Jeffreys Bay - The contest organisers have begun the challenging task of selecting invitees for the Jeffreys Bay Open of Surfing presented by Billabong. With close to 200 surfers putting their hands up for possible inclusion into the event, there have been some easy decisions and some more difficult ones. The main criteria for selection is that the surfer knows how to surf Supertubes and understands the complexities and the nuances of such a wave. A track record at Supers was therefore imperative.
The contest organisers have whittled it down to 40 surfers, and the list can be found on the event Facebook Fanpage Jeffreys Bay Open Of Surfing. The 8 girls and alternates have been selected as well, and the lists can also be found on the Facebook page. Input and dialogue is encouraged. The rest of the men's invitees will be announced in the next few days, as well as a list of alternates. There is a first prize of R30,000 for the surfing event. Nixon South Africa have also announced that they will be giving away a magnificent Nixon Magnacon watch in their Winner Takes All event to be run during the Jeffreys Bay Open. The WTA is an award that will be going to the best tube ride of the entire event, and the Magnacon is valued at R9000. The Jeffreys Bay Open Of Surfing has a waiting period from 9 - 13 July and forms the anchor for the JBay Winter Fest JBay Winter Fest, a festival of sports set to take place in and around Jeffreys Bay from 6 - 14 July. As well as the surfing tournament there will be a skateboarding event, a mountain biking race, a trail run and a cold water swim. Taxi Violence and Jack Parow will also be performing in Jeffreys Bay. The tournament is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa. Surfing South Africa is recognised by the South African Sports Confederation (SASCOC) as the governing body of the sport in South Africa. 1. Adin Jeenes 2. Craig Els 3. Brandon Jackson 4. Casey Grant 5. Chad Du Toit 6. Chris Leppan 7. Dale Staples 8. Dan Redman 9. Davey Brand 10. Devyn Mattheys 11. Dylan Lightfoot 12. Frankie Oberholzer 13. Greg Emslie 14. Jason Ribbink 15. Josh Redman 16. Simon Nicholson 17. Klee Strachan 18. Kelvin Zehmke 19. Allan Johns 20. Llewellyn Whittaker 21. Matt Bromley 22. Michael February 23. Dave Rastovich 24. Mark Occhilupo 25. Paul Canning 26. Remi Peterson 27. Ricky Basnett 28. Ryan Payne 29. Sean Holmes 30. Shane Thorne 31. Gavin Roberts 32. Shaun Joubert 33. Shaun Payne 34. Simon Fish 35. Slade Prestwich 36. Steven Sawyer 37. Warren Dean 38. Warren Tuck 39. Warwick Wright 40. Wayne Monk --- The girls, in no particular order. Girls Emma Smith Faye Zoetmulder Gina Smith Heidi Palmboom Nikita Robb Sarah Baum Taryn Chudleigh Tanika Hoffman alternates Crystal Hulett Eva Barnhard Holly Armstrong Jessica Wilson Krystal Tavenor Lesmeri Postma Nicole Pallet Tara Hossack Teal Hogg The organisers still need to make the call on who the lucky ou's will be that get picked from the rest of the Facebook entries. So hang in there - keep 'em fingers crossed - you might still be surfing Supers in stomping surf with just 3 other peeps
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CLOUDBREAK, Tavarua/Fiji (Tuesday, June 11, 2013) - The world’s best surfers returned to action today at the Volcom Fiji Pro, completing Rounds 3, 4 and 5 to determine the event’s Quarterfinalists in perfect six-to-eight foot (2 – 2.5 metre) surf at Cloudbreak.
