Beyond Boarders

2009 ASP World Tour

2009-03-11T16:08:00.000-07:00

The 2009 professional surfing season has kicked off for both the men and the women, on Australia's Queensland, Gold Coast. And both opening events saw wins for Australian surfers.

21 year old Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), reigning two-time ASP Women's World Champion, won the Roxy Pro Gold Coast presented by LG Mobile, defeating Melanie Bartels (HAW), in the Final. Then, fellow Australian, Joel Parkinson (AUS), claimed victory in the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, defeating fellow finalist Adriano de Souza (BRA).

I will post detailed reports and pictures for both events. The tours now move on to Bells Beach, Australia, in April.

Pauline Ado Surf Champion

2009-01-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

Pauline Ado from France, has sensationally made ASP history, becoming the first non-Australian female to claim the undisputed ASP Junior World Title at North Narrabeen beach, Sydney, Australia.

The 17 year old defeated opponent Bethany Hamilton (HAW), 18, in an exciting and hard-fought final at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.

Gilmore Takes Maui

2008-12-23T14:35:00.000-08:00

Stephanie Gilmore has also finished her season with a big win in Hawaii.

Having just been crowned ASP Women's World Champion for the second time, the young Australian stormed to victory in the Billabong Pro Maui, defeating Melanie Bartels (HAW), claiming the her second consecutive win in the event at Ho'okipa Beach Park and earning her first Vans Triple Crown of Surfing (an ASP Specialty Series) Title.

Slater Ends With Win

2008-12-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

Nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) finished the 2008 ASP world tour on a win, taking the big one at Oahu, Hawaii, the prestigeous Billabong Pipeline Masters. The victory is Slater's sixth of the 11 event tour, in a season that saw him top the World rankings for a record ninth time.

Top ten world rankings for 2008 finished:

Kelly Slater (USA)

Bede Durbidge (AUS)

Taj Burrow (AUS)

Joel Parkinson (AUS)

C.J. Hobgood (USA)

Adrian Buchan (AUS)

Adriano de Souza (BRA)

Mick Fanning (AUS)

Bobby Martinez (USA)

Jeremy Flores (FRA)

Bede Durbidge ended up pipping fellow Australian Taj Burrow to second place and fourth placed, Joel Parkinson made headlines earlier in the Pipline Masters event by scoring a perfect 20 out of 20 heat total, only the second perfect heat total in ASP history under the two wave format. Congratulations to Bobby Martinez and Jeremy Flores who both made the top ten.

Steph Gilmore Women's Champion

2008-12-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 20, took her second consecutive ASP Women's World Title today with an emphatic win in the Roxy Pro at Sunset Beach, Hawaii, ripping through the three-to-five foot (1.5 metre) waves at Sunset Point to defeat fellow finalists Silvana Lima (BRA), 24, Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), 22, and Nicola Atherton (AUS), 22.

Roxy Pro at Sunset Beach turned out to be the most decisive event of year's tour, seeing shock eliminations on its final day before Gilmore soared to victory to claim the 2008 ASP Women?s World Title.

The next and final stop on the 2008 ASP Women?s World Tour will be event 8, the Billabong Pro Maui at Honolua Bay from December 8 ? 20, 2008.

Durbidge Wins in Brazil

2008-11-09T13:12:00.000-08:00

Australian Bede Durbidge, claimed his third ASP World Tour career win with a victory at the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro in Imbituba, Brazil, over France's Jeremy Flores.
The win moves Durbidge to the World No. 2 position and heading into the last event of the year in Hawaii as the defending champion, looks likely to finish the season as runner-up in the world rankings to nine-time ASP World Champion, Kelly Slater (USA).

Tyler Wright Youngest Ever

2008-10-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Tyler Wright (AUS), 14, has made history by becoming the youngest ever winner of an ASP World Tour event. Tyler defeated Silvana Lima (BRA), 23, in the final of the Beachley Classic at Manly Beach.

