Me and Chantel at Shrek 4D

I have been on the road for almost 2 weeks now, updating my blog while killing a 12 hour layover at Paris airport before flying back home. This trip to the US has to be one of the best trips ever. It started out with 2 long haul flights to get to LA, routing through Paris, missioning with overweight boardbags and luggage for over 24 hours but we finally arrived at our condo in Huntington Beach. Chantel from Cape Town was with me and my Dad on this trip and it’s always cool to have a good friend travelling with us.

Oh yeah Universal Studios!

The contest got underway with really small and inconsistent surf. First off was the junior pro. Davie Weare had told me about the Huntington hop but only after surfing a few heats did I realise how challenging the wave was at Huntington. It’s all about getting a first turn in at the back and then pumping like mad to make the re-form before hitting one or two closeout turns on the shorebreak. If you managed to connect through to the end then you got through the heat. Half way through the jnr pro I changed boards and rode a smaller fatter board that was perfect for the Huntington Hop.

Hitting a closeout turn before lining up for the Huntington Hop to the shorebreak

I was pretty stoked to end off my first ever contest in the US in =7th in the U20’s. Next the 6* WQS event got underway and I surfed all the way from the first round to the Quarter Finals where I matched up against Sally in a women on Women heat. I have to say that this was probably one of my biggest heats of my life, surfing for a $50,000 first prize in front of a packed beach bowing out in =5th which is my best ever result in a WQS. The US open is an amazing event. The beach turns into one huge party zone with massive BMX stages, skateboarding park and rock concerts each night. There is like 100,000 people hanging around the beach watching all of the events go down. Hectic!

Before the crowds hit!

After my heats we would wonder around the beach looking at all of the things that you can buy in the stores on the beach – you can even buy a new car and drive it off the beach home! Then the whole town kicks into top gear after lunch with Main Street lined with surf shops and restaurants, where you can buy just about anything. It was cool to hang out at Starbucks (the best coffee ever) and watch the world go by – the huge bakkies, the pimped out cruisers and all of the coolest cars – anything goes.

After surfing the Quarters, we picked up our French friends Canelle and Justine and drove for about a hour south to Trestles. The traffic is hectic, on one freeway there is 8 lanes just going in one direction and then 8 lanes going in the opposite direction, and all 8 lanes are full of cars and trucks going 120kph!

Me cutting back as the sun sets on a beautiful session at Trestles. Pic courtesy of 9mphoto

Trestles is an amazing place set in a nature reserve. So very different from the millions of people in Huntington. We arrived at Trestles in the early afternoon and surfed for something like 5 hours coming in every hour or so for water and a snack before hitting some of the funnest lefts ever. I heard that the break gets seriously overcrowded but we were lucky to get a smallest crowd out and we all got amazing waves.

Trestles sunset

On our last day we decided to hit LA and go to Universal Studios. What a day, probably one of the best days I have ever had. This place is amazing with such cool rides and things – everything is in 4D. Words cant describe the rides and things that we did – from 4D Shrek where we laughed until our sides were on fire to the Return of the Mummy ride where we couldn’t stop screaming with fear. What a day out. Something that you have to tick off your list of things to do.

Its true that the say that everything is bigger and better in the US and it is. This is one trip that I am going to remember for a very long time. I cant wait for next year!

Me and the Frenchies on the long walk back to the car

Back home for a few days now and then we head off to Madagascar for 2 weeks. It’s going to be a great surf trip.

At the end of the Jurassic Park ride – we got soaked!

Hanging out with Samuel L Jackson in Hollywood.

See ja,

Sarah!

BoardRiders TV Series 5 Show 5 – Roxy Invitational 2010

Sarah Baum - Roxy Invitational 2010 Prize Giving

I have been back home from Mozambique a few days now and I have had some time to think about how fantastic the last week has been. Before we left Durban to compete in the Roxy Invitational, I was feeling a little nervous to be honest because last year, I finished runner up to Chanelle Bullard, and the year before I finished 2nd again this time to one of my most respected SA surfers Heather Clark. So I think that the pressure was on me to finally win this event but the likes of Johanna from Reunion, Philipa and Page from Australia and Tarryn and Chantel, and all of the other surfers that had been invited, were not going to give me half a chance.

