Kiwis Battle Mountainous Seas At World Surfing Games
For immediate release
Date: 22nd October 2010
From: Surfing New Zealand
Sport: International Surfing
Event: 2010 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games
Divisions: Open Men, Open Women, Men’s Longboard
Date: 19th – 27th October
Location: Punta Hermosa, Lima, Peru
Websites: www.isasurf.org www.billabongpro.com and www.surfingnz.co.nz
Kiwis Battle Mountainous Seas At World Surfing Games
The Quiksilver New Zealand Surfing Team confronted massive 3.0m swells head-on with good results on the second day of the 2010 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games being held in Peru.
Day two saw both female surfers, Paige Hareb (Taranaki) and Laura Rishworth (Mount Maunganui) progress through to the last 16 surfers in the qualifying round of the Women’s Division.
“Yeah it was way harder than it looked out there” commented Hareb. “My biggest board is a 5'9” so I don't want it to get any bigger just because it's already taking at least eight minutes to get out the back and everyone is struggling to get two waves as it is” added Hareb.
The swell is in fact expected to increase further for day three before slowly easing back each day for the rest of the event which runs through until the Wednesday next week (27th October).
Both Kiwi girls scored lowly in their heats with Hareb posting 5.30 out of a possible 20 points to place second and Rishworth scoring 5.53 also placing second.
“The heats were only 20 minutes with four people in the water at a time – not really what I am used to, it was hard work” said Hareb after her heat today.
“I think they are trying to make heats 25 minutes long for tomorrow though” added Paige as she looks towards a crucial match up that, should she place in the top two, will see her move through to the last eight surfers in the qualifying round.
Luke Hughes (Raglan) and Nick White (Mount Maunganui) moved through to the third round of the Open Men’s Division. The only casualties of the day were Keone Campbell (Taranaki) and Morehu Roberts (Gisborne) who succumbed to the washing machine like conditions placing third and fourth in their heats and being relegated to the repechage rounds.
Luke Hughes was the top scoring Kiwi surfer of the day posting 11.27 points out of a possible 20 to win his heat. "Trying conditions, but we had a game plan, I stuck to it, and got ‘Cambo’ back for last year" said Hughes after his heat referring to ex ASP World Tour surfer Mick Campbell (AUS) who placed second in the heat.
Hughes will now look toward a Round 3 match up where progression will push him through to the final 16 surfers in the qualifying rounds. "I’m definitely looking forward to the next heat, I now know that if I get the right waves, I can achieve the scores... bring it on!" said Hughes who will contest his next heat tomorrow.
Nick White secured a nail biting second place in his heat scoring 7.10 to hold out third and fourth placed surfers from Argentina and Mexico. “Yeah it was a pretty tricky heat, the conditions were pretty tough but I am stoked to sneak through though” commented White.
White has competed internationally on the ASP World Tour but not as part of the Quiksilver New Zealand Surfing Team at the ISA World Surfing Games, the team aspect being new territory for the Mount Maunganui surfer.
“It has been awesome surfing in the NZ team, everyone has been supporting each other really well, watching each others heats and it seems to be showing with our results so far throughout the event. Hopefully we can pull a good result as a team and improve on last year.”
Keone Campbell was one of the two Kiwi losses for the day. After riding a massive set wave all the way through the line up he was rewarded a small score of 3.67 out of ten. With massive waves washing through the break, it made it difficult for Campbell to get back out into the line up for the 3.17 point ride he needed to progress through the heat and he had to settle for third place.
Campbell was still up beat about what lies ahead at the event as he enters the repechage rounds. “Yeah, we can definitely make heaps of heats if we get the waves. We can surf better than a lot of these guys at the event” commented Campbell.
“The sets were wash-throughs, and I duck-dived half the heat, then the in-between ones were good but getting to them was a mission, they were always 15 metres further in” added Campbell of his own performance.
Morehu Roberts was in the same boat unable to find anything that resembled a good score and placed fourth.
Longboarders Thomas Kibblewhite (Auckland) and Daniel Procter (Gis) got their campaigns off to a good start winning their first round heats. Kibblewhite posted 10.13 to win his heat while Procter posted 10.17.
The Billabong ISA World Surfing Games run from the 19th – 27th of October and the event sees over 200 competitors from 31 nations competing for their national colours.
The 2010 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games uses a double elimination format meaning that all surfers have to place third or fourth in their heats twice, before being entirely eliminated from the event.
The team is looking to improve on the eleventh placing in 2009 when the event was held in Costa Rica.
Check out times for the Quiksilver New Zealand Surfing Team heats on day three (22nd October NZ time) below. Should the swell continue to build, it is likely that only one arena will be used and heat times will differ from below. Women’s and Repechage Rounds are unlikely to be held on Day 3.
Longboard Division
2.00am – Thomas Kibblewhite
4.20am – Daniel Procter
Open Men’s Division
2.20am – Luke Hughes
2.40am – Nick White
Live Webcast
The event is being broadcast live over the net via http://billabongpro.com/isa10/. Media releases on the team’s performance will be distributed daily throughout the event and posted on www.surfingnz.co.nz. Also keep up to date with what is happening via:
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Further Information
For further information regarding the New Zealand Junior Surfing Team please contact Ben Kennings at Surfing New Zealand 07 8250018, 0212278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz.
About International Surfing Association (ISA)
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for surfing, bodyboarding and surfriding. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964, and the Junior World Championships since 1980.
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