Event No. 4 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), the Volcom Fiji Pro was treated to a full day of world class ripping, setting up a possible finish for tomorrow. Kelly Slater (USA), 41, current ASP World No. 4 and defending Volcom Fiji Pro Champion, was incredible while advancing to the Quarterfinals over Jeremy Flores (FRA), 25, and Sebastian Zietz (HAW), 25, in Round 4, earning a Perfect 10 and 9.30 for a near-excellent 19.30 out of a possible 20. Slater’s perfect score was due to a massive double-barrel, which saw the 11-time ASP World Champion drive through two deep tube sections covering the distance of the reef. “That was unbelievable,” Slater said. “Those were some of the best waves I’ve ever had in a contest. On the 10, I was deep in the barrel and grabbed my rail, but I had to let go to get speed and then I hit the foam ball, I barely made that one. I did the turn and got another tube. On that one big one, it was so perfect and I just wanted to be in the right spot. As I was in the barrel, it spit really hard and there was lots of mist and I couldn’t see. The foamball pushed my tail up in to the wave and I just couldn’t come out the way I wanted to. I didn’t even care if I won or lost, because I’d get to surf again.” John John Florence (HAW), 20, who posted a perfect 10 at Restaurants in Round 2, was flawless again at Cloudbreak, collecting his second perfect score with a series of seamless backhand turns followed by a deep barrel. Florence’s effort would see him advance directly to the Quarterfinals over rankings leader Jordy Smith (ZAF), 25, and veteran Taj Burrow (AUS), 35, in their Round 4 clash. “I didn’t know what the score was going to be because it was a bit of a smaller wave,” Florence said. “I did a couple of turns and then had the long running barrel on the inside and I was stoked to make it. I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing. I’ve been going out having fun and I’m going to try and do the same thing in the next round.” Joel Parkinson (AUS), 32, reigning ASP World Champion and current No. 8, was impeccable in the open-ocean lineup of Cloudbreak, combining deep barrels and massive carves to ignite several of the day’s top scores. Parkinson would oust replacement surfer Yadin Nicol (AUS), 27, in Round 3, continuing with a dominant Round 4 effort over California up-and-comers Kolohe Andino (USA), 19, and Nat Young (USA), 21. “The waves are so good that it felt like a crime to come in,” Parkinson said. “It was one of those heats you hope to get where the conditions just seemed like it turned on. That was a dream heat, we actually missed some of the good waves. Cloudbreak is the best left in the world. I love Tahiti, but with how fast you can go and get barrels and do turns and everything, to me, it’s the best left in the world.” C.J. Hobgood (USA), 33, 2001 ASP World Champion and current No. 16, advanced to the Quarterfinals via two hard-fought heat wins. The Floridian bested fellow goofy-footer Travis Logie (ZAF), 34, in Round 3 before taking his Round 4 heat over Gold Coast stablemates Josh Kerr (AUS), 29, and two-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS), 31. “It was a scrappy heat between all of us,” Hobgood said. “Kelly (Slater) had three 10 point waves and two he didn’t come out of. Then in our heat, it was another one of those heats where it was hard to get scores. This reef is tricky and I’ve been making it out of those tricky heats. If I can keep making it out and keep going, I’m stoked.” Jordy Smith (ZAF), 25, current ASP World No. 1, got the best of a hard-fought heat against barrel-riding standout Jeremy Flores (FRA), 24, that saw a series of excellent exchanges. Flores took off on a last second wave in need of a score, but with Smith holding priority, the South African shut down Flores’ chances of exiting the barrel, solidifying his Quarterfinals position. “That was an important heat for me,” Smith said. “Any ‘CT heat is important, but getting through Round 5 is especially important to make it to the Quarters. It’s too bad because Jeremy (Flores) is a good friend of mine and you hate to be that guy. I shouldn’t have gone on that wave at the end. I’m stoked though, I’ve never made it through to the Quarters in the South Pacific leg.” Mick Fanning (AUS), 31, roared to life in the final heat of the day, posting back-to-back excellent rides to eliminate Kolohe Andino. Fanning earned a 9.83 and 9.70 for his amazing pair of backhand tubes, taking the day’s high heat-total of 19.53 out of 20 and a spot in the Quarterfinals. “I had that slow heat earlier today and that was pretty much the opposite,” Fanning said. “Awesome to finally get some good barrels at Cloudbreak and I’m happy to be through to the Quarters. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6:30am local time for a possible finish to Volcom Fiji Pro competition. When Volcom Fiji Pro competition resumes John John Florence will face off against Jordy Smith in Quarterfinal No. 1. Watch the Volcom Fiji Pro LIVE viawww.volcomfijipro.com VOLCOM FIJI PRO ROUND 3 RESULTS: Heat 4: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14.00 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 10.50 Heat 5: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 11.60 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 10.73 Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 13.87 def. Mitchel Coleborn (AUS) 11.03 Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) 11.66 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 5.67 Heat 8: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 9.67 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 7.87 Heat 9: Josh Kerr (AUS) 10.76 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 6.13 Heat 10: Kolohe Andino (USA) 9.00 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 6.00 Heat 11: Nat Young (USA) 15.67 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 12.93 Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.20 def. Yadin Nicol (AUS) 14.40 VOLCOM FIJI PRO ROUND 4 RESULTS: Heat 1: John John Florence (HAW) 17.43, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.43, Taj Burrow (AUS) 12.33 Heat 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 19.30, Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 15.16, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.30 Heat 3: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 12.07, Josh Kerr (AUS) 11.83, Mick Fanning (AUS) 9.77 Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.14, Kolohe Andino (USA) 15.07, Nat Young (USA) 8.07 VOLCOM FIJI PRO ROUND 5 RESULTS: Heat 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.50 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14.43 Heat 2: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 15.97 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.23 Heat 3: Josh Kerr (AUS) 18.76 def. Nat Young (USA) 7.83 Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 19.53 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.34 UPCOMING VOLCOM FIJI PRO QUARTERFINALS MATCH UPS: QF 1: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Jordy Smith (ZAF) QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Sebastian Zietz (HAW) QF 3: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS) QF 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Mick Fanning (AUS) Yesterday was day five into the SA teams preparations for World Champs and the surf has been maxing out with most spots closing out at 10 to 15ft & the outer reefs breaking at 20ft plus! The SA team had a slow start to the morning with the team going through the formality of signing in officially at the contest site. As the surf was maxing out at the site with 10ft thick lipped super heavy close outs, not wanting to risk life & limb (as well as boards) the team went on a mission to a secret location hoping to find more manageable surf.
The team spent the rest of the day surfing fun 4 to 5 foot surf. The event starts TODAY ( 8 June) and you can watch it LIVE here. Starts approx 4pm our time. Three of our lighties are in the SA team competing at the World Juniors in Nicaragua at the moment. Dylan Lightfoot's dad, Gary, popped us an update and some pic's on how our lighties were doing:
"The team surfed against the NZ team yesterday in the SANZ Challenge SA got a very close 2nd place in extremely difficult conditions almost every wave was a close out & wave selection seemed to be SA down fall, all team members gave 100% commitment and can be proud of their efforts. Conditions here are extreme daily temp hovers around 34 degrees & spikes up to 40 degrees midday, the teams focus has been to get to grips with the conditions, waves are heavy hollow, fast beach breaks the boys surfed Poyopo today from 6 feet on the inside to 12 feet on the outside reef the girls very wisely sat this session out. From now on its building each team member up mentally & physically in preparation for the event starting on Sunday." Go Dylan, Matt and Gina!! RESTAURANTS, Tavarua/Fiji (Thursday, June 6, 2013) – The Volcom Fiji Pro relocated to the flawless lefthander of Restaurants today for an incredible 17 heats of competition, running the remainder of Round 1, Round 2 and the first three heats of Round 3 in perfect six-to-eight foot (2 metre) barrels.
Stop No. 4 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), today’s Volcom Fiji Pro hosted a bevy of amazing performances from the ASP Top 34, led by a near-perfect heat from young Hawaiian John John Florence (HAW), 20. Florence was incredible in the freight-training barrels at Restaurants, posting a perfect 10-point ride and 9.80 for astonishing backhand surfing. The Hawaiian’s Round 2 victory punctuated his return to competition following his absence from the ASP WCT since a severe ankle injury sustained on the Gold Coast. “That’s the best the waves have been since I’ve been here,” Florence said. “The waves just turned on for my heat. Restaurants is just a perfect wave. It’s such a machine and with these winds every wave’s just perfect. You can really just sit in the barrel the whole way.” Florence would go on to edge out two-time Fiji winner Damien Hobgood (USA), 33, in a close Round 3 battle this afternoon and advance to Round 4. Nat Young (USA), 21, current ASP WCT Rookie and No. 6 on this year’s rankings, dominated his Round 2 affair against fellow rookie Filipe Toledo (BRA), 18, putting together a near-perfect heat of his own. Young looked at home on his forehand at Restaurants, driving through several deep barrels across the point, earning a 9.20 and 9.03 to take the win. “Those could have been the best waves I’ve ever surfed,” Young said. “We’re sitting at pool on this perfect island so it’s pretty much paradise. For