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JAN JUC BEACH, Australia (Monday, January 14, 2008) - Stuart Kennedy (18 years/Lennox Head NSW) today joined a very prestigious list of past winning surfers that include Mick Fanning, Dean Morrison and Bede Durbridge by winning the 2008 Kustom Jetty Surf Pro Junior.

It was Kennedy’s best win of his career in solid surf 2m surf at Bells Beach. Kennedy peaked right on cue in the 30 minute grueling final with two excellent waves score of 8.65 and an 8.0 to take a very strong win over Gold Coast surfer Nick Vasicek whose two wave heat tally totaled 13.40.

It was also Kennedy’s first win on the ASP Australasia Pro Junior circuit and sets up his season with the Kustom Jetty Surf being the biggest points and prize money event for the year.

“So good to win and especially in these waves on the final day – I’ve actually been training really hard over the last 6 months and building my fitness and strength for a serious go on the circuit this year and straight away it seems to have paid off ! We had to surf four times in rough and large surf and I felt strong and confident in the final despite knowing that I was really tired – It’s great to win the opening event of the season and it’s the perfect start to try and win this series and qualify for the ASP World Junior Titles at the end of the year.”

It was also Vasicek’s (Coolangatta) best ever performance on the Pro Junior Circuit. The former Australian under 18 champion has been a consistent quarter finalist in these events but has never threatened to win until today.

“I’m naturally disappointed not to take out the final but still I feel good having achieved my best result – I’ve set myself goals of winning this year on this circuit and qualifying for the world’s so this is a great start – The waves were excellent today and I was confident going into the final but Stuart surfed a smarter final, picked the best waves and has obviously surfed them well to take the win.”

The biggest swell of the summer season greeted the surfers today and made for an excellent test of solid wave surfing along with endurance with the finalists required to surf four times.

International surfers looked like causing an upset today with Sth Africa’s Klee Strachan, French surfer Maxime Huscenot and Hawaiian Granger Larson all winning their early morning heats today. Strachan made it through to the semi finals after clashing with and defeating Larson in the quarter finals. He went down in a close semi to eventual winner Kennedy.

Fifteen year old Huscenot was also defeated in the quarter finals but gained some consolation by winning the Cadet Cup final which ran just prior to today’s Junior Men’s final.

Manly surfer Nick Riley was another to have notched up a great result today by making the semi finals where he was defeated by Vasicek. Equal 3rd placing for Riley is a strong opening result to a season that Riley is expected to be a serious challenger for the overall ratings.

Local surfer Josh Johnson – Baxter (Ocean Grove) was the best placed local surfer finishing 9th overall in what was his best ever result.

All competitors now head off to Victoria’s East Coast on the Mornington Peninsula for the second event on the series, the Ozmosis/Nova Pro Junior which runs at Gunnamatta Beach beginning on Wednesday and running through to Sunday January 20th.

The Kustom Jetty Surf Pro Junior is the first event for 2008 and the richest ASP Pro Junior event in the southern hemisphere and features $35,000 prize money across three divisions.

COOLANGATTA, Australia (Friday, January 11th, 2007) - What an absolutely awesome week it was at North Narrabeen. The world’s premier Under 20 male and female surfers assembled to carve up classic Narra in the Billabong ASP World Junior Titles, the final official championships for 2007.

I’d have to say that over the years this has pretty much come to be one of my favourite events. You see such raw, unrestrained talent. Seedings go out the window as completely unknown kids put on phenomenal performances against the kids with reps. You see it all, juniors going for broke, juniors making rookie mistakes and overcoming them with pure flair, juniors surfing under the priority system for the first time and handling it like a pro.

The class of 07 is a wild bunch of rippers, there were kids in the field who already have huge reps, like Julian Wilson and John John Florence, there were those who were totally unknown talents unearthed, such as 3rd place getter Charles Martin from Guadalupe. This is where you see the sons and daughters of surfing greats making their own mark, like South Africa’s Rudy Palmboom and Brandon Jackson, and of course the Ho siblings Mason and Coco. It is so inspirational to witness these youngsters stepping out on their own, extending their parents heritage into the next generation of surfer.

