2009 Weekly Regional Report: Gudauskas And Conlogue Excel At World Juniors
Justin Cote
- January 13 2009
- 88 views
- 1 comment
2009 Weekly Regional Report: Gudauskas and Conlogue are Third Place Finishers at World Junior Championships
Tanner Gudauskas. Photo: ASP/Covered Images
HUNTINGTON BEACH, California (Sunday, January 11, 2009) - The Association of Surfing Professioinals (ASP) crowned Kai Barger (Haiku, HI), 19, and Pauline Ado (Hendaye, FRA), 18 2008 ASP Pro Junior Champions earlier this week at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in Narrabeen, Australia, marking the pinnacle of ASP Pro Junior surfing competition. North America’s top finishers Tanner Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA), 20, and Courtney Conlogue (Santa Ana, CA), 16, donated repeat third place finishes in the event, finding themselves amongst the highest pedigree of up-and-coming professional surfers.
The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships marks the culmination of each region’s season, where surfers from several countries combine to form a contingent of global surfing talent in a chance to take out the ASP World Junior title.
Gudauskas, who was a third place finisher at last year’s ASP World Junior Championships, had a repeat performance this year, matching his result from 2007. Gudauskas ousted international standouts Alejo Muniz (Santa Catarina, BRA), 18, and Tamaroa McComb (Huahini, PYF), 16, before bowing out to Jadson Andre (Nepal, BRA), 20.
“I’m doing the ASP WQS this year again with my brothers,” Gudauskas said. “It’s a great start to the year even though I didn’t better the third that I got last year. It’s my last year as a junior and it’s into the big ocean for me now.”
The San Clemente sensation has proven himself amongst the top surfers of his age and is now looking to take his competitive experience to the next level, where he plans to make a full fledged attack on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS).
Conlogue, who finished third in the world in the women’s pro junior division this year also matched her 2007 result. The Orange County local claimed the event’s high heat total of an 18.23 out of a possible 20 in the Quarterfinals, defeating 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookie Paige Hareb (NZL), 18, before losing out to Ado in the Semifinals.
“I’m bummed, but when you look at it, it’s a great result even though I got the same as last year,” Conlogue said. “I’m happy with my result. It’s a great start to the year, but the Final would have been even better. Hopefully now I can follow through and have a strong year.”
At 16 years of age, Conloge still has four more years to earn an ASP World Junior Championship title before she will have to graduate to full-time ASP WQS status.
In other news, ASP North America kicks off the 2009 ASP WQS season tomorrow at Florida’s prized Sebastian Inlet. The event will run from January 12-18, 2009 and will be webcast LIVE via www.oneillsipro.com
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org
»
