Young Guns On Fire on Day 4 of Ballito Pro presented by Billabong The young guns on the World Surf (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) were on fire on Day 4 of the Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong, ousting the more established stars as they chased the massive 10,000 points on offer in the first QS10,000 rated event of the year.. The day’s action kicked off early in funky one metre (3 foot) low tide waves and light crosswinds, but conditions improved all morning with a bump in the swell and windless, glassy conditions before the customary sea-breeze made it choppy and prompted WSL Deputy Commissioner Travis Logie to put a halt to proceedings soon after lunch. The committed approach by the hungry youngsters was evident from the in the get-go with Keanu Asing (HAW) and Griffin Colapinto (USA) eliminating current Championship Tour (CT) surfers Joan Duru (FRA) and Ezekiel Lau (HAW) in the first heat of the day. The same pair won their respective Round of 24 heats later to move into the last 16 . Colapinto, 18, finished ahead of current QS No. 1 Jesse Mendes (BRA) as they ousted 2015 Ballito champion Alejo Muniz (BRA), while Asing, 23, and South Africa’s Michael February put paid to Krystian Kymerson’s (BRA) chances. “I just wanted to pick the right waves and go for big turns, especially against those guys who are both probably going to be on the CT next year,” said Colapinto. “There are only five 10 000’s, so you have to capitalise when you’re in one and I’m stoked to be getting something to go on here.” Despite being bumped off the CT at the end of last year, Asing has a more relaxed approach and after winning a QS3,000 in Barbados earlier this year is looking forward to making more heats in Ballito. “Just coming through that heat was the game plan and I’m trying to work on wave selection and heat management. Once I get on the waves I know it’s going to be a good score,” Asing commented. “It’s an important event, but I don’t know about getting back on the . . .
Billito Pro Presented By Billabong – Jordy Smith Stays In Contention
Jordy Smith Advances to Round 3 of Ballito Pro presented by Billabong Defending Champion Connor O’Leary Eliminated in Tight Decision Jordy Smith (ZAF) opened his campaign in the Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong with a workmanlike performance, advancing to Round 3 of the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 10,000 rated event when he finished runner-up to Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) in his first heat. Smith, the top seed and current World No. 3, stayed very busy trying to find waves with scoring potential and eventually found a running right hander that he ended with an air-reverse that the judges rewarded with 7.73 points out of 10. “Your strategy tends to change every minute, every second of the heat and you just keep reassessing things. I wanted to get the best waves out there, but that didn’t happened in the first five minutes and when others start off with big scores you’ve really got to go to backup strategies and backup waves,” Smith explained. “You couldn’t really tell if it was a good wave so I just figured if I keep getting waves and multiple opportunities one of them would be good. “Obviously I love being in Ballito, this will always be the first real contest that I ever competed in on the international stage, so there’s a lot of history and it means a lot to me. Also, I get to hang out with my friends and family, there’s extremely good waves here, just 30 minutes north or south of Durban, so it’s a great opportunity for me to stay in tune.” Second seed Connor O’Leary (AUS) was not as fortunate. The defending event winner, whose haul of 10,000 QS points at last year’s event saw him qualify among the elite Top 34 on the WSL Championship Tour (CT), struggled to find good waves in the freshening onshore breeze and he was eliminated after placing fourth in the next heat. Organisers then put the event on hold for an hour, and then another hour, in the hopes that conditions would improve. But with the wind strengthening they called the . . .
Ballito Pro Presented By Billabong – World’s Best Surfers in Action on Opening Day
The first major World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) event of the year, the QS10,000 Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, ran through the Round 1 and first four heats of Round 2 in choppy one metre waves at Willard Beach on Monday. With 112 of the world’s best surfers chasing a share of the US $260,000 (approx. R3.3 million) and the biggest ranking points haul available on the QS, the action was fast and furious as the short-period swell provided plenty of waves. “For that heat my strategy was to get two average scores really quick in order just to start the heat. But there were so many waves coming and I didn’t know which one to take so I couldn’t find those waves in the beginning,” said 2014 Ballito champion Alejo Muniz (BRA), who finished runner-up in the last heat of the day to advance to the last 48. “It was really stressful and I was needing a very small score, just a 4, so when there was 5 minutes left I told myself to just wait for a wave with two turns, and I’m happy that I got it!” Jeremy Flores (FRA) has been coming to South Africa for many years and despite contemplating withdrawing from the event due to a recent leg injury, he won the final heat of the day. “The conditions are pretty hard so I think it’s anyone’s game and the one who catches the best wave is going to make the difference,” said Flores. “I’ve injured my leg so I wasn’t even sure if I was going to surf my heat But I told myself it’s only 30 minutes so I toughened up for two waves and I got through, so I’m stoked. It’s good to be back in Ballito, I feel good here, the food is good and the people are amazing and the waves are fun, so why not.” Current runaway QS rankings leader Jesse Mendes (BRA) stayed busy throughout his Round 2 heat, riding 13 waves in the 30 minute encounter. The 23-year-old from Guaruja led throughout but only posted his best two rides, an 8.0 for a pair of vertical backhand bashes and an 8.50 for a high-flying 360 aerial rotation, in the last . . .