We are all such good friends out of the water, but the moment our feet touched the water for our heats, we all wanted to win this great event and surfed as best and as hard as we possibly could. The earlier rounds were surfed in some great surf and all the girls were shredding. The final with Kirsty and Tarryn took place in bumpy but contestable cross-wind surf. I had spent some time before the heat working out a strategy and fortunately, my plan worked and I snatched first place. But we had to wait for the prize giving to know who was the Roxy Invitational 2010 champ and I can tell you that it was a nervous few hours of waiting and a huge relief when I was called up to collect my trophy!

Roxy is really supporting girls surfing in SA by putting on such an amazing event. We have so few events to take part in in SA at the moment and all the girls have been travelling in Australia and Europe which takes its toll on you. To be invited to this event which is really magical  - the venue, the waves and food, and friends, and then win the contest is one of my highlights for sure!

I cant wait for 2011!!

See ya

Sarah Baum Wins The Roxy Invitational 2010 – Mozambique

Tofo, Mozambique – Durban surfer Sarah Baum has clinched the fourth annual Roxy Invitational surfing event in Mozambique. After two days of waiting for decent surf, the contest directors of this unique invitational event decided to run the final heat on the last day of the six-day waiting period in the three-foot contestable surf on offer at Tofinho Point, Tofo.

Baum got off to a slow start in the extended 40 minute final, while fellow Durbanite Kirsty Delport was quick off the mark and posted two solid scores in the six-point range. It wasn’t until halfway into the final when Baum hooked into a great looking wave and stylishly surfed her way to a 6.5 score. Taryn Chudleigh from Cape Town struggled in the testing conditions and didn’t manage to post scores to match the on-form Baum and Delport. Baum sealed the heat and win with six minutes to go when she cracked a good looking set wave from the outside, ending with a massive floater on the inside to score herself a much needed eight point ride.

“I am so stoked with the win! This is an event that I have been wanting to win for a while now and it feels good to finally do it. It is such a good event and really good for women’s surfing. Roxy really goes all out to make it a cool event, it’s definitely the event to look forward to every year” said Baum after receiving her winners cheque.

Baum took home R10 000 for her win while Delport and Chudleigh earned themselves R3 000 and R2 000 respectively. Faye Zoetmulder of Port Elizabeth received the “Resolution Wipe Out Award” and R1 000 for the loss of her toe nail and a heavy encounter with the Tofinho reef in her round 1 heat.

Another activity that had spectators clapping and screaming on the beach was the “Quiksilver Locals Surf-Off”. Six Tofinho local boys hit the surf eager to impress but it was Pedro Da Silva who impressed the most with his stylish surfing to be deemed king of the point. All the boys received a Quiksilver backpack, wallet, cap and t-shirt for their efforts.

Roxy is committed to the conservation of the area and competitors and event officials have left nothing but their footprints behind.

The event will be aired on an upcoming episode of Boardriders TV on SuperSport within the next two months. All results, photo’s and blog posts can be found at: www.roxy.co.za/invitational.

The Roxy Invitational is presented by Saltwater Girl, in association with Resolution and is supported by SuperSport and Liqui-Fruit.

Tofo, Mozambique – Sarah Baum (Durban) sent out a warning sign to her two fellow finalists when she put on an amazing display of surfing today (Thursday 27 May) to convincingly win her semi final encounter at the 2010 Roxy Invitational presented by Saltwater Girl. Baum easily disposed of Reunion’s Johanne Defay by executing radical and fast maneuvers in the 30 minute heat at Tofinho Point, Tofo.

Baum had a slow start to the heat but eventually picked up a great wave off the point which enabled her to absolutely cut loose and explode resulting in a massive 9.5 score. This was backed up by a 6.5 ride later on in the heat. “Mozambique is a beautiful place, the water is turquoise and the waves are great. I waited quite some time for my first good wave but when it came it just ran and opened up so nicely for me, I am amped for the final” said Baum after her heat. She will be joined in the final by Taryn Chudleigh (Cape Town) who surfed a clever heat to eliminate early event favourite Philippa Anderson of Australia. Taryn’s smooth backhand attack and critical turns gave her the edge over Anderson in a heat that had to be decided by split decision. Durbanite Kirsty Delport won the last semi-final heat over Heidi Palmboom (Bluff) to make it an all-South African final showdown. Kirsty managed to put in some big turns in the deteriorating conditions to be deemed the winner by the judges.

