There has been much talk in the past year about the future of Billabong. We came to know that they were in financial trouble after canceling the Billabong Pro J-Bay last year. That may be the least of their worries after investors have been on a selling frenzy in the past five years. Since 2007, their stock (BBG.AX sold on the Australian Stock Market) went from $17 per share to $.96 this year, and is at $1.02 at the moment.
There are virtually three main options that Billabong has: 1) a miraculous recovery within the corporation (restructuring of the board, executives, etc.) 2) bankruptcy; I am not familiar with Australian regulations on bankruptcy, but in the US, companies can file for bankruptcy and eventually their companies will recover - Donald Trump has done this with many of his companies numerous times. 3) a buy out. Yes, you read that correctly; some other company could come in and purchase Billabong.
We have seen this before; not many people realize that some of today's leading surf companies are owned by a larger (and wealthier) parent company. Hurley is owned by Nike, Volcom is owned by PPR, a French-based company that owns major global fashion brands such as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen. This is a common occurrence, especially in a weakened global economy.
An acquisition of Billabong would also mean the acquisition of the companies that Billabong owns. Unbeknownst to many, Billabong is the owner of some well known corporations in the surf and skating world such as Element, Von Zipper, Xcel, Honolua Surf Company, Kustom, Palmers Surf, Nixon Watches, Tigerlilly, Sector 9 Skateboards, DaKine and RVCA. These are major clothing and hardgoods companies that would look appeasing to an interested buyer.
This may mean a better future for Billabong. Nike is now becoming a powerhouse in the surfing world by sponsoring major events and some of the worlds best WCT surfers (Kolohe, Julian Wilson, Carissa Moore, etc). Hurley is still Hurley and Volcom is still Volcom; I believe that from a financial standpoint, a buyout will be Billabongs best option. It will be sad to see Billabong, once the largest name in surfing, have to become an acquisition of a larger company. But stubbornness cannot overpower the reality of the situation. If Billabong does not act, they will go under. Many surfers are worried about the status of the Billabong Pro Tahiti and if it will still run. I do not see them canceling that event in such short notice, but only they know the true state of their company and if they have to then I am sure they will.
This is big news in the surf world and it will be interesting to see how this situation plays out in the near future. Will Nike or another company buy Billabong? Will they have a recovery and restructuring internally in the company? Or will they have to file for bankruptcy? We don't know yet, but we will have an answer within the year I believe and I will keep you up to date on this subject.
Leave thoughts and comments about this situation. I'm interested to hear.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
International Surfing Day
Happy International Surfing Day! The second best day of the year next to your birthday.
Formed by the Surfrider Foundation, ISD is a day to celebrate not only the sport of surfing, but to also celebrate environmentalism and the health of our coastal ecosystems. As a former intern of this organization, the passion and love for the environment, and surfing, flows through the veins of every single employee and volunteer.
We must remember that it is nature who gives us the ability to slide a board down these playful walls of water. Many of us take this for granted when we should be embracing nature and showing the love we have for her back!
I unfortunately cannot participate on this celebratory day, but I got my surfing in earlier this week to make up for my absence in the lineup today. I hope you all enjoy your day out in the water whether you are surfing a lake (literally and metaphorically), fun waves, or pumping waves somewhere around the world. Surfing is surfing. But do not forget to give back to nature a little by cleaning up trash that you may find in the water or on the beach. Remember, a clean beach is a healthy beach!
Send pictures of yourself surfing to my email if you have any after today. I will post a whole International Surfing Day photo album once I get some pictures.
Email to: clementiv@comcast.net
Have a great day and spread the word about Worn Trails to other surfers/environmentalists who you feel may like the material that you like!
Formed by the Surfrider Foundation, ISD is a day to celebrate not only the sport of surfing, but to also celebrate environmentalism and the health of our coastal ecosystems. As a former intern of this organization, the passion and love for the environment, and surfing, flows through the veins of every single employee and volunteer.
We must remember that it is nature who gives us the ability to slide a board down these playful walls of water. Many of us take this for granted when we should be embracing nature and showing the love we have for her back!
I unfortunately cannot participate on this celebratory day, but I got my surfing in earlier this week to make up for my absence in the lineup today. I hope you all enjoy your day out in the water whether you are surfing a lake (literally and metaphorically), fun waves, or pumping waves somewhere around the world. Surfing is surfing. But do not forget to give back to nature a little by cleaning up trash that you may find in the water or on the beach. Remember, a clean beach is a healthy beach!
Send pictures of yourself surfing to my email if you have any after today. I will post a whole International Surfing Day photo album once I get some pictures.
Email to: clementiv@comcast.net
Have a great day and spread the word about Worn Trails to other surfers/environmentalists who you feel may like the material that you like!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Reader Response: Summer Boards
This response came from a New Jersey local, Gabe Dunn:
"Almost bought exact board you bought but headed to margate for the 5'6. Posca pen art added for some flare. Fun board to ride in good conditions 3-5ft. Never rode it in 1-2 yet but summer is here so I am sure it won't be long. Enjoy your new ride. "
Thanks for the response Gabe. Kind of ironic, but I almost bought your board - I went with the 5'8" which is a little easier for me to catch waves on, but I wanted the 5'6" which is better for turns and maneuvers. Great minds think alike though. Great spray on it. Posca pens are awesome, thats what I use on my boards. I went out on Tuesday in some 1-2 foot storm chop and although it would be tough to catch anything in that surf on any board, I did catch a few fun quick rides. I'm looking forward to getting out on it in some clean 1-2 foot surf to put Mayhem's words to the test. Enjoy your Motivator and I'm sure I'll see you out in the water. If you get any pictures or videos of you on it, feel free to send them my way!
"Almost bought exact board you bought but headed to margate for the 5'6. Posca pen art added for some flare. Fun board to ride in good conditions 3-5ft. Never rode it in 1-2 yet but summer is here so I am sure it won't be long. Enjoy your new ride. "
Thanks for the response Gabe. Kind of ironic, but I almost bought your board - I went with the 5'8" which is a little easier for me to catch waves on, but I wanted the 5'6" which is better for turns and maneuvers. Great minds think alike though. Great spray on it. Posca pens are awesome, thats what I use on my boards. I went out on Tuesday in some 1-2 foot storm chop and although it would be tough to catch anything in that surf on any board, I did catch a few fun quick rides. I'm looking forward to getting out on it in some clean 1-2 foot surf to put Mayhem's words to the test. Enjoy your Motivator and I'm sure I'll see you out in the water. If you get any pictures or videos of you on it, feel free to send them my way!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Rip Curl Grom Fight 2012 Voting
Hey Guys,
A quick favor from you all. My Cousin is good family friends with the Marshall family in California. Some of you may have heard of Jake Marshall, one of the sons, who is an absolute ripper. The kid has a future in surfing. But for now, he is up against a few other top rated groms in a video contest. His backside surfing is unreal and he throws down two massive turns in this video. Click on his name to submit a vote for him so he can advance in the contest. Thanks!
http://www.surfingmagazine.com/news/rip-curl-grom-fight-2012-huntington-beach/
A quick favor from you all. My Cousin is good family friends with the Marshall family in California. Some of you may have heard of Jake Marshall, one of the sons, who is an absolute ripper. The kid has a future in surfing. But for now, he is up against a few other top rated groms in a video contest. His backside surfing is unreal and he throws down two massive turns in this video. Click on his name to submit a vote for him so he can advance in the contest. Thanks!
http://www.surfingmagazine.com/news/rip-curl-grom-fight-2012-huntington-beach/
Energy Use in the United States
A pretty interesting study was recently released by the AP NORC Center on Public Affairs on energy use in the United States. I found the results staggering and, frankly, a little unnerving. This report is "an in-depth and up- to-the-minute look at how the American public feels about where responsibility for the nation’s energy problems lies, and who holds responsibility for addressing them" (Tompson). This survey that the AP NORC conducted was on more than 1000 adults across the country to get a range of views on energy issues in America.
The first section of the survey discusses where the public thinks that the responsibility should lie as it relates to energy savings. Many of those surveyed believe that the true responsibility lies with the government and the energy industry. 64% also believe that a major reason that energy prices are what they are is because there is such a high demand of energy and not many people are willing to reduce their intake. I believe that this is one of the biggest issues in the American Energy industry (Tompson).
Statistically speaking, Democrats are more aware of energy issues, and support alternative energy, than Republicans. It is no secret and it has been this way for decades. A major issue that our nation faces, as well as the entire world, is decreasing levels of fossil fuels. The entire globe primarily runs off of fossil fuels, which include oil, natural gas and coal. Since the Industrial Revolution beganin the 1800's, we have almost depleted all of the world's oil reserves. Studies have shown (and it is a globally accepted consensus) that by 2013-2020, world oil production will peak (Although the EIA estimates it to peak between 2031-2068 [Caruso]). Oxford University came out with a study predicting that oil demands will surpass oil supply in 2015 (OPEC). With an average of 25 billion barrels extracted each year, and with close to 990 billion barrels of oil still left, experts believe that we have 40 years until ALL oil deposits are depleted world wide.
With that being said, in the past decade, global extraction rates have risen exponentially. Many geophysicists, and other scientists, believe that within the next decade, we could see rises to 30-35 billion barrels of oil extracted each year, if not more. That drastically reduces the estimated oil depletion year from around 2057 (the accepted year), to sometime sooner. With many U.S. politicians, such as Mitt Romney, advocating for more oil production and consumption in the United States, the expected rates for oil consumption are set to increase. The EIA (US Energy Information Administration) expects US consumption to rise from 18.87 million barrels per day in 2011 to 18.96 million barrels per day in 2012 and to 19.06 million barrels per day in 2013 (EIA2). It may not seem like a lot, but over the course of a year, that is close to a 100,000,000-barrel increase by 2013. The EIA also believe that these numbers could be well shy of the actual numbers during those years.
Many people will say, "Who cares, that’s a long time from now." Not really. While some of our parents, and surely our grandparents, will not be here, the majority of people who are now 1 year old to 40, or even 50, years old will be. Our environment is very close to "The Point of No Return". Our climate is shifting more rapidly than ever. We are seeing extreme changes in air temperatureand sea temperature, glacial melting like we have never experienced and rises in sea level which is threatening many low lying island nations as well as nations such as the Netherlands.
