The Fantastic Noodles Pro Junior is less than one month away and there’s loads of points, prize-money and bragging rights on the line. At the start of 2011 the Fantastic Noodles Pro Junior was upgraded to a 6-Star rating for
The Fantastic Noodles Pro Junior is less than one month away and there’s loads of points, prize-money and bragging rights on the line. At the start of 2011 the Fantastic Noodles Pro Junior was upgraded to a 6-Star rating for the men’s division and 3-Star for the women’s, meaning that this event is as big as they come.
Garrett Parkes (Byron Bay, NSW) is in poll position heading into the Fantastic Noodles Pro Junior, but despite having his best year on the ASP Australasian Pro Junior series, he’s not getting too far ahead of himself.
“I just want to try and stay solid and keep it simple and hopefully I can come away with a win,” Parkes said. “It’s pretty cold and testing down there, but there’s always a good chance of scoring waves. I don’t really look at points or ratings or anything like that, I just know I need to win heats and I just try and focus on that. I didn’t qualify for the World Juniors last year so if I can make it now that’d be great.”
Max Longhurst (SA, AUS) South Australia’s top rated ASP Pro Junior surfer will be looking to make the most of his local knowledge and hometown support at the Fantastic Noodles Pro Junior.
“I haven’t had a good run so far this year as I have had a few board issues,” Longhurst said. “But now I am feeling fit, I have my boards sorted and I have spent lots of time surfing on the west coast of South Australia. I’m hoping that I can notch up a good result. I am used to cold, I know the waves, so I am hoping that will help me secure a big result.”
Matt-Lewis Hewitt (NZL) is the only surfer to have won multiple events on this year’s ASP Australasian Pro Junior series and is looking to secure a spot at the 2011 ASP World Junior Championships.
“This is my last year in the ASP Pro Juniors,” Hewitt said. “I’m really looking forward to this comp, last year I flew do wn but then injured myself so I left the day the comp started, but the waves looked really fun! I am riding some great boards, and have a few to choose from, so that always gives you confidence when going into a event. The Fantastic Noodles Pro Junior is pretty important as it’s a 6-Star and carries a lot of valuable points which will help my goal to qualify for the World Juniors. So I am really looking forward to it!”
Felicity Palmateer (Perth, WA), currently 4th on the ASP Australasian Pro Junior rankings will be looking to move up the list with the extra points on offer at the Fantastic Noodles Pro Junior.
“This year has been great I’ve had a couple of results here and there,” Palmateer said. “But I’m really looking to finish the year strong. All the girls in the top 5 or 10 are going to be hard to beat, we have all got a couple of good results and it’ll be a really exciting and close finish.”
The Fantastic Noodles Pro Junior will run from July 14 – 17 at Victor Harbour, South Australia. There’s a multitude of scenarios that could play out to determine this year’s men’s and women’s ASP Australasian Pro Junior Champions and the top 4 ranked men and top 2 ranked women who will qualify for the 2011 ASP World Junior Championships, so don’t miss the action.
The Fantastic Noodles Pro Junior is supported by: Surfing South Australia, ASP Australasia, Surfing Australia, Fantastic Snacks, Events South Australia, Be Active, Cutloose Surf, Visionzone, Powerbalance, Toyota, HWR Media and Communication, UniSA, Woolworths and Balance Carbon.
