• $5,000 on the line for Jr. girls’ contest • Kaua’i umpires meeting $5,000 on the line for Jr. girls’ contest By Duane Shimogawa Jr. – The Garden Island It’s just one of those can’tmiss events on the island and
• $5,000 on the line for Jr. girls’ contest
• Kaua’i umpires meeting
$5,000 on the line for Jr. girls’ contest
By Duane Shimogawa Jr. – The Garden Island
It’s just one of those can’tmiss events on the island and if you do miss it, you’ll definitely regret it, so do yourself a favor and register now for Rochelle Ballard’s First Annual O’Neill Island Girl Junior Pro. The contest is supported By Reef, scheduled to go off on Sunday, Sept. 18, at PK’s! The winner will get a wild-card entry into the trials of the Roxy Pro at Hale’iwa, the first jewel of the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to help these girls make the leap to professional surfing,” says Rochelle, who worked with O’Neill to conceive Hawai’i’s first-ever, all-female Junior Pro. Hawai’i’s world championship tour (WCT) surfers Keala Kennelly, Megan Abubo, and Melanie Bartels will also join Rochelle to support the girls at PK’s. With a $5,000 purse and the wildcard into a Triple Crown trials event, the Island Girl Junior Pro ups the ante for all the aspiring pros.
According to contest director Miguel Graham, “The whole idea of this contest is to create opportunities for the young, up and coming, very talented women surfers around Hawai’i. Since Rochy is from Po’ipu, Kauai, having this event at her home break really fits.”
“The Association of Surfing Professionals [ASP] format gives the women surfers who want to move on to the next level a chance to familiarize themselves with how a pro event is run,” Graham adds. Already entered into the event are amateur standouts Bethany Hamilton, Leilani Gryde, and Coco Ho.
“It’s clear that the girls are taking surfing to a whole new level at a younger age, and the time is right for a Junior Pro in Hawai’i,” says Karin Moran, the Juniors’ Marketing Manager for O’Neill, which has sponsored Rochelle Ballard Surf Camps for the past five years.
The O’Neill Island Girl Junior Pro is limited to 64 competitors between the ages of 8 and 21. Register at Nukumoi Surf Co. or call (808) 651-6024. Beach entries will also be accepted at 7:30 am at PK’s. The first heat will be called at 7:30, and the starting horn will blow at 8:00 a.m. The cost is $35. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the International Women’s Surfing (IWS) and Boarding for Breast Cancer. For more information, visit www.oneill.com or www.rochelleballard.com.
Kaua’i umpires meeting
There will be a general membership and election meeting on the forming of the Kauai Umpires Association on Wednesday, September 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Koloa ballfield pavilion. This meeting is for current umpires of both softball and baseball or anyone interested in becoming one. For more information please contact Joe Bertucci at 635-6877 or joe@gccp.us.
