Local Lad Lincoln Taylor Wins Inaugural Oakley Pro Junior
Royal Rumble At Straddie For Final Of Oakley Pro Junior
You couldn't have dreamed up a better final day for the Oakley Pro Junior
at North Stradbroke Island today. Six-foot conditions were some of the
best Queensland, Australia has seen in a year and the morning heats surfed
better waves than any WCT contest last year.
After three days of solid competition at two different venues on the island, the final heat pitted local lad Lincoln Taylor against Oakley's former ISA World Junior champion Julian Wilson. It was a classic story of local underground grom versus the sponsored champion.
Wilson surfed extremely well all day, consistently notching high scores and drawing applause from the beach, but the local Straddie surfer scored the best wave of the heat and captured his maiden pro junior series victory.
"I'm over the moon," said Taylor, whose previous best ever result on the pro junior series was a quarterfinal finish. "It's my last year on the series and I really wanted to win this event in front of all my family and friends. I couldn't have asked for a better place to do it. Every surfer dreams about winning an event at their local beach. I can't believe that it happened to me."
Taylor collected $7000, the most ever won in an Australian Pro Junior, and 3,500 rating points for winning the 9-star rated ASP Australasian tournament.
"There was like a 20-minute lull through the final and I couldn't buy a wave," said Oakley's Julian Wilson. "I think Lincoln put on an island curse on me. He caught all the good waves in the final and dug deep when he really needed to."
Wilson and Taylor both bagged a trip to an exotic location to compete in the Oakley Global Challenge against winners from each of the six Oakley Pro Junior events throughout Brazil, Europe, Japan, USA and South Africa this year.
"I can't wait to surf against the best junior surfers from around the
globe," said Taylor.
Just before the final, the Stradbroke Island Beach Hotel Expression Session
was an explosive demonstration, with the Oakley team throwing down a
storm of progressive maneuvers. Oakley's Hawaiian Sebastian Zietz who
took home $1000 for the session's best wave.
Stay tuned to www.aspworldtour.com/oakley or www.oakleyprojunior.com
February 7, 2008, North Stradbroke Island, Qld - Mother Nature Whips Up Huge Waves For Oakley Pro Junior
Mother nature continued to unleash its awesome power on South East Queensland
today, serving up huge waves for day three of the all-new Oakley Pro Junior
at North Stradbroke Island.
A large easterly swell that remained constant throughout Tuesday and Wednesday
increased considerably today, whipping up a stronger pulse peaking in the
six to eight foot range.
Australia and the world's hottest junior surf stars (20-years and under)
relished the solid conditions, setting free their exciting competition
repertoires in massive beach break peaks at Main Beach, Point Lookout.
Oakley's surfing sensation Julian Wilson also stamped his mark on the
9-star rated ASP Australasian junior tournament, spawning a dominating
performance in the final heat of round three.
Wilson, 18, defied tide-affected conditions to bag the morning's highest
individual wave score, a near perfect 9.83.
The explosive natural foot backed it up with a 5.33 to storm through to
round four of competition with a 15.16 combination.
"Conditions changed just before the start of my heat," said Wilson.
"I was throwing up whether to surf the outside bank or on the inside, but
by heat's start I stayed in close. I knew the best chance of getting through
the heat was by sticking on the inside reforming peaks."
Wilson, who has been touted as a future world champion, entered the event
as fourth seed and is searching for a big result after a slow start to
this year's circuit.
"I haven't really been in the swing of things," added Wilson
"I've been feeling good, but haven't had the consistency I've wanted. My
confidence is there and hopefully I can turn things around in this event."
Wilson went on to wow the crowd again, winning his next heat in Round
4 and advancing to the prestigious final day of the Oakley Pro Junior at
Straddie.
It has been a whirlwind 12 months for the Coolum teenager which has seen
him defeat eight-time world champion Kelly Slater (USA), bag a string of
wins on the Australasian Pro Junior circuit and become the youngest-ever
recipient of the industry's coveted Breakthrough Performer of the Year
award.
The prestigious new tournament is the first of six Oakley pro junior events
organized for Brazil, Europe, Japan, USA and South Africa in '08. The champion
and runner-up from each event will be taken to a secret location to battle
it out for more cash and prizes.
The Oakley Pro Junior is the 4th of 12 stops on the 2008 ASP Australasian
Pro Junior Series and offers a six-day surfing window, from Tuesday 5th
February to Sunday 10th February, 2008, for only four days of competition
surfing.
The main event site will be at Cylinder Beach, however the tournament has the option of going to the best surf from Adder Rock to Main Beach.
The Oakley Pro Junior is proudly supported by Redlands Shire Council, Stradbroke Ferries, Stradroke Island Holidays, Stradbroke Island Beach Hotel, Red Bull, Waves Magazine, Surfing Queensland and ASP Australasia.