I hate being informal and unorthodox, but to those that think that climate change is a hoax (cough, cough, Rick Santorum and many Republicans in our government), do you honestly believe that, or are your political identities and beliefs making you say such things? Romney has stated that he believes oil is America's future. Interesting. His "reason" is because it will create jobs. True; boosting oil production in America will create jobs. Creating the Keystone XL Pipeline will create jobs (which he said he will do on Day 1 if elected in November). However, increased oil production, as well as the Keystone XL Pipeline, could be some of the worst things to happen in this country and to the global climate. The Republican Party supports Big Oil because they are usually paid to support it. I am sure there are plenty of politicians who will say that increasing oil consumption in the US will create environmental issues and health issues. But each year, the Koch Brothers and Big Oil spend billions of dollars lobbying for increased oil production in the US. These companies are the ones who are to blame for high gas prices, not the government, and in some ways, not President Obama. They are willingly keeping prices higher than they have to be; they are not being forced to raise prices. Supply isn't low forcing them to keep prices high, no; supply is there, there is still plenty of oil, they are keeping prices high because demand is higher than ever and they know that they will continue to make record profits off of it. Highway robbery and corruption do not come close to the appropriate description of what is happening to Americans each day.
Now, with that being said, Americans can't walk away from this with no blame either. Americans are some of the most ignorant and stubborn people on the earth. There I said it. I love America, but I have been fortunate enough to talk to people from all over the world and hear what they think about our country and its people. The things they say are not out of jealousy, they are said because they are true. Most of the world is becoming more environmentally friendly, not because they have to, but because they want to. People realize that humans are the primary source for the rapid increase in climate change over the past 150 years and are now looking to change their ways in an attempt to reverse the impact that we have had on our planet. This is happening almost everywhere (in developed countries) except in America. Yes, we may have had some laws that show we want a cleaner environment - such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, CERCLA, NEPA, etc - but they only affect our nation. Most nations are working in an international effort while we sit on the sidelines. There have been recent international talks to lower CO2 emissions, but the US does not want to be a part of it, they want to make their own laws different from everyone else, which are also not as effective as every other nation because once again, Big Oil is getting in the way. If we were to impose the same international laws that many in the EU and Asia are imposing, it could potentially destroy Big Oil, or at least make their profits go from $400 billion a year to $200 billion a year, such a shame. But like I said, Americans are stubborn; they do not want to be like everyone else, THIS IS AMERICA! We are living the American Dream; "I want 5 or more cars that get 10 miles per gallon", "I want yachts", "I want this", "I want that." That is what America has come to - The Land of Capitalism: Show Your Money Off and F@&k the Environment (once again, sorry for being informal, but it is true). The United States, and similar countries that act like us (Russia and China), will soon not be able to support the life that many now live. Once oil is gone, those cars and boats will be obsolete. They sure as hell can't run on natural gas or coal so what will people do then?
Coal isn't the future, look at China. In 2008, every Olympian had to wear air filters over their mouths the entire time they were there, except when they were not competing. That certainly will not be accepted in America, although there are many cities in the US that are close to that level of pollution, smog and CO2 levels. I think that it is funny how many energy companies are advertising for "Clean Coal", that’s about as funny as McDonalds "Healthy Menu". There is no such thing as burning clean coal. There is "cleaner" burning coal than traditional coal, but it is still horrible for the environment and human health and will most likely be shot down by clauses in the Clean Air Act directed at healthy levels of CO2 in the air. If the United States were to switch the main source of energy from oil -once it is gone- to coal, we will set out air and health back to the time of the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. We will be living in early 1900 Pittsburgh-esque cities where the sky's will be black and we will be breathing in large amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, as well as other harmful chemicals, from the burning of coal.
The big thing now that many in our government are pushing for is Natural Gas. Within the last five years, the discovery of the Marcellus Shale natural gas deposits have sent energy corporations in a frenzy to figure out how to acquire the gas. This deposit covers the most of the Appalachian region of the United States and is said to have close to 100 years worth of natural gas stored in it. The problem though, is how to acquire it. The most recent method is through Hydraulic Fracturing; this is the process of extracting gas from the ground by pumping freshwater, mixed with over 600 chemicals to break apart the ground, which then releases the gas for extraction. Unfortunately, the issue here is the part about the water being mixed with over 600 chemicals; 632 to be exact. Scientists and doctors have discovered that of the chemicals used, close to 25% can cause cancer (Colborn). Another issue is that in some regions where Hydraulic Fracturing, or Fracking as it is known, is being practiced, many of these chemicals are finding their way into local water sources, which are being consumed by the citizens living in that area. Many states are now cracking down on Fracking; in fact Vermont recently banned the process all together. As more research is done on the issue, we may see more states ban Fracking as studies are conducted on the health issues associated with it. Now, the main states, which will be the focus of the Fracking debate, due to the amount of gas deposits in those respective states, are Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia. This is not something that environmentalists want to see. Pennsylvania and West Virginia are currently two of the United States leading coal producers and are more than willing to add the natural gasindustry to their state economies.
The big thing now that many in our government are pushing for is Natural Gas. Within the last five years, the discovery of the Marcellus Shale natural gas deposits have sent energy corporations in a frenzy to figure out how to acquire the gas. This deposit covers the most of the Appalachian region of the United States and is said to have close to 100 years worth of natural gas stored in it. The problem though, is how to acquire it. The most recent method is through Hydraulic Fracturing; this is the process of extracting gas from the ground by pumping freshwater, mixed with over 600 chemicals to break apart the ground, which then releases the gas for extraction. Unfortunately, the issue here is the part about the water being mixed with over 600 chemicals; 632 to be exact. Scientists and doctors have discovered that of the chemicals used, close to 25% can cause cancer (Colborn). Another issue is that in some regions where Hydraulic Fracturing, or Fracking as it is known, is being practiced, many of these chemicals are finding their way into local water sources, which are being consumed by the citizens living in that area. Many states are now cracking down on Fracking; in fact Vermont recently banned the process all together. As more research is done on the issue, we may see more states ban Fracking as studies are conducted on the health issues associated with it. Now, the main states, which will be the focus of the Fracking debate, due to the amount of gas deposits in those respective states, are Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia. This is not something that environmentalists want to see. Pennsylvania and West Virginia are currently two of the United States leading coal producers and are more than willing to add the natural gasindustry to their state economies.
But like Oil, and all fossil fuels, natural gas will eventually run out. The 100 year estimate is the best-case-scenario meaning that this number is the total of all POTENTIAL;t here have been some estimates that put the level of natural gas deposits in the US at only 11 years worth of gas (based on the proven deposits), hardly enough of an estimate to go through the trouble of acquiring it and putting human health at risk. What do we do after that though? What will America and the world do when ALL fossil fuels are depleted? Believe me, this is no fantasy, it will happen and it is going to happen much sooner than what some think.
There is only one solution to this, besides going to war for resources, which will also most likely happen within the next 50 years. But the solution is simple: Clean Alternative Energy. When some read that line, I'm sure there will be a few "Whoa, that’s for you green freaks." Wrong, that is what most of the world is in the process of transitioning to. It took millions and millions of years for the natural world to produce the fossil fuels that we are so close to using up and once that is done, this is the only type of energy that we will have on planet Earth for the years to come. That means solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, bio-fuels, nuclear and ocean energy. Sooner or later, we will all be forced to change our ways and the way we currently live life. There will be uproar, protest and disgust, but it is our own fault. I was once told, "when you point your finger at someone, you have four pointed right back at you." We mustn't wait until 100 or so years down the road, when we have no sources of energy, to change our ways, we must change now. I will be the first one to admit that I didn't want to do it. I used to have a Ford F-150 that got 7 mile per gallon; I thought I was the cool guy riding in this massive vehicle that was not only eating my wallet, but also destroying the environment. When my international friends came to visit, they would see my truck and say that "it was the biggest personal vehicle they had ever seen” That all changed when they saw aFord F-250 on the road and again when it was a Ford F-350 - All cars that we can own if we want to. But his comments made me think, we are one of the only countries in the world with people who own commodities such as the massive vehicles, yachts and other energy eating machines.
We currently have the ability and technology to transition our current coal-burning power plants, oil refineries and natural gas plants into power plants outfitted to handle these alternative energy sources. Many believe that completely transitioning to alternative energy will cause job loses; I believe it is the exact opposite. We will still need people working at each power plant, jobs will not be lost there. Jobs will actually be created during this transitioning period, and continuously as the years go on. The demand will be extremely high for workers to not only create and install the products and machinery to acquire energy, but to also operate and maintain the windmills, solar panels, etc. I believe that hundreds of thousands, if not millions of jobs, could be created if our nation turned onto alternative energy. It is not just steel workers and mechanics, but physicists, engineers, electricians, and more, that will be needed. The United States will most likely need a larger amount of alternative energy plants around the country meaning more workers than there currently are. This could solve the "Job Crisis" that our nation currently faces.
We currently have the ability and technology to transition our current coal-burning power plants, oil refineries and natural gas plants into power plants outfitted to handle these alternative energy sources. Many believe that completely transitioning to alternative energy will cause job loses; I believe it is the exact opposite. We will still need people working at each power plant, jobs will not be lost there. Jobs will actually be created during this transitioning period, and continuously as the years go on. The demand will be extremely high for workers to not only create and install the products and machinery to acquire energy, but to also operate and maintain the windmills, solar panels, etc. I believe that hundreds of thousands, if not millions of jobs, could be created if our nation turned onto alternative energy. It is not just steel workers and mechanics, but physicists, engineers, electricians, and more, that will be needed. The United States will most likely need a larger amount of alternative energy plants around the country meaning more workers than there currently are. This could solve the "Job Crisis" that our nation currently faces.
Americans frown upon and make fun of those with the small cars - the Prius' and Chevy Volt's - because it isn't American. Well soon enough, those people who own those cars are going to be laughing at the "Real American's" when they can afford to drive, when there is almost no oil to produce gasoline, and when they can drive because they purchased a Chevy Volt (which can run off of electricity) at a reasonable price and finally, before electric vehicles are the only cars being sold, most likely at prices double of the current Volt prices due to high demand. What we see as the American Dream now, the ability to buy all of these lavish items, will soon be a memory of the past. We are seeing this in Europe, where cars are becoming smaller, more fuel-efficient and are capable of running on sources other than gasoline. High gas prices are due to American's demand and the manipulative nature of the Big Oil Industry. America and Americans must become more accepting of the fact that alternative energy is our future, NOT OIL like Romney and other Republicans might say. The fact of the matter is that Americans must decrease energy consumption and invest in alternative energies now, before prices keep rising and we eventually have no fossil fuels left to use. It will be a much easier transition for all of us if we voluntarily change, rather than being forced to change.
I really hope that after reading this,you truly think about the future of America, of the environment and most importantly of your families’ future generations. While you may not be here, they certainly will and they will be the ones dealing with the burden of the future of the worlds energy issues, the ones fighting wars over oil, gas and coal and the ones who may not survive because there is no energy left to produce food, or clean the water and air.
