mitch Henderson, Michael Monk, Jordan Dalbock and Avuyile Ndamase are the Under 20 group.

 

Three time and defending SA Champion Nikita Robb and Catherine Lee will compete in the Women’s division while the U20 girls are Inge McLaren and Lauren Ridge.

 

 

The Boland team includes Peder Christensen, Jesse Van Wyk, Tommie Kruger and Joost Van Lier as its Men’s division. SA Junior team member Diran Zakarian, JP Olivier, Davey Gouws and Jeandre Blignaut are the Under 20 Boys, Danielle Johnson and Krystal Tavernor are the Women’s representatives and SA Junior team member Anoush Zakarian will surf in the U20 girls division.

 

 

Two time World Masters Champion, former World Tour surfer and six time SA Champion Heather Clark will represent her beloved Southern KZN for the umpteenth time in the Women’s division this year and will guide U20 girls, Chanelle Botha and Heather Klug at the event. Botha is a member of the SA Junior team which is currently competing in Nicaragua.

 

The Men’s lineup for Southern KZN comprises defending SA Champion and 2010 SA Team member Casey Grant, 2010 SA Team member Klee Strachan, SA Masters Team member Gary Van Wieringen and Justin Maisch while the Under 20 Boys are Byron Wigmore, Dylan Gouws, Slater Rudling and Derek Horlock.

 

 

Southern Cape is represented by 2010 SA Team member Llewellyn Whittaker, Liam Wood and Shaun Peypers in the Men’s group, Lincoln Logie, Josh Fairley and Ben Jacobsen in the U20 Boys division, Roxy Giles and Sabrina Horn in the U20 girls and current SA Masters Champion Tasha Mentasti in the Women’s Division.

 

 

Last year Zululand finished in eighth spot but for this event they have put together a full team of surfers and are sure to move up the rankings. Their Men’s team is Alan Johns, Damien Stander, Cory Venter and Mike Frew with Steven de Lange, Jago England, Trevor Zondwayo and Liam de Villiers as the Under 20 Boys. Sarah Lee Banwell and Monique Gresse are the two Women representatives and Amber Hogg and Tenielle Hiepner are the Under 20 Girls in the side.

 

 

The Cool Shoe SA Surfing Championships will get under way with an Opening function for all the teams and officials at Fat Baz Sports Bar in Newport Avenue Glenashley at 7pm on Wednesday June 26th.

 

The heats will start at 8am on Thursday June 27th and the Finals will be completed before midday on Sunday June 30th.

The Heats and provisional schedule for the Championships are available on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current World Masters Champion, Greg Emslie, will surf for Border at the Cool Shoe SA Championships

Photo : Tweddle/ISA

Surfing South Africa

 

Surfing South Africa is recognised by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association as the governing body for the sport in South Africa.SSA is made up of eight provinces: Boland, Border, Eastern Province, KwaZulu-Natal Central, Southern Cape, Southern KZN, Western Province and Zululand.The South African Bodyboarding Association, the South African Longboarding Association, Stand Up Paddle South Africa and USASSA (student surfing) are all affiliated to Surfing South Africa.SSA sanctions the annual Pro Surf Tour, coordinates and runs National Surfing Championships, selects National teams and is responsible for the administration of the sport.

 

The Cool Shoe Corporation

 

 

“The essence of Cool Shoe is based on our love of the ocean, fashion and extreme sports.”

 

Straight out of America’s surf skate and snow heartland, the COOL SHOE CORPORATION has been walking, running, hiking and trekking the planet since 1980. COOL SHOE made it big when an American company reached an agreement with a French company to develop the product in Europe.

 

In 1984 a French firm decided to innovate and revolutionize “flip flops” resulting in the concept of a rocking chair “Cool Original” flip flop with its rounded and large shape.

 

Then, and now, our product designers remain true to the original concept that made the brand famous: Creative originality and quality.

Cool Shoe is sponsoring the SA Surfing Champs because it’s the cool thing to do, helping surfing grow whilst creating brand awareness.

Cool Shoe products are available at selected stores in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Jeffreys Bay and Durban.

 

For more information go to www.cool-shoe.com or contact Georgia Carpenter on georgie1@live.co.za

 

ENDS