KERAMAS, Bali/Indonesia (Friday, August 31, 2012) – The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is pleased to announce that both the Men’s and Women’s 2012 ASP World Junior Champions will be crowned in Bali, Indonesia for the first time in ASP history at the upcoming Oakley ASP World Junior Championships this October.
Universally-regarded as one of the surfing world’s great treasures, the Indonesian, high-performance righthander of Keramas will provide the backdrop to this year’s title-deciding bout. Bali will now be added to a prestigious list of surfing locations that have crowned ASP World Junior Champions including: Queensland’s Burleigh Heads, Sydney’s North Narrabeen, Victoria’s Phillip Island and Maui’s Honolua Bay. The Oakley ASP World Junior Championships will utilize the primary venue of Keramas rivermouth with a secondary venue of Echo Beach, Canggu.
Santa Barbara’s Conner Coffin, the No. 1 rated junior surfer from North America, will be among several contenders including Australia’s Jack Freestone. Coffin, 19, qualified as the top seed from the North American region along with Andrew Doheny, Evan Thompson and Kanoa Igarashi. The top four from North America automatically qualify.
Parker Coffin, another standout Santa Barbara local, is rated sixth on the North America points standings but could receive a wild-card entry into the Bali contest.
Santa Barbara’s Lakey Peterson, 17, recent winner of the U.S. Open of Surfing and Women’s WCT competitor, will not be competing in Bali.
Freestone (AUS), 20, who won the 2010 Oakley World Pro Junior in classic conditions at Keramas and ultimately claimed the 2010 ASP World Junior Title, is excited to return to Bali to compete as a junior for the last time in his career.
“It’s a perfect scenario,” Freestone said. “I think the ASP World Junior Champion being crowned in Bali is great. Winning the ASP World Juniors helped propel me into the next stage of my career. I couldn’t be more grateful for that, but as for what that means right now, I think I will have a target on my back. Other surfers know I have been successful in Bali in the past and will be gunning for me. I’m looking forward to the week and challenges that event brings.”
“Oakley is proud and excited to crown the 2012 ASP World Junior Champion in the idyllic surf destination that is Bali,” Ronny Nelson, Oakley Global Surf Sports Marketing Manager, said. “The waves, geography and culture make this place a must-visit destination for all surfers. Since the beginning, Oakley has made it a priority to run this event only in quality swell and Bali has produced every year. With the pristine shores of Keramas as the main site and Canggu as the back-up location we feel we have a winning combination. Now in our fifth year, we’ve grown the event and witnessed the juniors rise to the occasion each and every year,” continued Nelson. “We can’t wait to see what they’re going to unleash in Bali this October.”
The transition to crowning the ASP World Junior Champions in Bali this year means that Billabong’s long-standing event at North Narrabeen (and later, Burleigh Heads) will be off the schedule for now, but the ASP is committed to maintaining the prestige of the ASP World Junior Championships set forth by its early supporters.
“The ASP World Junior Championship is undoubtedly the premier junior title globally,” ASP’s Matt Wilson said. ” In order to enhance this status and ensure the best junior surfers in the world are available to compete for the ASP World Junior title, we are focusing on producing one World Junior Championship event, in a quality, iconic location each year.”
The Oakley ASP World Junior Championships will be webcast LIVE via Oakleyprojunior.com
For more information, log onto ASPworldtour.com
PAST ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONS:
2011: Caio Ibelli (BRA), Leila Hurst (HAW)
2010: Jack Freestone (AUS), Alizee Arnaud (FRA)
2009: Maxime Huscenot (REU), Laura Enever (AUS)
2008: Kai Barger (HAW), Pauline Ado (FRA)
2007: Pablo Paulino (BRA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
2006: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Nicola Atherton (AUS)
2005: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)
2004: Pablo Paulino (BRA)
2003: Adriano de Souza (BRA)
2002: N/A
2001: Joel Parkinson (AUS)
2000: Pedro Henrique (BRA)
1999: Joel Parkinson (AUS)
1998: Andy Irons (HAW)
