Durban’s Slade Prestwich won the JBU Supertrial, presented by RVCA in solid 4 – 6 foot surf at Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay today, 15 June.
Combining long drawn-out bottom turns with big carves off the top, Prestwich overcame a strong challenge from Mikey February in the final of the JBU Supertrial presented by RVCA. Local surfers Shaun and Ryan Payne finished in third and fourth position respectively.
And St Francis Bay’s Crystal Hulett also impressed on Day 2 of the RVCA Junior Challenge, dropping two big scores within the first 10 minutes in her U20 Girls heat, having to run around after the second.
Prestwich won the coveted wild card entry into the World Surf League’s Championship Tour event, the JBay Open of Surfing to be held in Jeffreys Bay from 8 – 19 July.
“Surfing Supertubes with just three other guys in the line up was the highlight of the Supertrial for me,” said an excited Prestwich after his win. Seeing three big sets coming and knowing I could take any waves I wanted too was an amazing feeling and I cannot wait to surf against the likes of Kelly Slater in the JBay Open next month”.
Slade Prestwich en route to his JBay Open wildcard ©Van Gysen
Prestwich is guaranteed a minimum purse of R109 000 for competing in the WSL JBay Open, the only World Championship Tour event that is held on the African continent.
Contest director Koffie Jacobs who called the Supertrial on this morning was happy with the conditions on the day.
“Supertubes delivered yet again and proved why it is rated as one of the best waves in the world. It was tough having to call off the JBU Supertrial last weekend with the gigantic surf that battered the coastline but waiting the extra week was worthwhile as we witnessed a high standard of surfing today in Jeffreys Bay.”
Slade Prestwich en route to his JBay Open wildcard ©Van Gysen
Watched by nearly 1 000 spectators on the beach, Ryan Payne won the award for the worst surfed best wave, while Davey Van Zyl won an Arbor skateboard for the best carve of the event.
Shaun Payne won a Nixon watch for the best barrel of the JBU Supertrial, while Mikey February won a Firewire surfboard for being nominated as the surfer of the event. .
Second place finisher Mikey February was the Surfer Of The Event ©Van Gysen
Crystal commented after the junior event: “Getting that first wave is crucial,” she said afterward, having beaten Olivia Izzard into second, with Anna Jelema Butler in third and Jade Mets in fourth. “It’s always my strategy to get that first one.
“There were a lot of wide sets, but on the inside there were smaller, hollower waves running along the shelf which you could really hit and do some powerful turns on,” she said. “So I tried to vary between the outside sets, by watching Supers to know when they’d be coming down the point; while trying to maintain the inside.”
Crystal later advanced to the final, along with Olivia Izzard; Nicole Pallet and Kai Woolf.
The JBU Supertrial presented by RVCA, forms part of the annual JBay Winterfest – www.jbaywinterfest.com, a multi sports festival which takes place every July in Jeffreys Bay and is presented by Woodlands Dairy.
The JBU Supertrial presented by RVCA is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa. Surfing South Africa is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), and recognised by the Dept. of Sport and Recreation as the national controlling body for surfing.
(edited)
St Francis Chronicle 