The final heat of the event is set to take place on either Friday, Saturday or Sunday depending on the size and quality of the surf at Tofinho. The Roxy Invitational is a unique women’s surfing event that puts emphasis on “the best surfers in the best waves” and this year has once again been true to form. R10 000 will be awarded to the winner of the event, second place and third place will receive R3 000 and R2 000 respectively.

The ten competitors have many activities besides surfing lined up including a Community Beach Clean Up and an Ocean Safari. Roxy is committed to the conservation of the area and competitors and event officials will be leaving nothing but their footprints behind.

All results, photo’s and blog posts can be found at: www.roxy.co.za/invitational.

Round 3/Semi Final Results:

Heat 1:
1st Taryn Chudleigh
2nd Philippa Anderson

Heat 2:
1st Sarah Baum
2nd Johanne Defay

Heat 3:
1st Kirsty Delport
2nd Heidi Palmboom

Final:
Taryn Chudleigh VS Sarah Baum VS Kirsty Delport

Tofo, Mozambique – Good, clean three feet surf greeted competitors for the fourth edition of the Roxy Invitational presented by Saltwater Girl. The first round of the event, which features 7 of South Africa’s top female surfers and three international invitees, got under away at 8:00am (Wednesday 26 May) at Tofinho Point, 20 minutes from Inhambane in Mozambique.    

25 minute man-on-man heats took to the water with very inviting and picturesque surf on offer. It was Australia’s Philippa Anderson that set the standard early on with a victory over the Bluff’s Heidi Palmboom with an 8 and a 6 point ride. Philippa made the most of the great surf and blasted several explosive maneuvers in the heat to impress the judges. Another surfer to impress was Durban surfer Sarah Baum who easily disposed of Cape Town’s Holly Armstrong with two fast and stylish rides which put her in a good position to improve on her 2^nd place 2009 finish. Other surfers who won their Round 1 match-ups are: Kirsty Delport (Durban), Taryn Chudleigh (Cape Town) and Johanne Defay (Reunion).

Philippa Anderson

Round 2, which featured the 5 losers from Round 1, hit the water 30 minutes after the opening round and was deemed as the “Last Chance Qualifier”. Heidi Palmboom used good wave selection and excellent rail surfing to win the heat and advance to the semi finals. The four competitors that will be watching the rest of event from the beach are Chantelle Rautenbach (Cape Town), Paige Haggerston (Australia), Faye Zoetmulder (PE) and Holly Armstrong (Cape Town). 

Semi-final and final heats will more then likely run tomorrow (Thursday 27 May) with some good swell and winds approaching. The event boasts R15 000 in prize money, R10 000 for first place, R3 000 for second and R2 000 for third. Resolution has put up R1 000 for the worst wipeout of the trip which sees Faye Zoetmulder in contention after losing a toe nail and being launched onto the reef in her Round 1 heat.

The ten competitors have many activities besides surfing lined up including a Community Beach Clean Up and an Ocean Safari. Roxy is committed to the conservation of the area and competitors and event officials will be leaving nothing but their footprints behind.

All results, photo’s and blog posts can be found at: www.roxy.co.za/invitational.

Round 1 Results:

Heat 1:
1^st Philippa Anderson
2^nd Heidi Palmboom

Heat 2:
1^st Johanne Defay
2^nd Chantelle Rautenbach

Heat 3:
1^st Kirsty Delport
2^nd Faye Zoetmulder

Heat 4:
1^st Taryn Chudleigh
2^nd Paige Haggerston

Heat 5:
1^st Sarah Baum
2^nd Holly Armstrong

Round 2 Results:

1^st Heidi Palmboom
2^nd Chantelle Rautenbach
3^rd Paige Haggerston
4^th Faye Zoetmulder
5^th Holly Armstrong

Semi Final Heats:

Heat 1:
Philippa Anderson VS Taryn Chudleigh

Heat 2:
Johanne Defay VS Sarah Baum

Heat 3:
Kirsty Delport VS Heidi Palmboom

Best Junior Surfing From The Quiksilver Pro Junior Plus A Clay Marzo Surfing Spectacular

Boardriders TV opens up episode 4 with a montage of Clay Marzo surf footage from around the globe. Quiksilver’s Young Gun recently brought out his own DVD, Just Add Water, where he displays his abnormal surfing talent and talks about his difficulties growing up with Aspergers Disease. Clay has a freakish ability to execute the most unthought-of maneuvers as well as take out some big events. Be sure to see just some of what this talented Hawaiian is all about in this episode. Go to www.claymarzo.com  for more info on Clay.

