CURRENT EVENTS: Bodyboarding News

CURRENT EVENTS: Bodyboarding News

This Edition: Jeff Hubbard Wins Third World Title, PLC Wins Fronton Pro, IBA GSS/GQS Final Rankings, 2013 IBA World Tour Schedule, Rio Carioca Tour Season Finale at Sao Conrado.


JEFF HUBBARD WINS THIRD WORLD TITLE, PIERRE LOUIS COSTES WINS FRONTON

  GALDAR, GRAN CANARIA, CANARY ISLANDS-  Friday, December 14th, 2012 will be remembered as one of the great moments in bodyboarding history.  The final day of competition at the 2012 NMD/VS Fronton Pro was held in heavy 6-8ft.+  glassy conditions with some of the world's best bodyboarders putting on an epic display of high-performance riding!  Big waves, gaping barrels, huge moves, massive wipeouts, and a world title chase played out in such  phenomenal fashion that not even Hollywood could pull of such a thrilling and suspenseful story!

  The IBA world title was still very much up for grabs between 2x World Champion Jeff Hubbard (Hawaii) and Dave Winchester (Australia) going into the quarterfinals. South Africa's Mark McCarthy eliminated Hubb in the closing seconds of their heat, leaving the door to the championship trophy wide open for Winchester.  Unfortunately, Winny was unable to capitalize on the opportunity losing to Pierre Louis Costes (France) in their semifinal heat.  As a result, Hubb claimed the 2012 world title, becoming 3x World Champion.

  Jared Houston (whom defeated fellow South African McCarthy in the semis) squared off against PLC in what would turn out to be an epic final.  Jared started off with a hot hand, scoring a 9.25 on his first wave and eventually putting PLC in combination situation (in need of two new scores).  Pierre, the 2011 World Champion, was not out of it though.  Later into the heat, PLC score a 9.83 and backed that up with another solid score which allowed him to move ahead of Houston and go on to win the event.

(Photos: #1: 2012 World Champion Jeff Hubbard, #2: PLC victorious at Fronton, #3: Jared Houston's massive invert, #4: Mark McCarthy freefalling into a Fronton bomb.)

FINAL RANKING FOR 2012 GSS TOP 16:
  The top 16 riders on the GSS (Grand Slam Series) have re-qualified for the 2013 world tour.

1. Jeff Hubbard (Hawaii)
2. Dave Winchester (Australia)
3.Pierre Louis Costes (France)
4. Guilherme Tamega (Brasil)
5. Jared Houston (South Africa)
6. Mark McCarthy (South Africa)
7. Mitch Rawlins (Australia)
8. Ben Player (Australia)
9. Amaury Lavernhe (Reunion Island)
10.  Mike Stewart (Hawaii)
11. Andrew Lester (Australia)
12. Magno Passos (Brasil)
13. Uri Valadao (Brasil)
14. Alex Uranga (Basque)
15. Sam Bennett (Australia)
16. Eder Luciano (Brasil)

FINAL RANKING FOR GQS TOP 8:
  The top 8 riders from the GQS (Global Qualifying Series) have qualified for the 2013 GSS, and will move up to round out next season's top 24 riders on the IBA World Tour.

1. Brahim Iddouch (Morocco)*
2. Damian King (Australia)
3. Sacha Specker (South Africa)
4. Yoan Florentin (Reunion Island)
5. Alan Munoz (Chile)*
6. Jones Russell (Australia)
7. Jacob Romero (Hawaii)
8. Nick Ormerod (Australia)

*By qualifying for 2013 IBA GSS World Tour, Brahim Iddouch and Alan Munoz have become the first bodyboarders from Morocco and Chile, respectively, to ever qualify for the world tour.