Former World #2 Luke Egan ran a superb event. He managed the best swell of the events career with, well, the same aplomb he surfs with, running for 5 straight days from the get-go to wrap up both divisions in the same swell cycle. Bringing in the jet skis on the big day was a stroke of genius; it really gave the junior surfers a solid taste of big time surfing. Luke brings a certain calmness and confidence to the table, but he pays very close attention to the little things. It was in fact a decision made while looking at the waves at 10pm Saturday night, when 8 footers were still reeling off, that ensured total success.

The jet ski team had returned to Newcastle after a long day ferrying guys out in semi-wild conditions. Luke realised the swell was not backing off as forecast and decided to try and bring Reece and Josh back down with their skis. The boys were booked for a ski engagement on the Sunday but Luke coaxed them back and this move ensured the Junior Men’s Semi’s and Final would be run off at the perfect tide on a dropping swell. As it turned out he was able to run 25 minute heats all day using the jet ski assist option that ASP has implemented into WCT events.

The day was magnificent; barrels galore were the order of the day, particularly as the tide drew water off the main bank. The last couple years has seen an emphasis on aerial ballet but this edition of the Billabong ASP World Juniors was more traditional carving and tube riding, with additional junior flair. There were so many standouts, the Aussie trio of Owen Wright, Mitch Coleborn and Beau Atchison entertained throughout the morning, young Atchison surfing with the flash of a young Taj, while the overseas connection of Tanner Gudauskas and Nicholau Von Rupp were most impressive.

Actually, the Gudauskas clan had a huge weekend, Tanners brother Patrick taking out the 5 Star O’Neill Sebastian Inlet Pro to set up a double celebration. This family of shredding brothers from San Clemente are definitely on the rise, and because Pablo Paulino already has seeding rights on the 2008 WQS, Tanner, courtesy of his high finish last year, has the seeding rights passed onto him for this year. Germany’s Nicholau Von Rupp is another emerging talent; he cut his teeth in the versatile waves of Portugal and is now looking to capitalize on the emergence of Europe as a global force in the sport.

As stated earlier, Charles Martin surpassed his own expectations to secure a podium finish, the quiet teen from Guadalupe surfing with a maturity beyond his years. It was the finalists who stole the show. Tonino Benson is not only a super talent, he is a very likeable young man who could go a long way in surfing. Hailing from the Big Island, Tonino blends a fresh radical approach with an authoritative presence on a wave. He looked very solid on the big day and when the offshores cleaned it up on Sunday he was stood out from the pack.

Pablo Paulino joins Joel Parkinson as the only two time ASP World Junior Champions. Pablo came through the hardest part of the draw, he got some lucky breaks against the favourite Julian Wilson and danger man Mitch Coleborn, and then went on with the job, peaking at the right time and drawing on his experience to nail down an emphatic victory. Pablo has beefed up since we last saw him and the extra kilo’s converted into power, his carving forehand snaps a highlight of his repertoire.

The girls hit the water on Monday. In a diminishing swell, there were longish lulls but the set waves still offered plenty of performance. Big Louie opted for 30 minute heats and we were treated to mind-blowing , groundbreaking surfing. The amazing thing about it is that the vast majority of the standouts are only 16 or 17 years of age, so not only have they several years in this division but as they grow they will develop power in the surfing. If Stephanie Gilmore is the leading edge of a new wave of surfing, then this is the posse coming up in her wake.

Remember these names. Courtney Conlogue, Alessa Cuizon, Laura Enever, Sage Erikson, Paige Hareb, Coco Ho, Airini Mason, Pauline Ado, Leila Hurst, Nikita Robb, Kirby Wright, and of course Sally Fitzgibbons. These girls rip so hard it’s scary. The depth of women’s surfing was on show at Narrabeen, it was the ideal arena to display the skill levels and the girls rose to the occasion, pushing each other and fighting hard for victory.

