Billabong Pro Tahiti: Preview

It is about time we had another WCT event, it seems like eons ago that we had the Fiji event.  I couldn't be more excited for the Tahiti event as the boys are tearing apart Huntington Beach in the Nike US Open of Surfing.  We have seen Dusty Payne, who has been injured for the entire season, back in action and looking good.  Josh Kerr, who tore a ligament in his foot in the first heat of his Fiji campaign, is also back.  The lineup for Tahiti is looking good and I have a feeling we may see some new faces in the final days of competition this year.

My team has a variety of power surfers and new-era surfers, as well as some usual favorites.  I put John John, Kelly, Owen, Kieren Perrow, Wilko, Mick, Dusty and CJ on my roster this year.  It is still a little early to get a good forecast outlook for the event, but if it is anything like last year, I feel that these surfers will excel throughout the entire competition.

I went with John John for obvious reasons; he is currently a contender for the US Open and is hungry for another WCT victory this year.  His experience in Tahitian waves, as well as at home at Pipeline, will put him above most surfers this event.  He has been traveling to Tahiti and surfing at Teahupoo since he was a kid and knows how to surf this wave in almost all conditions.

Kelly won this event last year in the first of three consecutive final appearances against Owen Wright.  I do not think that I need to explain much further about why I chose him for my roster.  His knowledge of this wave will once again make him a contender this year.

Owen Wright also seemed like another good pick for me.  His barrel riding constantly is undermined by his aerial tactics which are shown in his feature films.  We saw last year what he can do in 15 ft Teahupoo and this year in Fiji.  I expect him to once again make a good run at the contest.

KP was a surfer that I had going far in Fiji, but unfortunately lost out in a close heat.  He is arguably the best barrel rider on tour and he WILL get a good result here in Tahiti.  Being a veteran on tour, I have a feeling he will show the youngsters on tour how to really surf Teahupoo.

Wilko made it well into the later rounds of this contest last year.  At one point, it looked like he could have won it.  Like Owen, Wilko is a phenomenal barrel rider and is not afraid to drop in to a 20 foot bomb.  If he can surf like he did last year, I do not see why he wouldn't be able to have another good result here.

Mick surfed really well in Fiji this year, it seems like he is really in tune with his surfing and boards.  He has always surfed well in Tahiti and this year should be no different.

CJ made a statement in Tahiti that he still deserves to be on tour.  His frontside barrel riding is some of the best in the world and him and his brother could take charge in this contest as they did in the last.

Dusty is my risky pick.  With only $3,000,000 to spend, I figure with Freddy P most likely not entering this contest since Dusty is back, Dusty is my best choice.  He gave me confidence in this pick with his power surfing and high scoring heats at the US Open.  He is not shy about big waves, although with this being his first contest back, I am a bit worried that he may back off on some waves and not push himself to the fullest.  I am excited to see him back in a jersey and hopefully he is capable of surfing like we remember.

This is just a preliminary article and I will put another out as soon as the forecast becomes available.  My roster may change, but I have a good feeling that this could be a winner.  Do any of you have your rosters ready? Who do you have on it?