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Here are the pictures I promised of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast held at Kirra, Australia, March 2009. Sorry for the delay, let's just say that there have been a few distractions.
Thanks to Cyclone Hamish, the historic pointbreak offered churning barrels with massive scoring potential in the final and local favorite, Joel Parkinson, proved to be very much at home in the challenging conditions. Parkinson buckled his board on the first wave but returned to the lineup to nail a perfect 10, his second of the day. Taking him to victory over former ASP World Junior Champion, young Brazilian, Adriano de Souza, who was surfing in his first ASP World Tour final.
In the women's final of the Roxy Pro Gold Coast, another local, who happens to be the reigning two-time ASP Women's World Champion, Stephanie Gilmore, defeated Melanie Bartels from Hawaii. The final was held at Snapper Rocks and was her fourth consecutive win on the ASP Women?s World Tour.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Australian Mick Fanning, clinched his maiden Foster's ASP World Title today. Fanning was in the water and about to surf a semifinal heat against childhood friend Joel Parkinson (AUS), when his only remaining title threat, Taj Burrow (AUS), was eliminated by Tom Whitaker (AUS).
It was a day for the Australians and after realizing his lifelong dream, Fanning surfed a signature heat to beat Parkinson 18.70 to 12.84 in Semifinal 1 before defending his Brazilian title by beating rookie Kai Otton (AUS) in the final to win the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro in Brazil.
Americans Kelly Slater and Andy Irons have monopolized the World Title for the last five years but Mick's win today breaks the run and makes him the first Australian to clinch a men's ASP World Title since Mark 'Occy' Occhilupo in 1999.
Bobby Martinez (USA) has achieved a sensational victory in the 2007 Billabong Pro Mundaka, beating Foster's ASP World No. 3 Taj Burrow (AUS) in a close fought final. The win makes Martinez the first surfer in the history of the Billabong Pro Mundaka to post back to back victories at Spain's reeling lefthander. The win also leaps the 'smiling assassin' to 6th on the ASP World Tour ratings.
Since only eight of 10 events are factored into the Foster's ASP World Tour ratings at the end of the year and Burrow is now able to drop a 33rd and a 17th place result with only two events left to run, if he wins the next event in Brazil or places one spot ahead of current ratings leader Mick Fanning (AUS), the World Title will be decided at the ASP season finale, the Pipeline, Hawaii.
Mick Fanning (AUS) has won the 2007, Quiksilver Pro France, beating South Africa's Greg Emslie, in one to one and a half meter (three to five foot) surf at Les Bourdaines, Hossegor.
The tour has now moved across the border to Mundaka, Spain, where Fanning has the opportunity to clinch his maiden Foster's ASP World Title.
If Mick wins the Billabong Pro Mundaka, while Kelly Slater and Taj Burrow fail to earn Semifinal berths, then he will win his maiden World Title. Slater and Burrow need to post equal 3rd or better results to keep their world title hopes alive.
ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) has won the 2007 Boost Mobile Pro at Lower Tresles, California. Kelly is the only surfer to score a 'Perfect 20' competition heat total, which he achieved in Tahiti, 2005, and this win takes him past legendary Tom Curren, for the highest number of elite tour wins in pro surfing history (34).
Only his first event win in over a year, he moves to current World No. 2, a mere 230 points behind current leader, Mick Fanning (AUS). Powerful Hawaiian, Pancho Sullivan, was a standout performer on the final day of competition, beating Neco Padaratz (BRA), Troy Brooks (AUS) and Jeremy Flores (FRA) on his way to meeting Slater in the Final. His second place puts him at eight in the rankings.
Also enjoying the time of his life is Frenchman, Jeremy Flores, whose third place in the event, was enough to jump him to nine in the world rankings; making him the highest-rated rookie on the 2007 tour.
Competition has begun in the 2007 Roxy ASP Women's World Longboard Championship, at the beautiful French town of Biarritz.
Local hopes rest on four-time European longboard champion Claire Karabatsos (FRA), who is Biarritz born and bred. In last year?s event Karabatsos had a remarkable run, advancing through to the semifinals where she was defeated by the eventual winner Schuyler McFerran (USA).
The Championship incorporates a number of free public events, including concerts, art exhibitions, initiatives and workshops to celebrate the regions strong surfing culture.
Well the finals of the 2007 Rip Curl Pro Search lived up to expectations. Twin brothers, Damien and CJ Hobgood, met for the third time in ASP tour semifinals and this time it was Damien who came out on top in a very close heat. Bobby Martinez clinched a 10 point ride in his quarter-final against ratings leader Mick Fanning but it wasn't enough to secure a semi-final place and Mick went through to face Andy Irons, who continued his surge to defend his Pro Search title. Then, in a hard fought final against Damien Hobgood, Irons scored a late 9.17 to grab the globe-shaped trophy for a second year in succession, moving him to 3rd in the rankings behind Damien, who jumps to the number two slot. Andy is actually in quite a strong position in the rankings because when calculating final points total, he will be allowed to drop his last place finish in the first event of the year.
