The Lizzard Tag Series is a team surfing event open to boys and girls U12, U14 and U16. Using the International Surfing Association's tag team rules, surfers are divided equally into teams of five competitors each that include boys and girls, national team members, provincial surfers and rookies. With a time limit of 40 minutes, each team member has to catch two waves, leave the water and tag a teammate in their demarcated area on the beach. Surfers need to finish within the time limit to avoid losing points and hold thumbs that their nominated power surfer (usually the best surfer in each team) does enough on each of his or her three counting waves to see the team through to the next round.
Tag team surfing takes far less time to complete than normal contests and is a dynamic alternative to traditional surfing events. Surfers, coaches and spectators all get involved in the action and unlike most surfing contests, tag surfing demands team work.
Over the Lizzard Tag Series, the focus is on fun as well as competition and with this in mind surfers are encouraged to come up with names for their teams which gives them an identity and team spirit. R2 000 prize money is up for grabs at each event as well as Lizzard product hampers and a tag series tee shirt for each competitor.
The dates and venues for the 2008 series are:
- 31 May & 01 June, Strand beach, Boland
- 26-27 July, Pipe beach, Port Elizabeth
- 13-14 September, St Mikes, Southern KZN
- 22-23 November, North Coast, KZN
More info, rules and entry forms are available on the Surfing South Africa website
www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za
15/09/2008
Difficult surf as strong winds blast Lizzard Tag Series
Lizzard Tag Series event #3 was held at St Mikes on Saturday in the strongest North East wind seen on the KwaZulu-Natal coastline all year. Although the contest got underway in relatively calm conditions, by 10am the surf was turned into a washing machine making it very difficult for the juniors competing in this team surfing event. Surfers had to use all their ocean skills to make sure they were able to get out to backline, avoid the side wash and get into a position to find scoring waves.
Despite the wind, the groms had fun and there was a strong competitive spirit between the teams. One standout was nine year old Wesley Goodwin who narrowly missed getting washed onto the sharp rocks by the strong rip current in heat two of the morning. Using his nipper lifesaving training, Wesley managed to signal to the judges that he was in trouble but bravely made it back to the beach on his own to tag his team mates. Although badly shaken from his frightening ordeal, he still managed to catch the required number of waves in heat three which ensured that his team 'The Sharks' made it through to the final.
The five person teams competing included boys and girls, provincial surfers and rookies. Each 40 minute heat was run using the International Surfing Association's tag team rules and Southern KZN Surfing Association's Henry Oppel, Andre Botha and Lyn Maisch worked hard to ensure the event ran smoothly.
With a time limit adding pressure, each team member had to catch two waves, leave the water and tag a teammate in their enclosure. Surfers needed to finish within the time limit to avoid losing points and hope that their Power surfer did enough on each of his or her three counting waves to see the team through to the next round.
The R2 500 first place prize was won by team ‘Bombers’ who managed to secure nine high scoring rides in the testing onshore conditions. They were followed by team 'Sharks' who placed second ahead of team ‘Potatoes’ in third and team 'Hobos' in fourth place.
The next Lizzard Tag Series event will be held on the KZN North Coast on 22 November.
28/07/2008
Men In Black take out Lizzard Tag Series in PE
Team Men In Black made up of Ismaeel Abrahams, Dave Kelly, Kerri Viljoen, Dylan Lightfoot & Jonathan Naude advanced through the repercharge rounds to win the final of the Lizzard Tag Series # 2 at The Pipe, Port Elizabeth yesterday (Sunday July 27). The team shared R2500 in hard cash for their well earned victory.
The normally windy city of PE offered up ideal conditions for the girls and boys from all parts of the Eastern Cape who were participating as members of seven different teams. Conditions remained calm throughout the day before an offshore South West buster arrived just before the finals, bringing with it a little more swell.
The five person teams included boys and girls, provincial surfers and rookies. Each 40 minute heat was run using the International Surfing Association's tag team rules and Eastern Province Surfing Council’s Etienne Venter, Shirley Fairall, Mike Beck and Dave Lipschitz were on hand throughout the day to ensure the event ran smoothly.
With a time limit adding pressure, each team member had to catch two waves, leave the water and tag a teammate in their enclosure. Surfers needed to finish within the time limit to avoid losing points and hope that their Power surfer did enough on each of his or her three counting waves to see the team through to the next round.
The Port Elizabeth event was really well supported and team members, coaches and spectators all got involved in the action, encouraging the teams and cheering as surfers tagged their team mates. The focus of the day was on fun as well as competition and with this in mind surfers were encouraged to come up with names for their teams which gave them an identity and team spirit. Some names included Team Sand Lizzards, The Nutters, The Buckos, Amphibious Dudes, Surfer Rats, The Kooks and Men In Black.
