Source: Surfing America - www.surfingamerica.org

PacSun USA Surf Team Wins Copper at the 2009 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Salinas, Ecuador

Americans finish in the medals behind Courtney Conlogue’s individual silver

Salinas, Ecuador – Sunday, April 5 –
The PacSun USA Surf Team won the team copper medal and Courtney Conlogue earned individual silver in the Girls Under 18 division at the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.  

The Americans sent their top seed from each division into the final day of competition, and had five surfers finish in the Top 10 in their respective divisions. But when all was said and done, it wasn’t enough for gold, even with Conlogue’s silver medal points.

The American side can hold their heads high, though – for the second straight year they finished in the medals, taking copper in 2008 also.   Conlogue turned in one of the more clutch performances of the event, and by far the biggest from the PacSun USA Surf Team, locking up a podium spot for the Americans with her second place finish in the Girls Under 18 division.

All day, and really all contest, Conlogue started quick, taking control of her heats and imposing her will on her competitors. She surfed beautifully in both the Repercharge Final and the Divisional Final and her wave selection was key, linking powerful backside turns all the way from the outside through to the inside.

 “Pretty stoked to get the silver,” Conlogue said. “Going into the [final] heat, I was just trying to stay as relaxed as I could, and I think it just came down to who got the best waves out there. Going into this, I hadn’t had a silver since Tahiti, but it would have been nice to get gold, for sure.  

Losing that one qualifier heat made me press the re-boot button, and let me know that I had to get my game on harder. I think that’s what got me going again. Coming into this event, I didn’t know what to expect and I’m going home happy.” 

The PacSun USA Surf Team leaves Ecuador having further established themselves as a world surfing power, and certainly one to be reckoned within the months and years to come.

About the International Surfing Association (ISA)
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for surfing, bodyboarding and surfriding. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980.

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of over 50 countries on six continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. It is presided by Fernando Aguerre, first elected in 1994 in Rio, and re-elected six times since. The ISA's four Vice Presidents are Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Mike Gerard (USA) and Karin Sierralta (Peru).

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