Caruso, Guy.
"EIA." When Will World Oil Production Peak?. N.p., n.d.
Web. 10 June
2012. <www.eia.gov/neic/speeches/caruso061305.pdf>.
Colborn, Theo,
Carol Kwiatkowski, Kim Schultz, and Mary Bachran. "Natural Gas
Operations from a Public Health Perspective." Human &
Ecological Risk Assessment 17.5 (2011): 1039-1056. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 18 Apr. 2012.
EIA. "EIA." Short-Term Energy Outlook.
N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2012.
<www.marcon.com/library/articles/2012/PDF_Articles/Short%20Term%20Energy.pdf>.
OPEC. "OPEC." World Oil Outlook 2011.
N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2012.
<www.opec.org/opec_web/static_files_project/media/downloads/publications/WOO_2011.pdf>.
Tompson, T., J. Benz, J. Broz, M. Kozey, J. Agiesta,
and D. Junius. "Energy Use in the
United States." AP NORC. N.p., n.d.
Web. 10 June 2012.
<www.apnorc.org/Common/pdfs/AP-NORC-Energy-Report.pdf>.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Volcom Fiji Pro: Final Days
Day 5:
Round 5:
The Volcom Fiji Pro returned to Cloudbreak (where it would stay and finish out the contest) on Day 5 to kick off Round 5. The heats of Round 5 went as so: Heat 1: Damien Hobgood/Mick Fanning; Heat 2: Taj Burrow/Joel Parkinson; Heat 3: Owen Wright/Julian Wilson; Heat 4: CJ Hobgood/Heitor Alves. My picks for this round were Damien, Taj, Julian and CJ. I went 3 for 4.
The day opened up with Damo and Mick in 6-8 foot Cloudbreak perfection. It was a relatively low scoring heat given the quality of the waves that were out there. Damo opened up with a 3.67 and earned a 4.87 later in the heat. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to overcome Mick who scored a 4.5 and followed that wave up with a 5.67. Mick moved on to the quarter finals where he would meet John John who has absolutely torn apart everyone he had been matched up against.
Heat 2 was Taj and Parko. Parko, at the time, was ASP number 1. With a win here, he could pull away in the rankings and making it a very strong possibility to win the World Title this year. Taj on the other hand has been surfing extremely strong all event. His back side surfing is some of the best on tour and he was not going to let Parko move on without a fight. I had a feeling that if anyone was going to stop Parko, it was going to be Taj in this heat. Both Taj and Parko surfed extremely well all heat, but Taj really put the pressure on Parko after he opened up the heat with an 8.5. Parko answered back with a 7.0 and soon after, a 6.0. It was now Taj who was feeling the pressure and needing a big score. A nice runner came to him and he was able to get the score he needed, a 7.53, moving Taj into the quarterfinals and ending Parko's run in the Volcom Fiji Pro. Taj would then face Gabriel Medina.
Next up was two young guns who have been surfing better than ever all event, especially Julian Wilson. Wilson took on goofy-footer Owen Wilson in Heat 3. I have been saying all event that Julian needed a strong result here to give him the momentum that he has been lacking all year. Julian pretty much ended the heat early on earning two high 7's (a 7.0 and 7.83). Owen was looking for scores to beat Wilson, but he could not get it going. He scored a 5.6 and 6.4 which also ended his chances at winning. Wilson advanced to the quarters where he would face Kelly Slater.
The last heat of Round 5 was CJ Hobgood and Brazilian Heitor Alves. CJ blew Heitor out of the water in this heat. Heitor could not find the waves he needed and CJ threw down two excellent scores, an 7.5 early on and an 8.07 towards the end of the heat. CJ advanced where he would take on Adriano de Souza in the quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals:
Competition was called off after the first two quarterfinal heats due to sketchy winds. But the two heats that did run were shockers in my eyes.
Heat 1 was John John and Mick. Florence has been scoring massive heat totals all event and has been surfing like an expert out here at Cloudbreak. I was expecting him to do the same in his heat against Mick, but it did not happen. Mick surfed arguably his best all event in this heat. Mick took it to him early on and lured John John into bad waves. It was very smart competition surfing and it showed the veteran side of Fanning and the rookie side of John John. Mick scored a 7.93 and 8.67 which was more than enough to overcome John John, who only scored a 4.33 and 4.77, one of the lowest heat totals for him all year.
Heat 2 was extremely close; I saw Taj winning this due to his experience here, but Medina proved not only me, but many fans of the surf world wrong. Both started the heat with two 7's (Taj a 7.03 and Medina a 7.00). Each surfers next wave was an average score. Medina backed his score up with a 6.6 making a win by Taj a strong possibility. Unfortunately, Taj could not find a wave after that to beat Medina. Medina moved on to face Mick Fanning in the semifinal heat 1.
_____________________________________
Day 6:
On the final day of competition, we saw the last two quarterfinal heats, the semi's and the final. Every heat was exciting and massive scores were everywhere.
The say started off with Julian Wilson, who had beat out favorite Owen Wilson in Round 5, and Kelly Slater. It's sad to say, but this was no match for Kelly. Kelly opened up the heat with an 8.67; Julian only caught 3 waves all heat, a 6.93 backed up by a .93. No one really saw this surfing by Julian coming, he has been surfing extremely well all contest, but just could manage to find himself on this day. He managed to place equal 5th in the event, a much needed result and a confidence builder going into Tahiti. Kelly solidified his win of the heat by posting an almost perfect, 9.9 after receiving 10's from 3 of the 5 judges.
The last heat of the quarters was CJ and Adriano. I felt that CJ could not only win this heat, but win the event if he went on to beat Adriano. de Souza started the heat with an 8.83 and soon managed to score a 6.93, putting pressure on CJ who had only had a 6.17. In need of a massive score to advance to the semi's, CJ found a gem, and boy was this the wave he needed. He scored a 9.97 to move on to the semi's where he would face Kelly Slater to go to the finals.
Semi-Final's:
Heat 1 of the semi's was Mick Fanning and Gabriel Medina. Goofy versus regular (same as the next heat of CJ and Kelly). In a shocking result, Mick lost to Medina; Mick only managed to score a 1.67 and 4.90. Medina once again beat another veteran to move on in the event. At this point, some believed that this could be his event to win.
Next up was Kelly and CJ, two legends and expert surfers at Cloudbreak. Kelly did what Kelly does. Slater comboed CJ after scoring an almost perfect heat with a 10 and 9.5. It was another heat that proved why Kelly is the best surfer in the world. It seems that no one can eliminate him from an event anymore.
Finals:
It would be Kelly and Medina in the finals. At this point, Kelly has yet to beat Medina in a WCT heat. This final was over before it even started. Kelly only caught two waves in the final. It was enough to beat out Gabriel Medina after Kelly was awarded an 8.33 on his opening wave and a 9.83 on his next wave. The level at which Kelly was surfing was unbelievable. Many surfers, including Taj Burrow, said this was the best contest that Kelly has ever surfed. It seems that he has yet to reach his peak. At 40 years old, he is doing turns that the rest of the WCT surfers only wish they could do. He is getting deeper than anyone in the barrel. Can he do it again? Can he win his 12TH World Title this year?
On a side note, this event made me reevaluate my views towards Gabriel Medina. To be honest, I have not been a fan of him since he came on tour. I thought that he was a one sided surfer who could only excel in punchy beach-breaks and do airs. But after the Volcom Fiji Pro, he has proved to the world, and me, that he has a much deeper repertoire than that. Even Kelly is saying that this kid is the future. Kelly seems to be having rivalries with everyone these days, Josh Kerr, Owen Wilson and you can now add Gabriel Medina to that list. Medina has surfed like a maniac all event. So props to him and thank you for proving me wrong. I am interested to see how he will do in Tahiti at Teahupoo.
This contest greatly rearranged the World Rankings. Mick Fanning moved from second to first, Kelly jumped from 7th to 2nd and Parko is now 3rd. Mick and Kelly are only separated by about 1000 points, which is virtually nothing. Julian Wilson and Owen Wright are back in the top ten. Also, this result by Gabriel Medina catapulted him from 29th to 13th in the world. Volcom put on the contest of the year so far - big upsets, 10's everywhere, barrels, big turns and endless barrels. I hope to see this event back next year.
Here are the final two day recap videos:
Round 5:
The Volcom Fiji Pro returned to Cloudbreak (where it would stay and finish out the contest) on Day 5 to kick off Round 5. The heats of Round 5 went as so: Heat 1: Damien Hobgood/Mick Fanning; Heat 2: Taj Burrow/Joel Parkinson; Heat 3: Owen Wright/Julian Wilson; Heat 4: CJ Hobgood/Heitor Alves. My picks for this round were Damien, Taj, Julian and CJ. I went 3 for 4.
The day opened up with Damo and Mick in 6-8 foot Cloudbreak perfection. It was a relatively low scoring heat given the quality of the waves that were out there. Damo opened up with a 3.67 and earned a 4.87 later in the heat. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to overcome Mick who scored a 4.5 and followed that wave up with a 5.67. Mick moved on to the quarter finals where he would meet John John who has absolutely torn apart everyone he had been matched up against.
Heat 2 was Taj and Parko. Parko, at the time, was ASP number 1. With a win here, he could pull away in the rankings and making it a very strong possibility to win the World Title this year. Taj on the other hand has been surfing extremely strong all event. His back side surfing is some of the best on tour and he was not going to let Parko move on without a fight. I had a feeling that if anyone was going to stop Parko, it was going to be Taj in this heat. Both Taj and Parko surfed extremely well all heat, but Taj really put the pressure on Parko after he opened up the heat with an 8.5. Parko answered back with a 7.0 and soon after, a 6.0. It was now Taj who was feeling the pressure and needing a big score. A nice runner came to him and he was able to get the score he needed, a 7.53, moving Taj into the quarterfinals and ending Parko's run in the Volcom Fiji Pro. Taj would then face Gabriel Medina.
Next up was two young guns who have been surfing better than ever all event, especially Julian Wilson. Wilson took on goofy-footer Owen Wilson in Heat 3. I have been saying all event that Julian needed a strong result here to give him the momentum that he has been lacking all year. Julian pretty much ended the heat early on earning two high 7's (a 7.0 and 7.83). Owen was looking for scores to beat Wilson, but he could not get it going. He scored a 5.6 and 6.4 which also ended his chances at winning. Wilson advanced to the quarters where he would face Kelly Slater.
The last heat of Round 5 was CJ Hobgood and Brazilian Heitor Alves. CJ blew Heitor out of the water in this heat. Heitor could not find the waves he needed and CJ threw down two excellent scores, an 7.5 early on and an 8.07 towards the end of the heat. CJ advanced where he would take on Adriano de Souza in the quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals:
Competition was called off after the first two quarterfinal heats due to sketchy winds. But the two heats that did run were shockers in my eyes.