  Be sure to check out the IBA YouTube Channel for highlights clips and Heats-On-Demand to watch all of the action from this year's incredible NMD/VS Fronton Pro, as well as all of the other amazing tour events from the 2012 season:  www.youtube.com/ibaworldtour

For more information, please visit this link:
http://ibaworldtour.com/2012/12/pierre-louis-costes-wins-nmdvs-fronton-pro/


2013 IBA WORLD TOUR SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

  The IBA World Tour has released it's 2013 event schedule.  Some events have yet to be confirmed, so be sure to stay tuned to www.ibaworldtour.com for updates as they become available.  In the meantime, here's a closer look at what's currently on the calendar for 2013:

(Men's GSS- Grand Slam Series)

February 16th- March 2nd - Pipe Challenge - Pipeline, Hawaii
April 18th-28th - NSW South Coast Mobile Challenge - South Coast, NSW, Australia
May 17th-26th - Arica Chilean Challenge - El Gringo, Arica, Chile
June 6th-16th - Itacoatiara Challenge - Itacoatiara, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
August 1st-12th - Zicatela Challenge - Puerto Escondido, Mexico
September 26th- October 5th - South Africa Challenge - Herold's Bay, South Africa (TBC)
October 9th-20th - St. Leu Challenge - St. Leu, Reunion Island, France
October 25th- November 2nd - Encanto Challenge - Middles, Isabela, Puerto Rico (TBC)
November 11th-22nd - Fronton Challenge - El Fronton, Galdar, Gran Canaria

(Men's GQS- Global Qualifying Series)

April 8th-14th - Queensland Pro - Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia (TBC)
May 28th- June 2nd - Antofagasta Bodyboard Festival - Antofagasta, Chile
August 26th- September 2nd - Sintra Portugal Pro - Sintra, Portugal
September 1st-7th - Espirito Santo Pro - Espirito Santo, Brasil (TBC)
September 9th-15th - Rio Bodyboarding International - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
September 20th-23rd - Bodyboard Pro Festival - Isla de Margerita, Venezuela (TBC)
November 26th- December 2nd - Moroccan Challenge - Morocco (TBC)

(WWT- Women's World Tour)

February 16th- March 2nd - Pipe Challenge - Pipeline, Hawaii - Grand Slam
April 7th-9th - Manapanny Surf Festival - Manapanny, Reunion Island - International Event
May 28th- June 2nd - Antofagasta Bodyboard Festival - Antofagasta, Chile - 6-Star Qualifying Series
August 26th- September 2nd - Sintra Portugal Pro - Sintra, Portugal - Grand Slam
September 9th-15th - Rio Bodyboarding International - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil - Grand Slam
September 20th-23rd - Bodyboard Pro Festival - Isla de Margerita, Venezuela (TBC) - Grand Slam
October 25th- November 2nd - Encanto Challenge - Middles, Isabela, Puerto Rico (TBC) -Grand Slam

(DKWT- Drop Knee World Tour)

February 14th-24th - Pipe Challenge - Pipeline, Hawaii
March 1st-4th - Peruvian Inka Challenge - Chilca, Peru
August 26th- September 2nd - Sintra Portugal Pro - Sintra, Portugal
October 25th- November 2nd - Encanto Challenge - Middles, Isabela, Puerto Rico (TBC)

(Specialty Events)

March - July - Shark Island Challenge - Cronulla Point, Sydney, Australia
July - Tand Invitational Challenge - Capetown, South Africa


LUCAS NOGUEIRA WINS RIO CARIOCA TOUR SEASON FINALE AT SAO CONRADO

  SAO CONRADO, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRASIL-  The fifth and final event of the 2012 Rio Matte Leao Bodyboard Carioca Tour was held on December 8th and 9th at Sao Conrado in small but workable 1-3ft waves.  Lucas Nogueira won the Mens Pro.

  In the Women's Pro, it was Maira Viana walking away with the victory.  Here are the results from all of the divisions.

