The 8 member surf team that included Jeren Kiring (Canggu-Bali), Koko Mitsu Antara (Nusa Dua-Bali), Sandi Selamat (West Java), and Ediana Putra (Nusa Lembongan) competing in the Under 16 Boys Division, and Putra Hermawan (Nusa Lembongan), Oney Anwar (Lakey Peak-Sumbawa), Putu Anggara (Nusa Lembongan), and Agus Frimanto (Nusa Lembongan) competing in the Under 18 Boys Division, departed Bali on the 18th of January to join over 200 other junior surfers representing 21 countries in New Zealand to compete for gold, silver, bronze and copper medals. They were accompanied by Tipi Jabrik as Team Manager/Coach and Tim Hain as Assistant Manager/Media Documentation.
The Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships are a yearly event but the location changes each year. Last year’s event was held in Ecuador, South America.
Indonesia received special mention as one of the three countries that were competing in the event for the first time. The others were Vanuatu and Fiji.
Team Manager Tipi Jabrik said, “The boys all did their best and it was the kind of experience that they needed. They rarely surf in these kind of conditions so were unprepared to compete in these types of waves, especially against the elite teams from the big countries that have a lot more experience and training. We will be much better prepared next year, and as this is the first time for an Indonesian team competing in such a large international event, I feel very proud to be part of getting a team here and also proud of our team.”
Rip Curl SEA CEO Jeff Anderson summed up the feeling of all the Indonesian team’s sponsors and supporters, saying, “I know the team did their best in extremely tough conditions, and know that they have learned a lot and have grown from their experience. We are all very proud of them for their great effort, and next year we will continue to support them as they face their next challenge.”
So overall it was an excellent effort and a great experience for the team, placing 16th overall out of the 21 teams participating. And this event’s experience behind them, and the news that next year’s event will be held in a more tropical location with warm water, expect the team to go much farther in 2011. Hopefully there will be four Indonesian girl surfers who can also join in next year’s event, helping to boost the overall team score and increase their ranking position.
