Chris Friend surfing with style at the Billabong Pro Junior Keramas Bali!

Written by ASP Steve Robertson

Chris Friend (Sunshine Coast/Qld), advanced through a critical round three heat today in the Billabong Pro Junior Asia in Bali... Friend needs a good result here to finish in the top four on the ASP Australasian Junior Series ratings so he can qualify for the ASP World Junior Championships series – he’s currently in fifth! Photo ASP/Robertson.

Today he advanced behind Hawaiian Koa Smith – “I’m not thinking about the ratings, I’m just taking each heat as it comes and aiming to win this event – If I do well, the ratings take care of themselves” said Friend .

Another ideal day at the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Keramas River-mouth with high performance clean 1.25m (3 feet plus) surf and the top seeds wasted no time ripping into the waves with excellent multiple scores throughout the day which saw the entire 16 round three heats completed.

Australian surfers Jack Freestone (Coolangatta/Queensland) and Garrett Parkes (Byron Bay) set the pace early as both surfers scored excellent rides to comprehensively win their heats.

Freestone’s heat tally on his two top scoring rides of 18.65 which included the day’s top scoring ride of a near perfect 9.9 was the day’s best performance.

“I had a good heat and that 9.9 scoring wave really just came together for me” said Freestone who perfectly executed two high degree difficulty aerials on his best wave.

“The waves here are ideal to compete in – it offers everything from barrels to clean well shaped sections so it’s essential to go into every heat aiming for high scores”added Freestone.

Japan’s top seeds did not enjoy as much success today and many were unlucky going down and eliminated in very close heats.

Young Hawaiian surfer Koa Smith, just 15 years-of-age and surfing on his back-hand was again super impressive winning through his heat demonstrating that this wave is just as well suited to an aggressive back-hand attack as it is to the forehand.

“ I enjoy surfing this wave “ said Smith.

“You never really know what to expect when you take off, barrelling section or large on-face peaks so you just need to be ready for what-ever it serves.”

“ I’m here for quite a while to compete and I’m loving all the waves.”

The Billabong Pro Junior Asia is made possible thanks to the support of Billabong, BIMC, Bali Diamond Estates, Kustom, Nixon, Von Zipper and ASP Australasia and Japan.

Steve Robertson

ASP Australasia Media Manager