Wright, who only gained entry into the Beachley Classic via the preceding trials, swept aside the best female surfers in the world, defeating reigning ASP Women's World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 20, Jacqueline Silva (BRA), 29, and Amee Donohoe (AUS), 27, on her way to the final with Lima.

The next stop on the 2008 ASP Women?s World Tour will be the Movistar Classic Mancora Peru presented by Rip Curl from November 3 ? 8, 2008.

ASP Women's World Tour Ratings: After Event No. 5

1 ? Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 4411 points

2 ? Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 3948 points

3 ? Layne Beachley (AUS) 3698 points

4 ? Amee Donohoe (AUS) 3331 points

5 ? Silvana Lima (BRA) 3194 points

Slater Secures Ninth

2008-10-03T03:04:00.000-07:00

Kelly Slater, USA, has just won a record ninth ASP World Title, securing a sufficient points lead in the title rankings after advancing out of Round 3 of the Billabong Pro Mundaka, Spain, the ninth event of 11 on the 2008 ASP World Tour.

Slater defeated local wildcard Eneko Acero(EUK) in Heat 8 of Round 3 of the Billabong Pro Mundaka in excellent four to six foot (two metre) conditions. His success comes 16 years after securing his first ASP World Title at age 20. At 36 he now becomes the oldest and youngest surfer in ASP history to win a world title.

Michel Bourez Surfs Good

2008-09-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

Tahitian Michel Bourez certainly enjoys playing in France's Hossegor surf, last year he knocked out Kelly Slater in the Quiksilver Pro France and this year he has gone and beat ASP World No. 3 Bede Durbidge (AUS)in the same event. It was his second major scalp in this year's Quiksilver Pro France, having eliminated Joel Parkinson (AUS) in Round 2.

Bourez opened the heat against Durbidge with a 9.80, backed it up with a 9.77 and left Bede searching for a combo 19.57 points. Bourez said. "There were a couple of really good rights and lefts out there but the rip was really strong and I needed to catch the first wave so that is what I did."

It looks as if it is just a matter of time before Kelly Slater is celebrating winning the 2008 ASP title race and a historic ninth world title. Slater could potentially wrap things up tomorrow, but only if he wins the Quiksilver Pro France and ASP World No. 2 Taj Burrow (AUS) loses in Round 4 or the Quarterfinals.

Slater Still Winning

2008-09-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

Kelly Slater (USA) beat Taj Burrow (AUS) 18.97 to 18.63, winning his third Boost Mobile Pro title at Lower Trestles and putting him just one event win away from a record ninth ASP World Title.

Taj Burrow thought he had Slater beaten, having scored a 9.00 and 9.63 before the halfway mark, but Slater stole the win right at the end, on an unpromising wave that Burrow let pass. I get the impression that the Australian felt that on Kelly's homeground he had to beat both a mighty reputation and the judges as well, but the difference between mere mortals and Kelly Slater is that given half a chance Slater grabs it while others are still considering the options. You can get lucky once or twice but to keep getting lucky you have to be good, very good.

Steph Gilmore Back On Top

2008-09-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

Event No. 3 of 8 on the 2008 ASP Women?s World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Mademoiselle, ended in a stunning final between two icons of Australian surfing and resulted in Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 20, reigning ASP Women's World Champion, regaining the ratings lead in the hunt for the 2008 ASP Women's World Title.

Steph defeated fellow finalist Layne Beachley,former seven-time ASP Women?s World Champion, in clean 1 metre (two-to-three foot) waves at Les Bourdaines in Seignosse, France, to claim her second 2008 event win in a row.

The next stop on the 2008 ASP Women?s World Tour will be the Billabong Girls Pro Rio from September 10 ? 28, 2008.

Mademoiselle at Hossegor

2008-08-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

After a five month break, the 17 ladies on the ASP world tour are converging on the Hossegor beachbreaks, for the Rip Curl Pro Mademoiselle running from August 28 through September 1, 2008.
The Rip Curl Pro Mademoiselle is Event No. 3 on the 2008 ASP Women's World Tour and Sofia Mulanovich (PER), former ASP Women's World Champion and current No.1 on the 2008 ASP Women's World Tour, will soon be seen practising in the French surf.