(Men's Pro)
1. Lucas Nogueira (Espirito Santo)
2. Helliton Loureiro (Espirito Santo)
3. Felipe Lima (Rio de Janeiro)
4. Ricardo Ramos (Rio de Janeiro)

(Women's Pro)
1. Maira Viana (Espirito Santo)
2. Rafaela Alves (Rio de Janeiro)
3. Maria Helena (Niteroi)
4. Jessica Becker (Macae)

(Open Men's Amateur)
1. Pedro Henrique (Rio de Janeiro)
2. Luciano Santana (Sao Joao de Barra)
3. Virley Rodrigues (Rio de Janeiro)
4. Ailton Neto (Campos)

(Women's Open Amateur)
1. Luisa Albuquerque (Rio de Janeiro)
2. Marilene Fernandez (Espirito Santo)
3. Carol Castro (Rio de Janeiro)
4. Yumi Vasconcellos (Rio das Ostras)

(Sub 16)
1. Socrates Santana (Rio de Janeiro)
2. Lucas Rodrigues (Rio de Janeiro)
3. Brenner Santos (Rio das Ostras)
4. Leandro Cardoso (Rio de Janeiro)

The 2012 Rio Matte Leao Bodyboard Carioca Tour  Champions (pictured above), as well as the FEBBRJ 2012 State Champions, were determined following the conclusion of competition at Sao Conrado.  Here are this year's champions and vice-champions.

2012 RIO CARIOCA TOUR CHAMPIONS/ VICE-CHAMPIONS:

(Men's Pro)
Champion- Israel Eduardo (Rio das Ostras)
Vice-Champion- Lucas Nogueira (Espirito Santo)

(Women's Pro)
Champion- Maira Viana (Espirito Santo)
Vice-Champion- Jessica Becker (Macae)

(Men's Open Amateur)
Champion- Daniel Ferreira (Rio de Janeiro)
Vice-Champion- Jonas Silva (Sao Joao de Barra)

(Women's Open Amateur)
Champion- Luisa Albuquerque (Rio de Janeiro)
Vice-Champion- Marilene Rodriguez (Espirito Santo)

(Sub 16)
Champion- Socrates Santana (Rio de Janeiro)
Vice-Champion- Kayque Thomaz (Rio de Janeiro)


2012 FEBBRJ STATE CHAMPIONS/ VICE-CHAMPIONS:

(Men's Pro)
Champion- Helliton Loureiro (Espirito Santo)
Vice-Champion- Francirley Ferreira (Rio de Janeiro)

(Women's Pro)
Champion- Maira Viana (Espirito Santo)
Vice-Champion- Nicolle Calheiros (Rio de Janeiro)

(Men's Open Amateur)
Champion- Daniel Ferreira (Rio de Janeiro)
Vice-Champion- Ailton Neto (Campos)

(Women's Open Amateur)
Champion- Yumi Vasconcellos (Rio das Ostras)
Vice-Champion- Luana Peixoto (Sao Joao de Barra)

(Sub 16)
Champion- Matheus Nogueira (Rio de Janeiro)
Vice-Champion- Socrates Santana (Rio de Janeiro)


Check out this video highlights clip for the Sao Conrado event:

For more information, please visit this link:  www.febbrj.com.rj


TERRY MCKENNA RESIGNS FROM IBA WORLD TOUR

  NEWCASTLE, NSW, AUSTRALIA-  After a seven year run with the International Bodyboarding Association (first as General Manager, then more recently as Tour Manager), Terry "Teza" McKenna is resigning from IBA Pty Ltd.  Terry insists that it’s only a move from his current employer and not an exit from the sport.

  “I won't be going far.  I love what I do and I am proud of what I achieved during my time with the IBA," said Teza.  "It’s been an amazing ride and I met some incredible people along the way. It’s these passionate people, the fans, the promoters and of course the riders that kept me going for so long.  Craig Hadden is also an inspiration for me,” said Mckenna. “His hard work and professionalism are amazing and he is the best head judge in the world, hands down.”

Terry will return to developing what is widely regarded as one of the best domestic tours in the world with the Rebel Sport Australian National Tour.  Meanwhile,  The IBA has appointed Alex Leon as the new tour manager for 2013.

For more information, please visit this link:
http://ibaworldtour.com/2012/12/iba-world-tour-news-update/