Jack
Freestone
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news update 5 1 11
World’s Best Juniors Eye ASP Title at Billabong
ASP World Junior Championships
NORTH
NARRABEEN, Sydney/Australia (Tuesday, January 4, 2011) – Queensland
surfer, Jack Freestone (Gold Coast, AUS), 18, is well poised to become
Australia's first ASP World Junior Champion in 10 years with the natural-footer
ranked No.1 heading into the deciding event, the Billabong ASP World
Junior Championship fuelled by Monster Energy, which will begin next
week at North Narrabeen, Sydney, Australia.
Freestone trumped the 48-man field at event one in Bali (Oct 2 –
13) defeating an in form Dale Staples (ZAF), 20, of South Africa in
the Final. Freestone earned himself US$10,000, along with 10,000 ratings
points and the lead in the revamped ASP World Junior Tour.
Three-time Triple Crown champion and former ASP World Runner-Up Joel
Parkinson (Gold Coast, AUS), 29, was the last Australian to hold
aloft the prestigious ASP World Junior Crown before he turned professional
full-time in 2001. A good result at Narrabeen will see Freestone
return the crown to Australian shores for the first time in a decade.
“The ASP World Junior Title is such an important stepping-stone,
to achieve what Joel (Parkinson) has done would be really,
really special,” Freestone said. “When you look at
the list of winners’ names, every surfer has gone on to the World
Tour and a solid career, and of course, I’d love to bring it
home for the green n’ gold. It’s been too long!”
The event stars the top 45 junior surfers on the planet, plus three
wildcards, and carries a total US$95,000 prize purse. More importantly,
it affords the finalists an unrivalled seeding in ASP Star and ASP
PRIME events that serves as a springboard to the elite ASP World Tour.
Former winners of the Billabong ASP World Junior Championship include
Maxime Huscenot of France (2009), Hawaiians Kai Barger (2008)
and Kekoa Bacalso (2005), Brazilians Pablo Paulino (2007
& 2004) and Adriano de Souza (2003) and South African Jordy
Smith (2006).
“I
feel like I am in a really good spot, I would have been happy with
the quarters in Bali, but I got the win,” Freestone said.
“There is definitely a little bit more pressure for me to do
well at Narrabeen now, but I wouldn’t trade my position –
being in the box seat is perfect.”
South African, Dale Staples, will be pushing hard to topple
Freestone from the top of the ratings heap, the 20 year-old hoping
to become only the second-ever South African to claim the title since
compatriot Jordy Smith won in ’06.
At stop one on the ASP Junior Tour in Bali, Staples was just
metres from beating Freestone on a heart-stopping last minute
ride in the Final.
“I had a pretty good wave, a solid tube which I didn’t come
out of and it could have been the winning ride, for sure,” Staples
said. “But, I was happy to make the Final and we’ll
see what happens at Narrabeen.”
“It’s (the Billabong ASP World Junior Championship) easily
the most important event of any junior surfer’s career, it’s
the one to win for sure. Narrabeen is a high performance wave. There’s
not much you can’t do out there. It’s a beachbreak and I’m
sure every surfer in the event will be going hard and pushing it.
I’m looking forward to it,” added Staples.
Explosive Hawaiian, Keanu Asing (Ewa Beach, Haw), 17, is among
the pick of international names heading Down Under. The 17 year-old
is ranked No. 1 in the ASP Hawaiian Pro Junior rankings and will return
to Narrabeen for a second time.
Photo
Shoot Details CONTACT rsm56484@bigpond.net.au
“The
performance across the board has been crazy this year,” notes
Asing. “We’ve seen guys pulling new tricks, airs …
just going crazy. Narrabeen is a good left and if it’s firing
could favour the goofy-footers. The Brazilian’s especially, they
love it. We saw Jadson (Andre) doing the craziest aerials last year
and guys like Miguel (Pupo) will be on fire. I think the field will
be more evenly matched than what we saw in Bali. It will go down to
the wire.”
Media Invitation
A traditional Aboriginal ceremony will open proceedings. The Koomurri
Performance Group will perform from 07:15am, Saturday 8th January.
Interested media should be on site from 07:00am. The performance includes
a “Welcome to Country” & “Smoking Ceremony”,
and face painting of competitors representing the various world surfing
regions.
Opening Ceremony
Koomurri Aboriginal Performance Group
07:15am, Saturday, Jan 8th
Billabong ASP World Junior Championships
North Narrabeen beach
The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships will be webcast LIVE
via http://www.billabongpro.com
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
The Billabong ASP World junior Championships fuelled by Monster Energy
is made possible with the support of Sony, Volkswagon, VonZipper,
Nixon, Australia’s Surfing Life Magazine, Manly Warringah Council
and NSW Sport and Recreation.
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PHOTOS FROM LAST YEARS EVENT
special thanks billabong.com