Although she just failed to make the final, Local Narrabeen surfer Laura Enever impressed greatly. She has a big, powerhouse repertoire, in fact if she had managed to make it around one more section on her final wave Laura would have in fact toppled eventual champion Sally Fitzgibbons. The finalists thoroughly deserved their shot at the World Title. Paige Hareb is the new surfing pride of New Zealand and took out a class field to step squarely onto the World stage.

Sally Fitzgibbons more then lived up to an enormous reputation. She is so hot. We saw the amazing Carissa Moore debut wonderfully at Snapper Rocks, and although her absence at Narrabeen was conspicuous, there were a handful of girls that have stepped up to somewhere near the same level. One of these is Sally Fitzgibbons. She unleashed a carving snap in the Final that led to a perfect 10, and I kid you not, there was not a better move in the entire event, male or female, and Sally would have nailed a 9.5 in the Men’s division for that ride.

All in all a remarkable event, well done to Sally and Pablo, to Tonino and Paige, and to this fantastic generation of surfers. You are all champions.

SEBASTIAN INLET, Florida (Wednesday, January 9, 2008) – A new groundswell pumped clean two-to-three foot (1 metre) waves into Sebastian Inlet today for Day 6 of the O’Neill SI Pro presented by Ron Jon.

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 5-Star event saw competition intensify as Rounds 4 and 5 were completed, narrowing the field down to the final 16.

Brett Simpson (Huntington Beach, CA) has been a standout surfer all event and continued to shine in his Round of 24 heat today, securing an impressive 16.00 out of a possible 20.

“The goal of every event is to make the man-on-man, and everything after that is really icing,” Simpson said. “I feel like I have been surfing pretty well all week, and hopefully I can keep the momentum up throughout the next few rounds.”

Simpson now enters into the Round of 16 where competitors will surf in a changed format, going head-to-head in man-on-man heats from here on out.

“You do have to change up your strategy in the man-on-man heats,” Simpson said. “Compared to the four-man heats, you see guys getting much bigger scores in the man-on-man, and you’ve really got to be patient and wait for scoring rides.”

Cory Lopez (Indian Rocks Beach, FL), former O’Neill SI Pro Champion as well as competitor on the elite ASP World Tour, continued to muscle through heats today, advancing along with older brother Shea into the Round of 16.

“It’s always interesting when you draw your brother in a heat,” Lopez said. “We didn’t talk to much out there, we only talked about how good a wave was that we both missed. He was surfing really well and I’m stoked we both got through.”

Both Lopez brothers are former members of the elite ASP World Tour, and will use the O’Neill SI Pro as a launching point for their respective qualifying campaigns in 2008.

“I had a bit of bad luck last year and a few heats didn’t go my way so I’m back on the ASP WQS,” Lopez said. “My brother (Shea) was really close to qualifying last season and we’re both trying for it again. My surfing is feeling good and it would be good to start the year off with a win at Sebastian.”

Nathan Yeomans (San Clemente, CA) collected the highest single-wave score of the day for three massive backhand turns on a bowling righthander which netted him a 9.0 out of a possible 10.

“It was a pretty tough heat out there with Ben (Bourgeois) and Daniel (Jones) and I knew I was going to need some big scores to get through,” Yeomans said. “That righthander lined up for me pretty well and I was able to get three pretty good turns in and got the score. Moving into the man-on-mans, patience is going to be key and I’m stoked to get in there.”

Asher Nolan (Jacksonville, FL), a finalist in last season’s O’Neill SI Pro, proved he could be headed for the podium once again this year, netting the day’s high heat total of a 16.40 out of a possible 20. Seamlessly blending aerials, snaps and carves, Nolan displayed the full range of his progressive talent to close out today’s action.

“Stoked I was able to get through another heat out here,” Nolan said. “Into the man-on-man now and hopefully I can beat last year’s performance.”

