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News
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DANGEROUS SURF KEEPS GIRLS ON BEACH IN BALLITO
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Saturday June 27, 2009 - Female surfers breathed a collective sigh of relief from the safety of the shoreline at Tinley Manor, in KwaDukuza North of Ballito this morning, as organisers of the Mr Price Pro Ballito were forced to call the event off, due to hazardous surf conditions.
The scheduled first day of competition at the 5 Star ASP Women’s World Qualifying Series event, was greeted with a spectacle at sea as enormous walls of water in the three-meter region (8-10ft), pummeled the KwaDukuza coastline leaving even the bravest of surfers hoping they wouldn’t have to compete.
“We'd been expecting the swell all week and then this morning it bombed in and got bigger and bigger all day,” said top seed for the event Amee Donohoe (Aus). “We weren't expecting this to happen - we all knew the swell was coming but not like this, I've never been to an event like this before.”
Event officials, organisers and surfers gathered at the remote mobile venue of Tinley Manor (a right-hand point break that handles the bigger South West swells) until noon, waiting for conditions to ease in the hope of getting some of the surfing action underway.
"When we got down here today I think it was bigger than 10 foot and there were two local guys that went out and only got one wave each,” said reigning South African Champion Heather Clark (Port Shepstone). “The first guy fell on his face and the other just had one big take-off - he made it, but it looked a bit sketchy and just too out of control for the girls.”
With conditions expected to ease into tomorrow, organisers have scheduled a 06h30 meeting with the athletes in the car park at Surfers Beach in Ballito for a possible 07h00 start.
“The competitors felt conditions were too extreme and too dangerous,” commented event director Pierre Tostee. “All attempts were made throughout the day to surf at Tinley Manor but in the interest of safety, we have decided to call the Mr Price Pro Ballito off for the day.”
Conditions permitted, the action will kick off with one heat of local Trials followed by the Women’s Round of 60 tomorrow.
Hawaiian junior surfing sensation Carissa Moore, 16, will kick-start this year’s prestigious event when she takes on fellow Hawaiian Gabi Cope, Bronwyn Coote (Zaf) in Heat 1.
South African hopefuls Sarah Baum (Warner Beach), Heidi Palmboom (Bluff), Tanika Hoffman (Cape Town), Chantelle Rautenbach (Cape Town) and reigning South African Open Women’s Champion Heather Clark (Port Shepstone) will also feature in the Round of 60.
The Women’s event was scheduled to culminate with the Finals on Sunday but will now run into Monday, bumping the Men’s 6 Star WQS event forward to a Tuesday start.
The event call will be updated on the website www.mrpricepro.com as well as on the hotline 083 900 6777 at 06h30 each day.
East Coast Radio is the official radio broadcaster for the Mr Price Pro Ballito. Tune in for daily updates.
- ends
Women’s Trials
Heat 1: Kirsty Delport (Zaf); Faye Zoetmulder (Zaf); Heather Klug (Zaf); Laurie McGregor (Zaf)
Women’s Round of 60
Heat 1: Carissa Moore (Haw); Gabi Cope (Haw); Bronwyn Coote (Zaf)
Het 2: Angela Keighran (Aus); Demi Boelsterli (USA); Chantelle Rautenbach (Zaf); Alice McGregor (Zaf)
Heat 3: Sage Erikson (USA); Dimity Stoyle (Aus); Sarah Baum (Zaf)
Heat 4: Wini Paul (Nzl); Joana Rocha (PRT); Heidi Palmboom (Zaf); Tankia Hoffman (Zaf)
Heat 5: Dara Penfold (Aus); Laura Macaulay (Aus); Heather Clark (Zaf); Canelle Bulard (Reu)
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MR PRICE PRO BALLITO LOOKS FORWARD TO 2010
Monday October 12, 2009. The 2009 edition of the Mr Price Pro Ballito will be remembered for more than just the historical move to its new home in Kwadukuza. It will be remembered for the giant waves that were compared to that of Hawaii and the successful music concert
read more
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