February 5th, North Stradbroke Island - Pristine Waves Served Up For Top Seeds At Day 2 of Oakley Pro Junior
Ideal surfing conditions continued at Straddie for day two of the inaugural
Oakley Pro Junior, with the tournament's top seeds blitzing the island's
powerful waves today.
Main Beach provided the ideal forum for round-two
action, with surfing young guns from as far a field as Bali, Europe,
Hawaii, Japan, South Africa, Tahiti and the USA making the most of punchy
1.5-2-metre beach breaks waves at Australia's North Stradbroke Island,
for a piece of the richest Pro Junior prize purse ever.
Oakley's Kiwi surfer Billy Stainamd won Heat #14 today. The heat got
off to a slow, low-scoring start, but with 10 minutes left, Billy dropped
two high scoring waves and notched a 9.9.
Later in the day, Oakley's Julian Wilson drew applause from the grassy
spectator knoll after a demonstration of next-level surfing.
"It was a tough heat in terms of conditions," said Wilson. "The paddle
out is a bit long---you've really got to pick the best waves. After two
run-arounds, I got three waves and it turned out alright. This is a really
good venue for a contest. It'll be different tomorrow because I'll be
surfing high tide. My strategy will change, but I'm looking forward to
it."
"He's a stud," says Oakley Surf Marketing's Ronny Nelson. "His surfing
was very polished today. He's surfing well beyond his junior status.
Julian is the next ambassador of our sport---he's that good."
Julian and Billy are expected to compete tomorrow with multiple rounds
of the 9-star Oakley Pro Junior tournament scheduled to run.
February 5th , 2008 - Oakley Pro Junior Gets Underway At North Stradbroke Island With Internationals Taking Charge
QUEENSLAND's
North Stradbroke Island turned it on for day one of the all-new Oakley
Pro Junior with a pulsing easterly swell generating stormy 1.5- 2-metre
surfing conditions at Main Beach today.
More than 140 of the globe's hottest surfers aged 20-years and under
converged on 'Straddie' for the start of the 9-star rated ASP Australasian
tournament, Queensland's richest ever-junior event.
International surfers set the pace for the day with 22 heats of round
one being completed in very good surfing conditions.
Oakley's Billy Stairmand (eyewear and apparel) won his heat with a score
of 15.10. The up and coming young surfer hails from Raglan, New Zealand
and has been with Oakley for more than four years.
Oakley teammate Sam Baldock (eyewear and apparel) brought his Western
Australian style to Straddie to win his heat this morning as well.
Competition is expected to continue tomorrow with round two heats. Top
seed Stuart Kennedy (Lennox Heads) will hit the water in the opening
heat of the day, whilst highly rated local Lincoln Taylor will feature
in the morning's action.
The prestigious new tournament is the first of six Oakley pro junior
events organised for Brazil, Europe, Japan, USA and South Africa in '08.
The champion and runner-up from each event will be taken to a secret
location to battle it out for more cash and prizes.
The Oakley Pro Junior is the 4th of 12 stops on the 2008 ASP Australasian Pro Junior Series and offers a six-day surfing window, from Tuesday 5th February to Sunday 10th February, 2008, for only four days of competition surfing.
The main event site will be at Cylinder Beach, however the tournament has the option of going to the best surf from Adder Rock to Main Beach.
JAN. 31, 2008 - OAKLEY PRO JUNIOR SERIES KICKS OFF NEXT WEEK WITH HIGHEST RATED, RICHEST ASP AUSTRALASIA PRO JUNIOR
Oakley's 2008 Pro Junior surfing series kicks off next
week at North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. The Association
of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 9-star rated Oakley Pro Junior offers
a six-day surfing window from February 5-10. The first of 11 Oakley Pro
Juniors worldwide in 2008 is the highest rated and richest ASP Australasia
Pro Junior, boasting $30,000 (AUD) in prize money and offering 132 of
the world's best young surfers a chance at 3,500 ratings points.
"We are stoked to be putting on a Pro Junior event, especially one at North Stradbroke Island," said Oakley's Australian Sports Marketing Manager Luke Watson. "We are hoping that the event attracts a swag of international surfers as well as the top Australians."
Cylinder Beach will host the main event site, however the contest has the option of going to the best surf from Adder Rock to Main Beach.
Adding to the event's already high stakes is a stellar line-up of the country's hottest surfers, including Oakley's Sunshine Coast surfing ace Julian Wilson.
"I'm frothing to surf a junior comp at North Straddie and potentially score a spot into the final challenge," says Oakley's Julian Wilson. "The whole concept Oakley has come up with sounds amazing."
One lucky member of the local Point Lookout Boardriders club will receive a wildcard into the top seeded round of the exclusive tournament courtesy of Oakley.
The Oakley Pro Junior is proudly supported by Surfing Magazine, Redlands Shire Council, Stradbroke Island Ferries and Waves Magazine.