The top five ASP World Tour rankings are currently:
Mick Fanning (AUS)
Damien Hobgood (USA)
Andy Irons (HAW)
Taj Burrow (AUS)
Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Kelly Slater (USA) comes in at number six, having had a disappointing start to the year with only one semi-final show.
The Foster?s 45 are now headed to JBay, South Africa, for event 5 of the Dream Tour.
Rip Curl Pro Search, Chile, is set for an exciting finish. Andy Irons (Haw)surged into the Semis, defeating Joel Parkinson (Aus) and their are some great matches in the remaining quarterfinals. Bobby Martinez (USA) seems to relish these conditions and takes on an in-form Mick Fanning (AUS). Then the USA Hobgood twins, CJ and Damien, face Dean Morrison (AUS) and Bruno Santos (BRA), respectively. Which means that once again, they could be going head to head in the Semi-finals.
Whatever happens, Mick Fanning has increased his hold on the top spot of the ASP World Tour. While it doesn't look as if Kelly Slater is going to be adding to his World Title count this year, again taking an early flight home.
Arica, Chile, is the location of the 2007 Rip Curl Pro Search, event four on the 2007 Foster?s ASP World Tour, which begins on June 20.
Andy Irons won the 2006 Search event held in the long, barreling, warm-water rights of La Jolla Mexico but the Chilean break of Ex-Isla Alacran is distinctly cold and as Irons notes, "Defending the Search title is unique because you?re dealing with an entirely different element than the one you won the event in; the wave in Arica is the exact opposite of what we dealt with in La Jolla last year, so it levels the playing field for sure."
The cold-water Chilean break of Ex-Isla Alacran is a right and left-hand reef break, which is so similar to Hawaii's Banzai Pipeline that it is known as the 'South American Pipeline'.
On Tales from Here and There about This and That, we recently posted a small video from the Tahiti Tourist Board. However, the video does not show any of the wonderful surfing available in the Tahiti waters. So here is a compilation of clips posted by emadesign that makes up for the omission.
Round 1 of the Billabong Pro Tahiti has kicked off at Teahupoo Reef, in one to one half metre barrels. The action ignited from heat one with defending champion Bobby Martinez (USA) wiping out the opposition, 2001 Billabong Pro Tahiti winner Cory Lopez (USA) and Australian Trent Munro.
In an epic Bells Beach final for the 2007 Rip Curl Pro, Taj Burrow (AUS) snatched victory from Andy Irons (HAW) with just 90 seconds left on the clock, producing one of the surfing displays of the tournament. The result takes him to joint number one in the world rankings with fellow Australian and long time friend, Mick Fanning.
The Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, Australia starts the waiting period tomorrow, Tuesday, April 3 and stretches until April 13, 2007. This will be stop 2 on the Foster's ASP Men's world tour and also stop 2 of the ASP Women's World Tour, the Rip Curl Women's Pro Bells Beach, which will run in tandem with it.
Men's ASP World Champion, Kelly Slater (USA) has not won an elite tour event since winning the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach last year. Slater beat former Rip Curl Pro champion Joel Parkinson (AUS) in the 2006 event final to tie Tom Curren (USA) for the most elite tour events won by single surfer; both Curren and Slater have 33 event titles to their credit.
This year is the 35th anniversary of the Rip Curl Pro and Tom Curren and a number of other great surfers will be there for the anniversary celebrations, so Kelly Slater reckons that clocking up a 34th event title at Bells this year and beating Tom would be something really special.
ASP have announced the Oxbow Pro longboard championship to take place at Les Cavaliers, France, April 30 to May 6, 2007. The event which has $50,000 prize money, is expected to attract the world's best longboarders including former world champions Bonga Perkins (HAW), Joel Tudor (USA), Colin McPhillips (USA) and reigning world champion Josh Constable (AUS).
Here is a small video clip provided by Geert of the locals enjoying the surf at Les Cavaliers beach break, which is North of Biarritz and regarded as one of Anglets best breaks.
Following the elimination Round 2's big upsets in the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, that sent former three-time Foster's ASP World Champ Andy Irons (HAW), Fred Patacchia (HAW), Shaun Cansdell (AUS) and former event champion Michael Lowe (AUS) all home early, the race for the ASP ratings lead is on and Round 3 will showcase some of the most dynamic match ups of the event.
"We have ideal conditions this morning at Snapper Rock," Contest Director Rod Brooks said. "It's about 4 foot with clean offshore winds and the men's Round 3 will hit the water at 8am local time."
Heat 4 will see last year?s Foster?s ASP World Tour rookie of the year Bobby Martinez (USA) do battle against in-form ?07 rookie Kai Otton (AUS) in a goofy-footer showdown, Heat 9 will see reigning and eight-time Foster?s ASP World Champ Kelly Slater (USA) try to avenge his first round loss in a rematch with wildcard Julian Wilson (AUS), and all the local Coolangatta boys will be looking to grab the ASP ratings lead with a big result at the Quiksilver Pro.
The event is webcast LIVE on www.aspworldtour.com
Yesterday, 23 year old, Chelsea Hedges (formerly Georgeson), won the first event on the 2007 ASP Women's World Tour, the Roxy Pro Gold Coast presented by Samsung, at what amounts to her home break of Snapper Rocks in Coolangatta, Australia.