me, I’d never been here so it was important to come early and get practice at both spots (Cloudbreak and Restaurants). It was tough this morning with the devil winds and in that heat it was picture perfect. Right now, you just stand there and get the best barrels ever. It’s so much fun.” Joel Parkinson (AUS), 32, reigning ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 8, rebounded after missing his Round 1 heat, delivering committed barrel-rides and massive backhand turns over the shallow Restaurants reef. Parkinson was rewarded a 9.33 and 9.10 for his efforts in his Round 2 victory over dangerous Hawaiian Dusty Payne (HAW), 24. “Restaurants is a perfect wave,” Parkinson said. “It has a really good line to it and when you come over a set and see next one, you get butterflies when a good one is coming. I was looking for the barrels out there in that heat, but the bigger ones were chattery and bumpy. You’ve really got to find the medium sized waves out there. If you get the medium one you can get nice long drainers.” Taj Burrow (AUS), 35, contributed to the day’s high-scoring affair while taking out two heat wins. The veteran earned a scrappy Round 2 nod over Adam Melling (AUS), 28, eventually scoring two excellent rides in flawless afternoon conditions against Fred Patacchia (HAW), 31, to the tune of 18.10 out of 20 while advancing to Round 4. Sebastian Zietz (HAW), 25, earned an amazing come-from-behind victory in Round 2 over Adrian Buchan (AUS), 30. In need of an 8.90 with just five seconds remaining on the clock, Zietz drove through a seemingly impossible tube, earning an 8.93 out of 10 for the ride to edge out the Australian goofy-footer. “It was a small wave and I figured I’d go and try and get the score,” Zietz said. “I took off and thought I blew the heat. Then I had one section and I came out and I just tried to keep dragging it. I drove through that other section and was able to come out. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get the score or not.” Jordy Smith (ZAF), 25, winner of the last event in Rio de Janeiro, returned to form after a Round 1 stumble, topping ASP WCT Rookie Glenn Hall (IRL), 31, in windy afternoon conditions to advance to Round 3. “It’s extremely windy,” Smith said. “It was really tough to find the open barrels and when the sets came through the wave would barrel and pinch. You had to pick the right waves. I got lucky on one and managed to find a barrel and get two nice turns. Micro (Glenn Hall) did the full scorpion on his last wave and landed on the reef. Hopefully he’s okay. Overall, I had a few nice waves and I’m stoked to advance to the next round.” Smith would go on to defeat Kieren Perrow (AUS), 35, in Round 3, simultaneously surpassing Adriano de Souza (BRA), 26, for the coveted No. 1 position on the ASP WCT Rankings. Kelly Slater (USA), 41, 11-time ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 4, also found his form after a Round 1 absence, taking out his Round 2 heat against local wildcard Aca Lalabalavu (FJI) despite a valiant effort from the Fijian. “That was tough because we had that lull in my heat,” Slater said. “Me and Aca (Lalabalavu) never got to a good start and missed the best waves of the heat. I didn’t get to see any of Aca’s waves in my heat, but I figured I’ve surfed with him enough to know that he can put together a bunch of turns and barrels on a wave. To be honest, I had some nerves in that heat and I made some funny decisions. I know the waves, but you forget things when you haven’t been free surfing here a lot. It can get a little tricky, but it comes back pretty quick.” Yadin Nicol (AUS), 27, current alternate on the ASP WCT, delivered the upset of the day, eliminating then ASP World No. 1 Adriano de Souza (BRA), 26, via a series of hard-fought backhand barrel exchanges to advance to Round 3. “That was a strange heat because it was pumping all morning and you think it’s going to keep coming,” Nicol said. “It turned out to be pretty slow and pretty bumpy and you had to wrestle with the barrels you got in. I was lucky to come out of that one 8. Adriano (de Souza) got that little nugget at the end, but I’m stoked to come away with that one in the end.” Nicol, who disrupts de Souza’s ASP World Title campaign via the Round 2 win, is also eligible to gain crucial points towards requalifying for the ASP WCT for 2014 after missing out on his ASP Top 34 reberth by just one heat at Pipeline last year. “I’m super happy that I made that heat,” Nicol said. “Anytime you beat the top guys it feels good. It’s a shame for Adriano (de Souza). I know it’s a big loss for him. No one wants to get a 25th, but I’m just excited. The waves look insane for the remainder of the event and I hope to keep surfing these perfect waves and have a good time.” Kolohe Andino (USA), 19, contributed to the day’s upsets, eliminating 2012 Volcom Fiji Pro runner-up Gabriel Medina (BRA), 19, in a hard-fought battle between the two young prodigies. “Going in to that heat I thought I’d have to get some deep barrels with Medina being goofy-foot,” Andino said. “I figured I’d had to have heat of my life out there to get through that heat, but after my fifth wave, I realized I wasn’t going to get the barrels I was looking for. I decided to just do turns on my backhand and try and get scores. Luckily it worked.” Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6:30am local time for a possible return to competition at either Cloudbreak or Restaurants. The Volcom Fiji Pro will be webcast LIVE via www.volcomfijipro.com VOLCOM FIJI PRO REMAINING ROUND 1 RESULTS: Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 17.80, Nat Young (USA) 12.93, Kolohe Andino (USA) 9.10 Heat 12: Brett Simpson (USA) 13.20, John John Florence (HAW) 12.40, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.00 VOLCOM FIJI PRO ROUND 2 RESULTS: Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.27 def. Aca Lalabalavu (FJI) 10.90 Heat 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.67 def. Alex Grey (USA) 6.27 Heat 3: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 12.77 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.60 Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.47 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 15.53 Heat 5: Taj Burrow (AUS) 7.87 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 7.76 Heat 6: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13.50 def. Glenn Hall (IRL) 8.43 Heat 7: Kolohe Andino (USA) 11.50 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 9.67 Heat 8: Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.93 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 9.04 Heat 9: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 15.57 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 10.33 Heat 10: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 17.10 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 17.06 Heat 11: John John Florence (HAW) 19.80 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.83 Heat 12: Nat Young (USA) 18.23 def. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 7.60 VOLCOM FIJI PRO ROUND 3 RESULTS: Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 18.10 def. Fred Patacchia (HAW) 12.33 Heat 2: John John Florence (HAW) 16.10 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 16.06 Heat 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 18.30 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 14.70 UPCOMING VOLCOM FIJI PRO REMAINING ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS: Heat 4: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs.Miguel Pupo (BRA) Heat 5: Kai Otton (HAW) vs. Sebastian Zietz (HAW) Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Mitchel Coleborn (AUS) Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA) Heat 8: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF) Heat 9: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Brett Simpson (USA) Heat 10: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA) Heat 11: Nat Young (USA) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Yadin Nicol (AUS) The Jeffreys Bay Open Of Surfing is just a few weeks away, and all systems are go for a great inaugural event. Former ASP World Champion Mark Occhilupo and free surfing phenomenon Dave Rastovich have both put their name on the list of possible invited surfers, and together with Sean Holmes and Frankie Oberholzer, will be ranked high on the selection list as they can all produce world class surfing at one of the world's best pointbreaks.
Other surfers to put their hands up for this Surfing South Africa sanctioned event are WQS campaigner Dale Staples from St Francis Bay, fellow campaigner and ISA World Champion Shaun Joubert from Mossel Bay, and fellow ISA World Champion and former WCT surfer Greg Emslie from East London. Along with the main event will be a girls event, with 8 girls selected to surf in the tournament. An exciting sideline to the main event is the FFFF Friction Free Session, a demonstration of surfing without fins, orchestrated by the leading exponent in this discipline Derek Hynd. While this form of surfing is challenging and hard to master, Hynd has developed his Friction Free skills on the waves of Supertubes over the last few seasons and will lead this demonstration. Derek will be joined by a few hand-picked local surfers and possibly a few international guests. The Jeffreys Bay Open Of Surfing Jeffreys Bay Open Of Surfing has a waiting period from 9 - 13 July and forms the anchor for the JBay Winter Fest JBay Winter Fest, a festival of sports set to take place in and around Jeffreys Bay from 6 - 14 July. As well as the surfing tournament there will be a skateboarding event, a mountain biking race, a trail run and a cold water swim, with the possibility of more events to be added at a later stage. A list of the events can be found here. There are still a few days left for surfers to go to the event Facebook page and put their names down for possible selection for the surfing contest. Entries close on the 10th June, and the invited surfers, wildcards and alternate surfers will be announced soon afterwards. There will be a R500 entry fee, with proceeds going to the Supertubes Surfing Foundation. Surfers will also need to join the PST at a cost of R200 via the Surfing South Africa website SSA. Bring it oooooooon! CLOUDBREAK, Tavarua/Fiji (Tuesday, June 4, 2013) – Opening day of the Volcom Fiji Pro, stop No. 4 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), kicked off in firing four-to-six foot (2 – 2.5 metre) barrels at Cloudbreak today, completing the opening 10 heats of the non-elimination Round 1. The first day of competition saw several upsets unfold, as a slew of top seeds went down to the underdogs.