The Quiksilver Pro Junior went down at North Beach, Durban recently. The country’s best junior surfers were all in attendance and it was Shaun Joubert from Mossel Bay who managed to edge out Beyrick de Vries of Umhlanga in the final to take out the sought after US$ 2,500 first place prize. Slade Prestwich from Scottburgh beat an on-form Jarred Veldhuis from Kommetjie to win the highly contested U16 King of the Groms division. Slade will be flying to France to compete in the International King of the Groms finals in September. Max Armstrong was a clear standout in the U14 division beating Benji Brand, Shane Syckes and Jason Harris to win the U14 title and R3 500.

This event is a great stepping stone for junior surfers and is a great attraction for Durban’s newly renovated Golden Mile. Be sure to catch all the action from the Quiksilver Pro Junior, King of the Groms and Future Stars on tonight’s show.       

Boardriders TV Series 5 Episode 4 Schedule:

Date           Time           Channel

May 24        18:00          SuperSport 5
May 24        18:00          SuperSport 5 Africa
May 25        05:30          SuperSport 1    �
May 25        05:30          SuperSport 1 Africa �
May 26        14:30          SuperSport 2  �
May 26        14:30          SuperSport 2 Africa
May 27        16:00          SuperSport 5
May 27        16:00          SuperSport 5 Africa
May 28        17:00          SuperSport 5
May 28        17:00         SuperSport 5 Africa
May 29       03:00          SuperSport 6
May 29       03:00          SuperSport 6 Africa

Boardriders TV is produced by Invisible Cactus and presented by Resolution

Hi Guys,

Just got back from 2 and a half weeks in Europe and so stoked to be back in warm Durban. If the weather was this bad in May, I would hate to be there in December or January – unless we were going snowboarding which is something that I just havta try and do soon (hint hint)

Chilling on the beach in Hossegor

Well the trip from Joburg to Paris was pretty cool. We flew in the top deck of the new really big Boeing aeroplanes. This plane is massive! The best thing is that I had 4 seats to myself so I had a full night’s sleep. That is always a big bonus on the way to an event. When we landed in Paris, we missed the connection to Lisbon and we had a 6 hour wait to catch the next plane to Lisbon. After arriving in Lisbon, I was just so stoked to see my boards and baggage roll off the carousel – quite a few of the girls were not so lucky.

The first event was the Estoril WQS 6*. I had had a shocker event in Margaret River earlier this year (didn’t get through a single round) so I was pretty amped to do better this time. I had been working with my personal trainer Lance from the ‘toti Virgin Active and had been concentrating on improving core fitness. I had also been working a lot with Simon Nicholson and Davey Weare in the mornings – surfing heats and working on my repertoire so I guess that I was focusing more on what is required to take on 2 WQS 6*’s.

The first event in Portugal went really well, I managed an =13th place which was my best ever finishing in a 6* event. The surf was pretty small and I was riding a slightly smaller but fatter board that Elton from Bilt had shaped which went really well in the conditions. I was feeling relaxed and happy with my performance in Portugal.

Then, we had to get back to France, so we all piled into Franck’s  Quik van (he was looking after us on the trip – really cool guy!) and we drove for like 10 hours. We stopped in Spain for lunch which was so dodge! The café was full of big guys smoking and the floor was full of cigarette butts. We were all really happy to bail back into the van and carry onto France.

Pre Heat warm-ups

It seemed like forever but finally we arrived at the Quik house in Hossegor. This is such a sick house, huge place with lots of rooms and stuff.

We had a few days before the Swatch Girls pro Junior started so we were able to get a few surfs in. When we weren’t on the beach, we played poker and ping-ping at the Quik house. On one really cold and rainy day, all the saffers came back to the Quik house for a major poker game. It was great fun.

