Geared Pro Jr Day 2 - Report and video
Under stormy skies the Geared Pro Junior brought some awe-inspiring surfing to Easter Sunday today at North Cronulla. With persistent rainsqualls and unseasonal weather a feature of the day's proceedings, it wasn't enough to dampen the amazing talent of the Australasian region's best junior surfers.
Heralding the introduction of the top-seeds into the boys division, day two saw competitors battling it out for $25,000 and precious series ratings points.
None more impressive was Jordi Watson who blazed his way through the tricky, and inconsistent, conditions with the most dominant performance of the vent thus far. Accruing a total heat score of 16.85 (out of a possible 20), the highest for the event, Watson used a precise backhand arsenal to pick apart all that North Cronulla presented.
"It was defintitely hard work out there this morning," Watson admitted, after collecting an 8.35 and a 8.50 (out of a possible 10). The conditions were tricky, but there were opportunities that presented themselves and I was lucky enough to capitalise on them."
Running in conjunction with Geared.com.au, an online magazine aimed at helping young people get their licence and become safe and competent drivers, the Geared Pro Junior sees another big surfing event making its way back to Sydney's city beaches.
Bondi's Perth Standlick also blew the competition away with a superb 20 minute attack on the shifting peaks, whilst current ISA Junior World Champion Dean Bowen, Mitch Crews, Chris Friend and Blake Ainsworth all won their respective round of 64 heats.
But Crews, who currently leads the ASP Australasian Pro Junior ratings, wasn't happy with his performance despite advancing through to the next round. "I struggled big time," he admitted openly. "I couldn't get into a good rhythm and really felt out of place. Hopefully the conditions can improve overnight, but I'm still in it so it's not all bad," he said wryly.
Also on display today were the RTA Slow Down Pledge ‘pods' for people to take an oath against getting into a car with speeding drivers.
For all scores, LIVE vision, results, digital images, highlights and media please visit www.geared.com.au The Geared Pro Junior will take place from 3 April - 7 April 2010.
The Geared Pro Junior is proudly supported by Geared.com.au, Triple Bull Surf, Suncorp, Swellnet, Sutherland Shire Council, The Sea Life, The Leader, Australia's Surfing Life magazine, Fuel TV, The Frog Crew, ASP Australasia and Surfing NSW.
