SYDNEY, Australia - As summer draws closer, so does the festive season, holidays and the world’s premier junior surfing event – the 2008 Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.

Taking place from January 3 - 10, 2009 at Sydney’s iconic North Narrabeen Beach, the action is sure to be mind-blowing as the most radical junior competitors from around the world get ready to slug it out for a prestigious ASP World Junior Title.

With a standout crew of homegrown talent on hand to thwart the hopes of their international rivals, the 2008 event could be the year for resurgence from the Australian challengers.

Having dominated the girls division since their 2005 inception, it has been somewhat of a dry spell for Australian male competitors since Joel Parkinson won the second of his titles back in 2001.

After years of dominance from international competitors, 2008 is gearing up to be a big year for the local lads with the likes of ASP Australasian Pro Junior Champion Stuart Kennedy (Lennox Head, NSW), Lincoln Taylor (North Stradbroke, QLD), Owen Wright (Culburra, NSW) and Heath Joske (Valla Beach, NSW) looking for the crown.

However, with competitors traveling far and wide from the eight ASP world regions (Europe, South Africa, South America, North America, Hawaii, Australasia, Japan - plus ASP International region), the Aussies won’t have all their own way.

Top international challengers in the junior men’s include Alex Ribeiro (BRA), Klee Strachen (ZAF), Maxime Huscenot (REU), Cory Arrambide (USA), Kai Barger (HAW), Dusty Payne (HAW) and Shota Nakamura (JPN).