Chill Pro Junior

The Chill Pro Junior recently went down at the very controversial location of Trigg Point, just a stones throw from the city of Perth, at the far west end of the Australian continent. Sandbanks are not a common in this area, either is swell. Rottnest island sits several kilometers out from the mainland, and combining this popular tourist destination with a myriad of outer reefs, only the bare minimum of swell ever gets through to Trigg and the surrounding closeouts. But with the Stirling Shire getting behind the event we have no chance of moving it to the wave rich areas to the north and south of Perth. 

I stayed with a good friend of mine Dave Delroy-Carr at his parents mansion 2o minutes south of the comp site. We had a pretty amazing crew here this year: Werri Beach madman Tom Salvesen, Kingscliffs Brad King, the pretty boy of Sydney surfing Perth Standlick and the self proclaimed man behind the music, Mitch Crews from Currumbin.

With the waist high, backwash riddled, semi closeouts giving spectators little to get excited about, this event was more about survival than quality surfing. Owen Wright was as usual the event standout, but there were some pretty epic performances from names like Jack Freestone, Dean Bowen and Noah Lane. If the shit waves didn't kill the event, the commentary definatelydid. Aside from contest direction Justin Majeks, the commentary was shithouse. At one stage during my round 4 heat James Catto was handed a microphone, and what followed was incredible. It seemed as though he didn't even know where he was, let alone how to answer the below average questions fielded to him from the commentary team. 

With the girls event being downgraded to a lower rating before kick off, the field was smaller than seen at other events. The chicks tend to get the lower quality waves at the Pro Junior events, so when deciding whether to come all the way to WA to the already fucked location of Trigg Point, I don't blame some of them for not coming. On day one, the girls were finally rewarded for their efforts and round one went down in some of the best waves I saw during the entirety of the event. Beachley Classic winner Tyler Wright went down early and Laura Macaulay was a standout. Local girl Felicity Palmateer was the eventual winner,  with Ange Keighran (or Kerrigan as the commentators called her the whole event) coming in a commendable second place. 

The mens event finished on the Sunday, and to be honest I didn't even go down and watch. Saturday night at the Trigg Event always seems to be a big one, and with myself and all my housemates getting knocked that afternoon the bottelo was our first stop on the way home. Don't go thinking the Junior Series is all about getting pissed, that is only half of it, but having spent a week in the most fucked and isolated city in the world with nothing to do, a little Saturday night session with the boys was very justified. From what I have heard, Sunday had the best surf, however is was still shit. Owen made it four wins from four events in 2009 and took down Noah in a high scoring final. 

Event over, everyone bails. 

Thanks to Chill milk for hooking us up with some room temperature product and also for sponsoring the event, with the financial crisis swinging the axe on half of the Junior Series events in 09, any event we get is a good event, even if it is at Trigg. 

Footnote: Take a look at a section of the contest poster I put up. First up, it shows that Trigg Point isn't actually a point, more a scattered assortment of rocks. Secondly, they had to draw pumping cartoon waves because noone has ever photographed a good wave here.

For event photos and a comprehensive list of results, check www.chillprojunior.com

That is all.