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Queensland's elite junior surfers are poised to climb the ratings to Queensland selection at round two of the Arnette Queensland Junior Titles.
29/6/2009
North Stradbroke Island (Monday 29th June, 2009): It's an action packed first week of school holidays for Queensland's finest surfers.
Queensland's elite junior surfers are poised to climb the ratings to Queensland selection at round two of the Arnette Queensland Junior Titles.North Stradbroke Island (Monday 29th June, 2009): It's an action packed first week of school holidays for Queensland's finest surfers, with round two of the Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles landing on the idyllic North Stradbroke Island.
The three-day tournament will run from Tuesday through Thursday with only the finest surfers aged 17 and under expected to remain in the contention for prestigious state titles come the third and final leg on July 25th.
Drenched in history, the series not only selects the state's best, but has historically acted as a litmus test for compatibility with elite competition on the world state. Previous winners include Mick Fanning (Coolangatta), Joel Parkinson (Coolangatta), Bede Burbidge (Currumbin), and Dean Morrison (Coolangatta).
Surfers aspiring to reach such heights include winners of round one; Jack Freestone (Coolangatta) and Naomi Stevic (Sunrise Beach) in the blue ribbon under 18's division. In the under 16's the action will be just as hot with defending champions Noa Deane (Coolangatta) and Eden Putland (Currumbin) aiming to capitalise on the forecast increase in swell throughout the week.
Event managers at Surfing Queensland are confident that the series brings out the best in the juniors and ultimately selects the strongest Queensland team to compete at the Arnette Australian Junior Titles in late November. "We make a point to select the team over three events staged at three different locations" states Scott Gillies, Surfing Queensland Event Manager. "It looks like North Stradbroke Island will turn on some real high performance waves with an increasing southerly swell leading into the finals" he continued.
Hoping to get amongst North Stradbroke's high performance waves is Noa Deane (Coolangatta) who currently boasts the ratings lead in the under 16's division. Deane will need to defend his lead against surfers such as Eli Steele (Shelly Beach), Hayden Welch (Currumbin), and Harry Bryant (Sunshine Beach) who are in second through to fourth place respectively. Deane will be hoping to continue his hot run of competition results and earn a Queensland title for the mantelpiece, a feat which has been achieved many times by his father and Surfing Queensland life member Wayne Deane.
Top seeds from events 1 and 2 will be eligible to compete in the final event on the Sunshine Coast on August 8-9. The top 24 rated - U/16 and U/18 year old boy surfers and the top 8 - U/16 and U/18 year old girl surfers will be invited to contest the final event. 2009 champions will be decided from a surfer’s best three results from the three event series.
Please note: Surfers must meet eligibility requirements as per Surfing Queensland’s ‘Eligibility for selection’ document found on www.surfingqueensland.com in the documents link. The Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles are proudly supported by WAECO, Australia’s Surfing Life (ASL) Magazine and Surfing Queensland.
The dates and locations for the three-event titles are:
1) Gold Coast June 6-8
2) North Stradbroke Island June 30 -July 2
3) Sunshine Coast August 8-9
Queensland's best under 18 and 16 boy surfers lead the charge for day one of the Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles.
30/6/2009
For Immediate Release: SURFING (North Stradbroke Island, Queensland) Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles kicks off in style at North Stradbroke's Main BeachQueensland's best under 18 and 16 boy surfers lead the charge for day one of the Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles.North Stradbroke Island (Tuesday 30th June, 2009): Contest organisers didn't hesitate in getting an immediate start to today's second leg of the Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles in a clean, building 1metre southerly swell.
With an action packed three day schedule ahead, the girls were given a lay day and it was up to the boys to shoot it out against the state's best . Two rounds of the under 16's and under 18's boys were completed in what many agreed were the best waves in Queensland today as both the Gold and Sunshine coasts remained dead flat.
Event Manager Scott Gillies was delighted with the conditions as the opening siren sounded "The waves are great now and if Huey's on our side things should get even better as the tide pushes in"
Wave God Huey didn't disappoint, nor did top seed in the under 18's Jack Freestone (Coolangatta). Freestone looked at home in the punchy beach break conditions, a location whereby he featured in the 2009 final of the February Oakley Pro Junior. Sticking to his game plan, Freestone impressed the judges today with a mix of big turns and aerial manoeuvres to book a spot in round two of competition.
Also impressing the judges was second seeded Currumbin surfer Thomas Woods who bagged the day's highest wave score of 9.5 out of a possible 10. His combined score of 17.83 out of 20 sets the scene for a showdown with Freestone when they come up against each other in the semi finals.
"I'm sure it will be a tough heat but I'm looking forward to coming up against Jack and Tim in the Semis. The waves were fun today and should get even better for the finals" Said a calm and collected Woods after his heat.
