MEDIA PRESS RELEASE : Lizzard Summer Bodyboard Classic 15 - 19 Dec 1999

The KwaZulu Natal Bodyboarding Assocciation is running there annual summer development contest at North Beach from the 15 - 19 December 1999. This event is the largest development bodyboarding contest along our Natal coastline during the summer holidays.

The

Lizzard Summer Bodyboard Classic

will be run over a 5 day window with every competitor getting to surf 2 heats at least before they are potentaily elimated. The last 3 days will be used as the window for the remaining 16 riders in the 5 divisions which are Boys, Juniors, Womens, Opens and Drop - Knee.

Any rider who has made SABA National event quarter finals will have to surf the Open division which makes the remaining 4 division wide open to new development riders. For the most of the competitors it is the first time that they will be competing against other riders in an organized contest.

Any Queries : Gordon Cockwell Tel - 2059410 or Craig Maree Tel - 3326597.

Entry Fees : Open R100 & other divisions R50 which includes contest t-shirt. Entry Close : 17 pm Tuesday 14th December 1999 in KZNBA white box at Just Bodyboarding.

While most of South Africa's top bodyboarders which includes defending World Champion Andre' Botha and the likes of Philip Rodriques, Alistiar Taylor, Douglas Cockwell, Darrel Nelson, Jason Boddy, Brendon Thomas, Brett Lingley, Billy Thiel, Jonathan Trenor, Craig Maree, Gordon Cockwell, Darren Halse, Wayne Beekman and Lyle Coburn will all be flying the SA flag high on the North Shore of Hawaii this 1999 / 2000 winter season.

These top SA bodyboarders will all be competing in the Mike Stewart Pipeline event to be held from the 4 - 14 January 2000 and this is the last World Tour event for 1999. Besides Andre' Botha, Philip Rodrigues, Alistiar Taylor who have been competing in the GOB Pro Tour and Gordon Cockwell on the GOB DK Tour, the rest of the SA crew will be riding in the pre - trials at Turtle Bay where they will be trying to secure themselves a slot into the main event at the famous Banzi Pipeline of the Hawaii Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

NEWS FROM GORDON COCKWELL 15/12/99

Hi everyone. Well as some of you might already know I have been home back in Durbs since the 3rd Dec and on a mission to raise money for my Hawaii trip. I have had malaria in Feb & Dec this year already and that has not stopped me as I'm a strong fighter. The river season was quiet so I have been forced into a bit of a corner but I'm not going down that easy chaps !!! If I was not in the running for the Drop Knee World Title I would have probably aborted this trip long ago as my financial situation does not justify going. Well the situation is so and I can not let this pass me by so easily. I have decided to go and pay off the debt afterwards. If I have a good season in Hawaii I should make some money from the GOB DK Pipe contest and any others DK events I may enter. Thanks to good old Dug he will help me out while on the North Shore and I'll pay him back as soon as possible. So I organized this contest and tomorrow it will come to an end on Sunday afternoon with hopefully Craig & I make US $ 200 each towards our trips. In this following week I have also set up some appointments with potential clothing, wetsuit, shoe and accessories sponsors that may gain coverage out of my trip with me been associated to their brands as a sponsored team rider. I have one good thing going for me at the moment and that is I could be the next Global Organization Of Bodyboarders Drop - Knee World Champion. Hopefully by the end of the week I could have some new sponsors that will also support my financially needs beside all the free product. So everyone hold thumbs for me please and before I leave South Africa I will update you on my situation regard my progress towards been a World Title contender. Thanks for all your support and always follow your dreams in life because sometimes they only come around once. Yours in bodyboarding, Gordon Cockwell