Billabong Junior Series – Samuel Pupo and Zoe McDougall Take The Honours.
In the Billabong Junior Series presented by All Aboard Travel, Samuel Pupo and Zoe McDougall took the honours. Samuel Pupo and Zoe McDougall surfed to victory at Billabong Junior Series pres. by All Aboard Travel in Ballito on Thursday, claiming the premier JQS1,000-rated men's and women's event titles, respectively. The opening event in the 13-day Ballito Pro Surf Festival featured the country's best 18-and-under surfers alongside a contingent of highly rated international competitors as they battled for trophies, prize money and points on the WSL Africa rankings lists. Pupo, 17, was the standout performer throughout the three-day event, consistently delivering the highest scores in each round and demonstrating an outstanding ability to perform gravity-defying aerial manoeuvres high above the lip. He faced his toughest test in the final when his opponent, former South African U16 champion Ethan Fletcher, took the lead at the halfway point of the 25 minute encounter with a ride the length of Willard Beach that earned 7.83. But with an excellent 8.67 in his score-line for a huge air-reverse, the Brazilian needed just 5.80 for victory and posted a 6.30 at the five minute mark to establish a lead that Fletcher ultimately could not match. "My strategy really worked for me. Five minutes into the heat I had two scores already and that made me comfortable for the rest of the heat and I'm super-happy to have this win," said Pupo. "I've been trying airs my whole life so now I'm doing them in heats and I can get a nine, or I can get a two, but it worked for me in this final. This win for me is so important as I've been in a couple of Junior finals but I've never had a win. I've turned 17, so I'm really happy to have my first win." The JQS women's final was an all international encounter between McDougall and Pacha Luque-Light of Australia that see-sawed back and forth with the lead changing hands after virtually every ride. McDougall, winner of the . . .
Vibescout – SA’s Largest Movie Aggregator Listing Movies on 688 Screens In 94 Cinemas
Vibescout, an innovative start-up that provides event listings and city guides, is now listing movies showing on 690 screens in 94 cinemas across South Africa. Vibescout is now officially the largest movie aggregator in South Africa and continues to take the country’s entertainment scene to new heights. Cape Town, South Africa, July 5, 2017 – Co-founded in 2015 by brothers’ Paul and Jonathan Myburgh, Vibescout’s vision is to provide an easy-to-use platform used to smartly curate the best things to do near you. This is done through event listings, comprehensive go-to guides and now, movie listings. The idea behind Vibescout was first born when Paul was travelling in Saigon, Vietnam in January 2014. After visiting all the regular tourist destinations, he scoured the hostel notice boards for more unique things to do and began to wonder how he could get better insight into truly local events and activities. After realizing there was definitely a void that needed to be filled in this space, Paul brought the idea back home to South Africa later that year and soon began work on Vibescout’s first version. Vibescout officially launched out of beta and started providing event listing in October 2016; by April 2017 they reached over 100 000 users for the month! As of 27 June 2017, Vibescout became the largest movie aggregator in South Africa, listing movies showing on 688 screens in 94 cinemas throughout the country. “It took roughly 6 weeks to get a MVP release and from it we have had amazing user feedback. We are currently getting nearly 10 000 users weekly using our movie section to find the latest movies and locate cinemas around them. We didn't realize it at the time and such a goal wasn't even on our radar, but we are now officially the largest movie aggregator in South Africa.” JONATHAN MYBURGH, CO-FOUNDER OF VIBESCOUT Connect with or contact with us: Jonathan Myburgh - . . .
