Guadeloupe on the highest podium

The 13 members of the « Pole Guadeloupe Surf Team brilliantly started the season as they went home with 14 podiums in all categories after participating in the Caribbean Junior Surf Event in Barbados.

Organized by the Barbados Surfing Association, this surf competition took place at Soupbowl, a worldly known wave, very much appreciated by Kelly Slatter (A 9-time world champion).

Enrolled in all categories (Under 12 – Under 14 – Under 16 and Under 18), the Guadeloupean young surfers impressed the locals with their skills and their approach of a very hollow and powerful wave. Not mentioning the 2 to 3 meter swell generated by hurricane Earl which made it even more difficult to surf.
A real Guadeloupean raid Among the youngest ones, the victory goes to Enzo Cavallini closely followed by the youngest competitor, Thomas Debierre ( 3rd place).

In the Under 14 category, the final is 100% Guadeloupean ! Eliott Ivarra, from St. Barth, stands on the highest podium followed by Gatien delahaye, Tim Bisso and Irvin Andro.
As for the Under 18 category, Andrew Petreluzzi ends up second and Jordan Oueslati at the fourth place.

Let’s not forget about the girls
The two young Guadeloupean surfers also proved their commitment facing up some top competitors who also happened to be very familiar with this surf spot.
Kim Veteau, who celebrated her 13th birthday during the competition, ended up at the third place, in two different categories, Under 16 and Under 18.
Manon Cavallini won the 4th place !

An « open » event in some « Hawaiian » conditions
On Sunday, an « open » event was organized, (open to all categories, including adults) in very specific conditions. Some impressive 2 to 3 metre tubular waves allowed Big Waves Sufers to demonstrate their skills. Two Guadeloupeans were present, Andrew Petreluzzi and Rafaël Debierre (Team Electric), a 12 year-old surfer who managed to reach the ¼ final, charging some outstanding waves.

Rafaël Debierre, outclassed for the event, also managed to finish 1st in the Under 16 . Titouan Lavolé and Tim Bisso, also outclassed, won the 3rd and 4th place.

The Guadeloupean Surf Team, coached at Barbados by David Blanchard, has been the living proof of what a solid team should be with a great spirit and solidarity, whether on land or at sea. A fair play noticed by the organizers of the event who are currently thinking of creating a Caribbean surf circuit as early as 2011.

When it rains, it pours- or so the saying goes. Just ask Evan Geiselman. These days, he doesnt leave the house without an umbrella. After a string of major junior professional victories, the New Smyrna Beach native continued his competitive terror by scalping the final regional stop of the Rip Curl GromSearch presented by H2O Overdrive at New Smyrna Beach Inlet in the dirty South of FL.

Despite small yet contestable conditions, the boy held homecourt by ousting a stacked field of talent in the Boys 16/U final, as well as executing a flawless Passion Pop en route to winning the H2O Overdrive Maneuver of the event. $200 cold, hard cash and a hometown victorynot a bad little Saturday for EG.

I just love surfing comps at my home break. This is where I grew up, stated Evan shortly after the victory. Its so easy to stay relaxed in this environment. I have never landed a passion pop in a heat, but was in Mexico last week and did a few so I thought I would see what I could do. I guess I got lucky.

Look for EG to represent for the Right Coast at the GromSearch National Final, which will run in conjunction with the Rip Curl Pro Search in Puerto Rico October 29.

Double finalist Noah Schweitzer saw his ironman efforts pay dividends, as he nabbed the victory in the Boys 14 and under. Surfing technical precision, Noah put a strangle hold on the final after locking in 2 big scores.

In the Boys 12 and under, Cobie Gitmer edged out Dane Mackie for the big win, while in the Girls 16/under, Florida girl Nikki Viesins opened with a big score and didnt look back, as she scored the W.

New Smyrna Beach marks the last stop for the Rip Curl GromSearch presented by H20 Overdrive. The 2010 season would not be possible without the support of all sponsors H2O Overdrive, Dragon Alliance, Power Balance, Bubble Gum Wax, Wahoos and all media partners Surfing Magazine, Surfline.com and Fuel TV.

