The 2018 Mercedes-Benz Buffalo City South African surf team will arrive at the 2018 ISA World Surfing Games in Tahara, Japan, on September 13.
The Games see over 40 nations expected to participate in an event that crowns the global men’s and women’s individual champions and determines the team that wins the coveted team trophy.
The event gets underway with the Parade of Nations and the Sands of the World Ceremony and will take place from September 15 to 22.
South Africa will be represented by a team of three men, three women, a coach and a manager. Captaining the team for the second year in a row is world-ranked Bianca Buitendag of Victoria Bay.
The other two women in the side are new caps Nicole Pallet of La Lucia and young Zoe Steyn of East London. Buitendag, who reached the finals in the World Games in France last year, will join the team alongside Pallet directly from Europe, while Steyn will travel from South Africa on September 11.
Heading up a strong men’s squad is the experienced Beyrick de Vries of Umhlanga. He’s joined by the talented Adin Masencamp of Strand, Western Cape and another experienced surfer, David van Zyl of Glenashley.
De Vries and Masencamp will be flying directly to Japan from Europe, while Van Zyl will travel with Steyn and the team officials from South Africa.
All six surfers selected to represent South Africa at this prestigious event have impressive pedigrees.
Buitendag is an acknowledged WSL Championship Tour campaigner, who has not only made a name for herself as a fearsome competitor in the water but is also a role model with a heart of gold.
Pallet earned her call-up after an impressive set of results in the 2018 City Surf Series, which saw her move up the rankings on the WSL Qualifying Series and this resulted in a wildcard slot at the J Bay Open in July.
Teenager Steyn, 14, underlined her selection when she won the 2018 South African Women’s Championship a month ago at the Mercedes-Benz SA Championships hosted by Buffalo City.
She’d already been selected for the team based on her City Surf Series form but securing the 2018 South African women’s title just proved how talented she is, marking herself as the youngest woman in history to represent a South African senior team.
Although this is a first World Games for De Vries, his many years of contest experience and solid ranking on the WSL Qualifying Series tour earned him a call-up to the side.
Masencamp, 19, has won five caps for the South African junior team and had a really strong City Surf Series, which made him an easy pick for the 2018 side. Van Zyl’s experience and great contest acumen made his inclusion in the team easy for the selectors as well.
Surfing South Africa coaching director, five-time SA champion and former Championship Tour competitor Greg Emslie of East London will serve as coach while the extremely experienced Isaac February of Kommetjie, Western Cape, will be the team manager.
– African News Agency (ANA)
