We'll bring back gold, says SA surfers

The South African junior surfing team are all fired up and ready to let rip at this year's edition of the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Junior Championships in Papenoo, Tahiti, from December 5 to 12.

The national team consists of 12 of the country's most talented junior surfers in the boys under 16 and 18 divisions and girls under 16 division.

Flying the KwaZulu-Natal flag high at the second annual eight-day world championships are reigning ISA world under 16 champion Jordan Smith, new cap Rudy Palmboom, Josch Schmeltzer, Josh Redman and Tammy Lee Smith.

The rest of the team are new caps Klee Strachan (Cape Town) and Brett Shearer (Kommetjie), Damien Fahrenfort (Western Province), reigning under 20 South Africa champion Keegal Nel (East London), East London's Rosanne Hodge and Nikita Robb, and Kate Matthews (Cape St Francis).

At 2003's inaugural world champs at North Beach, Jordy Smith clinched the world under 16 crown and South Africa placed fourth overall in the tag team event. This year, the 16-year-old Durbanite is more determined than ever to defend his title, and the team is confident they can win the team event.

Team coach Howie Gold said: "We have a really talented side who are ready to take on the best juniors that any of the other 26 competing nations can throw at them."

The national team departs on Monday on a marathon journey that will see them reach Tahiti by the middle of next week.

On December 3, the South Africans will hone their competitive skills against the New Zealanders in the traditional SANZ clash, which takes place between the two countries prior to every world junior championship. The winning country will walk away with a trophy specially made from NZ rock and SA yellowwood.

The talented KwaZulu-Natal contingent is extremely confident of bringing home ultimate glory, especially after putting in long hours in the surf as well as achieving top honours at recent domestic contests.

In the under 16 division, Jordy Smith remains a hot favourite to bring back gold, while Bluff teenager Palmboom and Schmeltzer also have the talent to go all the way.

Smith, the reigning ASP Africa Pro Surf Tour (PST) junior champion and reigning South Africa under 16 title-holder, said: "This is one of the hardest contests on the calendar and will be quite a challenge for me because I haven't surfed in Tahiti before. My goal from round one would be to try to win all my heats, lift my game plan as I advance through the rounds and obviously do my very best to defend my title."

Smith, who has been watching videos on the different breaks in Tahiti, said he anticipated stiff competition from Australians Matt Wilkinson and Julian Wilson, as well as Junior Faria (Brazil) and Casey Brown (Hawaii).

The 16-year-old Glenwood High pupil was full of praise for the South African team.

"They are a great bunch of guys and are excellent surfers in their age categories. I'm certain we'll bring back gold," said Smith, who represents South Africa for the third consecutive year.

Looking ahead to the SANZ clash, he said: "We are going to give them a run for their money. They narrowly beat us in 2003. Although I won the individual division last year, I think the South Africa team is going to surf extra hard and defeat them this time round."

Palmboom, who was part of the 2003 South Africa Future Stars team, is not only excited about representing South Africa for the first time, but also determined to consolidate his position as a fierce competitor in the international contest arena. This year wasn't a particularly good one for "Rudes", who recently recovered from a bad ankle injury.

Despite that, he has taken back-to-back wins (Billabong Junior Series under 16 Jeffreys Bay champion and Cape St Francis Rip Curl GromSearch under 16 winner) this year. The grade 10 Glenwood pupil said he planned to give it his best shot.

"I'm not going to put pressure on myself - I'll tackle each heat as it comes."

Provincial under 16 number two seed Schmeltzer, of West-ville Boys High, is no stranger to the international competitive arena and is on a mission to take out his fellow team members as well as his international rivals.

The Westville lad has won several titles this year, including O'Neill South Africa open and Billabong Pro Junior contests in Durban, Jeffreys Bay and Cape Town. "Schmelz" said the team was determined to punish the New Zealanders.

"They beat us at home, now it's time for payback."

Redman, who placed 12th at 2003's world champs, is KwaZulu-Natal's top seeded under 18 surfer and is ranked in the top four in South Africa.

The former South Africa under 12 and 16 champion, who has a great deal of international experience under his belt, will team up with national stars Nel, Shearer and Fahrenfort in the under 18 division.

The 16-year-old Umdloti Beach surfer, who captained the 2004 O'Neill KwaZulu-Natal junior team at this year's annual champs, said he was determined to make the finals.

Former South Africa under 18 and under 20 champion Tammy Lee Smith is looking forward to the challenges of competing in her second world championship. At the 2002 international contest, she finished equal fifth overall and was a reserve for last year's team.

This year, the Salt Rock sensation said she wants to make the finals and, if recent achievements are anything to go by, then the top seeded under 18 provincial surfer is on her way to a top finish.

The World Championships start on December 5, with the finals on December 12 when the world champions (under 16 and under 18 boys, under 18 girls and tag team) will be crowned.

Defending champions Brazil, Australia and South Africa are the top seeded countries this year, and a great deal is expected from a resurgent USA team, New Zealand, former colonial power France and hosts Tahiti.

Other participating countries include the UK, Ireland, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Hawaii and the only other African team, Morocco.

The winning team at this year's champs will take home the ISA world junior team trophy as well as the International Olympic Committee's Presi-dent's Trophy, which will be taken to Tahiti by the ISA president, Fernando Aquerre.

The trophy, the highest award given by the ISA to any team at any event, celebrates the fact that surfers compete in events under the Olympic movement.

This year marks a significant moment in surfing history as it's the first time the trophy will be awarded at the ISA Junior Surfing team champs.