Team South Africa, the first of 30 national teams to arrive in Peru for the 2010 Billabong ISA World Games, has stated that they mean business in this “Olympics” of surfing which takes place just south of Lima from October 19- 27.

The side, which made the long journey to Punta Hermosa thanks to support from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, is stacked with both experience and youth.

"The Gold medals are our goal!" said team manager Mike Sheppard who is delighted to be in charge of the group. "I'm proud to bring a dedicated side like this to the World Games. We’ve done all the hard work leading up to the event and we’re focused and ready to go."

Team SA is captained by former World Tour stalwart Greg Emslie and includes proven gold medal winners in two-time ISA World Longboard Champion Matthew Moir and 2002 ISA World Junior champion Warwick Wright.

Emslie brings loads of experience and competitive savvy to the team and is one of the world’s foremost exponents in the four-man heat format used at the World Surfing Games, having qualified for eight of his nine years on the World Tour via the cutthroat World Qualifying Series (WQS).

Emslie is joined in the Men’s division by Chad du Toit, one of South Africa’s top Under 20 stars who has already begun to make his mark around the world, rising SA star Casey Grant, the runner up to World No. 2 Jordy Smith in the Mr. Price Pro in July and Wright, a multiple event winner and experienced WQS campaigner.

Moir has never lost a heat in the ISA World Games, winning the first of his two longboard titles at Huntington Beach in 2006 and the second in Portugal in 2008. Moir, who demonstrated that he has fully recovered from a mild stroke suffered early last year by winning both the Open and Masters divisions at the recent SA Longboard Champs, is joined in this division by the super stylish Brad Weare, the runner-up at the SA Champs.

In the Women’s division, SA will be represented by Chantelle Rautenbach, the 2010 SA Open champion and 2009 Surfing South Africa Pro Surf Tour champion along with 2006 SA Under 23 captain Stacey Guy.

South African sport has been on a high this year following the successful hosting of the Football World Cup while the SA Masters surfing team’s haul of three gold medals, two bronze medals and silver in the ISA World Masters Championships in Panama last month has motivated this team to give of their best.

Thanks to support from the Lotto, the squad has dedicated many hours to making this ISA World Games a success, participating in numerous training camps and attending sessions at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa to ensure that they are at peak fitness for the challenge.

The team has two of South Africa’s best coaches directing their campaign. At 80 years old, Graham Hynes is a living legend, having coached the likes of Shaun Tomson to his World Title back in 1977 and earning the team gold medal for SA in the 1978 and 2002 ISA World Surfing Games.

David Malherbe, the 1990 ASP World Pro Am champion and a multiple ISA World Masters medalist, is the other experienced coach and their combined expertise will be invaluable as Team SA challenge for gold medals at the 2010 Billabong ISA World Games.

The team is based in Punta Hermosa, 60 kms south of Lima, and within sight of Senoritas, which along with nearby Caballeros, is one of the two venues for the nine-day event. Teams from 30 countries will contest medals in the Men’s, Women’s, Longboard, Tag Team and overall Team disciplines.

Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the event, predict that the event will open with waist to chest high waves on Tuesday, building to overhead waves on Wednesday and massive triple overhead (3 to 5 metre faces) on Thursday and Friday. Longer range forecasts show solid surf for the remainder of the event period. The prevailing winds in the area are very seldom offshore with glassy conditions expected every morning, becoming light onshore during the afternoons.

The 2010 South African surfing team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Surfing South Africa along with Skullcandy, PowerBalance and Future Life.

Surfing South Africa (SSA) is recognized by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) as the governing body for the sport. SSA is a member of the International Surfing Association (ISA).

Watch all the action live on www.isasurf.org. Daily updates and images will be posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and further updates will be available on the Facebook page Surfing SA.

Submitted: 18 October 2010