Mitch Coleborn (AUS), 26, returning Volcom Fiji Pro wildcard and winner of the recent ASP Prime event in Brazil, was deadly in the Cloudbreak lineup, earning the first perfect 10 point ride of competition. Coleborn locked into a flawless wave seconds after the start of his heat and drove through two heaving barrel sections to earn the score. The Sunshine-coaster would back up the ride with an excellent 9.33, taking the day’s high heat total of 19.33 out of 20. “I’m feeling in good rhythm and trying to keep momentum going after my win last week in Brazil,” Coleborn said. “My first wave was a 10 and I don’t know what to say, I’m stoked. Hopefully I can keep it going in Round 3.” Coleborn, who topped 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 41, in Round 1 at Cloudbreak last year, recreated the same magic today, besting ASP World No. 1 Adriano de Souza (BRA), 26, and Alejo Muniz (BRA), 23, to make his way to Round 3. “I’m so thankful to Volcom for the wildcard,” Coleborn said. “This is the most amazing event all year. The waves are pumping. To get the wildcard again, I’m just so stoked. With priority in Round 1 now, it makes for more of a relaxing three-man heat. I was lucky with the first wave and that it was a 10. There wasn’t much jockeying. I was pretty confident after that and there wasn’t much hassling, so I was lucky.” Heitor Alves (BRA), 31, former ASP WCT competitor and last-minute alternate in the Volcom Fiji Pro, took advantage of both his entry in to the event and the absence of reigning ASP World Champion Joel Parkinson (AUS), 32, in his Round 1 heat. Alves drove through two deep lefthand barrels, notching a near-perfect 9.80 and 8.83 for his efforts to advance to Round 3 over fellow goofy-footer Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 24. “I’m so happy because I was in Brazil and got the invite just before the event, so it’s a dream for me,” Alves said. “I was just in Brazil and now I’ve just won a heat against Wilko (Matt Wilkinson). It was a hard heat, but I’m happy. I really need a result and hopefully I can do it here. I just got lucky. I was waiting for the best waves and God gave them to me. Luckily I made my heat.” Fred Patacchia (HAW), 31, marked his return to competition following a serious ankle injury with a convincing Round 1 win at the Volcom Fiji Pro. Patacchia’s veteran experience at Cloudbreak was apparent, as he effortlessly navigated the lineup while threading pristine forehand barrels relegating current ASP World No. 2 Jordy Smith (ZAF), 25, and fellow Hawaiian Sebastian Zietz (HAW), 25, to Round 2. “This is a great event to come back to,” Patacchia said. “I love coming to Tavarua and I’ve been coming here since I was about 15 years old. My ankle is feeling decent. I’ve got it wrapped and braced and was looking for barrels out there because my turns aren’t really where I want them to be right now. It’s looking like it’s going to be about barrels and that’s what I’m looking for. We didn’t have a whole lot of swell before the event, so I didn’t get much practice, but I’m stoked to get the win.” Damien Hobgood (USA), 33, two time winner in Fiji (2004, 2006), was deadly in the technical barrels at Cloudbreak today, beating two-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS), 31, and wildcard Alex Grey (USA), 26, in a high-scoring Round 1 affair. “Mick’s a great competitor and I knew it was going to be tough,” Hobgood said. “I was nervous before heat and just got it rolling right at the start. Towards the end, I creased my board, but I knew I couldn’t leave Mick in the lineup with priority. I saw him get the 6 and knew I couldn’t give him a good wave. I knew I’d have to make him earn it.” Kai Otton (AUS), 33, current ASP No. 12, contributed to the day’s goofy-footed dominance, besting 2012 Volcom Fiji Pro runner-up Gabriel Medina(BRA), 19, and dangerous Hawaiian Dusty Payne (HAW), 24, compliments of two deep forehand barrels. “I haven’t had many trips here so I came early with Taj (Burrow) and got the best Cloudbreak I’ve ever had,” Otton said. “I was on such a high and then all week I had the worst free-surfs. I haven’t been able to get a wave and I got pounded really bad on one wave, but then it all came together in that heat. It’s been really fun here. It’s a great place and the hospitality is amazing.” Joel Parkinson (AUS), 32, reigning ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 8, was absent from today’s Round 1 of competition, the result of an ill-advised decision to embark on a fishing expedition in the early hours of the morning before the call was made. “I was 100% convinced last night that the contest would be off today so