ACEH BEACH GAMES
Lhoknga wisata mengadakan event tahunan yaitu Aceh Beach Games II dengan tema “Lhoknga Goes Green” yang diadakan pada tanggal 20-27 Desember 2009 dalam rangka mengenang tragedi Tsunami yang terjadi lima tahun yang lalu. Acara diramaikan dengan adanya kontes surfing, fun offroad, voli pantai, games, dan penghijauan seribu batang pohon yang didukung oleh Dinas Pariwisata Aceh Besar dan Lafarge Semen Indonesia.

ALANA BLANCHARD JOINS THE REEF TRIBE
The 19 year old Alana Blanchard, from Hanalei, Kauai will kick off the New Year representing Reef women’s footwear, while she surfs and travels around the world.
A lifelong enthusiast of the sport, Alana’s surfing journey began at the Hanalei Pier in Kauai at the age of 4. Fifteen years later, Alana’s competitive accolades are rising just as quickly as her following on Facebook. Alana has garnered fans and friends around the world thanks to her talent, and her love of connecting through social media. It also doesn’t hurt that she happens to be one of the most beautiful surfers in the world.
Alana has been turning just as many heads for her effortless bottom turns and her fearless approach to surfing. She just wrapped up her rookie year on the 2009 ASP World Tour. She also claimed a prestigious gem of the Van’s Triple Crown this past November winning the Van’s Haleiwa Pro, and has 2 Pipeline Master Championships under her belt. Surfermag.com just released their “top ten” list of 2009, and Alana ranked 3rd for both video and photo gallery of the year.
Global Team Manager, Heath Walker, states, “Alana performs alongside the best female surfers in the world, but it’s not just her competitive prowess that intrigues us.” Walker continues, “Alana is a true beauty inside and out, and she’s all about having fun in the water. She personifies the relaxed life and exotic nature of surf culture.”
When asked about starting off 2010 as a Reef Team rider, Alana stated, “I’m really excited and happy to be riding for Reef. They are one of the best surf companies out there, and I really love the product. Reef sandals are cute, comfortable, fashionable and really good quality.”

BILLABONG OPENS STORE WITH SATUSUKU SURF AT CHERATING POINT - MALAYSIA
It was a proud day for Malaysian surfing with the opening of the first co-concept store between Billabong and SatuSuku Surf on December 12, 2009. The small Billabong space is set to compliment an already thriving surf scene and the well established SatuSuku Surf School and board hire business on the South China Sea side of the Malaysian coastline. Locals and tourists alike flock to Cherating Point each monsoon season to get a taste of some of the longest sand-bottom point breaks in the world, a few boasting rides in excess of 1.5km long.
“We’re so stoked to have Billabong set up a space here alongside SatuSuku” claimed the Director of the SatuSuku business Khairil Ibrahim, “Billabong has already shown support in the way of
sponsoring athletes and also events, so this was the icing on the cake with regards to putting the Malaysian surfing scene on the map”.
The opening of the store could not come at a better time, as aspiring surfers from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, arrived later in January for the Occy Grom Comp at Cherating.

INDONESIA’S JUNIOR SURFING TEAM LEAVES FOR AUCKLAND AND THE ISA QUIKSILVER WORLD JUNIOR SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS
January 19th, 2010, Kuta, Bali: Indonesia’s elite Junior surfing team climbed about the Jetstar flight last evening at 9:45 and headed out of Bali en route to the ISA Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championships in Piha, New Zealand. They will make a stop in Sydney, Australia to pick up their other team member Oney Anwar, before jetting over to Auckland and then on to the final destination of Piha.
When they arrive in Auckland, the team will be greeted by Nick “Chongee” Ngau-Chun and the crew from Fiona Anderson’s Piha Camp Ground then whisked away to the beach, which will be their new home for the next 8 days. Team Coach Tipi Jabrik will meanwhile head into Auckland to the ISA HQ to get everyone properly checked in, while Team Manager/Media guy Tim Hain will be catching a late flight tonight from Bali to join the crew at Piha tomorrow afternoon.
Prior to their departure, the Junior team spent a couple of days with Coach Tipi first at Keramas and then at Pererenan beaches, getting in some last minute training and tips in preparation for their trip. Tipi ran the kids through some practice heats so he could analyze their wave selection, repertoire and execution of maneuvers, in addition to competition tactics, strategy, and fitness for the colder water of New Zealand.
The final day was spent at their sponsor’s offices getting last minute paperwork sorted and making sure they had the right variety of cold water gear for both in and out of the water, before heading off to the Ngurah Rai Airport.
The event will be officially open on January 20, after the Parade of Nations and Sands of the World Ceremony. The opening ceremony will take place at Mission Bay in Auckland at 1pm, and the actual Competition will start at 8:00am on the 21st at Piha Beach.
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