Make sure to stay tuned to www.ripcurl.com/gromsearch for all post event coverage and Rip Curl GromSearch Nationals announcements.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF STOP #4, 2010 RIP CURL GROMSEARCH FUELED BY H2O OVERDRIVE, NEW SMRYNA BEACH, FLORIDA:

BOYS 16/under:
1.    Evan Geiselman
2.    Keto Burns
3.    Noah Schweitzer
4.    Tanner Strohmenger

BOYS 14/under:
1.    Noah Schweitzer
2.    Logan Hayes
3.    Dane Mackie
4.    Corey Howell

BOYS 12/under:
1.    Cobie Gittner
2.    Dane Mackie
3.    Luke Marks
4.    Stevie Pittman

GIRLS 16/under:
1.    Nikki Viesins
2.    Quincy Davis
3.    Bailey Nagy
4.    Darsha Pigford

H20 Overdrive Maneuver of the Event:
Evan Geiselman- $100

Dragon High Heat Total:
Noah Schweitzer (19.7) – $50
Quincy Davis (18.5)- $50

Luke Marks

Nathan Colburn

Noah Schwietzer

Noah Schwietzer

Evan Gieselman

Evan Gieselman

14 / Under Finalists

Girls Winner Nikki

H2O Overdrive Maneuver Winner Evan Gieselman

16 / Under Winner Evan Gieselman

14 / Under Winner Noah Schwietzer

12 / Under Winner Cobie Gittner

Dragon High Heat Total Winner Noah and Quincy Davis

Congratulations to all the winners

Ametza Nicholls

Barbados recognizes the local and international achievements of its surfers by choosing 17 year-old National Ladies

Champion to represent our country at the inaugural “Youth Olympics Flame Ceremony” in Mexico in July 2010 – Barbadian surfer Ametza Nicholls will make history again.

Barbados, August 2010

The Americas leg of the
Youth Olympic Games Flame Ceremony
Which took place in Mexico City in July 2010
The Inaugural games are currentlyTaking place in Singapore

Ametza who this past May turned 17, has been surfing since she was 11, after attending a surfing camp run by well-known local surfer Alan Burke who encouraged her to enter her first competition in 2004.  She placed 3^rd, and was bitten by the surfing bug.  The following year, she joined the Barbados Surfing Association and began to surf competitively on the local circuit, while further surf camps gave her exposure to international surfing coaches, including Marcos Conde of Brazil.  Within a year, she won the under 12 girls’ National Championship and was named Surfer of the Year.  In 2006, Ametza became the youngest surfer in Barbados – male or female – to achieve National

Champion status by winning the Ladies’ Open and also took home the under 18 title.

That same year Ametza earned a place as a member of Team Barbados, for her first international appearance at the Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championship in Brazil.  At the Rip Curl Grom Search in Florida she competed as an individual, coming second to well known USA surfer Amy Nichol in the Ladies Under 16’s and she went on to come 6^th overall at the finals in California – a tremendous achievement for a thirteen-year old, and was a big step forward in not only experience but confidence.

In 2007, Ametza participated in the Eastern Scholastic Surfing Championships in Florida, and while contending with poor wave conditions, qualified for the finals placing 6^th.  As part of the Barbados Team at the Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championships in Portugal she improved her world ranking.  At home she placed third at the Reef Bowl Ladies’ Open achieving the highest points of the contest for a Barbadian surfer, male or female; for a second year running she took Surfer of the Year honours in the Under 18 and Open Ladies categories.

The International Surfing Association recognized Ametza’s achievements in 2008, providing her with a Scholarship; their confidence was affirmed when she took home first place in the Ladies’ Open at the first Caribbean Surf Network event in Trinidad & Tobago, took three first places at the NKM National Scholastic Championships in Under 16, Under 18 and Under 21 and accumulating the highest points by a single athlete.  Ametza continued her domination over other local female competitors when she took first place at the CSN Brandons Pro Barbados Ladies’ Open.

Unfortunately Ametza injured her back during the first heat at the Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championships in France, and had to step back from surfing for 6 months; despite being unable to attend the CSN Tour in Jamaica and still having therapy, she came out with a convincing return at the CSN Soup Bowl Pro Barbados Open Ladies placing second but accumulating enough points to make her the “CARIBBEAN SURF NETWORK’S TOUR” Regional ladies Champion for 2008

Being honoured with an ISA Junior Scholarship for the second year while in Ecuador at the Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championship in 2009 Ametza was ecstatic to hear of their support.  Later that year she won the Ladies’ Open, Under 18 Girls and Ladies Expression Session at an event at home in Barbados.

She once again captured the 2009 title of National Ladies Champion.  Here in this picture with fellow National Champion Lewis St. John and President of the ISA Fernando Aguerre in Ecuador at the QSWJC 2009

In 2010, the Pan-American Surfing Association hosted the first international sporting event to be held in Habana, Cuba and invited Ametza to participate as the sole female entrant, pitting her against some of the best male surfers in the Caribbean.

