TWEED HEADS, NSW / AUS (Tuesday, September 8, 2020) - The World Surf League (WSL) Australian Grand Slam of Surfing series has issued a Green Alert for the Tweed Coast Pro, Tweed Coast NSW, to run this Sunday, September 13 from 7:00 a.m. AEST. A moderate East swell is forecast for the region over the weekend and into next week and should make for favourable conditions at Cabarita Beach for the event to run over two days on Sunday and Monday.
"We have been tracking this swell for a week now and the forecast has been constantly changing every day," said WSL's Tweed Coast Pro Contest Director Renato Hickel. "Although it's been changing in size and direction it has stayed relatively true for this coming weekend and indicates we should have what we need to run a successful, exciting and entertaining event. Over Sunday and Monday, we will see Australia's best surfers have all the opportunity they need to display some incredible surfing in great waves at Cabarita Beach."
The Tweed Coast is one of New South Wales premier surfing regions with a number of incredible surf spots on offer that work in an array of conditions, making this stretch of coast a perfect fit for the Australian Grand Slam of Surfing. With such amazing waves on offer, it's no wonder that this area produced a prodigy like seven-time WSL Champion Stephanie Gilmore who can't wait to pull on a jersey in the area she cut her competitive teeth.
"It feels great to finally have an event approaching to get back in the competitive groove," Gilmore said. "I was born here in the Tweed region and have grown up surfing around here my whole life. The more I have travelled the world the more I have come to realise how special this place is and how world-class the waves really are. The Tweed Coast really holds a special place in my heart and I can't wait to see what surf it delivers this weekend."
Steph won't be the only huge name competing this week with fellow Olympic qualifiers Sally Fitzgibbons, Owen Wright and Julian Wilson also heading to the Tweed Coast to do battle.
The event will also see the return of two-time WSL World Champion Tyler Wright who will be taking on young wildcard Molly Picklum in the opening round.
Heat 3 of Men's Round 1 should not be missed as Championship Tour Rookie Jack Robinson faces off with livewire Mikey Wright and title hopeful Julian Wilson.
Day 1 of competition is likely to be called on at 7:00 a.m. AEST on Sunday, September 13. For those watching internationally, the likely starting times are as follows; 2:00 p.m. PDT, 5:00 p.m. EDT, 6:00 p.m. BRT and 11:00 p.m. CEST.
The Australian Grand Slam of Surfing, part of The WSL Countdown, will see 24 of Australia's best surfers (12 men and 12 women) go head to head in their respective divisions. 11 male CT competitors and 8 female CT competitors will be on standby for each stop, some looking to compete for the first time in 2020. The remaining spots in each field will be allocated to the highest ranked 2019 non-qualifying Australian surfers or selected wildcard surfers.
The broadcast-only ‘strike mission' style event, not designed for spectators due to COVID, will see competitors given just four days' notice within the competition window, to travel to each location to compete over two days. Surf conditions will determine which location is surfed and when to make sure surfers compete in the best conditions possible.
Adding to the high stakes, men's and women's overall series champions will each win $20,000AUD to donate to a charity of their choice.
The WSL will be working closely with the local Juraki Surf Indigenous Community and the Cabarita Boardriders Club on the Tweed Coast Pro. Two local Best of the Best heats (male and female) will see local Tweed Coast surfers vying it out for a position in the main event draws, while four up-and-coming junior surfers from Juraki will surf-off in an Indigenous Expression Session, both of which will be broadcast live to WSL's global audience.
The Australian Grand Slam of Surfing will run across the nation between September 1 and October 31 and be broadcast live on worldsurfleague.com, Channel 7 (7Plus), Fox Sports Australia (Kayo) and Sky Sport NZ.
All events will be called on and take place subject to State Border restrictions and COVID-19 related policies in WA, QLD and NSW.
For more information on this and the WSL Countdown Series, please visit www.worldsurfleague.com
The Australian Grand Slam of Surfing couldn't happen without the valued support of our partners including the NSW Government, Boost Mobile, Jeep, Bonsoy, Harvey Norman, Wingman Beer, Red Bull, Seven Network, Fox Sports Australia and Sky Sport NZ.
Tweed Coast Pro Women's Round 1 Matchups:
Heat 1: Isabella Nichols, Macy Callaghan, Philippa Anderson
Heat 2: Stephanie Gilmore, Zahli Kelly, Tweed Coast Wildcard (TBC)
Heat 3: Sally Fitzgibbons, Tyler Wright, Molly Picklum
Heat 4: Nikki van Dijk, Keely Andrew, Holly Wawn
Tweed Coast Pro Men's Round 1 Matchups:
Heat 1: Wade Carmichael, Adrian Buchan, Conor O'Leary
Heat 2: Owen Wright, Ethan Ewing, Tweed Coast Wildcard (TBC)
Heat 3: Julian Wilson, Jack Robinson, Mikey Wright
Heat 4: Ryan Callinan, Mathew McGilivray, Morgan Cibilic