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10/12/2012

Slater and Gilmore Earn Top Honors at SURFER Poll Awards

Surf-Savvy - Surfing News

Turtle Bay — Kelly Slater, Stephanie Gilmore took home top honours at the 42nd annual SURFER Poll Awards. For the third year running, the best surfers, filmmakers, and who’s who of the surf world converged on Turtle Bay on the North Shore of Oahu for the Biggest Night in Surfing, where awards were presented to the top surfers, as voted by fans, as well as the best movies and performances of the year.

A veteran of the Poll, this year marked Kelly Slater’s 18th SURFER Poll No. 1 Award. He first took the honor in 1993 when he was just 21 years old.

“Obviously I’m stoked, it’s been a long time with a lot of support from a lot of people,” said Slater. “It’s definitely nice to be recognized by the surfing community and to come out at the top position. I’m surprised John John didn’t get first. I also thought Dane was going to get it this year—maybe next year. I think they split each other’s votes. They stole the election from each other.”

This year saw two first-time additions to the Top 10. John John Florence, who in 2011 won the AI Breakthrough Performer Award, leapt into second position on the list just behind Slater. Also making his SURFER Poll debut this year, Gabriel Medina became the first Brazilian to break the Top 10 on the coveted Poll. He also secured the distinguished AI Breakthrough Performer Presented by New Era award for 2012.

In addition to Slater’s accolades. ASP WCT surfers filled the top 10, with Gabriel Medina (BRA), 18, Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, Mick Fanning (AUS), 31, Taj Burrow (AUS), 34, Owen Wright (AUS), 22, Julian Wilson (AUS), 24, and Jordy Smith (ZAF), 24, adding to the list of ASP Top 34 surfers to make the fan voted awards list.

On the Women’s side of the Poll, the Top 5 from 2011 all remained on the list, with Alana Blanchard jumping up into the second position behind Stephanie Gilmore, who reclaimed the top spot for her third SURFER Poll victory.

“I am very excited about this year,” said Gilmore. “I was a little unsure of how it’d unfold, I wasn’t sure if I was going to come out on top because I didn’t win last year. I seriously had one of the best years of my life, and I guess everybody else thought that too. These awards are so important, because it’s the fans voting, so it means a lot.”

Aside from Gilmore, Hawaii’s Coco Ho (HAW), 21, 2011 ASP Women’s World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW), 20, and Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 21, also found themselves in the top 5.

2012 SURFER Poll Results
Top 10 Men
1. Kelly Slater
2. John John Florence
3. Dane Reynolds
4. Gabriel Medina
5. Mick Fanning
6. Joel Parkinson
7. Julian Wilson
8. Taj Burow
9. Jordy Smith
10. Owen Wright

Top 5 Women
1. Steph Gilmore
2. Alana Blanchard
3. Coco Ho
4. Carissa Moore
5. Sally Fitzgibbons

AI Breakthrough Performer Presented by New Era
Gabriel Medina

Watch the show in its entirety at SurferPoll.com or on Time Warner Cable in Hawaii and California (Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and Desert Cities). Start the conversation with .

02/12/2012

Blitzbokke face formidable World Series challenge on home soil

Sport Savvy

Cell C Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens host South Africa were placed in a tough pool following the official tournament draw by the IRB on Saturday evening in Dubai. Round three of the HSBC Sevens World Series takes place next weekend, 8 and 9 December, in Port Elizabeth.

The Springbok Sevens will face Dubai winners Samoa, France and Australia in Pool A in a very competitive race for the two group qualification spots on offer and passage to the Cup quarterfinals.

New Zealand, the defending South Africa tournament champions who lost to Samoa in the Dubai final, are the top-ranked side in Pool B which also include Fiji, Scotland England.

Kenya head Pool C and were drawn alongside Wales, Argentina and Spain. Dubai surprise package Portugal, Canada, the United States and Zimbabwe complete the final grouping in Pool D.

New Zealand currently lead the World Series standings on 38 points after two rounds, followed by Fiji, Kenya, Samoa (all on 32), France (27) and South Africa (24).

The first few teams will arrive today at approximately 9.20pm in Port Elizabeth from Johannesburg while the second group, including home team South Africa, are expected to land at 10.20pm in the Friendly City.

The confirmed pools for the Cell C Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens are:

Pool A: Samoa, France, South Africa, Australia

Pool B: New Zealand, Fiji, Scotland, England

Pool C: Kenya, Wales, Argentina, Spain

Pool D: Portugal, Canada, United Stated, Zimbabwe

The HSBC Sevens World Series Standings after two rounds are:

1. New Zealand 38 points

2. Fiji 32

Kenya 32

Samoa 32

5. France 27

6. South Africa 24

7. Argentina 21

8. Wales 18

9. Canada 17

10. Australia 11

Portugal 11

12. England 10

Spain 10

Tickets for “Rugby’s Biggest Party” at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium are available from all Computicket outlets and online at www.computicket.com.