All three former O’Neill SI Pro Champions, Cory Lopez (2005), Damien Hobgood (2006) and C.J. Hobgood (2007), are still in contention and could potentially put another trophy on the mantle.

Tomorrow will see the O’Neill SI Pro pres. by Ron Jon enter into the Round of 16 before completing the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Final. The event will look to culminate tomorrow.

Event organizers for the O’Neill SI Pro will meet tomorrow at 8am for a possible 8:30am start.

When O’Neill SI Pro competition recommences, Heat 1 of Round 6 will be first in the water.

SEBASTIAN INLET, Florida (Monday, January 7, 2008) – The top seeds hit the lineup today for the Round of 96 of the O’Neill SI Pro presented by Ron Jon and immediately lifted the collective performance level of the event, which ran today in clean one-to-three foot (1 metre) waves at Sebastian Inlet.

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 5-Star event is the first of the qualifying season, and allows campaigners to get a jump on their respective crusades in search of a spot on the elite ASP World Tour, resulting in a number of top-level competitors venturing to Florida for the event.

Brett Simpson (Huntington Beach, CA) took top honors today, netting the event high single-wave score of a 9.60 out of a possible 10 for two powerful backhand blasts on a bowling lefthander, contributing to his day high heat total of a 17.37 out of a possible 20.

“I was actually looking for a little right, but that left came to me and really stood up well,” Simpson said. “I decided earlier today that bigger maneuvers could score better than lots of small ones. I was able to tee off on the wave really well and it got scored pretty high.”

Simpson, who finished 36th on the ASP WQS last season, has narrowly missed qualifying for the elite ASP World Tour for the past few years, but has refocused his efforts for an assault in 2008.

“The last couple of years, I’ve come pretty close to qualifying but I wasn’t taking it as seriously as I could,” Simpson said. “I’ve decided that this is the year I am going to make it. I’ve been training pretty intensively and have been working a lot with my shaper to get my equipment dialed. A result here to kick the season off would be great, but I’m just taking things heat by heat at the moment.”

Cory Lopez (Indian Rocks Beach, FL), who narrowly missed requalifying for the ASP World Tour in 2008, hasn’t let his disposition slow him down one iota, as the talented goofy-footer put in one of the performances of the event, securing a 16.50 out of a possible 20 to win his Round 3 heat.

“It’s been a bit humbling, but I don’t feel like I fell off tour because of my surfing,” Lopez said. “It was a strange year and I had some bad luck in terms of heats. I’m back on the ’QS this season and my plan is to be back on the ASP World Tour next year.”

C.J. Hobgood (Melbourne Beach, FL), defending O’Neill SI Pro Champion and former ASP World Champion, proved that he is still the man to beat today with a solid 13.10 out of a possible 20 to claim the first heat of the Round of 96.

“Last year was a strange one for me as I was up and down on the ASP World Tour, but was doing pretty well on the ’QS,” Hobgood said. “I started the year off with a win at the Inlet and it was a bright spot for me early on in the season. My focus this year is definitely going to be the ASP World Tour, but the ’QS event at home is a good warm up.”

Patrick Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA), ranked No. 47 on last season’s ASP WQS, was in solid form today for his Round of 96 heat. In his first event back since injury halted his qualifying campaign last October, Gudauskas easily navigated the peaks at Sebastian Inlet this morning, with an array of explosive turns and stylish off-the-lips.

“I’m feeling really psyched to get that first one out of the way, but it’s still a long way to go,” Gudauskas said. “This is my first event in three months so it’s good to get that first one in the books and I can focus on the rest of the event. Last season, I felt a little bit lost in terms of heat strategy so my brothers and I are on some super secret training regimes that cover fitness and technique as well as heat strategy.”

Event organizers for the O’Neill SI Pro will meet tomorrow at 8:30am for a possible 9am start.

When O’Neill SI Pro competition recommences, Heat 13 of Round 3 will be first in the water.