Bruce Irons Fulfills Dream

2008-08-04T01:34:00.000-07:00

What a shock result to event number 6 of 11 on the 2008 ASP World Tour. Andy's brother Bruce Irons (HAW) defeated fellow Hawaiian Fredrick Patacchia in the final of the 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search, to claim his first Dream Tour win and push him into the world top ten. Bruce plans to retire from the Dream Tour at the end of this season, though he still intends competing at Pipeline and Teahupoo, plus any other venues that he can get into.

The 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search, held in rifling 1.5 metre lefthanders 'somewhere' in Indonesia, concluded in a marathon day of action that was capped off with an absolutely stunning barrel shootout between the young Hawaiian friends.

Patacchia had been in stunning form throughout the event, netting high scores and eliminating several top seeds. He suffered an injury at the beginning of the season but has since returned to finish equal 9th in Fiji and Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, before securing this runner-up position in Indonesia, putting him at 14 on the ASP World Tour.

Once again, the majority of top seeds on the Dream Tour suffered early elimination, so despite his defeat, current ratings leader Kelly Slater (USA) maintains a healthy lead on this year's ASP World Title race as they head to the next stop on the tour, which will be the Boost Mobile Pro presented by Hurley at Lower Trestles, California from September 7-13, 2008.

Slater Wins JBay 2008

2008-07-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

Taking the JBay crown, Kelly Slater, is simply unstoppable this year winning four out of five events on the ASP World Tour. It is his 38th ASP World Tour victory and puts him in commanding contention to claim his 9th ASP World Title.

Joy Monahan World Longboard Champion

2008-07-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

Joy Monahan (Oahu,HAW) has become the first Hawaiian female World Longboard Champion. She defeated Chelsea Williams (AUS) in the final of the Roxy ASP Women's World Championships at La Cote des Basques in Biarritz, putting together strong combinations of classical turns and modern style re-entries in the two foot (0.5 meter) contestable conditions.

French favorite, Justine Dupont went out in a closely fought Quarterfnal, losing by 0.90 points to Leah Dawson (USA).

Supertubes at Jeffreys Bay

2008-07-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

The Billabong Pro at Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, which is Stop No. 5 of 11 on the 2008 ASP World Tour, got off to a flying start and there was no shortage of standout surfing.
ASP World Tour veteran, Taylor Knox (USA) stole the show in perfect four to six foot (one to two metre) waves. Taylor posted near perfect 9.90 and a 9.80 wave scores to give him a combined heat total of 19.70 out of 20.00 points. That is reckoned to be the highest combined score in his 15 year career. What's more, he had a further 9.00 in his scoreline to spare.

The event has a scheduled waiting period running through July 20, 2008 but it is expected that conditions will be good for round 2 playoffs to carry on tomorrow.

Roxy Jam Biarritz 2008

2008-07-05T03:10:00.000-07:00

The one and only Roxy Jam Biarritz gets underway again at La Côte des Basques in Biarritz, France and runs from July 11-16, 2008. A unique blend of surfing, art and music emphasising the contribution of women, the event features the Roxy ASP Women's World Longboard Championship, which will be the deciding competition in determining the 2008 ASP Women's World Longboard Champion.
Jenifer Smith (USA), reigning ASP Women's World Longboard Champion, will be looking to defend her title but several contenders are keen to dethrone her, not least last year's runner-up Justine Dupont (FRA) who sits behind Smith in second place on the world rankings.

Young Justine is from Lacanau, just two hours North of Biarritz, so the potential world champion is on home ground and will enjoy great support from the locals.

ASP Women's Tour

2008-06-21T15:40:00.001-07:00

The world's top women surfers are taking a break from their world tour until the end of August, when they descend on the south west coast of France.

