World-class field for Mr Price Pro Ballito

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17 March 2014

Many of the world’s leading surfers, including South African superstar Jordy Smith, will be in action at the ASP Prime Mr Price Pro when it returns to Willard Beach on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast from 30 June to 6 July.

A favourite stop among the world’s touring professional surfers, this year’s event will see 96 competitors from 18 countries compete for a lucrative R2.7-million ($250000) prize-purse and critical ratings points for those hoping to qualify for the elite ASP World Championship Tour in 2015.

Crowd-puller

Californian Dane Reynolds, widely regarded as the one of the world’s most exciting surfers, has confirmed his entry into this year’s event where he is sure to be a crowd-puller with his aerial mastery and go-for-broke approach.

Leading locals

Locals will have plenty to cheer about with perennial world title contender Jordy Smith and experienced World Tour campaigner Travis Logie, the top two South Africans, featuring in this year’s classy line-up.

With two podium finishes under his belt at the Mr Price Pro, Logie is always a title contender, but he is well aware of the intense competition that the event attracts.

‘Up there with the best’

“The level is up there with the best of them,” Logie, who recently sent shockwaves through the surfing world when he eclipsed Hawaiian John John Florence at the Quiksilver Pro in Australia, said in a statement last week.

“The Mr Price Pro is definitely one of the toughest ASP Prime events as so many of the top surfers love surfing in Ballito. I really want to win the event as I’ve come so close so many times that every year I become more determined to win it.”

‘He can blow minds’

Logie and Reynolds share the same apparel sponsor, Quiksilver, and he agreed that “Reynolds is arguably the best surfer in the world. He can blow minds in any type of surf and is fun to watch because he’s so unpredictable. It’s really going to be exciting to see Dane back in SA.”

Many of South Africa’s rising stars, such as Beyrick De Vries from Umhlanga, will be looking to make their mark on home soil, while at the same time they will be aiming to gain some ground on the world stage.

Beach festival

Renowned as one of the biggest beach festivals on the African continent, the Mr Price Pro Ballito saw over 100 000 fans soak up the non-stop entertainment over the seven days in 2013. This year’s Festival is expected to see record numbers once again, with more cultural, retail, lifestyle and sports entertainment in store.

While the surfers ride the ocean waves by day, spectators will again be rocked by sound waves at night when Mr Price and the KwaDukuza Municipality present free music concerts at Salt Rock on 3 and 4 July.

On 1 and 2 July, the event will also feature a Food and Wine festival, adding an exciting, extra element to the lifestyle event that proved to be so successful last year.

Charity

The RedCap Foundation has been selected as the event’s Corporate Social Investment programme as it has been actively involved in the region since 2010, with the Foundation’s health and education programmes impacting low income communities in KwaDukuza.

SAinfo reporter