| 
Sunday,
October 1st (Jan Juc, VIC): Sunshine Coast surfer Wade Goodall (Moffats Beach)
claimed the ASP Australasian junior men’s title by defeating Matt Wilkinson
(Copacabana, NSW) in the Billabong Pro-Teen Series Final today. 
Finishing
off his junior career in flying form, Goodall took his week long domination of
the high quality field into the final leaving Wilkinson to play catch-up for the
entire 25 minute decider. Goodall an aerial specialist burst out of the gates
in the opening minutes of the final posting a 7.5 and 6.9 for a series of front-side
and backhand reverses and never looked in doubt of winning. Entering the contest
ranked at number seven on the ratings the twenty year-old was an outside chance
to take the title. 
“I
can’t explain this, I’m dizzy,” said an overwhelmed Goodall after
the final. “I came into this event with no hopes at all and to end up winning
the event and the Series is just amazing.” 
“I
knew I had some good boards and thought if I got the right waves I might have
a chance. I’m not a religious person, but with five minutes remaining I was
praying it would go flat so Matt couldn’t catch me. Matt’s an amazing
surfer so I was so stoked to win,” added Goodall. 
Wilkinson
struggled to find open faced waves in the small but clean conditions and was forced
to settle for second place in the final but moved up to fourth on the end of season
ratings. 
“I
was hoping for a fairytale win but it didn’t quite happen.” Wilkinson
said. “I had my 18th birthday yesterday and when Julian (Wilson) and Dion
(Atkinson) got knocked out in the quarter finals I knew if I was to win the final
I’d take the Series but it wasn’t to be.” Wilkinson said. 
“It
was tough conditions out there and I knew who ever lucked into the right waves
would win. Wade was doing some amazing airs and he got those two scores locked
in early. I just couldn’t catch him.” 
In
one of the tightest ratings battles ever seen on the junior circuit, it came down
to the final with the winner walking away with the coveted title. Goodall now
adds his name to a list of past champions that includes Joel Parkinson (Gold Coast)
and Taj Burrow (W.A.). Finishing equal third after being eliminated
from the semi-finals were tournament standouts Ben Dunn (Old Bar, NSW) and Heath
Joske (Nambucca Heads, NSW). Dunn, competing in his last Pro-Teen event of his
stellar career, fell victim to Goodall’s progressive aerial style of surfing
and couldn’t find the waves with enough scoring potential to match his small
wave specialist rival. Joske turned on a valiant effort against
Wilkinson is his semi final encounter but was left requiring a combination score
to progress. South Australian surfer Dion Atkinson (Seaford)
had his chance of claiming the ASP Australian junior title snatched from him in
the dying seconds of his quarter final heat. Atkinson who entered the Billabong
Pro-Teen Series Final as the no.1 ranked surfer, led for the majority of the match-up
but a late charge by Dunn forced Atkinson to settle for an equal fifth placing
in his final junior event. “Coming in from that heat was
hard, I was pretty upset but at the end of the day my goal was to qualify for
the world juniors so I pretty happy to be in the position that I am in, ”Atkinson
said. The qualifying male surfers for the Billabong ASP World
Championships are Goodall, Julian Wilson (Coolum, Qld), Atkinson (Seaford, Sth
Aus), Wilkinson, Laurie Towner (Angourie, NSW) and unofficially Dunn. On
Saturday Amy Stewart (Vic) won the final event on the Billabong Pro-Teen Girls
Series at her home break of Jan Juc, convincingly defeating Sally Fitzgibbons
(Gerroa, NSW) in messy 1.5 metre waves. Competing in her final
event as a junior surfer, 19 year-old Stewart opened quickly with a 6.75 and then
backed up with a 5.0 to finish with a heat total of 11.75 to Fitzgibbons 9.50
heat score. Kiwi import Airini Mason, (Tugun) claimed the
ASP Australasian Junior Girls Title and a world junior championship berth prior
to the final event. The 16-year-old dominated competition throughout 2006, winning
the first three junior series events to set up an unassailable title lead. The
Panasonsic Expression Session was won by Phillip Glazier for a front-side air
reverse. Meanwhile the Kustom Shoes best customized maneuver of the contest was
awarded to Wade Goodall for his trademark “Passion Pop” air. The
Billabong ASP World Junior Championships will be staged at North Narrabeen from
January 1st to 8th. | 