She defeated prodigious Roxy Pro Wildcard Carissa Moore (HAW), 14, the youngest finalist in ASP elite-tour history and takes an early lead in the 2007 title race. Carissa sensationally defeated seven-time ASP World Champion and 2006 number 1, Layne Beachley (AUS), veteran competitor and former World No. 2 Megan Abubo (HAW) and 2005 ASP Rookie of the Year Rebecca Woods (AUS) en route to the final of her first ever Women's ASP tour event.
Next week, February 27, the 2007 Foster's ASP World Tour for men and the ASP Women's World Tour both kick off at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast of Australia with the Quiksilver and Roxy Pros presented by Samsung.
The preceding Saturday night, February 24, the world?s best surfers will swap wetsuits for lavish gowns and penguin suits, for the ASP World Championship Crowning Banquet at the famous Jupiter?s Casino on Australia?s Gold Coast. That said, I once attended a ball where a dedicated surfer refused to surrender his beach gear and who's only concession to dressing up, was to wear a bow-tie.
The evening will see the crowning of the 2006 Foster?s ASP World Champion, Kelly Slater (USA), and 2006 ASP Women?s World Champion, Layne Beachley (AUS), as well as the ASP World Junior champions Jordy Smith (ZAF) and Nicola Atherton (AUS), plus a host of other awards and no doubt a good deal of revelry.
It's finals day for the Billabong World Junior Surfing Championships; watch live.
Steph Gilmore (Aus) has just been narrowly beaten in semi-final 1, by Anali Gomez (Peru) and Nicola Atherton (Aus) looks set to take the second semi-final against Coco Ho (Haw) with just a few minutes remaining.
February 27-March 10 Gold Coast,Qld-Australia Quiksilver Pro April 3-13 Bells Beach,Victoria-Australia Rip Curl Pro May 4-14 Teahupoo,Taiarapu-Tahiti Billabong Pro Teahupoo May 20-31 Tavarua/Namotu-Fiji Globe Pro Fiji June 20-July 1 Some where Rip Curl Pro Search July 11-22 Jeffreys Bay-South Africa Billabong Pro September 1-8 Japan TBA September 11-15 Trestles,California-USA Boost Mobile Pro of Surf presented by Hurley September 22-October 1 South West Coast-France Quiksilver Pro France October 2 or 3-14 Mundaka, Euskadi-Spain Billabong Pro October 29-November 7 Santa Catarina-Brazil Nova Schin Pro Brasil presented by Billabong December 8-20 Banzai Pipeline,Oahu-Hawaii Rip Curl Pro Pipeline Masters
Total prize money on the tour $3,360,000
WOMEN'S 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR SCHEDULE
February 27-Mar 10 Gold Coast,Queensland-Australia Roxy Pro April 3-8 Bells Beach,Victoria-Australia Rip Curl Pro April 21-26 Tavarua/Namotu-Fiji Roxy Pro August 20-27 Praia da Tiririca,Itacare,Bahia-Brazil Billabong Girls September 4-9 Santander,Liencres-Spain Rip Curl Girls Festival October 8-14 Northern Beaches,Sydney, NSW-Australia Havaianas Beachley Classic November 23-December 6 Sunset Beach,Oahu-Hawaii Roxy Pro December 8-20 Honolua Bay,Maui-Hawaii Billabong Pro
In a reversal of fortunes from Sunset Beach, Layne Beachley won a seventh ASP Women?s World Tour Title in Honolua Bay, Maui, following the quarterfinal exit from the Billabong Pro Maui of last year's world champion and fellow Australian, Chelsea Georgeson. Layne went into her quarterfinal, knowing that she was already the ASP Women?s World Tour Champion for 2006; Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS) bowed out of contention for the title, with an early round three loss and therefore finished second in the rankings after a commanding lead at the beginning of the tour.
Thanks to Cyclone Hamish, the historic pointbreak offered churning barrels with massive scoring potential in the final and local favorite, Joel Parkinson, proved to be very much at home in the challenging conditions. Parkinson buckled his board on the first wave but returned to the lineup to nail a perfect 10, his second of the day. Taking him to victory over former ASP World Junior Champion, young Brazilian, Adriano de Souza, who was surfing in his first ASP World Tour final.
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).
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.
Bobby Martinez (USA) seems to relish these conditions and takes on an in-form Mick Fanning (AUS). Then the USA Hobgood twins, CJ and Damien, face Dean Morrison (AUS) and Bruno Santos (BRA), respectively. Which means that once again, they could be going head to head in the Semi-finals.
Arica, Chile, is the location of the 2007 Rip Curl Pro Search, event four on the 2007 Foster?s ASP World Tour, which begins on June 20.
In an epic Bells Beach final for the 2007 Rip Curl Pro, Taj Burrow (AUS) snatched victory from Andy Irons (HAW) with just 90 seconds left on the clock, producing one of the surfing displays of the tournament. The result takes him to joint number one in the world rankings with fellow Australian and long time friend, Mick Fanning.