Showcasing Queensland's future talent, the under 16 boys were in their element today as the cream of the crop progressed through to round two. Amongst the winners was Sunshine Coast surfer Eli Steele. Steele won his quarter final heat (12.83) beating Harry Bryant (8.90) and Michael McCarron (7.47) setting up a semi final berth tomorrow. His backhand attack was just as impressive as his forehand on a day where rights played an uncharacteristic prominence at Main Beach.
Series winners will join a who’s who of the Queensland surfing scene that have netted state junior titles including 2007 world champion Mick Fanning (Coolangatta), current world no.1 Joel Parkinson (Coolangatta), Bede Durbidge (Currumbin) and world tour competitor Dean Morrison (Coolangatta).
Top seeds from events 1 and 2 will be eligible to compete in the final event on the Sunshine Coast on August 8-9. The top 24 rated - U/16 and U/18 year old boy surfers and the top 8 - U/16 and U/18 year old girl surfers will be invited to contest the final event.
2009 champions will be decided from a surfer’s best three results from the three event series.
The Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles are proudly supported by WAECO, Australia’s Surfing Life (ASL) Magazine and Surfing Queensland.
More info can be found at www.surfingqueensland.com
The dates and locations for the three-event titles are:
1) Gold Coast June 6-8
2) North Stradbroke Island June 30 -July 2
3) Sunshine Coast August 8-9
State Champions Will Be Crowned As Queensland’s Best Junior Surfers Do Battle On the Sunshine Coast.
06/8/2009
RIVALRIES will be reignited as Queensland’s best junior surfers square off for supremacy on the Sunshine Coast this weekend, when they take part in the final event of the 2009 Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles.
The third and final event of the revered series will see the State’s best junior surfers compete across four divisions (U/18 and U/16 Boys and Girls) for a prestigious State Title along with selection in Queensland’s esteemed Junior Surfing Team.
Beginning this Saturday, 8th August and concluding on Sunday 9th August, the two-day event is swarming with Queensland’s next wave of future world surfing super-stars.
Series winners will join an elite group of Queensland surfers that have previously won state junior titles, including 2007 World Champion Mick Fanning (Coolangatta), current World no.1 Joel Parkinson (Coolangatta) and perennial ASP World Tour competitors Bede Durbidge (Currumbin) and Dean Morrison (Coolangatta).
Contest Director and Surfing Queensland’s Event Manger Scott Gillies, likened the build-up to the event to a grand-final week in the football codes.
“In terms of media attention and pressure to perform, the build-up and actual competition is not too dissimilar to a Queensland Junior Rugby League or AFL grand-final,” said Gillies.
“These kids have media and sponsorship commitments to go along with trying to prepare for arguably the biggest surfing event of their career, so it’s no easy feat,” he said.
In the blue-ribbon U/18 Boys Division, runaway series leader Jack Freestone (Coolangatta) will be looking for a clean sweep of the series after he dominated the competition to emphatically win the first two series events on the Gold Coast (June, 2009) and North Stradbroke Island (July, 2009).
Victory on the Sunshine Coast will extend Freestone’s commanding ratings lead and guarantee him an esteemed State Title along with a place in the Queensland Team, which is set to compete against the other states in the Arnette Australian Junior Surfing Titles held on the Sunshine Coast in November.
Meanwhile, after U/16 Boys series leader Noa Deane (Coolangatta) suffered an upset loss at the previous series event on North Stradbroke Island, he’ll undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on ever-present rivals - Eli Steele (Shelly Beach), Harry Wheeler (Coolangatta) and Harry Bryant (Sunshine Beach) who sit second, third and fourth respectively in the ratings as all four boys remain poised to make a final charge towards a State Title.
In the U/18 Girls Division, the score will finally be settled between traditional Gold and Sunshine Coast rivals Naomi Stevic (Castaways Beach) and Amiya Doyle (Coolangatta).
With only ten ratings points separating Stevic (first) from Doyle (second) and with 1000 ratings points available for the first place finisher at this weekend’s event, both girls will be entirely aware that the competitor who places higher will ultimately be crowned State Champion.
Not to be outdone, only ten ratings points separate the top three competitors in the U/16 Girls division, which has arguably been the most fiercely contested division of the 2009 series.
A three-way shootout looms between U/16 Girls division leaders - Eden Putland (Currumbin), Sophie Callister (Noosaville) and Brodie Doyle (Coolangatta), who currently sit first, second and third respectively. Again, this weekend’s results will decide who walks away with State Crown
The 2009 Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles will be broadcast LIVE via www.surfingnsw.com.au with live scores, commentary, results, news, photos and video galleries.
The Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles is proudly supported by Arnette, WAECO, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Australia's Surfing Life and Surfing Queensland.
For the confirmed daily contest location, please call the Surfing Queensland Event Hotline on: (07) 30306388
www.surfingqueensland.com will also be updated with results, news and photos at the end of each day of competition.
Action Reaches Boiling Point on Day-One of the 2009 Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles - Event Three
08/8/2009
QUEENSLAND’S finest junior surfers hit top gear on the Sunshine Coast today, as competitors staged an unforgettable display of high-performance action during day-one of the 2009 Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles.
Jack Freestone (Coolangatta, QLD) performed like a seasoned prize fighter, outscoring his U/18 Boys rivals in the contestable 0.5m waves at Maroochydore before delivering the knockout blow by registering an excellent heat score total of 15.66 out of a possible 20 – the highest in the U/18 Boys Division.
The result sees Freestone advance through to the second round of the competition and edge one step closer to registering a clean sweep of the series, ultimately securing himself a covered State Title and automatic selection into the Queensland Junior Surfing Team.
Keeping with the entertaining blow-for-blow action of day-one, traditional Gold and Sunshine Coast rivals Noa Deane (Coolangatta, QLD) and Eli Steele (Moffat Beach, QLD) remain on a collision course for U/16 Boys Division final.
After both boys delivered dominant performances in their opening round heats, a potential final showdown now looms between the two perennial title contenders, which will ultimately decide which surfer is crowned U/16 Boys State Champion.
Not to be outdone, Naomi Stevic (Castaways Beach) drew first blood in the highly anticipated U/18 Girls duel between her and Amiya Doyle (Coolangatta), with Stevic scoring an imposing 13.83 out of a possible 20 to outpoint Doyle who could only manage an 8.40 out of a possible 20 in their respective heat.
However, the battle between these two gladiators of junior girls surfing will continue tomorrow, as both girls did enough to advance through the final and with only ten ratings points separating Stevic (first) from Doyle (second) and with 1000 ratings points available for the first place finisher – the arch-rivals will finally settle the score and determine who walks away U/18 Girls State Champion.
Meanwhile, U/16 Girls division leader Eden Putland (Currumbin, QLD) will wait with baited breath to see if her main challengers can advance through to meet her in the final of the highly entertaining division.
Putland effortlessly advanced through her heats today and will now be looking to see if Sophie Callister (Noosaville, QLD) and Brodie Doyle (Coolangatta,QLD) can advance through to the division final and the expected three-way shootout for the State Crown eventuates tomorrow.
Contest Director and Surfing Queensland Events Manger Scott Gillies said today’s action was like looking into the future of world surfing.
“If you look at guys like Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson who have won this event in the past, it truly is a stepping for launching a career on the world surfing stage,” said Gillies.
“Today’s action was of a standard that I didn’t think was possible for surfers so young, but I can’t say I was totally surprised because I know the potential these kids have shown in the past…I just didn’t expect them to be fulfilling that potential so soon,” he said.
The 2009 Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles will conclude tomorrow with the top four competitors (top two competitors in the U/16 Girls) from each division gaining selection in the Queensland Junior Surfing Team set to compete in the Arnette Australian Junior Surfing Titles on the Sunshine Coast in November.
Ratings are based on results from the three-event series. Check www.surfingqueensland.com for a full ratings list.
The 2009 Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles will again be broadcast LIVE tomorrow via http://live.coastalwatch.com/08_default.aspx?eid=15567&qryL=english with live scores, commentary, results, news, photos and video galleries.
The Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles is proudly supported by Arnette, WAECO, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Australia's Surfing Life and Surfing Queensland.
For the confirmed daily contest location, please call the Surfing Queensland Event Hotline on: (07) 30306388
www.surfingqueensland.com will also be updated with results, news and photos at the end of each day of competition.
Queensland Junior Surfing State Champions Crowned At Final Event Of The 2009 Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles.
09/8/2009
FORGET about Joel Parkinson, Mick Fanning, and Stephanie Gilmore - Today, four elite Queensland junior surfers cemented their status as future household names, after being crowned champions of the 2009 Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles.
2009 Queensland Junior Surfing State Champions are:
U/18 Boys: Jack Freestone (Coolangatta)
U/16 Boys: Noa Deane (Coolangatta)
U/18 Girls: Naomi Stevic (Castaways Beach)
U/16 Girls: Brodie Doyle (Coolangatta)
With an increase in swell overnight, the high performance half-to-one-metre waves on offer at Maroochydore (Sunshine Coast, Qld) provided an ideal platform for competitors to showcase their amazing surfing prowess, producing a perfect ending to the third and final event of the 2009 Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles.
