Local surfers dominate Volcom Crustaceous
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Kuta, Bali
Local surfers emerged victorious from the Volcom Stone's Totally Crustaceous Tour 2003 here on Sunday by claiming nine out of the twelve top positions in three classes, including a clean sweep in the Under-14 class.
Some 60 young surfers from West Java and Bali participated in the annual tour held at the Halfway Beach, Kuta. The tour offered a total of Rp 12 million (US$1,458) in cash prizes.
Displaying wave-riding skills unrivaled by the other 16 participants in the Under 14 class, Wayan Mey, Made Widiarta, Mustofa and Made Raditya gave Kuta what it wanted by taking the first, second, third and fourth places respectively.
Moreover, their seniors, Wayan Suprayitna and Ribut Wahyudi, took first and second in the Under-18 class.
Although the local surfers failed to clinch first place in the prestigious Pro-Am class, Marlon Gerber, Mickey Sudena and Wayan Suprayitna managed to secure second, third and fourth places respectively. First place went to Made Awan from Sanur beach.
The waves were unexpectedly flat, less than one foot high, during the competition, which apparently gave the local surfers a major advantage over their competitors.
"The Kuta surfers are already familiar with the unpredictability of the waves at Kuta beach. The flat waves might have taken the other participants by surprise," commented Volcom's Pra Fajarrini.
The unfavorable conditions also forced the tour committee to postpone the "air-show", which would have featured an exhibition performance by internationally-renowned surfers Made Arta and Rizal Tanjung.
The participants in the tour were selected through ten qualifying events held from January to June 2003 at 17 different surfing beaches in Bali and West Java. There will be 20 qualifying events from July 2003 to June 2004 to select the participants in the 2004 tour.
"The Crustaceous Tour is aimed at creating a unique surfing environment, to provide a medium through which young people and children, who have no financial support nor sponsors, will be able to gather together, and show off and refine their surfing skills at the national level," Fajarrini said.
Volcom has sponsored the tour since its inception in 1999. It is planned to expand the tour to cover the islands of Nusa Tenggara.