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NEW
SOUTH WALES wonder-kid Luke Cheadle stopped Hawaiian Triple Crown Rookie of the
Year award winner Jordy ‘Superfreak’ Smith from claiming his third Aloha
Hornet and simultaneously restored Australian junior surfing pride by taking out
the premier division of the 2006 event on Sydney’s northern beaches. 
Internationals
blitzed the Aussies at this event in 2005, securing five of the seven contested
divisions. But what a difference 12 months can make. In 2006, the Australians
took the trophy in every division at the Aloha Hornet - except the Skull Candy
Airshow. But it was the U20 Boys, secured by Cheadle over fellow countryman Matt
“Wilko’ Wilkinson, which pumped the most air into deflated Aussie egos. 
Cheadle,
a 20-year-old goofy footer from Culburra on the NSW south coast, has been carving
a name for himself in the Australasian junior ranks for the past five years. At
the Curl Curl-based event that got underway in perfect 2 metre conditions on December
27, Cheadle demonstrated to the massive international contingent that he is capable
of consistently performing stylish and powerful surfing in the wide variety of
conditions that blessed the event during its four day’s of competition. 
The
Culburra kid, who only has one event left as a junior surfer before joining the
grind of the World Qualifying Series tour, just kept knocking over the world’s
big-reputation juniors including Roman Cloitre (Re-Union Island) in the quarter-final
and then discarding the winner of the 2006 International Surfing Association World
Surfing Games, 18-year-old Jordy Smith (South Africa), in the semi-final of the
hotly-contested U20 Boys. 
But
it was his patient disposal of fellow goofy-foot and former U16 world champion
Wilko from the New South Wales’ Central Coast that really captured everyone’s
attention. 
Wilkinson,
who scored the event’s only ten-point ride during his semi-final victory
over Queenscliff’s Nick Riley (4th), took an aggressive approach to his man-on-man
match up with Cheadle, snatching five waves before the Culburra kid even bothered
the judges. 
Cheadle
racked up a total of 12.5 to Wilko’s 10.3 in the final and said he knew the
battle was going to require strong positional tactics and just a bit of luck. 
“I
watched Wilko’s semi-final against Nick Riley and he got a 10 and a 7 so
I knew I was going to have to be on my game to beat him,” Cheadle said. “Early
on I held priority and he got five waves before I got my first wave. I knew I
needed good scores to win and lucky for me the ones I took opened up and I was
able to put together a couple of turns,” he added. 
Cheadle,
who pocketed $1000 to help him on his maiden WQS quest in 2007, said he was stoked
to win against a field that included the world’s best juniors and singled
out both Wilkinson (2nd) and Smith (3rd) for acknowledgement. 
“Jordy’s
amazing. He has done so well this year, placing third at Jeffreys Bay in a WCT
and 2nd in the last 6-star in Hawaii,” Cheadle said. 
“Wilko
is just such a hard guy to beat in a contest and is so consistent in contests.
To beat both of them in the same day is pretty special.” Cheadle adds his
name to the list of divisional winners at the Aloha Hornet that carries names
including Ben Dunn (AUS), Jordy Smith (ZAF), Jeremy Flores (REU), Yadin Nicol
(AUS), Blake Thornton (AUS), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), James Wood (AUS) and Masato
Nakano (JAP). 
The
Skull Candy Airshow, with $1500 on offer, saw Brazil’s Thiago Camoroo launch
a massive ‘passion pop’ that secured him the winner’s cheque of
$800. 
The
dynamite Brazilian will represent his country at next week’s World Junior
Championships, which get underway on New Year’s Day at North Narrabeen –
just a few kilometres from where the Aloha Hornet was staged. 
Smith
and Wilkinson again figured on the Skull Candy winner’s dais, but reversed
their placings from the U20 Boys premier event by coming second and third respectively
with north coast surfer James Athorn rounding out the free for all final. 
In
other divisions contested at the Aloha Hornet, Sunshine Coaster Chris Friend looked
to have the U16 title in the bag until a late interference call ended his run,
handing victory to Narrabeen hotshot Davey Cathels. Third went to Steve Ahrens
(North Curl Curl) and fourth to the South Coast’s Ty Watson. 
Newcastle
duo Ryan Callinan and Jake Sylvester took out the first two spots in the U14 Boys,
with Callinan laying down impressive moves including a 9 point ride. The youngster
has been tipped by four-time world champion Mark Richards as one of the former
steel city’s greatest surfing prospects. Tahitian Joceyln Poulou placed third
and Oscar Scanes (Old Bar NSW) came in fourth. 
In
the girls division, the story belongs entirely to 12-year-old local Ellie-Jean
Coffey (Curl Curl NSW), who upset the field and recorded her first significant
win. 
Jesee
Horner from Cronulla took out the U12 boys while the South Coast’s Kristie
Jones cleaned up in the U20 girls. 
Santa
delivered the 250 grommets gathered at Curl Curl for the 2006 Aloha Hornet some
great waves that ranged from clean and powerful 2 metre upright shacks through
to smooth half-to-one metre barrels. 
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