ASB MAGAZINE: The Hydralyte Sports Surf Series presented by Billabong is set to propel the country’s best young surfers into the future with the full support of Surfing Australia and the World Surf League (WSL). The 3 event Pro Junior event series will include stops at the legendary Bells Beach, the Gold Coast and Cronulla, kicking off at the aforementioned legendary Victorian break on January 13, 2018.
The WSL sanctioned Pro Junior events, which includes 18 and under boys’ and girls’ divisions, form part of the 2018 WSL Australasian Junior Qualifying Series (JQS), providing the winning athletes with an opportunity to win a coveted world title at the World Surf League Junior Championships in 2019.
“The partnership with Surfing Australia, and the Pro Junior Series is a natural progression from our current association with Surfing Australia. We believe that providing a showcase for our top junior talent is very important, and are very proud to be involved in the series and the association with Surfing Australia,” said Care Pharmaceuticals General Manager Jonathan Biddle.
“Equally important is being associated with like-minded organisations who have at their very core the desire to assist in the development of health within Australia.”
Proudly supported by WSL, Billabong and Surfing Australia, the Hydralyte Sports Surf Series presented by Billabong will provide an important event platform at a crucial point in the development of Australia’s leading junior surfers.
Surfing Australia’s CEO Andrew Stark said he was extremely excited that Hydralyte Sports was supporting the series for the next 3 years.
“The WSL Pro Junior series is a critical pathway to the elite level of the sport on the WSL World Tour and the Olympics,” he said.
“We are thrilled and thankful to have Hydralyte Sports come on board to the series as the naming rights partner. They are an extremely suited brand to this high performance surfing event platform and we look forward to crowning champions over the next 3 years and watching these Aussie junior surfers go onto win at the highest level of the sport.”
It represents an important link in the ‘Pathway to the Podium’ developed by Surfing Australia, with surfers now able to progress from the Weet-Bix SurfGroms program, onto the Woolworths Surfer Groms Comps presented by Wahu, into the Hydralyte Sports Surf Series presented by Billabong, followed by the nudie Australian Boardriders Battle.
“WSL Australia / Oceania is thrilled to extend our Pro Junior partnership with Surfing Australia,” said WSL Australia / Oceania Regional Manager Will Hayden-Smith. “We are also excited to welcome Hydralyte Sports as naming rights sponsor to three events, our junior athletes will no doubt benefit from the opportunities these events will provide. We’ve seen the talent pool and the future of surfing is bright – so we are extremely excited to kick off the series at Bells Beach in January.”
Ambassadors for the 2018 Hydralyte Sports Surf Series presented by Billabong are Reef Heazlewood and Zahli Kelly, who won the respective men’s and women’s WSL Australasian Junior Qualifying Series crowns in 2017.
“I’m very excited to be continuing my ambassadorship with Hydralyte Sports,” said Heazlewood.
“I’ve loved being able to represent them and spread awareness about how important hydration is and how Hydralyte Sports can help. 2017 has been a big year for me on the WSL Australasia Junior series and because I always had Hydralyte Sports I was able to stay focused and ready. I was able to win three events out of eight and claim the overall winner of the Junior series! I cannot wait for 2018 with Hydralyte by my side, it’s gonna be a great year!” Kelly said: “I’m super excited to be partnering with Hydralyte Sports in supporting their involvement with the 2018 WSL Australasian Pro Junior Series. Their support for the Hydralyte Sports Pro Junior events is so important to young surfers who are trying to prepare themselves and make that next step towards the qualifying series.”
VIA PRESS RELEASE