Heat 1 was John John and Mick. Florence has been scoring massive heat totals all event and has been surfing like an expert out here at Cloudbreak. I was expecting him to do the same in his heat against Mick, but it did not happen. Mick surfed arguably his best all event in this heat. Mick took it to him early on and lured John John into bad waves. It was very smart competition surfing and it showed the veteran side of Fanning and the rookie side of John John. Mick scored a 7.93 and 8.67 which was more than enough to overcome John John, who only scored a 4.33 and 4.77, one of the lowest heat totals for him all year.
Heat 2 was extremely close; I saw Taj winning this due to his experience here, but Medina proved not only me, but many fans of the surf world wrong. Both started the heat with two 7's (Taj a 7.03 and Medina a 7.00). Each surfers next wave was an average score. Medina backed his score up with a 6.6 making a win by Taj a strong possibility. Unfortunately, Taj could not find a wave after that to beat Medina. Medina moved on to face Mick Fanning in the semifinal heat 1.
_____________________________________
Day 6:
On the final day of competition, we saw the last two quarterfinal heats, the semi's and the final. Every heat was exciting and massive scores were everywhere.
The say started off with Julian Wilson, who had beat out favorite Owen Wilson in Round 5, and Kelly Slater. It's sad to say, but this was no match for Kelly. Kelly opened up the heat with an 8.67; Julian only caught 3 waves all heat, a 6.93 backed up by a .93. No one really saw this surfing by Julian coming, he has been surfing extremely well all contest, but just could manage to find himself on this day. He managed to place equal 5th in the event, a much needed result and a confidence builder going into Tahiti. Kelly solidified his win of the heat by posting an almost perfect, 9.9 after receiving 10's from 3 of the 5 judges.
The last heat of the quarters was CJ and Adriano. I felt that CJ could not only win this heat, but win the event if he went on to beat Adriano. de Souza started the heat with an 8.83 and soon managed to score a 6.93, putting pressure on CJ who had only had a 6.17. In need of a massive score to advance to the semi's, CJ found a gem, and boy was this the wave he needed. He scored a 9.97 to move on to the semi's where he would face Kelly Slater to go to the finals.
Semi-Final's:
Heat 1 of the semi's was Mick Fanning and Gabriel Medina. Goofy versus regular (same as the next heat of CJ and Kelly). In a shocking result, Mick lost to Medina; Mick only managed to score a 1.67 and 4.90. Medina once again beat another veteran to move on in the event. At this point, some believed that this could be his event to win.
Next up was Kelly and CJ, two legends and expert surfers at Cloudbreak. Kelly did what Kelly does. Slater comboed CJ after scoring an almost perfect heat with a 10 and 9.5. It was another heat that proved why Kelly is the best surfer in the world. It seems that no one can eliminate him from an event anymore.
Finals:
It would be Kelly and Medina in the finals. At this point, Kelly has yet to beat Medina in a WCT heat. This final was over before it even started. Kelly only caught two waves in the final. It was enough to beat out Gabriel Medina after Kelly was awarded an 8.33 on his opening wave and a 9.83 on his next wave. The level at which Kelly was surfing was unbelievable. Many surfers, including Taj Burrow, said this was the best contest that Kelly has ever surfed. It seems that he has yet to reach his peak. At 40 years old, he is doing turns that the rest of the WCT surfers only wish they could do. He is getting deeper than anyone in the barrel. Can he do it again? Can he win his 12TH World Title this year?
On a side note, this event made me reevaluate my views towards Gabriel Medina. To be honest, I have not been a fan of him since he came on tour. I thought that he was a one sided surfer who could only excel in punchy beach-breaks and do airs. But after the Volcom Fiji Pro, he has proved to the world, and me, that he has a much deeper repertoire than that. Even Kelly is saying that this kid is the future. Kelly seems to be having rivalries with everyone these days, Josh Kerr, Owen Wilson and you can now add Gabriel Medina to that list. Medina has surfed like a maniac all event. So props to him and thank you for proving me wrong. I am interested to see how he will do in Tahiti at Teahupoo.
This contest greatly rearranged the World Rankings. Mick Fanning moved from second to first, Kelly jumped from 7th to 2nd and Parko is now 3rd. Mick and Kelly are only separated by about 1000 points, which is virtually nothing. Julian Wilson and Owen Wright are back in the top ten. Also, this result by Gabriel Medina catapulted him from 29th to 13th in the world. Volcom put on the contest of the year so far - big upsets, 10's everywhere, barrels, big turns and endless barrels. I hope to see this event back next year.
Here are the final two day recap videos:
Day 5
Day 6
Some pictures (Surfline.com)
I hope you all enjoyed my coverage of the Volcom Fiji Pro event. Be on the lookout for my preview of the Billabong Pro Tahiti which will come out soon. Also keep an eye out for some really good environmental posts that I am in the process of putting together right now. Don't forget to leave comments, "like" the Facebook page (top left of the site), take the Worn Trails survey (top right of the page) and finally, SUBSCRIBE TO THE SITE!!!
spread the word and thank you all, enjoy.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Volcom Fiji Pro: Day 4
After answering the publics call and holding the remainder of Round 2 at Cloudbreak the other day, Volcom and the ASP decided to hold Round 3 and 4 at Restaurants. It was the right call as the winds were not cooperating at Cloudbreak. Both Kai Otton and Bede Durbidge won their Round 2 heats pushing them through to Round 3.
We opened up the day with perfect 4-6+ foot Restaurants. For those who have never seen this wave, it really is the epitome of perfect. Reeling lefts that go for hundreds of yards with the ability to let a surfer get three barrels on one wave. My Round 3 picks were so off, but then again, I was under the impression that the contest would be held at Cloudbreak when I made that call. Nonetheless, Restaurants was unreal and I could not turn away from the contest. The first heat of the day was Taj Burrow and Bede Durbidge. Taj put it to Bede early, opening up with an 8.83. From there Taj went on to earn a 6.17. Bede never really got it going until late in the heat unfortunately; with only earning a 6.83 and a 3.17, Bede's run ended.
Heat 2 was all about John John Florence. I have a strong feeling that he will win this contest. The way he looks in the water is unlike any other. Dane Reynolds tweeted yesterday calling John John, "the present, and the future" while also saying that Kelly Slater is "the past...present and future" I think the comparison between Kelly and John John is extremely appropriate. He is still in the building blocks, but with each contest, he is looking more and more dangerous out in the water. John John posted an almost perfect 19.30, making it the highest heat total of the day. After a slow start, only earning a 1 and 2 for his first two waves, John John went on to post a 9.5 and 9.8 giving Ace Buchan no chance at winning the heat.
Next up was Damo Hobgood and Josh Kerr. Kerr sustained a Grade 2 tear in his ankle on the first day of competition, but proved that it would no affect his surfing as he beat Taylor Knox in his Round 2 heat. I was hoping that Kerr would prevail, but he was unfortunately matched up with Fiji legend Damien Hobgood, who 24 hours earlier was charging 20 foot Cloudbreak with the world's best big wave surfers. The Hobgoods are looking dangerous. It is almost impossible to say that so-and-so will win this contest because he looks the best out there. Almost every surfer left in the contest, to me, has the ability to win this contest IF it remains at Restaurants.
ASP No. 2 Mick Fanning took on Tiago Pires in Heat 4. It was no match for Mick here - Tiago was only able to post a 2.36, the lowest of the day. It seemed as if he too could not get it going. Fanning set the tone early posting a 7.77 on his third wave.
Heat 5 consisted of the two young Brazilians, Gabriel Medina and Alejo Muniz. Medina found the waves in this heat earning an 8.0 early on and a 7.93 at the end of the heat. He only needed the 8.0 as Muniz was only able to put together a 3.83 and 3.97. Medina looks like he feels really comfortable in the medium sized surf here at Restaurants. Like many of the rookies on tour, he has never surfed Tavarua before, but he is surfing as if he is a regular here. He is so tuned in to the wave that he is almost mastering it.
The next to heats were the heats of the day to me. In Heat 6, ASP no. 1 Joel Parkinson took on event wildcard Mitch Coleborn. On Day 1, Coleborn beat 11-time world champ Kelly Slater along with Kai Otton on a last second drainer at Cloudbreak. Today he had the pleasure of taking on the number 1 ranked surfer on Tour. Parko was not going to give this away. On his second wave, Parkinson dropped in on a runner and earned himself a 9.5. Until his last wave, Parko had the 9.5 and a 4.67. Coleborn didn't get going until the middle of the heat after posting a few low scoring waves. He finally earned a 6.0 putting him right back in the mix. The two had an amazing exchange on their last waves. Coleborn needed an 8.18 to take the lead and eliminate Parko from the event. Right before Coleborn caught his wave, Parko managed to catch a perfect Restaurants wave underneath Coleborn's priority. Parko did was he always does and showed us why he is number 1 right now. A perfect backside tube ride put the pressure on Coleborn to do something amazing. He new that he would most likely need a higher score than 8.18; in the dying seconds, Coleborn caught a wave just before the buzzer sounded and got his score - a 9.0. Unfortunately, it would do him no justice as Parko earned an 8.5 sending him to Round 4. It was an unbelievable run for Mitch Coleborn. This result will do him wonders in the rankings. He proved that he can hang with the big boys and has the ability to beat the best. We could see him doing big things in the near future. I am sure that this result will push him to do better in the coming contests and make it on Tour.
Heat 7 was all time. Kelly Slater and good friend Freddy Pattachia. Freddy is arguably one of the best frontside tube-riders in the world. He was excited for the challenge to take on the world's best surfer, but knew that it would be no easy task...And it wasn't. Kelly Slater ended the heat on his first two waves. As the horn sounded to start the heat, he caught a perfect wave and earned a 9.27 and then quickly backed that score up with an 8.87. Freddy didn't give up after that, he tried to fight back earning a 5.0 (which I thought was very underscored) and a 7.5 (questionable as well). This was a good result for Freddy after being eliminated early on in Brazil. Hopefully he has the chance to surf Teahupoo - another wave that he could be dangerous in.
In Heat 8, Jeremy Flores was upset by Brazilian Heitor Alves - the current underdog in the contest. Flores expressed his frustration via Twitter after the heat calling it "one of his worst performances ever." An unexpected loss, but I am happy that I made the choice of replacing him for CJ Hobgood prior to the the start of the event.