BOS Cape Crown presented by BILLABONG: Elkington and Nogueira Head Rankings
Surfing: BOS Cape Crown presented by Billabong - Elkington and Nogueira Head Rankings Kommetjie the Venue for Fourth Stop in 2017 WSL Africa Junior Series Kommetjie local Jake Elkington and Kayla Nogueira of uMhlanga head the rankings for the second annual BOS Cape Crown pres. by Billabong that will be run at Long Beach in Kommetjie this weekend (20 & 21 May). The fourth World Surf League (WLS) Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) event of 2017, the BOS Cape Crown comprises JQS1,000 rated events for Men and Women and has attracted the cream of the country’s 18-and-under competitors who will competing for the prestigious titles and a total of R30,000 in prize money. The rankings points earned at the event will count towards the crowning of the 2017 WSL Africa Junior champions and also the selection of the top four men and top two women to represent the region at the WSL World Junior Championships in Australia in January 2018. Elkington, who has reached the final of all three junior men’s events this year (winning in Port Elizabeth and finishing third in East London and Durban), holds a slender 70 point rankings lead over reigning WSL Africa junior men’s champion Adin Masencamp of the Stand, who clinched the event title in Durban last month. They will be hard pressed to maintain their current standings on the leaderboard by East London event champ, Koby Oberholzer of Warner Beach and Elkington’s younger brother Max, who has contested two finals this year. Joshe Faulkner (Jeffreys Bay), Luke Slijpen (Hout Bay), Calvin Goor (Salt Rock) and Luke Malherbe (East London) fill the balance of the spots in the top eight and will be going all-out to move up the rankings with a good result on the weekend. Nogueira has been the form surfer in this year’s junior women’s events, clinching two event victories and building up a solid rankings lead over Sophie Bell (Salt Rock), Kirsty McGillivray (Jeffreys Bay) and Tayla de Coning (East London). But Bell . . .
BOS Cape Crown presented by Billabong – Cape Town Venue and Swell Forecast.
Cape Town, May 20 and 21, 2017 BOS Cape Crown presented by Billabong - Venue and Swell Forecast. Cape Town – this year the BOS Cape Crown will once again return to Long Beach in Kommetjie, one of the most consistent surf spots in the deep south and a popular venue for the local contest organisers. Local surfers will get a big head-start on their peers from up country, with the Durban-based crew at a disadvantage due to the extreme cold water that is prevalent around Kommetjie. To be surfing in boardshorts or bikinis all year and to then climb into a 4’3 rubber wetsuit is obviously going to be restrictive, and this will most definitely play a part in the visitors performances. On top of this, a wetsuit that is holding water will weigh in at about 4 kg, also making a noticeable difference to surfboard performances. Slight adaptations to surfers’ craft might have to be made in order for the upcountry surfers to be able to adapt easily. Local surfers will already have all of this covered. The Elkington brothers have been on form of late, and will no doubt be ready for a big result at this venue. They will be joined by Eli Beukes, a Long Beach local who can kill it out there on any given day. Luke Slijpen from Llandudno is another surfer who will have no trouble if the water gets cold and the wind gets strong. Similarly Summer Sutton will undoubtedly put on a strong performance at this event as she is attuned to the conditions already. According to the noted surf forecaster Spike from www.wavescape.co.za there will be great waves on tap for the weekend. “There is some swell in the area, mainly from the west,’ said Spike. “This will be combined with southerly breezes, so the competitors are going to get good waves all weekend.” The 2017 Cape Crown presented by Billabong is already a step up from last year’s event with the addition of QS1000 Pro Junior Divisions for Girls and Boys and forms part of the Billabong Junior Series that along with other . . .
Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro presented by Billabong Day One
Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro presented by Billabong Day One – Pollock Beach Small, light onshore but highly contestable conditions met the competitors in the inaugural World Surf League (WSL) World Qualifying Series (WSL) event this morning. After a slight delay, while waiting for the conditions to settle, it was straight into the QS event. Comprising World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) rated events for men and women, plus Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) events for men and women aged 18-and-under, the Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro offers a total prize-pool of R80,000 plus points counting towards international and regional rankings lists. Billabong South Africa is the presenting sponsor, and they were in attendance as the best surfers in the country, as well as a contingent of international surfers, gathered for the start. "Billabong is really proud to be kicking off the inaugural Surf City Series in our backyard of Port Elizabeth. It is a fantastic initiative and an awesome opportunity for our local surfers to finally have their own domestic tour. Well done to everyone who made it possible and the best of luck to all the surfers competing," said Chad D'Arcy, Billabong South Africa's Marketing Manager. The QS1,000 rated men’s event features a 64 man field including the cream of South Africa’s surfers. The top seed is Michael February (Kommetjie), currently the country’s highest QS ranked surfer at No. 65, followed by 2016 WSL Africa champion Beyrick de Vries (uMhlanga), Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) and Braden Jones (USA). The QS1,000 women’s seeding is headed by Nicole Pallet (La Lucia), Emma Smith (Jeffreys Bay), Teal Hogg (uMhlanga) and Fay Zoetmulder (Cape St Francis) with Tayla Hanak (AUS) the only international among the 24 competitors. Reigning WSL Africa Junior champion Adin Masencamp (Strand), Sebastian Williams (Durban) and Kommetjie residents Jake Elkington and Ford van Jaarsveldt are the top four in the JQS1,000 junior . . .
South Africa’s playground safety re-evaluated
Senior Landscape Architect, Lizelle Wolmarans at GIBB, one of South Africa’s leading black-owned engineering consulting firms, presented a paper on child safety in playgrounds at the three-day Congress for the Institute of World Urban Parks (WUP) and Environment and Recreation Management (IERM) in Cape Town last month. Leading parks professionals and parks agencies from around the world resolving to protect and enhance the world’s urban parks and green spaces in the face of looming global challenges was present at this Congress. The paper, titled Risky Play and Children’s Safety: Balancing Priorities for Optimal Child Development focused on the construction of playgrounds, safety and safety standards of equipment used in playgrounds as well as the influence it has on physical and mental child development. Play experts such as Environmental Psychologists, Child Development Specialists, Landscape Architects and Educators are advocating a re-assessment of the play environment. While the safety of children should never be neglected, Wolmarans explained the dangers of being over-protective as potentially detrimental to a child’s development. “Our environment is not without risk and therefore, we need to learn how to manage risk continuously as a survival skill. However, where risk is eliminated from playgrounds, challenge is eliminated leading to boredom where children may potentially feel the need to take excessive risk using equipment inappropriately that can cause unintentional injury,” said Wolmarans. South Africa has adopted the international playground safety standards, these standards are not legalised but serve as a guideline to prevent hazardous risks. Locally, our decisions need to be influenced by security, economy and future sustainability. In the case of security, it is a fact that children are living in dangerous environments in their homes and neighbourhoods. Some of the dangers are traffic, kidnapping, crime and drugs. Supervision and . . .
The truth about dagga
If you think that dagga is a dangerous narcotic, then you have been duped through propaganda. Dagga is as traditional to SA as biltong, boerebeskuit and witblits. It fascinated JV Riebeeck and missionaries extolled its virtues. It grows like a weed, is medicinal in its natural form with a lower potential for harm to self and society than sugar. Supported by science (endocannabinoid system), legal in 24 USA states with 200 million US citizens having access to it as medicine (endocannabinoid system) + populations of 11 other countries. Deaths from opioid overdoses has also dropped by up to 25% in states with legal dagga. The current 'war on drugs' is a broken system. It's a war on people and does little to protect anyone from substance abuse. It's the same mentality that was used to justify enforcing the mixed marriages act, where the offender is also the victim. A perverse incentive to put people into prison. From physical prison to social prison with a subsequent criminal record. You will find plenty of peer reviewed studies, medical professionals (Joycelyn Elders, Andrew Weil, Lester Grinspoon, Deborah Malka, Sanjay Gupta, Abrams, Suzanne Sisley, Denis Petro, Ethan Russo, Uma Dhanabalan, Jeffrey Block, Bonni Goldstein, Juan Sanchez-Ramos..) who support dagga as a therapeutic plant. In SA, the Bobby Greenhash foundation PTY is supplying dagga oil to people suffering with terminal diseases. Their testimonials to the healing power of dagga is worth a read. The SA central drug authority (CDA) has also called for the decriminalization of dagga and a recent study they commissioned, concluded that dagga kills cervical cancer. Vilifying dagga and then using that stance to 'protect our children' is pointless. Rather fact based solutions (science) focusing on harm reduction through healthcare and education, as recommended by the SA substance abuse experts, S Kelley and Quintin Van Kerken. Better that control of dagga is removed from the streets and regulated . . .