Remaining events on their tour are:

Aug 28-Sep 1 at Hossegor,Landes-France Rip Curl Pro Mademoiselle

Sep 10-18 at Barra da Tijuca/Macumba,Rio de Janeiro,RJ-Brazil Billabong Girls Pro Rio

Oct 9-14 at Northern Beaches,Sydney, NSW-Australia Beachley Classic

Oct 27-Nov 3(TBC) at Lobitos,Mancora,Piura-Peru Mancora Peru Classic

Nov 24-Dec 6 at Sunset Bch,Oahu-Hawaii Roxy Pro

Dec 8-20 at Honolua Bay,Maui-Hawaii Billabong Pro

ASP World Tour 2008

2008-06-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

The Activity Holidays Guide had a bit of a crisis recently due to the loss of a server and that resulted in a number of the Beyond Boarders' posts going astray. However, we are now back on the water and continuing to bring you full coverage of boarding events, including up to the minute surfing pictures and news of the ASP world tours.

To get up to date, here is a listing of event dates and locations, remaining on the men's ASP world tour.

Event 5 on July 10-20 at Jeffreys Bay-South Africa for the Billabong Pro.

Event 6 on July 30-Aug 10 at A Secret Destination for the Rip Curl Pro Search.

Event 7 on September 7-13 at Trestles, California-USA for the Boost Mobile Pro (Hurley).

Event 8 on September 19-28 at South West Coast-France for the Quiksilver Pro France 2008.

Event 9 on September 29-October 12 at Mundaka-Euskadi for the Billabong Pro.

Event 10 on October 28-November 5 Santa Catarina-Brazil for the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro.

Event 11 on December 8-20 at Banzai Pipeline,Oahu-Hawaii for the great Pipeline event.

Globe Pro Fiji 2008

2008-05-26T15:57:00.000-07:00

Kelly Slater (USA) has made a great start to the 2008 ASP World Tour and is currently holding the No. 1 position ahead of Joel Parkinson (AUS) at No. 2, followed by Bede Durbidge (AUS), Andy Irons (HAW) and Mick Fanning (AUS), ranked third, fourth and fifth respectively,
Event 4, the Globe Pro Fiji, on the 2008 ASP tour, began on Sunday in perfect six-foot (two metre) waves at Restaurants, where Slater met local wildcard Isei Tokoea (FIJ), but unlike last week's event at Teahupoo, Tahiti, when wildcards ruled and Brazilian wildcard Bruno Santos eventually defeated local wildcard Manoa Drollet (PYF) to win the Billabong Pro Tahiti, Kelly Slater surfed a near perfect heat scoring 19.73 out of 20.00 points.

The Fiji competition continued yesterday at Cloudbreaks, and the world's top surfers maintained their form, with Taj Burrow (AUS) emerging from his heat with Tiago Pires (PRT) on a perfect 10 point ride. Former ASP World Tour and Fiji Champion Mark Occhilupo (AUS) formally retired last year, but is now the only wildcard who advanced to Round 3 which makes him the lowest seeded surfer still in the event. It also means that he will meet Kelly Slater in Heat 8 of the third round.

ASP 2008 Tour Update

2008-04-06T02:13:00.000-07:00

This year is whipping though at an incredible pace and the first two events of both the men's and women's tours are already done and dusted.
In event one for the girls, the 2008 Roxy Pro Gold Coast, last year's world runner-up Sofia Mulanovich (PER) beat Samantha Cornish (AUS) at Australia's Snapper Rocks. However, just a few days late, in the final of the Rip Curl Women's Pro at Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia, reigning ASP Women's World Champion, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) came from behind with five minutes remaining to defeat Sofia, claiming her second consecutive Rip Curl Women's Pro title and jumping from 9th to 2nd in the tour ratings. A mere 600 points behind leader Sofia Mulanovich.

The 2008 ASP Women's World Tour now takes a breather until July, when the top 17 female surfers will do battle again in Brazil.