Next up was Owen Wright and Brett Simpson. Wright absolutely put a beating on Simpo posting a 19.27 over Simpson's 4.00. We all know that Owen is more than capable of reaching the finals, especially in a tricky reef break such as the waves on Tavarua (note: Owen took on Kelly in pumping Teahupoo in 2011). Look out for Owen here as well. Like I said, no one can comfortably say that one surfer will win because there are too many capable - Owen is one of them.
In the 3rd "Heat of the Day" CJ Hobgood took on Jordy Smith. In this heat, the first of THREE perfect 10's were awarded out. This one to CJ. Jordy lost out by .2 points in the closest heat of the day. CJ quickly backed up his score with a 7.33. Props to Jordy though for hanging in with the other Fiji legend and posting an 8.0 on his first wave, and a 9.13 later in the heat.
Julian Wilson, as I have been saying this entire event, is looking like the Julian Wilson that many said could win the World Title this year. While it will be extremely hard to win this year, Julian could very well get the result that he needs to jump start his race for the Title, be it this year or next year. Unlike many of the surfers who find early, high-scoring waves, Julian didn't find his two waves until the end of the heat when he earned a 7.33 and 8.0 on his last two waves. His opponent in this heat was Miguel Pupo who got here by upsetting Matt Wilkinson in Round 2.
Round 2 ended with Adriano de Souza and Kai Otton, who got here by beating out Raoni Monteiro (Monteiro sustained an injury while trying to escape a wave through the doggy door on what would have most likely been a 10 ride at massive Cloudbreak the other day). If this contest was held at Cloudbreak I believe that Otton would have bettered de Souza, but Restaurants is a wave suited for de Souza's surfing. It was a good heat as the two exchanged scores, but it was Adriano who would eventually prevail and move on to the non-elimination Round 4.
ROUND 4:
Talk about stacked heats. Round 4 could be the most exciting heats of the year so far. Heat 1: Damien Hobgood, Taj Burrow and John John Florence. Heat 2: Mick Fanning, Gabriel Medina, Joel Parkinson. Heat 3: Kelly Slater, Heitor Alves, Owen Wright. Heat 4: CJ Hobgood, Julian Wilson, Adriano de Souza. Every heat was full of action and high scoring waves.
In Heat 1, we saw the second of 3 perfect 10's awarded - this one to John John Florence. John John once again proved that he is a serious contender for this contest. With the exception of the 10, John John had an extremely low scoring heat with his backup score being a 3.17. This was one of the lower scoring heats; no one scored higher than Damo's 6.77 (with the exception of John John). John John solidified his spot in the quarterfinals, whereas Taj and Damien will have to surf in the elimination Round 5.
The world number 1 and 2 battled it out in Heat 2 to move on to the quarters safely. Oddly enough, neither of them won and it was Gabriel Medina who managed to beat the two veterans. Medina posted two high 7's to move on, but it was Parko who posted yet another high 9 (9.5). Parko and Fanning will now have to compete in Round 5 to attempt to continue on in this contest.
Next up was Kelly, Heitor Alves and Owen Wright. Kelly and Owen continued their building rivalry here in Round 4. Kelly was awarded the 3rd perfect 10 - unanimous across the board - of the day on his opening wave of the heat. From there, Slater went on to score an 8.33 later in the heat and sending Wright and Alves into Round 5. Owen did not let Kelly win this without a fight as he posted a respectable 9.4 and an 8.5.
In the final heat of the day, it was Brazilian Adriano de Souza who beat out Julian and CJ, sending himself to the quarterfinals. In one of the lower scoring heats of the day, the surfers were unable to manage to get much over a 2 other than their highest scored waves. Julian Wilson put together a 5.5 and 4.9, CJ a 6.5 and 6.3; de Souza a 7.0 and 6.4. Other than that, it was low scoring with the exception of one or two of Adriano's waves. The waves seemed to get a little questionable at the end of the day which could be the reason for the lack of high scores in this heat.
ROUND 5 Preview:
I didn't think we could see more excitement in a round of heats than we saw in Round 4...BUT there is. Round 5 is looking to be epic to say the least. Heat 1: Damien Hobgood/Mick Fanning. Heat 2: Taj Burrow/Joel Parkinson. Heat 3: Owen Wright/Julian Wilson. Heat 4: CJ Hobgood/Heitor Alves.
There are some very big and very important heats that could significantly affect the World Title race. These are my picks for the round: Damo, Taj, Julian, CJ. All close heats, very close. I do not see one heat that will be a blow out. The forecast is looking strong and there seems to be a new pulse of swell filling in around the middle of next week. It will be interesting to see if they keep it at Restaurants or move it back to Cloudbreak.
I still have half of my Fantasy Surfer remaining (Julian, John John, Kelly, CJ). If all four place in the quarters, I could get some serious points here. How are your teams looking and what are your thoughts on the contest so far? Thoughts about the upcoming heats?
Leave comments!
Here is the video recap of Day 4 as well as Day 3 and clips of the massive Cloudbreak free surf. Enjoy.
We opened up the day with perfect 4-6+ foot Restaurants. For those who have never seen this wave, it really is the epitome of perfect. Reeling lefts that go for hundreds of yards with the ability to let a surfer get three barrels on one wave. My Round 3 picks were so off, but then again, I was under the impression that the contest would be held at Cloudbreak when I made that call. Nonetheless, Restaurants was unreal and I could not turn away from the contest. The first heat of the day was Taj Burrow and Bede Durbidge. Taj put it to Bede early, opening up with an 8.83. From there Taj went on to earn a 6.17. Bede never really got it going until late in the heat unfortunately; with only earning a 6.83 and a 3.17, Bede's run ended.
Heat 2 was all about John John Florence. I have a strong feeling that he will win this contest. The way he looks in the water is unlike any other. Dane Reynolds tweeted yesterday calling John John, "the present, and the future" while also saying that Kelly Slater is "the past...present and future" I think the comparison between Kelly and John John is extremely appropriate. He is still in the building blocks, but with each contest, he is looking more and more dangerous out in the water. John John posted an almost perfect 19.30, making it the highest heat total of the day. After a slow start, only earning a 1 and 2 for his first two waves, John John went on to post a 9.5 and 9.8 giving Ace Buchan no chance at winning the heat.
Next up was Damo Hobgood and Josh Kerr. Kerr sustained a Grade 2 tear in his ankle on the first day of competition, but proved that it would no affect his surfing as he beat Taylor Knox in his Round 2 heat. I was hoping that Kerr would prevail, but he was unfortunately matched up with Fiji legend Damien Hobgood, who 24 hours earlier was charging 20 foot Cloudbreak with the world's best big wave surfers. The Hobgoods are looking dangerous. It is almost impossible to say that so-and-so will win this contest because he looks the best out there. Almost every surfer left in the contest, to me, has the ability to win this contest IF it remains at Restaurants.
ASP No. 2 Mick Fanning took on Tiago Pires in Heat 4. It was no match for Mick here - Tiago was only able to post a 2.36, the lowest of the day. It seemed as if he too could not get it going. Fanning set the tone early posting a 7.77 on his third wave.
Heat 5 consisted of the two young Brazilians, Gabriel Medina and Alejo Muniz. Medina found the waves in this heat earning an 8.0 early on and a 7.93 at the end of the heat. He only needed the 8.0 as Muniz was only able to put together a 3.83 and 3.97. Medina looks like he feels really comfortable in the medium sized surf here at Restaurants. Like many of the rookies on tour, he has never surfed Tavarua before, but he is surfing as if he is a regular here. He is so tuned in to the wave that he is almost mastering it.
The next to heats were the heats of the day to me. In Heat 6, ASP no. 1 Joel Parkinson took on event wildcard Mitch Coleborn. On Day 1, Coleborn beat 11-time world champ Kelly Slater along with Kai Otton on a last second drainer at Cloudbreak. Today he had the pleasure of taking on the number 1 ranked surfer on Tour. Parko was not going to give this away. On his second wave, Parkinson dropped in on a runner and earned himself a 9.5. Until his last wave, Parko had the 9.5 and a 4.67. Coleborn didn't get going until the middle of the heat after posting a few low scoring waves. He finally earned a 6.0 putting him right back in the mix. The two had an amazing exchange on their last waves. Coleborn needed an 8.18 to take the lead and eliminate Parko from the event. Right before Coleborn caught his wave, Parko managed to catch a perfect Restaurants wave underneath Coleborn's priority. Parko did was he always does and showed us why he is number 1 right now. A perfect backside tube ride put the pressure on Coleborn to do something amazing. He new that he would most likely need a higher score than 8.18; in the dying seconds, Coleborn caught a wave just before the buzzer sounded and got his score - a 9.0. Unfortunately, it would do him no justice as Parko earned an 8.5 sending him to Round 4. It was an unbelievable run for Mitch Coleborn. This result will do him wonders in the rankings. He proved that he can hang with the big boys and has the ability to beat the best. We could see him doing big things in the near future. I am sure that this result will push him to do better in the coming contests and make it on Tour.
Heat 7 was all time. Kelly Slater and good friend Freddy Pattachia. Freddy is arguably one of the best frontside tube-riders in the world. He was excited for the challenge to take on the world's best surfer, but knew that it would be no easy task...And it wasn't. Kelly Slater ended the heat on his first two waves. As the horn sounded to start the heat, he caught a perfect wave and earned a 9.27 and then quickly backed that score up with an 8.87. Freddy didn't give up after that, he tried to fight back earning a 5.0 (which I thought was very underscored) and a 7.5 (questionable as well). This was a good result for Freddy after being eliminated early on in Brazil. Hopefully he has the chance to surf Teahupoo - another wave that he could be dangerous in.
In Heat 8, Jeremy Flores was upset by Brazilian Heitor Alves - the current underdog in the contest. Flores expressed his frustration via Twitter after the heat calling it "one of his worst performances ever." An unexpected loss, but I am happy that I made the choice of replacing him for CJ Hobgood prior to the the start of the event.
Next up was Owen Wright and Brett Simpson. Wright absolutely put a beating on Simpo posting a 19.27 over Simpson's 4.00. We all know that Owen is more than capable of reaching the finals, especially in a tricky reef break such as the waves on Tavarua (note: Owen took on Kelly in pumping Teahupoo in 2011). Look out for Owen here as well. Like I said, no one can comfortably say that one surfer will win because there are too many capable - Owen is one of them.
In the 3rd "Heat of the Day" CJ Hobgood took on Jordy Smith. In this heat, the first of THREE perfect 10's were awarded out. This one to CJ. Jordy lost out by .2 points in the closest heat of the day. CJ quickly backed up his score with a 7.33. Props to Jordy though for hanging in with the other Fiji legend and posting an 8.0 on his first wave, and a 9.13 later in the heat.