About the HSBC Sevens World Series

The HSBC Sevens World Series, previously known as the IRB Sevens World Series, consists of nine tournaments held around the world between October and May.

National Sevens teams compete for World Series points at each round, with winners in the Cup, Plate, Bowl and Shield crowned at each location.

An overall HSBC Sevens World Series champion is crowned at the end of the season based on points accumulated throughout the nine events.

There are 15 'core' teams who participate at each round of the Series and, starting from 2012/13 there is to be promotion and relegation from this status, with a pre-qualifier in Hong Kong and a final Series core team qualification event held in London, alongside the final round of the HSBC Sevens World Series.

The 2011/12 World Series winners and reigning champions are New Zealand, who have won the Series 10 times in all. The other Series winners have been Fiji (2005/06), South Africa (2008/09) and Samoa (2009/10).

Sevens Broadcast

For the 2011/12 Series the IRB announced figures confirming another record global audience.

The World Series accumulated a record 4,283 hours of total airtime - a 17 per cent increase on the previous season - with a dramatic uplift in live coverage, which rose 35 per cent to 1,565 hours.

Television broadcast coverage reached a total of 152 territories across six continents, with 31 broadcasters showing action from the Series.

Programming from the season of Sevens was carried in 16 languages and reached 374 million homes, with an estimated global audience of 850 million people.

01/12/2012

Hawaii and Australia Hold the Power at Vans World Cup of Surfing

Surf-Savvy - Surfing News

Sunset Beach - The VANS World Cup of Surfing pre-dates the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series, this being the 38th year of the event. In that time, surfers from Australia and Hawaii have claimed 16 titles each at Sunset Beach.

Today’s powerful surf with wave face heights of up to 15 feet favored those who have invested the time and relish in the power that this expansive, shifting lineup is feared for: predominately local Hawaii surfers and visiting Australians.

Billy Kemper (HAW) was the day’s top scorer – 17 points out of a maximum 20. Jay Thompson (AUS) was close behind on 16.56, and Frenchman Marc Lacomare on 16.33. Tomorrow, Kemper draws the Florence brothers – John and Nathan, and Fred Patacchia. John and Fred are 2012 Triple Crown contenders and John is the defending champion of this event.

“I’ve been surfing here since I was eight years old,” said Kemper. “To me it’s local knowledge of surfing out here and putting in your time. I mean this morning there was a bunch of kids out here who surf unbelievable – some of the best surfers in the world – but they’re out here the day before the contest practicing rather than those of us who are out here year round. We surf out here everyday, it’s our backyard and I think that’s what really comes into play.”

Aussie Jay Thompson’s is fired up by the power on tap and Sunset and draws his own confidence from having put in the time over many years. He posted the highest individual wave score of the competition today: 9.7 points.

“Sunset’s built for a bigger bloke like myself,” said Thompson. “We grow up on a lot of right hand points. In Australia there’s a lot of big waves and a lot of power. We spend a lot of time out here too, whenever there’s swell. I just like coming here. Big waves are something we don’t get to surf all year round in events and everyone just looks forward to it. Perfect Haleiwa, perfect Sunset, and perfect Pipeline… at the end of the day it’s what we’re here for and it’s just beautiful to surf here in waves like that.”

There has only ever been one surfer from the US Mainland to win here: CJ Hobgood (Florida), in 2008. Even Kelly Slater, who returns to compete at Sunset Beach tomorrow for the first time in six years, has struggled at this venue – his average result after 12 attempts is 25th; his best a 3rd in 1998.

While this event consists of 4-man heats, most will tell you you’re on your own when it comes to Sunset. And who would know better than Sunny Garcia, who also enters the fray tomorrow. Sunny has been competing here for 27 years and won in 1994 and 2000. He has his own ideas on why Slater has never tasted the success here that he has become so accustomed to over his 20+ year career.

“Kelly surfs every wave in Hawaii exceptionally well, but with 4-man heats and such a big playing field, he’s not able to get into guys heads like he does on a small peak,” says Garcia. “Sitting next to Kelly on a small peak can be very intimidating. At Sunset you’re not worried about Kelly Slater, you’re worried about the West Peak. I think he’s the greatest surfer of all time. Do I think he’s beatable? Yes. Do I want to beat him? Absolutely. Every chance I get, I want to give him a ribbing.”

There are 64 surfers in contention for the VANS World Cup: Hawaii holds 24 spots, and Australia 21, along with athletes from USA, Brazil, France, Tahiti, South Africa, Ireland, and Portugal.