The guy's tour opened in sensational style with eight-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) beating reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) at his home break of Snapper Rocks. This put Kelly in the number one slot of the ratings for the first time since claiming his last ASP World Crown in 2006. Proving that the win was not a fluke, he then proceeded to take the Rip Curl Pro at Bells beach. Launching a huge air, he earned a last minute score and beat Bede Durbidge (AUS) in the final. 36-year old Slater, has now claimed his 36th event win and rung surfing's bell for the third time but even more significantly, has cemented his position as the world's number one surfer.
The next event on the men's ASP World Tour will take place in Teahupoo, Tahiti from May 8-18, 2008.

2008 ASP Tours Begin

2008-02-22T14:49:00.000-08:00

The Australian Gold Coast is the first stop for the men and women on the respective 2008 Association of Surf Professionals (ASP) world tours.
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast and the Roxy Pro Gold Coast will be running in conjunction, with the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast starting its waiting period this Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008.

Reigning men's ASP World Champion and defending Quiksilver Pro Champion Mick Fanning (AUS), is ready again to do battle with 44 of the best surfers in the world and on the Women's Dream Tour, reigning ASP Women?s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) is equally focussed as she takes on 16 of the best female surfers, beginning in her home waves.

Both the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast and the Roxy Pro Gold Coast will be webcast LIVE and Beyond Boarders will publish regular tour reports and pictures. Subscribe to Beyond Boarders now (see bottom of page) and get free email alerts each time a new post is published.

World Junior Championships

2008-01-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

After an early strong showing by the Australians on their home ground, it was Brazilian Pablo Paulino who won through at Sydney?s North Narrabeen beach to be crowned the men's World Junior Surfing Champion for a second time and Tonino Benson (Hawaii) who came in as runner-up.

Pablo exhibited the fire and flair so characteristic of Brazilian sportsmen, putting on show-stopping performances right from the very first round and the 2004 ASP World Junior Champion, then blasted through the final to defeat Tonino with a 15.00 total heat score (out of a possible 20.00), thereby equalling World No. 4 Joel Parkinson's two ASP World Junior Title record.

Arguably, Benson was the day's top performer and he posted the only perfect 10.00 point ride of the event, tucking into a deep barrel against Australian wildcard Owen Wright in the Quarterfinals. Unfortunately, the young Hawaiian was defeated tactically in the final and was not given the waves to repeat this performance, only managing a 9.93.

Steph Gilmore World Champion

2007-12-17T14:11:00.000-08:00

The title race was not resolved until the final event of the tour but Rookie Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) claimed the 2007 ASP Women's World Tour, as other contenders for the title fell in the third round of the 2007 Billabong Pro Maui. She then went on to celebrate her victory by claiming the Billabong Pro Maui Championship, defeating defending champion Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS). Her win, in small one metre waves at Honolua Bay, marks her fourth win of the 2007 season.

The final ratings on the 2007 ASP Women's World Tour are:

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)

Sofia Mulanovich (PER)

Silvana Lima (BRA)

Samantha Cornish (AUS)

Layne Beachley (AUS)

Amee Donohoe (AUS)

Chelsea Hedges (AUS)

Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)

Rebecca Woods (AUS)

Melanie Bartels (HAW)

Jacqueline Silva (BRA)

Megan Abubo (HAW)

Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS)

Karina Petroni (USA)

Serena Brooke (AUS)

Nicola Atherton (AUS)

Roxy Pro Hawaii 2007

2007-11-28T14:21:00.000-08:00

The girls are battling it out at Sunset Beach, Hawaii, for the Roxy Pro Hawaii, stop No. 7 of 8 on the ASP Women's World Tour and Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) can clinch the 2007 world title if she wins the event while Silvana Lima (BRA) finishes 3rd or lower.

Only seven heats of surfing, including the final, remain for the Roxy Pro Hawaii, and the next call on surf status will be made tomorrow morning, Thursday, November 29, 2007. It therefore looks as if the circus could be packing up tomorrow afternoon and Steph Gilmore could be crowned world champion.