On Wednesday the 27th of March, Billabong South Africa together with 5FM DJ, Catherine Grenfell, will host a surf clinic at Pollock beach in Port Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela Bay for less fortunate children in the city. This forms part of Billabong’s long term mission to develop junior surfing in South Africa and to ultimately get children off the streets and into the surf, helping them build careers and even represent their country through the sport.
Top 5FM DJ, Catherine Grenfell, who is also in the city to DJ at the Billabong Grey & Collegiate Social on Wednesday (tomorrow) night, heard about the surf clinic Billabong was hosting and immediately decided to get involved and join in the fun. Catherine said; “I recently watched a movie called Otello Burning about young underprivileged kids learning how to surf and it completely blew me away. To be able to see a company like Billabong giving back to the community and changing people’s lives is an amazing thing. I am so excited about seeing the process and being able to be a part of it.”
Catherine also tweeted:
Super excited to check out a surfing program for underprivileged kids with @BillabongSA and @myPE tomorrow
— Dance Floor Shaker (@cathgrenfell) March 26, 2013
The surf clinic will treat a group of children from the EP Children’s Home and Maranatha Children’s Home (both supported by Grey and Collegiate) to a morning at the beach consisting of free surf lessons together with Billabong team riders and Catherine Grenfell, will be given Billabong goodies and a certificate for their participation. “Billabong believes that a child in sport is a child out of court. By running this surf clinic, we are hoping to spread the love of surfing as sport. If we get just one child stoked on surfing, we have achieved our goal,” said Billabong Marketing Manager Chad D’Arcy.
This year, again following on from 16 years of tradition Billabong together with co-sponsors, BOS Iced Tea have committed to investing R750 0000 in cash and prizes into junior surfing, hosting the biggest and richest junior surf series of its kind in the country, the Billabong Junior Series 2013. The series kicked off in Durban earlier in March with local JBay surfers like Dylan Lightfoot and Kai Wolff dominating- and the next event is to be held in East London on the 6th and 7th of April, moving on to Cape Town in August and finishing off at Cape St Francis in September. The likes of Jordy Smith and Billabong’s very own renowned big wave surfer Matt Bromley have made a name for themselves by coming through the ranks of the Billabong Junior series. Matt Bromley will be the guest of honour at the opening of the Grommet Games in Port Elizabeth.
Here spectators will see the likes of Nthando Msibi compete. Nthando Msibi (15) who was living on the streets of Durban for most of his life, but through the help of the Umthombo Street Children programme, taken off the streets and taught how to surf. Nthando is now a Billabong sponsored surfer, ranked 4th in the country in his age group and on his way to becoming a professional international surfer. It’s event like the Billabong Junior Series presented by BOS that gives young surfers like Ntando, a chance to shine and be recognised, making a career out of surfing for themselves.
Billabong will also be hosting the 21st edition of the Billabong South African Grommet Games at Pollock beach from Wednesday to Sunday this week, where close on 180 surfers representing eight provinces will arrive to participate and battle it out for the top spots.
Alan Straton
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