Julian Wilson, as I have been saying this entire event, is looking like the Julian Wilson that many said could win the World Title this year. While it will be extremely hard to win this year, Julian could very well get the result that he needs to jump start his race for the Title, be it this year or next year. Unlike many of the surfers who find early, high-scoring waves, Julian didn't find his two waves until the end of the heat when he earned a 7.33 and 8.0 on his last two waves. His opponent in this heat was Miguel Pupo who got here by upsetting Matt Wilkinson in Round 2.
Round 2 ended with Adriano de Souza and Kai Otton, who got here by beating out Raoni Monteiro (Monteiro sustained an injury while trying to escape a wave through the doggy door on what would have most likely been a 10 ride at massive Cloudbreak the other day). If this contest was held at Cloudbreak I believe that Otton would have bettered de Souza, but Restaurants is a wave suited for de Souza's surfing. It was a good heat as the two exchanged scores, but it was Adriano who would eventually prevail and move on to the non-elimination Round 4.
ROUND 4:
Talk about stacked heats. Round 4 could be the most exciting heats of the year so far. Heat 1: Damien Hobgood, Taj Burrow and John John Florence. Heat 2: Mick Fanning, Gabriel Medina, Joel Parkinson. Heat 3: Kelly Slater, Heitor Alves, Owen Wright. Heat 4: CJ Hobgood, Julian Wilson, Adriano de Souza. Every heat was full of action and high scoring waves.
In Heat 1, we saw the second of 3 perfect 10's awarded - this one to John John Florence. John John once again proved that he is a serious contender for this contest. With the exception of the 10, John John had an extremely low scoring heat with his backup score being a 3.17. This was one of the lower scoring heats; no one scored higher than Damo's 6.77 (with the exception of John John). John John solidified his spot in the quarterfinals, whereas Taj and Damien will have to surf in the elimination Round 5.
The world number 1 and 2 battled it out in Heat 2 to move on to the quarters safely. Oddly enough, neither of them won and it was Gabriel Medina who managed to beat the two veterans. Medina posted two high 7's to move on, but it was Parko who posted yet another high 9 (9.5). Parko and Fanning will now have to compete in Round 5 to attempt to continue on in this contest.
Next up was Kelly, Heitor Alves and Owen Wright. Kelly and Owen continued their building rivalry here in Round 4. Kelly was awarded the 3rd perfect 10 - unanimous across the board - of the day on his opening wave of the heat. From there, Slater went on to score an 8.33 later in the heat and sending Wright and Alves into Round 5. Owen did not let Kelly win this without a fight as he posted a respectable 9.4 and an 8.5.
In the final heat of the day, it was Brazilian Adriano de Souza who beat out Julian and CJ, sending himself to the quarterfinals. In one of the lower scoring heats of the day, the surfers were unable to manage to get much over a 2 other than their highest scored waves. Julian Wilson put together a 5.5 and 4.9, CJ a 6.5 and 6.3; de Souza a 7.0 and 6.4. Other than that, it was low scoring with the exception of one or two of Adriano's waves. The waves seemed to get a little questionable at the end of the day which could be the reason for the lack of high scores in this heat.
ROUND 5 Preview:
I didn't think we could see more excitement in a round of heats than we saw in Round 4...BUT there is. Round 5 is looking to be epic to say the least. Heat 1: Damien Hobgood/Mick Fanning. Heat 2: Taj Burrow/Joel Parkinson. Heat 3: Owen Wright/Julian Wilson. Heat 4: CJ Hobgood/Heitor Alves.
There are some very big and very important heats that could significantly affect the World Title race. These are my picks for the round: Damo, Taj, Julian, CJ. All close heats, very close. I do not see one heat that will be a blow out. The forecast is looking strong and there seems to be a new pulse of swell filling in around the middle of next week. It will be interesting to see if they keep it at Restaurants or move it back to Cloudbreak.
I still have half of my Fantasy Surfer remaining (Julian, John John, Kelly, CJ). If all four place in the quarters, I could get some serious points here. How are your teams looking and what are your thoughts on the contest so far? Thoughts about the upcoming heats?
Leave comments!
Here is the video recap of Day 4 as well as Day 3 and clips of the massive Cloudbreak free surf. Enjoy.
Day 4
Day 3
Cloudbreak FreeSurf
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Cloudbreak or Restaurants...That is the Question
The question looming over the small island of Tavarua with this massive swell on the way, is whether or not to run the remainder of the contest at Cloudbreak, or at another local break called Restaurants. Both are world class waves. Surfers in Fiji right now, such as Freddy P, are using Twitter to see where the public wants the contest to be held.
This is the predicament that the ASP and Volcom are in at the moment. Run the contest at massive Cloudbreak or 6-8ft perfect Restaurants. For those who are not familiar with Restaurants, as Surfline put it, "It is the best back-up location in the history of back-up locations." This wave is a left point reef break that breaks and barrels for hundreds and hundreds of yards. Of course there will be barrels, but there will also be a ton of big turns, something that we have not really seen at Cloudbreak yet.
As of yesterday, event officials seem to have already made up their minds; it seems that the contest will be held at Restaurants. They are already starting to pack up the judges tower and bring the equipment back to shore. Surfline sat down with Surfers Rep, Kieren Perrow (who was eliminated by Ace Buchan in Round 2) to discuss the matter. I thought that there was a great quote and point made by KP about the situation. KP mentions, "If Cloudbreak really is going to be as big as everyone is saying, we'd have to run, like, hour-long heats just to get enough waves ridden." I think this is a great observation by KP, and perhaps one that some of us do not want to hear. With these massive swells, it is usually ten or twenty minutes in between sets, whereas in a smaller swell it might be five to fifteen minutes. There would most likely be many heat restarts and a lot of sitting around in the water for an hour - if there were an extension in heat duration.
Is it worth it though? Don't we want to see the best pushed to the limits? Dont we want to see something similar to this (Ryan Hipwood Cloudbreak 2011)? -
This is the predicament that the ASP and Volcom are in at the moment. Run the contest at massive Cloudbreak or 6-8ft perfect Restaurants. For those who are not familiar with Restaurants, as Surfline put it, "It is the best back-up location in the history of back-up locations." This wave is a left point reef break that breaks and barrels for hundreds and hundreds of yards. Of course there will be barrels, but there will also be a ton of big turns, something that we have not really seen at Cloudbreak yet.
As of yesterday, event officials seem to have already made up their minds; it seems that the contest will be held at Restaurants. They are already starting to pack up the judges tower and bring the equipment back to shore. Surfline sat down with Surfers Rep, Kieren Perrow (who was eliminated by Ace Buchan in Round 2) to discuss the matter. I thought that there was a great quote and point made by KP about the situation. KP mentions, "If Cloudbreak really is going to be as big as everyone is saying, we'd have to run, like, hour-long heats just to get enough waves ridden." I think this is a great observation by KP, and perhaps one that some of us do not want to hear. With these massive swells, it is usually ten or twenty minutes in between sets, whereas in a smaller swell it might be five to fifteen minutes. There would most likely be many heat restarts and a lot of sitting around in the water for an hour - if there were an extension in heat duration.
Is it worth it though? Don't we want to see the best pushed to the limits? Dont we want to see something similar to this (Ryan Hipwood Cloudbreak 2011)? -
I, for one, do. I want to see the men separated from the boy. I want to see how the wonder-kid Gabriel Medina fairs in 20ft Cloudbreak. This is what the Tour is about. Putting the best surfers in the best waves. They do this because they love it, but will they shy away if it is too big? I think that some would. Most of the new young gun have no experience whatsoever in waves like this. This is a bad sign of the future of the tour for me. 10 or even 5 years ago, we have a bunch of chargers on tour and today we have a bunch of high flyers who excel in 5 foot surf and sometimes struggle in anything a few feet overhead.
With that being said, I also do not want to sit around and watch 1 hour heats where each surf MAY only catch 2 or three waves each. Restaurants is no easy wave, it is a fast and steep multi-section left in shallow water. I think it will still be a challenging wave for the boys, but not as exciting as Julian Wilson or Kelly Slater dropping into a 20 foot bomb on an 8 foot gun. Many of the surfers do not have the equipment to surf those waves and are in the process of ordering in boards overnight just in case. Kelly just had Al Merrick ship him a bag full of guns - we obviously know his intentions and what he would prefer.
My main point here is that putting these surfers into big Cloudbreak puts them out of their comfort zone. We already know that the best surfers are the best in chest high Rio, head high Bells, rip-able Snapper, etc, but are they the best in waves like this. If Joel is going to win the World Title this year, don't we want him to earn it and prove that he is the best ALL AROUND SURFER? I think that it is only fair. I do not think that we should have to settle for a small and less challenging wave that might let him pull away in the race because it suits him more. If he is going to win, or anyone for that matter, I want him to prove to me, you and the world that he is the best and that he earned it by fearlessly paddling into at 20 foot monster.
Thats my input on the matter, I will watch either way, but I wouldn't mind having to watch longer heats to see these guys fight and drop in on waves taller than some houses. But hey, thats just me.
What do you think? Cloudbreak or Restaurants? Leave comments!
Cloudbreak:
Restaurants:
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Volcom Fiji Pro: Day 2
We've had a few Lay Day's in a row now with the fading swell hanging around Fiji this week. We last saw Round 2, which was not completed, but still offered some fantastic heats and sent some of the big names home.
The day opened up with Kelly Slater taking on local wildcard Isei Tokovu. It was no match as Kelly Slater did what he always does and combo-ed the young local. This win advances Kelly on to Round 3. Heat 2 consisted of Taj Burrow and Brazilian Willian Cardoso. Taj bested Cardoso who is looking for a good result to put him in the top 34. In Heat 3, an injured Josh Kerr beat out veteran Taylor Knox. Kerr sustained a Grade 2 tear in his left ankle on his second wave of his heat in Round 1. He was positive after his heat and told commentators that he was going to do his best to compete in his Round 2 heat. It proved to be a good move as this win puts him into Round 3 where he continue on his way towards a good result and closer to a World Title.
Julian Wilson overcame Californian Pat Gudauskas in Heat 4 with the days highest heat total of 18.57. He was my standout of the day. With each heat that passes, he is looking more focused and comfortable surfing Cloudbreak. He seems to have a better understanding of where to take off and which waves to go on. Julian is looking very confident, this could be the contest that starts his run this year. With a good result or a win here, I believe that he could be very dangerous in the remaining contests; last year, he proved to the surfers on tour that he can excel in the waves of Portugal (where he and Kai Otton were awarded the heat of the year), France (where he had a second place finish after an all-star final between Gabriel Medina and himself), Tahiti (a similar wave to Cloudbreak), Trestles (we've seen what he is capable of here), Santa Cruz and Pipe. All that Julian needs to get himself going is a solid result to build up momentum and confidence, something that he seems to be lacking so far this year after a few lackluster results.