With R5 000 total prize money on offer, the finals were a closely contested and serious affair. The Nutters started the final strongly thanks to power surfer Grant Beck but were unlucky after they incurred a drop-in interference penalty which meant they had to incur a time out in their demarcated box on the beach during the final. This error gave team Men In Black an opportunity to pick off better set waves to secure the win. Team Sand Lizzards placed third with The Amphibious Dudes finishing the final in fourth place.
The next Lizzard Tag Series event will take place at St Mikes on the KZN South Coast on September 13 and the final event in the series is scheduled to take place on the KZN North Coast on November 22. Only surfers from each region may compete in the Lizzard Tag Series events.
Pictures from the Port Elizabeth event are available on the Lizzard website which has a Tag Series section featuring all the action at The Pipe. Check them out on the Tag Series events page
Go to www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za for more info on the Lizzard Tag Series.
Full Results:
1. Men In Black (R2 500)
Ismaeel Abrahams, Dave Kelly, Kerri Viljoen, Dylan Lightfoot & Jonathan Naude
2. The Nutters (R1 250)
Grant Beck, Gay Thomas, Tahra Uren, Carl Barnard & Nafees Salie
3. Sand Lizzards (R750)
Remi Petersen, Jordaan Zeelie, Kyla Naude, Andre Scheepers & Keane Hansen
4. Amphibious Dudes (R500)
Merrick Fairall, Jason Wells, Tess Saunders, Tobias Schroeder & Matthew McGillivra
25/05/2008
Lizzard Tag Series readies for next round at Pipe Beach
The Pipe at Pollock Beach in Port Elizabeth will host the second stop of the 2008 Lizzard Tag Series this Sunday, 27 July. Sanctioned by Surfing South Africa and run by the EP Surfing Council, the Tag Series is an exciting team surfing competition for surfers under 16 which offers R5 000 prize money at each event.
Five person teams made up of boys and girls, provincial surfers and rookies compete using the International Surfing Association's tag team rules. Each heat has a minimum time limit of 40 minutes and team members have to catch two waves quickly, leave the water and then tag a teammate in their enclosure.
Teams need to finish within the time limit to avoid losing points and hope that their power surfer does enough on each of his or her three counting waves to see the team through to the next round.
Team surfing events take far less time to complete than normal contests and team members, coaches and spectators all get involved in the action. Surfers are encouraged to come up with innovative names for their teams to give them an identity and encourage team spirit. Every competitor also receives a t-shirt and product pack from Lizzard.
"The groms in PE have really taken to the tag team format" says Lizzard Marketing Manager Mike Frew.
"Last year's event at Pipe was super exciting with everyone getting really involved in the contest. Looking at this year's entry list so far, it seems we're in for another big day of fun surfing." Entry is open to any EP, Border or Southern Cape surfers. For those who want more info, Lizzard has a section of their website featuring Tag Series coverage including entry details, pics and results from each event.
27/07/2008
Lizzard Tag Series All Set For Strand Beach
Strand Beach in the Western Cape will host the first stop of the 2008 Lizzard Tag Series this Saturday, 31 May. Sanctioned by Surfing South Africa, the Tag Series is an exciting team surfing competition open to boys and girls under 16 offering R5 000 in prize money at each event.
Five person teams will include boys and girls, national team members, provincial surfers and rookies with heats run using the International Surfing Association's tag team rules. Each heat has a time limit of 40 minutes and team members have to catch two waves quickly, leave the water and then tag a teammate in their enclosure. Teams need to finish within the time limit to avoid losing points and hope that their power surfer does enough on each of his or her three counting waves to see the team through to the next round.
Team surfing events take far less time to complete than normal contests and team members, coaches and spectators all get involved in the action. Surfers are encouraged to come up with innovative names for their teams to give them an identity and encourage team spirit.
Lizzard hopes to build on the success of the 2007 events when the Tag Series takes to the surf at venues around the South African coastline for the second year in 2008.
"The Lizzard Tag Series is a really good way for youngsters to experience competitive surfing for the first time while also getting to surf with some of our country's top juniors," says Lizzard International Marketing Manager Mike Frew.
"The whole focus of these events is on fun and we expect to see quite a big entry this year, especially from groms in the U12 age category."
For those who cannot make it down to the beach or want more info, Lizzard has a section of their website featuring Tag Series coverage. This includes the latest news, pictures, results and entry details from each event.