Not only did she hold her own, she came fourth to surfers from Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Cuba.

Her determination and drive to participate in the event – despite being the only female – brought her recognition and respect on the Caribbean Surfing Circuit, cementing her place as the Barbadian female surfer to watch.

Photos courtesy of:  Mark Harris, Jessica Mark, Rachel Roett, Juca Barros.

Young female surfer from Barbados takes on the boys and flies the flag in Habana Cuba – 2010

Chelsea Tuach, Barbados’ reigning U 18 National Champion and Caribbean Ladies’ Champion, flew the Barbados flag high last week-end at the Ripcurl Gromsearch Surf Contest held at Kitty Hawk, N Carolina.  This contest brings together the best 16 and Under male and female surfers from the United States and other countries, all seeking to be crowned “the hottest male or female grom”. Chelsea Tuach dominated all her heats with powerful surfing way beyond her fourteen years, amassing a heat total of 15.5 (out of a possible 20) and running away with the title of 16 U Girls’ Champion and a coveted spot for the Grand Final to be held in Puerto Rico in October.

Chelsea Roett, also from Barbados, did her country proud by placing second with a heat total os 12.5 while Darcy Pickford from the US was third with 12 points and Maddie Peterson, also from the US was fourth.
The Boys’ Divisions were also very competitive in the excellent chest to head high waves on offer throughout the contest.   Barbados’ most outstanding male surfer at this event was Fourteen year old Daniel Edghill who placed second in the 14 U Division and ninth in the 16 U Division.  Solid performances were also put in by Barbados’ Under 10 Champion, Che Allen, who placed fifth in the 12U Boys’ Division and Jordan Heaselgrave, who placed seventh overall in the 16 U Boys with some very progressive surfing.
More information available at www.ripcurl.com/gromsearch.

About this Video

Big wave surfer Ian Walsh heads to Jamaica to meet Billy Wilmot, the godfather of Jamaican surfing, and visits Jamnesia, the only surf club on the island. Ian is also in the Caribbean to hang out in the Makka Pro contest and does his part to mentor young surfers from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago for Red Bull Under My Wing.

Icah Wilmot (JAM) won the Open division of the classic Makka Pro. Photo: JSA

This contest took place from 16 to 18 July, at Southaven Yallahs Saint Thomas.  The Open division was won by Icah Wilmot (JAM), the Juniors division was won by Akeem Taylor (JAM) and the Women’s division was won by Chelsea Tuach (BAR).

Winners Podium: photo courtesy Jamaican Surfing Assosiation

Makka Pro 2010

Jamaican Surfing Association
Makka surfing beach
16 -19 July

Icah Wilmot wins the 2010 Makka Pro

The 2010 Makka Pro came to a magnificent close on Sunday 19 July 2010 at the Makka Surfing Beach at Southaven, Yallahs Saint Thomas. Despite pro surfing entrants from Barbados, Trinidad, Philippines, Australia and the USA, Jamaica came away with the purse in the open Men’s division for the first time in the history of the 4 year old event when Icah Wilmot walked away with the US$1000.00 on offer to the winner of the open division.

Makka Pro Contestant : Photo courtesy Jamaica Surfing Association

It didn’t stop there either. Shane Simmonds took second ahead of third and fourth place finishers Travis Ajay of the USA and Che Lovelace of Trinidad. In the junior division Jamaica had a clean sweep with Akeem Taylor, Shama Beckford, Garren Pryce and Ivah Wilmot taking first to fourth place respectively showing that Jamaica has a bright future in regional professional surfing.

In the women’s division, young Chelsea Tuach of Barbados successfully defended her 2009 crown and was declared 2010 Makka Pro Women’s champion with Jamaican’s Imani Wilmot and Elim Beckford taking second and third ahead of American Gillian Gensler who took fourth.

“The event was huge despite the intermittent rains over the two day event. Thousands of people turned out. It was impressive” said JSA president Mr. Billy Wilmot. “The event has been growing from strength to strength. This year we had live radio outside broadcasts on Hits FM and RJR 92 FM as well as a live internet feed courtesy of DEKAL Wireless. We also had computerized judging and an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) head judge”.

Contestants : Photo courtesy Jamaica Surfing Association

The Makka Pro has become arguably the largest public spectacle in Saint Thomas putting the Parish in the east on the world surfing map and commanding the local sporting spotlight with an extreme water sporting event unanswerable by the rest of the island. The local press has also embraced the sport of surfing and is now giving prime exposure to the efforts of the JSA to promote surfing as a sport of choice for all Jamaicans.

www.jamsurfas.webs.com