Freddy Pattachia overcame Michel Bourez in their Heat 5 battle. Freddy is looking extremely good in Fiji. After failing to re-qualify after last season, he managed to get the injury wild-card and compete this year in place of fellow Hawaiian Dusty Payne, who has been out the entire year so far with a leg injury. With a result here, Freddy can come closer to solidifying his spot on tour next year.
Heat 6 was all about Gabriel Medina as he beat Yadin Nichol. Medina was awarded the contests first 10-point ride on a long, multi-sectioned wave. For having never surfed Cloudbreak before this contest, Medina is looking very comfortable. I think that this gives surfers on tour a reason to fear him. He is dangerous. Many only consider Medina a threat in punchy beach-breaks because of his abilities above-the-lip, but by getting a 10 (a well earned 10 at that) on a wave in Fiji over those of Kelly's, Jordy's and so on, it goes to show that he can surf any wave and absolutely destroy it to bits. That he is not a one move man, no, he can power-surf too. Move over Adriano, Brazil has a new national surfing hero. He will be the future star and first Brazilian World Title winner.
In a heat that I saw going the other way on paper, Miguel Pupo took out Matt Wilkinson in one of the best heats of the day. I really thought Wilko had this one. Fresh off of a win in Brazil, a wave such as Cloudbreak is perfect for him. Pupo though, also showed the world that he is not just an aerial freak and that he too can find the better barrels in a heat. I thought one wave of Wilko's was underscored. Pupo beat out Wilko solely due to a difference in score on one wave each. Pupo got a long barreling, multi-sectioned wave, which was very good, don't get me wrong. But I thought that Wilko's wave was better. Wilkinson got a nice little barrel in the beginning and then threw down two MASSIVE turns under the lip on a pretty big wave. We have not seen too many big turn so far in this event, but those were two of the best turns yet. It was a shame to see Wilko go this early on, I had him going far.
In Heat 8, Kieren Perrow and Ace Buchan went at it. KP, a sleeper for many, was sent packing as good friend, Buchan beat him in a very close heat. KP had one of the waves of the event so far. Not sure how it wasn't a ten, I think it was better than Medina's, he was just as deep and it was on his backhand. It was an unseen early exit for Perrow, but Buchan is one of the most underrated surfers on tour to me. Not many people think of or know his name, but he is easily top 3 goofy footers on tour in my opinion.
Kolohe Andino was sent home in another Round 2 loss, this time to Tiago Pires. I did not see Kolohe winning this heat. In Round 1, he did not look comfortable out there and I felt that going up against a veteran and powersurfer such as Tiago Pires, that he wouldn't have what it took to win this heat and advance. Pires is fresh off of a solid result in Brazil - it is nice to see him surfing well again; Pires almost did not re-qualify for the tour this year, but he is putting together some good heats and getting the results that he needs. At the end of the heat, Andino treated his board like a punching bag after he realized that he was not going to advance. He snapped his board in two after landing about 10 solid punches on it. I hate to see him not doing well on tour this year. As an amateur last year on the WQS, everyone had high hopes for him this year, especially after beating the best surfers in the world at the US Open in Huntington and at Trestles and after the number of contests that he won on the 'QS. Perhaps he came on tour a year too early. He doesn't seem ready to me which is weird because he is one of the best surfers in the world. Hopefully he can get it together and get the results that he needs soon.
In the closest heat of the day, Brett Simpson barely overcame South African Travis Logie. I really thought Travis (being one of the most experienced surfers out here in Fiji) had this one. He only lost by .2 points. A frustrating loss for Logie, but a much needed win for Simpo. We will see if he can carry the momentum into Round 3.
The day ended after Heat 10; with two heats that still need to be finished (H11-Melling/Durbidge; H12-Monteiro/Otton), it will be interesting to see who Taj Burrow and Adriano de Souza will face in Round 3. All of the remaining surfers in Round 2 are dangerous in waves like this and can prove to be a challenge for Burrow and de Souza.
With the lack of swell here now, the forecast is looking insane for the end of the week and weekend. A large storm is brewing in the Southern Ocean right now and has its sights set for Fiji and Tahiti. If the forecast remains true, which Surfline forecasters believe will be the case, we can expect to see 15-25+ft Cloudbreak to finish out the event. Remember that around this time last year, we saw some of the best Cloudbreak ever as a massive swell slammed into the small island nation. It is the same swell that Kelly Slater chased and purposefully skipped out on J-Bay for. While it wont be that good/big, it will still be the perfect way to end this already perfect event.
I wasn't too off on my Round 2 picks. Unfortunately, on two that I was, I lost two surfers on my fantasy team - Perrow and Wilko.
Round 3 is looking to be a doozy. Taj Burrow and Adriano still need Round 2 to finish before they receives their opponents, but as for the rest of the field, Round 3 looks like this: H1(Taj Burrow/TBD); H2(John John Florence/Ace Buchan); H3(Josh Kerr/Damien Hobgood); H4(Mick Fanning/Tiago Pires); H5(Alejo Muniz/Gabriel Medina); H6(Joel Parkinson/Mitch Coleborn); H7(Kelly Slater/Freddy P); H8(Jeremy Flores/Heitor Alves); H9(Owen Wright/Brett Simpson); H10(Jordy Smith/CJ Hobgood); H11(Julian Wilson/Miguel Pupo); H12(Adriano de Souza/TBD).
A lot of these heats could go either way, some could determine the fate of the closeness of the World Title race. Here are my picks for Round 3: Taj will lose IF he goes up against Kai Otton or Bede, other than that he will advance. John John will win his heat. H3 scares me, I need Kerr to win, but Damo is a legend out here. If Kerr is healthy though, or better at least, I think that he can pull it off. Mick will win his heat. I think that Muniz can pull his heat off and upset Medina; he looked very good on the first day in big surf. H6 could come back and bite me, but I truly see an upset here - Coleborn over Parko. Coleborn is a charger and I think that he will beat Parko, but it will be a scrappy heat. Slater over Freddy P. Jeremy Flores over Alves. Owen Wright over Simpo. H10 is another one that I just dont know. I also need CJ to win and I think he will, but Jordy is dangerous. I'm still going with CJ because of his history here. Julian over Pupo. Adriano loses his heat no matter who is in it.
I can't wait to see this swell hit. With only one 10 so far, I am sure that there will be a few more before the contest is over.
How is your team looking so far? What do you think of the event? Who do you have winning this thing?
LEAVE COMMENTS! Thanks.
As always, here is the Day 2 highlights video. Enjoy.
Spread the word about Worn Trails to your friends.
Watch a live webcast of the Free Surfs going on right now in Fiji and watch the contest when its running here www.volcomfijipro.com
We may see the contest continuing tomorrow. 3PM on the East Coast, 12PM on the West Coast is when they make the call, so check in then.
The day opened up with Kelly Slater taking on local wildcard Isei Tokovu. It was no match as Kelly Slater did what he always does and combo-ed the young local. This win advances Kelly on to Round 3. Heat 2 consisted of Taj Burrow and Brazilian Willian Cardoso. Taj bested Cardoso who is looking for a good result to put him in the top 34. In Heat 3, an injured Josh Kerr beat out veteran Taylor Knox. Kerr sustained a Grade 2 tear in his left ankle on his second wave of his heat in Round 1. He was positive after his heat and told commentators that he was going to do his best to compete in his Round 2 heat. It proved to be a good move as this win puts him into Round 3 where he continue on his way towards a good result and closer to a World Title.
Julian Wilson overcame Californian Pat Gudauskas in Heat 4 with the days highest heat total of 18.57. He was my standout of the day. With each heat that passes, he is looking more focused and comfortable surfing Cloudbreak. He seems to have a better understanding of where to take off and which waves to go on. Julian is looking very confident, this could be the contest that starts his run this year. With a good result or a win here, I believe that he could be very dangerous in the remaining contests; last year, he proved to the surfers on tour that he can excel in the waves of Portugal (where he and Kai Otton were awarded the heat of the year), France (where he had a second place finish after an all-star final between Gabriel Medina and himself), Tahiti (a similar wave to Cloudbreak), Trestles (we've seen what he is capable of here), Santa Cruz and Pipe. All that Julian needs to get himself going is a solid result to build up momentum and confidence, something that he seems to be lacking so far this year after a few lackluster results.
Freddy Pattachia overcame Michel Bourez in their Heat 5 battle. Freddy is looking extremely good in Fiji. After failing to re-qualify after last season, he managed to get the injury wild-card and compete this year in place of fellow Hawaiian Dusty Payne, who has been out the entire year so far with a leg injury. With a result here, Freddy can come closer to solidifying his spot on tour next year.
Heat 6 was all about Gabriel Medina as he beat Yadin Nichol. Medina was awarded the contests first 10-point ride on a long, multi-sectioned wave. For having never surfed Cloudbreak before this contest, Medina is looking very comfortable. I think that this gives surfers on tour a reason to fear him. He is dangerous. Many only consider Medina a threat in punchy beach-breaks because of his abilities above-the-lip, but by getting a 10 (a well earned 10 at that) on a wave in Fiji over those of Kelly's, Jordy's and so on, it goes to show that he can surf any wave and absolutely destroy it to bits. That he is not a one move man, no, he can power-surf too. Move over Adriano, Brazil has a new national surfing hero. He will be the future star and first Brazilian World Title winner.
In a heat that I saw going the other way on paper, Miguel Pupo took out Matt Wilkinson in one of the best heats of the day. I really thought Wilko had this one. Fresh off of a win in Brazil, a wave such as Cloudbreak is perfect for him. Pupo though, also showed the world that he is not just an aerial freak and that he too can find the better barrels in a heat. I thought one wave of Wilko's was underscored. Pupo beat out Wilko solely due to a difference in score on one wave each. Pupo got a long barreling, multi-sectioned wave, which was very good, don't get me wrong. But I thought that Wilko's wave was better. Wilkinson got a nice little barrel in the beginning and then threw down two MASSIVE turns under the lip on a pretty big wave. We have not seen too many big turn so far in this event, but those were two of the best turns yet. It was a shame to see Wilko go this early on, I had him going far.
In Heat 8, Kieren Perrow and Ace Buchan went at it. KP, a sleeper for many, was sent packing as good friend, Buchan beat him in a very close heat. KP had one of the waves of the event so far. Not sure how it wasn't a ten, I think it was better than Medina's, he was just as deep and it was on his backhand. It was an unseen early exit for Perrow, but Buchan is one of the most underrated surfers on tour to me. Not many people think of or know his name, but he is easily top 3 goofy footers on tour in my opinion.
