Observations At The World Juniors

Words: Mark Rosenberg
Photos: Andrew Shield
Video: Sam Norwood

Highlights from day one of the Billabong World Junior Championship.

It’s 7.30am on the Gold Coast and the Rockies section of Burleigh Point is swarmed by the best juniors from Tugun to Tokyo. Not a wave goes unridden without a tail being blown or an air being launched. There’s a few rookie water photographers getting in the way but they’re quickly given their marching orders by Burleigh’s water patrol. The youth are all looking to go one better than each other. Competition is fierce and the buzzer hasn’t even blown.
 
Ryan Callinan is one of a handful of goofy footers blowing up. He’s only been back in the water for three weeks after injuring his ankle but doesn’t seem at all hindered. Ryno’s renowned for his backside aerials and is in no way disadvantaged by having his butt to the wave. After moonboots and multiple medics he’s back. But then disaster strikes as he lands awkwardly on an air reverse. It’s his other ankle. It’s not broken but he limps up the beach. Fingers crossed this isn’t a sign of things to come for the other young Australians in the draw.
 
Filipe Toledo annihilates his competition in heat three. The Brazillian transplants that call the Gold Coast home erupt. Brazil’s surfing superpower status is imminent and they all know it. Toledo’s decimation of the two-foot runners showcases what’s possible with the conditions at hand. The benchmark is set for the coming heats.

Felipe Toledo kept the Gold Coast Brazilians entertained with on-the-edge tail wafts like this. 

Fourteen-year old Jack Robinson is in the water against Dale Staples and Caue Wood. He’s coming third, dead last. “He’s just too small, why is there a kid in the contest?” says one clueless onlooker, who later asks an official if Kelly Slater has surfed yet. In the dying minutes of the heat lil Jack let’s fly with a textbook alley-oop and takes the win. That’s why there’s a kid in the contest. Jack then clambers up the rocks and groups of tween girls giggle and stare, too scared to approach him. He'd better get used to it.

Jack Robinson got so high he scared the seagulls. Photo: ASP/Matt Dunbar.

Before his heat Freestone sips a protein shake and is simultaneously focused and relaxed.
“Who have you got?” I ask.
“Second and third,” replies Jack.
He’s confident and why not? We’re in his hometown and he’s been a standout in free surfs all week long.
 
As expected he goes out and send Vasco Ribeiro and Nathan Carvalho packing. “Jack’s been so fucking good lately,” says his good mate Mitch Crews. “Every wave is just a blow tails, airs and hacks. He’s gotta win this contest.” I agree and the boys run off to go surf beachies down south.

With Davey Cathels out Caio Ibelli is the sole number one seed. He paddles out for his heat and two local surfers next to me debate his abilities.
“He’s shit on points.”
“Pffft, whatever. He can do airs. If he can do airs he can win.”
 
Never discount a Brazillian, especially in surfing’s current climate. I think Caio will surley win, but he doesn’t. He’s beaten by the slimmest of margins by New Zealand’s Matt Lewis Hewitt, who coincidently is only in because Cathels it out. Caio is now in the elimination round which ups Jack or Garret Parkes’ chances of hoisting the silverware. Chur Bru.
 
Garrett Parkes is staying opposite Burleigh Point and has been surfing from dusk till dawn. Standing at 5’5 and weighing not much means he’s able to milk the Rockies runners for all they’re worth. Unsurprisingly he wins comfortably with a series of swooping cutbacks and airs. ASL is tipping him or Freestone to win the whole shebang. Let’s hope it happens on Australia Day morning so we celebrate more than invasion and genocide.
 
With weather and waves like this it’s almost a certainty that the contest will run again tomorrow, with either Men's Round Two, or Women's Round One.

The Billabong World Junior Championship Gold Coast will be held at Burleigh Heads from 21 to 19 January 2012. For more information and to see the Men's and Women's draws head to the website.

Conner Coffin was up scoping the Point early.

And his dawn patrolling must have worked. Conner comfortably won the first heat of the day.

The Saturday crowds enjoying the golden sands to the north of Oskar's restaurant were oblivious to the best under 21 surfers launching insane aerials just up the Point. Photo: Sean Radich

Keanu Asing has grown up with Hawaiian barrels so he was one of the few to find a little Burleigh greenroom in the small 2-3 foot waves.

One of the local wildcards, Mitch Parkinson flaired over the lip.

 Matt Banting dominated one of the last heats of the day against Andrew "Droid" Doheny and Dean Bowen with moves like this double-grab frontside punt. Photo: Sean Radich

Results Round 1 – Men’s
Billabong World Junior Championships, Gold Coast
Heat 1: Conner Coffin (USA) 13.00, Chase Wilson (USA) 9.34, Deivid Silva (BRA) 8.66
Heat 2: Soli Bailey (AUS) 12.67, Arashi Kato (JPN) 8.93, Ryan Callinan (AUS) N/S
Heat 3: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 15.84, Evan Thompson (USA) 7.97, William Aliotti (FRA) 7.60
Heat 4: Keanu Asing (HAW) 13.90, Mateia Hiquily (PYF) 11.64, David Van Zyl (ZAF) 7.17
Heat 5: Peterson Crisanto (BRA) 16.33, Mitchell Parkinson (AUS) 14.43, Kalani David (HAW) N/S
Heat 6: Jack Robinson (AUS) 12.33, Dale Staples (ZAF) 11.97, Caue Wood (BRA) 8.73
Heat 7: Jack Freestone (AUS) 15.57, Nathan Carvalho (HAW) 11.93, Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 8.90
Heat 8: Matt-Lewis Hewitt (NZ) 13.24, Caio Ibelli (BRA) 13.16, Eli Steele (AUS) 9.94
Heat 9: Garrett Parkes (AUS) 15.27, Wade Carmichael (AUS) 9.83, Creed McTaggart (AUS) 8.74
Heat 10: Marco Fernandez (BRA) 12.83, Tim Macdonald (AUS) 8.27, Kaito Ohashi (JPN) 8.20
Heat 11: Ian Gouveia (BRA) 9.56, Kan Watanabe (JPN) 9.50, Dylan Kowalski (USA) 6.63
Heat 12: Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 13.77, Lucas Silveira (BRA) 9.57, Dylan Lightfoot (ZAF) 8.16
Heat 13: Jake Halstead (HAW) 16.17, Frederico Morais (PRT) 9.84, Hiroto Arai (JPN) 9.77
Heat 14: Matt Banting (AUS) 15.50, Andrew Doheny (USA) 10.30, Dean Bowen (AUS) 9.63
Heat 15: Medi Veminardi (REU) 11.33, Keala Naihe (Haw) 8.87, Kaishu Tanaka (JAP) 7.74
Heat 16 Thomas Wood (AUS) 1st, Michael February (ZAF) 2nd Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA) 12.83