The O’Neill SI Pro presented by Ron Jon will be webcast LIVE via www.go211.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com, www.aspnorthamerica.org or www.oneillsipro.com

RESULTS: O’Neill SI Pro presented by Ron Jon (ASP WQS 5-Star)

Round 2: 144 surfers remaining (1st and 2nd advance to Round 2)
Heat 21: Ted Navarro (USA) 13.56, Alex Smith (HAW) 9.87, Gary Wheeler (USA) 7.30, Tommy O’Brien (USA) 5.14
Heat 22: Bud Freitas (USA) 12.04, Jody Davis (USA) 10.50, Richie Collins (USA) 6.43, Kellen Ellison (USA) 4.60
Heat 23: Bryan Hewitson (USA) 15.33, Dane Johnson (USA) 10.50, Jensen Callaway (USA) 7.43, Ricky Whitlock (USA) 6.40
Heat 24: Jesse Heilman (USA) 12.43, Bobby Morris (USA) 8.23, Aaron Cormican (USA) 5.30, Andrew Gessler (USA) 4.76)

Heat 3: 96 surfers remaining (1st and 2nd advance to Round 3)
Heat 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.10, Kilian Garland (USA) 10.87, Nat Young (USA) 10.73, Jason Miller (USA) 7.87
Heat 2: Federico Pilurzu (CRI) 13.67, Jean Estienne (FRA) 7.13, Kyle Knox (USA) 6.86, Nils Schweizer (USA) 5.86
Heat 3: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 12.00, Dylan Graves (PRI) 10.46, Rylan McCart (USA) 7.73, Chris Drummy (USA) 7.40
Heat 4: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 12.50, Cody Thompson (USA) 9.73, Shaun Burrell (USA) 9.04, Alek Parker (USA) 7.40
Heat 5: Jason Collins (USA) 8.83, Kevin Sullivan (HAW) 8.67, Gabe Kling (USA) 7.20, Layne Harrison (USA) 6.47
Heat 6: Ryan Briggs (USA) 8.83, Shaun Ward (USA) 12.27, Anthony Petruso (USA) 8.43, Michael Howard (USA) 4.60
Heat 7: Daniel Jones (HAW) 11.66, Che Stang (USA) 6.63, Dean Randazzo (USA) 6.60, Oliver Kurtz (USA) 6.57
Heat 8: Brett Simpson (USA) 17.27, Matt King (USA) 9.67, Darrell Goodrum (USA) 7.90, Matt Mohagen (USA) 6.54
Heat 9: Shane Beschen (USA) 12.07, Joel Centeio (HAW) 9.70, Justin Jones (USA) 7.07, Adam Virs (USA) 6.53
Heat 10: Nathan Yeomans (USA) 15.50, Diego Rosa (BRA) 10.14, Magnum Martinez (VEN) 9.60, Justin McBride (USA) 4.66
Heat 11: Nathaniel Curran (USA) 14.33, Wesley Larsen (HAW) 10.60, Sean Moody (HAW) 9.86, Mark Dawson (USA) 5.97
Heat 12: Ben Bourgeois (USA) 16.93, Travis Beckmann (USA) 10.64, Brad Ettinger (USA) 8.00, Brandon Guilmette (USA) 5.17
Heat 13: Cory Lopez (USA) 16.50, Micah Byrne (USA)11.00, Kiron Jabour (HAW) 8.66, Cheyne Cottrell (USA) 7.73
Heat 14: Wesley De Souza (USA) 11.44, Romain Laulhe (FRA) 8.67, Ben Graeff (USA) 5.50, Warwick Wright (ZAF) N/S
Heat 15: Sterling Spencer (USA) 12.50, Alex Gray (USA) 11.77, Devon Tresher (USA) 9.44, Liam McNamara (HAW) 3.47
Heat 16: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 12.10, Dustin Cuizon (HAW) 11.84, David Speir (USA) 9.16, Jessi Merle-Jones (HAW) 7.77