Kolohe Andino was sent home in another Round 2 loss, this time to Tiago Pires. I did not see Kolohe winning this heat. In Round 1, he did not look comfortable out there and I felt that going up against a veteran and powersurfer such as Tiago Pires, that he wouldn't have what it took to win this heat and advance. Pires is fresh off of a solid result in Brazil - it is nice to see him surfing well again; Pires almost did not re-qualify for the tour this year, but he is putting together some good heats and getting the results that he needs. At the end of the heat, Andino treated his board like a punching bag after he realized that he was not going to advance. He snapped his board in two after landing about 10 solid punches on it. I hate to see him not doing well on tour this year. As an amateur last year on the WQS, everyone had high hopes for him this year, especially after beating the best surfers in the world at the US Open in Huntington and at Trestles and after the number of contests that he won on the 'QS. Perhaps he came on tour a year too early. He doesn't seem ready to me which is weird because he is one of the best surfers in the world. Hopefully he can get it together and get the results that he needs soon.
In the closest heat of the day, Brett Simpson barely overcame South African Travis Logie. I really thought Travis (being one of the most experienced surfers out here in Fiji) had this one. He only lost by .2 points. A frustrating loss for Logie, but a much needed win for Simpo. We will see if he can carry the momentum into Round 3.
The day ended after Heat 10; with two heats that still need to be finished (H11-Melling/Durbidge; H12-Monteiro/Otton), it will be interesting to see who Taj Burrow and Adriano de Souza will face in Round 3. All of the remaining surfers in Round 2 are dangerous in waves like this and can prove to be a challenge for Burrow and de Souza.
With the lack of swell here now, the forecast is looking insane for the end of the week and weekend. A large storm is brewing in the Southern Ocean right now and has its sights set for Fiji and Tahiti. If the forecast remains true, which Surfline forecasters believe will be the case, we can expect to see 15-25+ft Cloudbreak to finish out the event. Remember that around this time last year, we saw some of the best Cloudbreak ever as a massive swell slammed into the small island nation. It is the same swell that Kelly Slater chased and purposefully skipped out on J-Bay for. While it wont be that good/big, it will still be the perfect way to end this already perfect event.
I wasn't too off on my Round 2 picks. Unfortunately, on two that I was, I lost two surfers on my fantasy team - Perrow and Wilko.
Round 3 is looking to be a doozy. Taj Burrow and Adriano still need Round 2 to finish before they receives their opponents, but as for the rest of the field, Round 3 looks like this: H1(Taj Burrow/TBD); H2(John John Florence/Ace Buchan); H3(Josh Kerr/Damien Hobgood); H4(Mick Fanning/Tiago Pires); H5(Alejo Muniz/Gabriel Medina); H6(Joel Parkinson/Mitch Coleborn); H7(Kelly Slater/Freddy P); H8(Jeremy Flores/Heitor Alves); H9(Owen Wright/Brett Simpson); H10(Jordy Smith/CJ Hobgood); H11(Julian Wilson/Miguel Pupo); H12(Adriano de Souza/TBD).
A lot of these heats could go either way, some could determine the fate of the closeness of the World Title race. Here are my picks for Round 3: Taj will lose IF he goes up against Kai Otton or Bede, other than that he will advance. John John will win his heat. H3 scares me, I need Kerr to win, but Damo is a legend out here. If Kerr is healthy though, or better at least, I think that he can pull it off. Mick will win his heat. I think that Muniz can pull his heat off and upset Medina; he looked very good on the first day in big surf. H6 could come back and bite me, but I truly see an upset here - Coleborn over Parko. Coleborn is a charger and I think that he will beat Parko, but it will be a scrappy heat. Slater over Freddy P. Jeremy Flores over Alves. Owen Wright over Simpo. H10 is another one that I just dont know. I also need CJ to win and I think he will, but Jordy is dangerous. I'm still going with CJ because of his history here. Julian over Pupo. Adriano loses his heat no matter who is in it.
I can't wait to see this swell hit. With only one 10 so far, I am sure that there will be a few more before the contest is over.
How is your team looking so far? What do you think of the event? Who do you have winning this thing?
LEAVE COMMENTS! Thanks.
As always, here is the Day 2 highlights video. Enjoy.
Spread the word about Worn Trails to your friends.
Watch a live webcast of the Free Surfs going on right now in Fiji and watch the contest when its running here www.volcomfijipro.com
We may see the contest continuing tomorrow. 3PM on the East Coast, 12PM on the West Coast is when they make the call, so check in then.
Monday, June 4, 2012
I'm in the process of making a Worn Trails Twitter page. It should be completed within the next few weeks. But for now, feel free to follow me @vince_clementi I upload all of the new material there right now so it is easier to get up-to-date information there rather than checkin back! Follow for great surf news, enviro news, political ideas and laughs.
Again it's @vince_clementi
Again it's @vince_clementi
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Volcom Fiji Pro: Day 1
It was the day that we were all hoping it would be. The first day of the Volcom Fiji Pro kicked off in 6-10ft surf. We saw plenty of upsets, barrels as well as injury. It was nothing short of insane as the worlds best took on Cloudbreak.
Jordy Smith took on Freddy P and Brett Simpson in the first heat of the day. Jordy set the tone by scoring a 9.0 early on to set the tone for the entire event. The next two heat winners are surfers comfortable in the waters of Fiji. They are also two of the favorites to win this event. CJ and Damien Hobgood won heats two and three after CJ beat Josh Kerr and Pat Gudauskas and Damien beat Taj Burrow and Taylor Knox. CJ and Damien were referred to when Volcom interviewed the surfers prior to the event. They are two surfers who have left their mark on others on the tour as experts of Cloudbreak. I must note that I made a last minute change to my fantasy roster as I replaced Jeremy Flores with CJ. I wanted to pick up Damien as well, but I could only choose one. I would not be surprised if one of these brothers, if not both, make it to the final. Kerr sustained a Grade 2 tear in his left ankle after an attempted barrel that he did not make. It came on his second wave of the heat. Many thought that it he would be done with the event, but later in the afternoon, Kerr was interviewed and he said that he would surf in his Round 2 heat. I had Kerrzy going far in this event, it will be a shame to see him go down early. A good result here will life him higher in the rankings and putting him in a good position going into Tahiti to win his first World Title.
Adriano de Souza took Heat 4 over Bede Durbidge and fellow Brazilian Willian Cardoso. But the entire day was about Heat 5. Kelly Slater was set to take on Kai Otton and event wildcard Mitch Coleborn. No one saw what was coming. Otton, fresh off of a second place finish at the Quiksilver Pro Saquarema in Brazil was looking to carry this momentum over to Fiji. His forehand surfing and intelligence when picking waves will suit him in this event. Coleborn, who made his name known in Kai Neville films such as "Lost Atlas" and "Modern Collective", is underestimated when it comes to competition surfing. He is very smart and extremely dangerous in waves such as Cloudbreak. Coleborn beat 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater and Kai Otton after posting the days highest heat total. He scored a 9.27 early on and an 8.1 on a last second buzzer beater barrel to over come the two tour verterans. This win launches him into Round 3 and forces Otton and Slater to surf in the Round 2 elimination round.
From this point, the boys were going mad as they watched the other competitors surf perfect Cloudbreak from the boat. The next four heat winners were men in contention for the World Title, specifically two. Heats 6, 7, 8 and 9 were won by Parko, Owen Wright, Mick Fanning and John John Florence - respectively. Parko, the current ASP leader will most certainly pull away from the rest of the pack with a solid finish here in Fiji putting him even closer to the World Title. Do not count Mick, Owen or John John out as they all excel in waves like Cloudbreak, no one more, though, than John John. He feels right at home here and I do not expect him to let up.
Heat 10 consisted of Julian Wilson, Kolohe Andino and Heitor Alves. At this point in the afternoon, winds shifted causing wave quality to decrease and making it really hard to find the right wave to go on. No one in this heat had more than 10 points. I saw Julian taking this heat easily, but the unexpected winner was Heitor Alves, who then sent Kolohe and Wilson to the elimination round.
The last two heats faced really hard conditions to end the day. Heat 11 consisted of Jeremy Flores, who is battling illness, Gabriel Medina (a first time Cloudbreak surfer) and Travis Logie (an experienced surfer at this wave). Flores took this heat; growing up in Reunion Island, he is used to surfing these difficult reef breaks which he proved last year in Tahiti and this year in Fiji. He is a major threat for this contest. The last heat of the day was finished by Alejo Muniz, Michel Bourez and Adam Melling. I fully expected Tahitian Michel Bourez to take this heat and advance to Round 3, but he was upset by young gun Alejo Muniz, a surfer more well known for his hacks and aerial maneuvers.
It was an epic first day of competition. It truly is the Dream Tour with this stop now on tour. Volcom is doing an excellent job so far with the commentary, broadcasting and execution of the event. I hope that they are able to keep this event on tour for the coming years. The boys are frothing and it shows in their surfing and on their faces. It barely seems as if they are competing against each other - they are smiling and going bananas after they get spit out of the barrel and high-fiving each other after each wave. It is really good to see these guys laid back and enjoying an event that is the epitome of the Dream Tour.
Round 2 could make or break my Fantasy Surfer team as I only had two surfers advance to Round 3, John John and CJ. With 6 surfers in Round 2, as well as many top name guys, a lot of rosters could be done after tomorrow.
Round 2 is as follows: H1(Kelly Slater/Isei Tokovu); H2(Taj Burrow/Willian Cardoso); H3(Josh Kerr/Taylor Knox); H4(Julian Wilson/Pat Gudauskas); H5(Michel Bourez/Fred Pattachia); H6(Gabriel Medina/Yadin Nichol); H7(Miguel Pupo/Matt Wilkinson); H8(Adrien Buchan/Kieren Perrow); H9(Tiago Pires/Kolohe Andino); H10(Brett Simpson/Travis Logie); H11(Bede Durbidge/Adam Melling); H12(Kai Otton/Raoni Monteiro)
I see these surfers winning their Round 2 heats: Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow, Josh Kerr(if he feels healthy), Julian Wilson, Freddy P, Yadin, Wilko, KP, Tiago, Travis Logie, Bede Durbidge, Kai Otton.
I am not sure if the contest will run tomorrow and if it does how long it will run for. Based on the expected swell, I wouldn't be surprised if it did. Nonetheless, the swell forecast for the entire waiting period looks to be firing so any day the competition runs, it will be fantastic.
What do you think of the contest so far? Comments? Thoughts?
Note*** this post was written last night, I thought that it had posted but it did not. Sorry for the delay!
Watch the contest here at www.volcomfijipro.com
Watch the video recap here:
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