In remarkable circumstances, three of the four overall state champions managed to not only capture a prestigious aged-title (after individually amassing the highest ratings points across the three-event series), but they capped off their amazing accomplishment by also winning their respective division in today’s third and final event of the 2009 Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles.
Jack Freestone (Coolangatta) was the only state champion unable to win today’s final series event, falling short to Tugun’s Thomas Woods in a seesawing final in the blue-ribbon U/18 Boys division.
After winning the previous two series events, Freestone was unlucky not to make it a clean sweep, losing out in the heat of the day, which saw the lead change an astonishing four times in 20 minutes (total heat duration), before Woods secured an telling 8.93 ride to register a high-flying 16.70 out of a possible 20 points- defeating Freestone (15.27) by just over one point.
Woods said he was relieved to finally secure a series victory.
“I’ve been surfing really well throughout the entire Arnette series, but I was just unable to get over that final hurdle and win one of the events,” said Woods.
“It’s a good preparation for the Arnette Australian junior titles later this year so hopefully I can carry over some of today’s from into that event,” he said.
Noa Deane (Coolangatta), proved too strong for his rivals in the final of the U/16 Boys division posting an imposing 16.30 points out of a possible 20 to outscore Currumbin’s Hayden Welch (16.63), Moffat Beach’s Eli Steele (14.27) and Burleigh’s Luke Hynd (9.83) – also securing Deane the state title in the U/16 Boys division.
Naomi Stevic (Castaways Beach) capped of her remarkable series campaign, winning the U/18 Girls division at today’s event to go along with an esteemed state title.
Posting a 13.83 out of a possible 20 in the final, Stevic ultimately proved too strong for Coolangatta’s Amiya Doyle (12.56) and fellow Sunshine Coaster Chiana Ireland (9.03), effortlessly executing high-performance manoeuvres in style.
Meanwhile, pocket-rocket Brodie Doyle (Coolangatta) out-muscled her opponents in U/16 Girls division …
Contest Director and Surfing Queensland Events Manger Scott Gillies was excited about the standard of surfing showcased by the junior competitors at today’s competition.
“Queensland’s junior surfing team will definitely be a force to be reckoned with when the Arnette Australian Junior Surfing Titles get underway on the Sunshine Coast in late November,” said Gillies.
“Both the boys and the girls once again proved that the Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles is a proven stepping stone for a professional surfing career, as these competitors move forward with their surfing development” he said.
Series winners will join an elite group of Queensland surfers that have previously won state junior titles, including 2007 World Champion Mick Fanning (Coolangatta), current World no.1 Joel Parkinson (Coolangatta).
The Queensland Junior Surfing Team will now prepare to do battle with the other sates when the Arnette Australian Junior Surfing Titles come to the Sunshine Coast in November.
Queensland Junior Surfing Teams:
U/18 Boys:
1. Jack Freestone - Coolangatta (State Champion)
2. Thomas Woods – Tugun
3. Tim Macdonald – North Stradbroke Island
4. Josh Menger - Coolum
U/16 Boys:
1. Noa Deane – Coolangatta (State Champion)
2. Eli Steele - Moffat Beach
3. Hayden Welch - Currumbin
4. Harry Bryant – Sunshine Beach
U/18 Girls:
1. Naomi Stevic – Castaways Beach (State Champion)
2. Amiya Doyle – Coolangatta
3. Chiana Ireland - Maroochydore
4. Claje Goebel – North Stradborke Island
U/16 Girls:
1. Brodie Doyle – Coolangatta (State Champion)
2. Eden Putland – Currumbin
The Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles is proudly supported by Arnette, WAECO, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Australia's Surfing Life and Surfing Queensland.
Will it be the Noa Deane show at North Stradbroke Island this week....
Jack Freestone was flying through his qualifying heats today
Eli Steele tore the Main Beach lefts apart to book a spot in the semis today
Noa Deane - Current series ratings leader in the U/16 Boys Division obliterating an innocent Gold Coast peak
Eli Steele Advanced Through His Opening Round Heat Today in the U/16 Boys Division
Thomas Woods Took A Liking To This Little Peak In His Opening Round Heat
U/18 Boys Series Leader Jack Freestone - Laid Back In and Out Of The Water
Prospective Arnette Design Team...
Freestone again...Can He Make It A Series Clean Sweep?
Noa Deane - Series Champion In the U/16 Boys Division
Naomi Stevic Won The Event And The State Crown in the U/18 Girls
Thomas Woods Won The Event In The U/18 Boys But Jack Freestone Won The Series
Queensland's Team!
Pocket Rocket Brodie Doyle Out Muscled Her Opponents In The U/16 Girls