we went fishing early this morning,” Parkinson said. “There is so much good surf coming in the contest window that I thought there was no way we’d be surfing so we grabbed the fishing rods and took off down the coast in the boat. But the swell filled in a little early and the conditions at Cloudbreak were so good they had no choice but to run. There’s no way you walk away from waves that good. I was out of phone range and by the time the contest was called on I was too far away to make it back because I was in the third heat of the morning.” Parkinson will surf against Dusty Payne (HAW), 24, in Round 2 of competition. “I was pretty bummed to miss the heat, but I was even more bummed that I missed out on waves like that,” Parkinson said. “That was pretty perfect Cloudbreak. There were some absolute bombs out there and the boys got tubed out of their brains all day. But I guess you’ve got to be philosophical about it. You’re never too old to learn a lesson and I’ll definitely pull back a bit on the fishing during events. I definitely won’t be fishing tomorrow morning! The upside I suppose is that I get to surf an extra heat and the forecast for the rest of the event is looking insane.” Kelly Slater (USA), 41, 11-time ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 4, was another notable absentee from Round 1 today. Slater opted to remain in Florida for the birth of his nephew, but is en route to arrive before Round 2 of competition. When competition resumes, up first will be Jeremy Flores (FRA), 25, Nat Young (USA), 21, and Kolohe Andino (USA), 19, in Heat 11 of Round 1. Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am local time to assess conditions for a possible 8am start to Volcom Fiji Pro Round 2. The Volcom Fiji Pro holds a waiting period from June 4-14 and is webcast LIVE via www.volcomfijipro.com VOLCOM FIJI PRO ROUND 1 RESULTS: Heat 1: Fred Patacchia (HAW) 15.20, Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 14.50, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.00 Heat 2: Travis Logie (ZAF) 10.06, Yadin Nicol (AUS) 6.67, Taj Burrow (AUS) 4.90 Heat 3: Heitor Alves (BRA) 18.63, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 15.33, Joel Parkinson (AUS) ns Heat 4: Mitch Coleborn (AUS) 19.33, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 6.60, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 5.77 Heat 5: Damien Hobgood (USA) 17.47, Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.23, Alex Grey (AUS) 6.23 Heat 6: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.00, Aca Lalabalavu (FIJ) 8.50, Kelly Slater (USA) ns Heat 7: Kai Otton (AUS) 17.43, Dusty Payne (HAW) 14.36, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 7.96 Heat 8: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 12.57, Julian Wilson (AUS) 8.50, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 7.60 Heat 9: Josh Kerr (AUS) 17.66, Adam Melling (AUS) 13.36, Filipe Toledo (BRA) 13.27 Heat 10: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.34, Glenn Hall (IRL) 13.67, Michel Bourez (PYF) 10.63 COOLANGATTA, QLD/Australia (Saturday, June 1, 2013) - Owen Wright (AUS), 23,Tiago Pires (PRT), 33, and Raoni Monteiro(BRA), 31, have withdrawn from the Volcom Fiji Pro due to injury and have been replaced byYadin Nicol (AUS), 27, Heitor Alves (BRA), 31, and new event wildcard Alex Gray (USA).
Wright sustained a back injury earlier this season at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach after finishing 2012 ranked No. 10 on the ASP World Championship Tour. The Australian started 2013 with a hard fought win at the ASP 4-Star Breaka Burleigh Pro, but went on to finish equal 25 at the opening two stops on this year’s WCT. This will be the second event in a row the young goofy-footer will miss due to injury, but he’s working hard to make sure he’s fit and ready for the inaugural Oakley Pro Bali. “I’ve had to withdraw from the Volcom Fiji Pro due to an on going back injury that happened at Bells,” Wright said. “I’m working hard and should be ready for the event at Keramas, Bali.” Tiago Pires, who also missed out on the Billabong Rio Pro, pulled a knee ligament while chasing barrels around his Portuguese home in late-April. While Pires hoped to return to competition in Rio, the nagging injury has forced the Portuguese Tiger to remain sidelined for one more event to complete the rehabilitation process and hopes to return to competition in Bali. The Volcom Fiji Pro holds a waiting period from June 2-14 and will be webcast LIVE via – http://www.volcomfijipro.com/ |
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July 2021
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