The next day we went to ski behind Franck’s rubber duck on one of the rivers in the town of Hossegor. It’s been a while since I skied behind a boat so it was great fun to ride the wake.

During the event, the weather was hectic. The rain was pouring and I was sitting on the beach between heats with 3 jackets on trying to keep warm, drinking the (free) hot chocolate. This was a major hit.

The Junior pro went really well for me. All of the top juniors were at the event, Coco, Laura, Courtney and I was stoked to finish =5th. I missed out by 0.2 in the semi – so close.

Next was the Swatch Girls 6* WQS Pro and it was a great experience to watch and surf against all of the top girl surfers from around the world, Stef, Sally, Beth, they were all ripping up the small surf. I managed an =9th which is my best finish this year. Stef was unstoppable taking the win against Coco.

Sally and me – stoked to get through that last heat!

After the event, we all went to this cool restaurant in town. Before we entered the place, we had to select some old farmers clothes from a big box and get dressed up in these old clothes. It was hilarious – we all looked like French farm people from the village down the road!

This is my 3rd trip to France and every time I get to go I really love the place. Franck and the Roxy team are so friendly and helpful, the food is great and we always have a great time. I cant wait to get back there next year.

That’s it for now, cant wait for Mozam on Sunday! Yeah yeah!

Cheers

Sarah

Wake-surfing – things to do when the waves are flatThe Roxy Crew poses for a quick pic

Talented Reunion surfer Johanne Defay is the final girl to be invited to surf in the 2010 Roxy Invitational Mozambique. Johanne, who placed third in last year’s seminal event, will be looking to improve her performance at the newly chosen venue of Tofinho, Tofo. Johanne was also the youngest surfer to claim the ASP European Women’s Junior title when she won it aged 15 in 2009. She will be replacing Alice Mcgregor, who had to pull out of the event due to previous commitments. The fast and stylish natural-footer could quite easily set the cat amongst the pigeons in this highly-competitive arena that the Roxy Invitational has become.

Johanne Defay From Reunion Island will be in attendance at the Roxy Invitational.

Roxy Marketing Manager Tamara Westbrook was upbeat about her inclusion. “Obviously we’re very excited to have Johanne in the mix once again,” said Westbrook. “It’s a bit disappointing that Alice couldn’t make it as she’s a great girl and an unreal surfer, but with Johanne replacing her, we have a line-up of red-hot surfers. Having international flavour in such an event is going to lift everyone’s game. It’s quite exciting. We’re going to see some top-end surfing.”

The waiting period for the event is from 25 May – 30 May, and the event is set to run at the idyllic location of Tofinho, Tofo. A perfect, sand-bottom right-hand pointbreak with endless rides in front of a secluded beach is what awaits the girls, along with a first prize of a cool ten grand. Only one day within the previously mentioned waiting period is what is needed to run the event off to conclusion, and with it being prime swell period, that day will reveal itself.

The contestants are going to be housed at the wondrous Turtle Cove Resort in Tofo (www.turtlecovetofo.com) and there are all sorts of activities for the girls when they’re not out amongst the waves. Yoga, horse riding and skin diving are just a few of these activities, as well as swimming with whale sharks for those that are brave enough. This the fourth edition of the event and it looks like it’s going to be another great tournament.

The final list of surfers, in no particular order, are:

Kirsty Delport (ZAF)
Chantelle Rautenbach (ZAF)
Sarah Baum (ZAF)
Philippa Anderson (AUS)
Heidi Palmboom (ZAF)
Tarryn Chudleigh (ZAF)
Johanne Defay (REU)
Holly Armstrong (ZAF)
Paige Haggerston (AUS)
Faye Zoetmulder (ZAF)

For more information on the event check out the official Roxy Invitational website www.roxy.co.za\invitational

The Roxy Invitational is presented by Saltwater Girl, in association with Resolution and is supported by SuperSport and Liqui-Fruit.

For more info contact:

Tamara Westbrook
Roxy Marketing Manager
Tel: +27 31 3131486
Fax: +27 31 3131 436
4th Floor, San Angelo Building,
218 Stamfordhill Rd, Durban, SA
Email: tamara.westbrook@roxy.co.za

CLEO – May Issue