South African Bodyboarding Team Announced for World Games
Peter Lambert30th March 2006
The South African Bodyboarding Association (SABA) has announced the final national bodyboarding team to compete at the ISA World Surfing Games at Huntington Beach in California. 12 of South Africa's top male bodyboarders and three of the finest female riders met on March 20 at Koeelbaai to do battle for the selection.
The trial took place in large, bumpy, difficult waves and event organisers utilised a round robin format where each competitor surfed four heats and the final points tally determined which riders were selected to represent South Africa.
Ian Kruger (Cape Town) was the standout in the first few heats when he completed a risky air-roll-spin manoeuvre. Vaughn Harris (Tsitsikamma) was equally eager to please the judges when he went for a gut wrenching reverse spin off the lip of a wave.
The standard of riding remained consistently high throughout the day in spite of the deteriorating surf conditions.
Sacha Specker (Cape Town) took off on a big wave, bottom turned and launched a massive invert air, which he landed cleanly in the flats; this set the tone for the remaining clashes.
Boy wonder, Adam Morley (Mossel Bay) started out strong with a large reverse-air-spin move but lacked a credible second wave in his heat.
At the end of the day the most important factor was consistency and no one was more consistent and focused than contest machine Wesley Fisher (Durban) who won the event. Sacha Specker (CT) was just a few points behind, and snagged the second spot on the team to represent South Africa at the World Games.
"I just want to thank my sponsors, Bad Boy, Hot Buttered, North Beach Built, and most importantly the Lord Jesus Christ. I am stoked to get this opportunity to go overseas representing South Africa, and I think that this is just the beginning of great things to come," said the top seed Fischer.
"Considering how high the level of riding was, I am very stoked and honoured to have been selected. I am also really happy with the professional organisation of this trial," commented Specker.
In the ladies division Pamela Bowren (Cape Town), Lyndall Pells (Plettenberg Bay) and Lize Mari Ras (Durban) repeatedly battled it out for the one spot available. Bowren rode hard but due to the large and difficult conditions she was unable to land the majority of her moves. Pells managed to avoid being caught by any of the bigger set waves and managed to ride with the most consistency, thus emerging on top of the points in the women's division.
"It�s like a dream come true to know that I am finally going to wear the green and gold blazer for our country. I have been trying and trying for so long to get to this level, not just in bodyboarding, but in lifesaving as well so I am so stoked to finally have got there with bodyboarding," said Pells.
2006 South African Bodyboarding Team:
Wesley Fischer (Berea � Durban)
Sacha Specker (Cape Town)
Lyndall Pells (Plettenberg Bay)
Distributed by:
Olivia Jones Communications
Click here to view the Heat Sheets
The trial took place in large, bumpy, difficult waves and event organisers utilised a round robin format where each competitor surfed four heats and the final points tally determined which riders were selected to represent South Africa.
Ian Kruger (Cape Town) was the standout in the first few heats when he completed a risky air-roll-spin manoeuvre. Vaughn Harris (Tsitsikamma) was equally eager to please the judges when he went for a gut wrenching reverse spin off the lip of a wave.
The standard of riding remained consistently high throughout the day in spite of the deteriorating surf conditions.
Sacha Specker (Cape Town) took off on a big wave, bottom turned and launched a massive invert air, which he landed cleanly in the flats; this set the tone for the remaining clashes.
Boy wonder, Adam Morley (Mossel Bay) started out strong with a large reverse-air-spin move but lacked a credible second wave in his heat.
At the end of the day the most important factor was consistency and no one was more consistent and focused than contest machine Wesley Fisher (Durban) who won the event. Sacha Specker (CT) was just a few points behind, and snagged the second spot on the team to represent South Africa at the World Games.
"I just want to thank my sponsors, Bad Boy, Hot Buttered, North Beach Built, and most importantly the Lord Jesus Christ. I am stoked to get this opportunity to go overseas representing South Africa, and I think that this is just the beginning of great things to come," said the top seed Fischer.
"Considering how high the level of riding was, I am very stoked and honoured to have been selected. I am also really happy with the professional organisation of this trial," commented Specker.
In the ladies division Pamela Bowren (Cape Town), Lyndall Pells (Plettenberg Bay) and Lize Mari Ras (Durban) repeatedly battled it out for the one spot available. Bowren rode hard but due to the large and difficult conditions she was unable to land the majority of her moves. Pells managed to avoid being caught by any of the bigger set waves and managed to ride with the most consistency, thus emerging on top of the points in the women's division.
"It�s like a dream come true to know that I am finally going to wear the green and gold blazer for our country. I have been trying and trying for so long to get to this level, not just in bodyboarding, but in lifesaving as well so I am so stoked to finally have got there with bodyboarding," said Pells.
2006 South African Bodyboarding Team:
Wesley Fischer (Berea � Durban)
Sacha Specker (Cape Town)
Lyndall Pells (Plettenberg Bay)
Distributed by:
Olivia Jones Communications
Click here to view the Heat Sheets
