Hurley Australian Bowl-riding Championships 2013 (ABC)

HURLEY AUSTRALIAN BOWL-RIDING CHAMPIONSHIPS™ (ABC™) PROMOTES LOCAL TALENT

Presented by Hurley and recognised by World Cup Skateboarding (WCS), the all-ages Australian event encourages skateboarders from all skill levels, age groups and sex to tackle the Bar Beach bowl. It is the only truly open and all-encompassing Nationals based event in Australian skateboarding history.

The Hurley ABC contest is held on Saturday 9th February and will exhibit some of Australia’s best bowl-riders including last year’s winner Renton Millar (AUS) and PRO skaters; Jack Fardell (AUS), Nathan ‘Jimmy’ Beck (AUS), Keegan Palmer (AUS) and international PROs Nolan Monroe, Alex Sorgente, Nilo Pecannha. Confirmed in the MASTERS division is Pat Ngoho, Lester Kasai, Adrian Jones and Mick Mulhall. In the Women’s division little Poppy Olsen will also be coming back to defend her title.

In the first year of Hurley ABC™ Renton Miller took out the PRO title followed by Jack Fardell in second and RJ Barbaro in third – a killer top 3 Australian line up. In the MASTERS final Mick Mulhall came in as Champion followed by Pat Ngoho in second and Adam Luxford in third.

“Creating opportunity for Australian riders is the main focus of Hurley ABC™ but growing it into a huge annual gathering of like-minded Australian skaters and fans is the pay off. Year on year we will grow this event in ways that nurture the local talent and encourage their fans to come out and support them and celebrate with them at the festival” Comments Co-Founder Chad Ford.

All riders will be battling it out for a piece of $25,000AUD prize pool and a chance to win a wild card entry into one of the biggest and most successful professional bowl series in the world; Vans BOWL-A-RAMA™ Bondi.

Hurley Australian Bowl-riding Championships™ offers four divisions, U18’s, Pro/Am, Masters (over 40’s) and Female opens division in a true ‘Nationals’ skateboarding competition.

“Hurley is very proud to be able to support the Australian Bowl-riding Championships, Hurley is a huge supporter of the Australian Skateboarding culture and this event is another step in continuing our support. “  Jason Haynes General Manager of Hurley. 

Officially kicking off on Friday at 3:30pm with the learn-to-ride-skate-clinics provided by Newcastle Skate, Hurley ABC™ will provide a range of entertainment to celebrate the competition including a variety of art and music events, celebrating true skateboard culture.

Five Australian PROs and five MASTERs competitors will also be given the opportunity to qualify to ride alongside industry greats within their divisions on February 23 at Vans BOWL-A-RAMA™ Bondi.

Hurley ABC offers Australia’s up and coming skaters the opportunity to compete for a winner takes all prize purse this year at Vans BOWL-A-RAMA™ Bondi, with the top 4 U18 place-getters automatically receiving invitations to ride in the Dew Am Jam at Vans BOWL-A-RAMA™ Bondi, where one skater will take home $3,000 for the best run.

“Hurley ABC is really exciting for the young skaters as it has given them a platform for competition in Australia and then a chance to take it further to an international level in their own country. Since Mountain Dew started its Under 18 Dew AM Jam two years ago, the level of skating in this group has improved to a level that we have our next generation of champions ready to head overseas, “says Mountain Dew’s World Vert Champion Renton Millar.

WEBSITE: http://www.abcskate.com.au/
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2012 HIGHLIGHTS

19 YEAR OLD FEMALE SKATER MAKES HISTORY BY BREAKING THROUGH INTO PRO MEN’S DIVISION AT THE HURLEY ABC™

10th of February 2013 - A truly historic moment for Australia and the skate scene was when Lizzi Armanto qualified for the finals for the first time ever in a PRO open division finals. She ripped it up and came in at 8th place, pulling the boys into line at the Hurley Australian Bowl-riding Championships.

A strong lineup of competitors made it hard for the World Cup Skateboarding judges to rank each of the heats and identify the lucky winner of each division, their share of the prize purse of $25,000 in cash and prizes.

The Pro’s and Masters were tight with teenage American skateboarding sensation Alex Sorgente taking out first place for the Pro division, closely followed by Josh Stafford and in third the new crowned Australian champion Jack Fardel. The Masters division was clearly a crowd pleaser, legendary skateboarder Pat Ngoho came in first with Adam Luxford in second and Lester Kasoi third.

Australian skateboarding, what can I say. It is growing quicker then ever, the juniors showed us what we have to watch out for and could’ve been a massive threat in the Pro contest.  The girls, Newcastle have some amazing up and coming girl skateboarders that are so excited about skateboarding and love the lifestyle. The masters are always my favourite to watch, I grew up watching and learning from putting on the most amazing show from the true roots of skateboarding. Then the PROs, more competitors, more annihilation, more speed, jaws dropped! One of the best days of Aussie skateboarding. This by far is one of my most memorable days of competing. Thank you Newcastle.” Comments the new Australian Champion Jack Fardell.

The competition offered four divisions; U18’s, Pro/Am, Masters (over 40’s) and the Female Open Division, a true ‘nationals’ skateboarding competition.

One of the main features of the Hurley ABC™ is that it offered the opportunity for Australian rippers to compete at Vans Bowl-A-Rama™ Bondi, the biggest professional skateboarding competition in the Southern Hemisphere, by giving away a series of wild cards.

Master wild card winners include Adam Luxford, John Gray, Luke Jones, John Bogaerts and Scott Springs. The PRO division wild card winners include Ben Kay, Matt Katai, Jamie Goodwin, Johann Thurn and Zake Matthews are now guaranteed a spot at Vans Bowl-A-Rama™ Bondi to skate amongst the biggest professional bowl-riders in the world, including international heavyweights such as Steve Caballero.

To be part of such an amazing day in Australian skateboarding is very humbling. To know how far we have come as a scene and offer some assistance with that, it makes us proud at Frontside Events. Things like this are only possible with the support of forward thinking sponsors and communities such as; Hurley, Mountain Dew, SDS and Newcastle City Council. We’re very stoked to crown: Keegan Palmer, Poppy Olson, Pat Ngoho and Alex Sorgente the Hurley ABC champions for 2013. Comments Chad Ford, Director.

The Under 18s showcased the best skate groms ripping up the bowl like they had something to prove, little nine year old Keegan Palmer took out first place which Jakob Robinson in second and Luke Rusell coming in third.

The women division carved the bowl up this year, 11 year old Bondi local Poppy Olsen took the tiara for first place as Jayden Barratt came in second and Sabre Norris, daughter of Commonwealth games gold medalist and Olympic bronze medalist, in third place.

The caliber of skating in this years comp was much higher than last year. Every category - kids, masters, and pro’s- had improved. It’s a great comp for Australian skateboarding because the local kids can see what its like at an international level of competition. It was a fun day for me riding with guys from all around Australia and having a swim at bar beach between rides. It’s a great start to the comp season. Skating in front of a crowd and a good warm up for Bondi.  Says PRO skater Nathan “Jimmy” Beck.

WEBSITE: http://www.abcskate.com.au/
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Lizzi Armanto | Photo: Skatewide News

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