Leading international surf brand Hurley is delighted to announce the sponsorship of their first ever Pro Junior event in Australia. The all-new Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior, a $20,000 7-star ASP rated event, will be based at world renowned Burleigh Heads, Australia, from Monday 22nd January through to Sunday 28th January 2007.
The investment over 3 years by Hurley makes it the richest Pro Junior surfing event to be held on Queensland’s Gold Coast. Another first for Pro Junior surfing will be that the winner of the event will earn a spot in the trials competition for the Boost Mobile Pro presented by Hurley, WCT event at Trestles.
Surfing Queensland CEO Andrew Stark believes this opportunity is absolutely fantastic for the event profile and for the development of junior surfing. “This is a very unique opportunity that Hurley are providing and stamps this Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior event as the one to win in 2007,” explained Stark.
“Last year the trials competition for the Boost Mobile Pro presented by Hurley was held at the US Open in front of tens of thousands of surf fans, multiple television cameras, and a live webcast audience,” said Mark Fewell of Boost Mobile.
“For a young Aussie junior to get the opportunity to compete on the world stage, at the heart of the surf business community, is a huge opportunity. Both Boost and Hurley are all about nurturing upcoming international surfing talent, and we will be watching the Junior Series with great expectation.”
The long, churning barrels of Burleigh Heads have been synonymous with some of the most incredible battles in competitive surfing history. In 1977, Burleigh was the venue for the first Stubbies Classic, the surf contest generally regarded as the beginning of big league world tour competition.
Won by Michael Peterson over Mark Richards, it was the first big pro event to feature man on man heats, a competitive form still used in ASP events today. This same man on man format will be used to crown the Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior in 2007.
Scheduled to coincide with Queensland’s peak cyclone season, the Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior will create its own special place in surfing history. Surfing Queensland CEO Andrew Stark is very pleased about striking a deal with Hurley, saying, “We are extremely happy to have international surf brand Hurley involved in this exciting Pro Junior event at Burleigh Heads.”
“Burleigh Heads is an internationally recognized high performance wave and to have the world’s best junior surfers fighting it out for the $20,000 prize purse will be a highlight on the Surfing Queensland and ASP Junior Series events calendar.” “With the boost of prize money from the new Hurley sponsorship, this will truly be one of the most prestigious junior surf events in Australia and the world.”
Hurley Australia CEO Simon Haskell stated that: “This is an amazing opportunity for Hurley to support the future of surfing in Australia. Our commitment is to develop the world’s best junior contest in one of the world’s best waves.”
With the current state of junior surfing in Australia setting the benchmark for the rest of the world, Hurley anticipates that Australia’s finest junior surfers, as well as a host of top ranked international competitors will line up for the event.
Expected to compete will be ISA under 18 world junior champion and 2006 ASP Australasian Junior Series runner-up Julian Wilson (Coolum, Qld), former ISA world junior champion Matt Wilkinson (Copacabana, NSW) and 2006 ASP Australasian Junior Series 6th seed Mitchell Coleborn (Maroochydore, Qld). These surfers will be met by Hurley International team riders Kai Barger, Nate Rex, Dillon Perillo and Kekoa Cazimero.
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