Oakley Pro Junior Series

Tour stops hit Australia, Japan, France, California, South Africa, Brazil & Indo

After two years of building the most notable Pro Junior series on the planet, the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge has evolved into a fully sanctioned Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) series of events including the first stop on the new multi-event ASP World Junior Tour.

The Oakley ASP World Junior Tour event, formerly the Championship event of the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge, has become the first stop on the 2010 ASP World Junior Tour, running at the high-performance wave of Keramas in Bali from October 2-13, 2010.

The event will continue to boast a massive $75,000 prize purse for the men's division and expand from an18-man to a 48-man field made up of six representatives each from ASP Australasia, ASP South America, ASP North America and ASP Europe, five representatives each from ASP Africa, ASP Hawaii and ASP Japan, as well as, additional wildcards. The event will also include a women's division with a field of 18 vying for a $20,000 prize purse.

The addition of the Oakley World Junior Tour event will help crown the undisputed ASP World Junior Champions who will be the male and female surfer ranked No. 1 after the completion of the ASP World Junior Tour.

"Oakley is excited to be part of such a major change to junior surfing around the world," said Ronny Nelson, Oakley Sports Marketing Manager. "This revolution, that the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge helped spur, is long overdue. Surfers will now have more than one chance to prove who is the top junior, which will help determine a true champion. We have high expectations for our event in Bali this year. The world's best juniors will compete during optimal conditions at Bali's best high performance right-hand reef break of Keramas."

Over the past several years, Oakley has hosted a series of ASP-sanctioned regional Pro Junior events around the world that have also served as qualifiers for the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge in Bali. Oakley is maintaining its commitment to the world-wide regional events, which will continue to provide crucial ASP regional points to qualify for the World Junior Tour events.

This year's Oakley Pro Junior series kicks off Tuesday, Feb. 9-13 at North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia with a $25,000 ASP Grade-5 men's event.

Oakley Pro Junior

ASP Grade 5 Men's Pro Junior event
North Stradbroke Island, Queensland
9 - 13 February 2010

Brazilian Surfers Lead International Charge On Day-One Of The 2010 Oakley Pro Junior

North Stradbroke Island, Queensland -- Two up-and-coming Brazilian surfers, Peterson Crisanto and Marco Fernandez lead a host of internationals dominating proceedings on day-one of the 2010 Oakley Pro Junior.

Held in tricky 0.5-1m conditions at Adder Rock, one of North Stradbroke Island’s (Queensland, Australia) lesser known breaks, Crisanto and Fernandez today signalled their intentions as one of the favourites to take out first prize in the Grade – 5 AUD $30,000 event.

Fernandez opened his account in one of the first heats on the day, registering a combined two-wave total of 13.35 (out of a possible 20) before Crisanto backed up his countryman with 15.60 (out of a possible 20) both easily advancing through to round-two.

Running from February 9-13, The Oakley Pro Junior is the first stop of Oakley’s international junior surfing series, which has grown to become one of the most notable in the world. Also impressing in his first round heat was American star Nat Young, with the Californian continuing his great form throughout a string of Australian Pro Junior events this summer.

Young advanced through his heat with a combined two-wave total of 12.50 (out of a possible 20) eliminating Blake Levett (Palm Beach, Qld) and Michael Mallalieu (New Zealand) who finished third and fourth respectively. 

This week’s Australasia Oakley Pro Junior will spearhead 2010’s international series which includes competitions in South Africa, USA, Brazil, Japan, and Europe - culminating in Bali with the Oakley ASP World Junior Event, which has just been confirmed as part of the brand new ASP World Junior Tour (WJT).

The Australasian Oakley Pro Junior is one of the richest and most prestigious professional junior surfing events in the world and the event’s lineup reflects that.

Team News

Billabong re-signs Saffas Joubert, Staples, Bromley

 In a significant moment for South African Surfing, Billabong has announced the resigning of three of SA’s top junior surfers onto their Pro Junior Team.  Dale Staples, Matt Bromley and Shaun Joubert have all resigned contracts with Billabong thus ensuring their respective positions on the fabled Billabong Surf Team for another few seasons to come. 

Shaun Joubert (18), who hails from Mossel Bay in the Eastern Cape has been heralded as a contest and freesurfing freak. His 3rd place in the U16 divsion of the ISA World Surfing Games, multiple Billabong Junior Series Titles, as well as multiple SA Championship wins all bear testament to his calculated, polished approach. 

Yet Shauns’ freesurfing is where he also excels and his highly acclaimed section in Billabong’s latest international film, Still Filthy,  as well as numeorus magazine cover spreads and video sections have gained Shaun both local and international respect and one of the worlds top up and coming junior surfers.  
After recently completing matric and having just returned from a magazine surf trip to Morrocco, Shaun now heads off to Australia to compete in the Australian Pro Junior Tour as well as a select number of World Qualifying Series events.

On top of his competetive schedule, Shaun has alo been invited to attend the Billabong International Pro Junior Camp in Hawaii later this year, after which he returns to South Africa to compete in the Pro Junior Tour as well as secure a place in the the Von Zipper wildcard trials for a spot in on one of the most antcipated W.C.T events of the year; The Billabong Pro J-Bay. 

“I'm really happy to resign with Billabong,” said Shaun. “I hope together we can reach the top and achieve great things on the way there.”
When asked what his objectives looking forward were, “My main goals for the year are to win South Africa's pro junior tour, and gain as many WQS points as possible - aiming to at least end in the top 80.” answered Shaun.

Long time friend and equal charger, Dale Staples (19) who resides in the picturesque town of St.Francis Bay is arguably one of the most naturally gifted surfers to come through the SA Junior Ranks. An incredibly stylish, clean boosting, barrel-master, Dale has the full repertoire and natural-born talent to really turn heads in international competitive and free surfing circles. 

Dales numerous competitive accolades are as well established as his free surfing ability and include the Rip Curl International Grom Search Champion title, the inaugural Billabong Challenge Champion as well as multiple Billabong Junior series wins. 

Perhaps his most acclaimed competitive success came this past year when Dale ploughed his way past some of the best Junior Surfers in the world to claim 3rd place in the Billabong Junior Series event in the cooking barreling waves of Keramas in Bali. 

Like Shaun, Dale now heads to Australia to ply his trade in the highly competitive Australian Pro Junior Series. He then returns to South Africa to compete in the local Pro Junior Series as well as Battle it out in the Von Zipper Wildcard Trails for a spot in the highly anticipated Billabong Pro J-Bay W.C.T event in July this year. 

“I’m amped to secure my future with Billabong again” said Dale. “Apart from the incredible privilege of surfing with such amazing surfers, I’ve always loved the Billabong Brand, particularly the product so I’m stoked to know I’ll be wearing Billabong clothing for the next couple years”

Local Big Wave charger and Barrel Master, Matt Bromley (18) completes this illustrious Billabong Junior Surf Team. The Capetonian Charger from Kommetjie, like Shaun, has also just completed school, although his age belies his credibility as one of Cape Town’s most prominent big wave, cold water barrel riders.