Other top seeds entering the draw tomorrow include: John Florence (HAW), Gabriel Medina, and Triple Crown title contenders Sebastien Zietz (HAW) and Alejo Muniz (BRA).

The second jewel of the 30th anniversary VANS Triple Crown of Surfing hydrated by vitaminwater – the VANS World Cup is expected to resume tomorrow in slightly smaller quality waves than today.

In celebration of 30 years of world class surfing, the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing hydrated by vitaminwater offers $1million in prize money this year, including a $100,000 bonus, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, and a $10,000 custom Nixon watch for the overall series champion. Each of the three events of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing has a two-week holding period within which to run, requiring just 3-4 days of excellent surf to be completed. To find out when the event is running, log on to www.VansTripleCrownOfSurfing.com

The events will also be broadcast live on Oceanic Time Warner Cable around Hawaii on channels 250 & 1250HD; in Los Angeles on channel 101*; in San Diego on channel 411*; and in Desert Cities on channel 111*. *
partial live coverage, subject to pre-emption for local CIF prep sports playoffs

The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing is made possible with the support of: vitaminwater; Nixon; Skullcandy; GoPro; Turtle Bay Resort; Clif Bar; Mauli Ola Foundation; wavejet; the Association of Surfing Professionals; JN Automotive Group; Hawaii Tourism Authority; Oahu Visitors Bureau; Surfline.com; Surfing Magazine; Hawaiian Airlines; truth®; Oceanic Time Warner Cable.

RESULTS
Surfers listed in order of 1st through 4th

Round of 96
H1 : Ian Gentil (HAW) 12.20pts ; Jean Da Silva (BRA) 9.74pts ; Dion Atkinson (AUS) 8.40pts ; Kai Barger (HAW) 0.00pts
H2 : Tom Whitaker (AUS) 11.83pts ; Alex Smith (HAW) 11.23pts ; Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 10.00pts ; Charles Martin (GLP) 7.74pts
H3 : Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 10.83pts ; Glenn Hall (IRL) 7.60pts ; Mitch Crews (AUS) 5.30pts ; Peterson Crisanto (BRA) 2.23pts
H4 : Gabe Kling (USA) 13.04pts ; Chris Ward (USA) 12.60pts ; Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 11.73pts ; Jano Belo (BRA) 4.53pts
H5 : Nathan Hedge (AUS) 12.43pts ; Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 8.10pts ; Keanu Asing (BRA) 6.86pts ; Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 4.74pts
H6 : Jesse Mendes (BRA) 14.73pts ; Ian Walsh (HAW) 13.10pts ; Tim Reyes (USA) 12.67pts ; Filipe Toledo (BRA) 8.44pts
H7 : Jay Thompson (AUS) 16.56pts ; Lincoln Taylor (AUS) 11.14pts ; Willian Cardoso (BRA) 8.57pts ; Love Hodel (HAW) 7.27pts
H8 : Jack Freestone (AUS) 16.10pts ; Granger Larsen (HAW) 11.57pts ; Makai McNamara (HAW) 11.36pts ; Cory Arrambide (USA) 7.40pts
H9 : Billy Kemper (HAW) 17.00pts ; Perth Standlick (AUS) 12.97pts ; Brian Toth (PRI) 8.00pts ; Myles Padaca (HAW) 0.00
H10 : Evan Valiere (HAW) 13.16pts ; Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 12.66pts ; Dale Staples (ZAF) 10.60pts ; Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 4.33pts
H11 : Nat Young (USA) 11.44pts ; Ricardo Dos Santos (BRA) 9.00pts ; Matt Banting (AUS) 8.67pts ; Evan Geiselman (USA) 3.86pts
H12 : Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 14.33pts ; Joan Duru (FRA) 13.14pts ; Hank Gaskell (HAW) 12.84pts ; Hizunome Bettero (BRA) 11.30pts
H13 : Marc Lacomare (FRA) 16.33pts; Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 13.10pts; Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) 9.47pts; Tomas Hermes (BRA) 8.34pts
H14: Dusty Payne (HAW) 14.67pts; Garrett Parkes (AUS) 11.86pts; Gavin Gillette (HAW) 10.84pts; Dane Gudauskas (USA) 8.10pts
H15: Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 14.70pts; Nathaniel Curran (USA) 11.77pts; Mason Ho (HAW) 6.43pts; Mitchel Coleborn (AUS) 5.63pts
H16: Koa Smith (HAW) 12.90pts; Nathan Yeomans (USA) 11.87pts; Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 8.50pts; Heath Josks (AUS) 7.00pts

19/10/2012

Rip Curl Pro Portugal ON at Supertubos – Possible Finish Today

Surf-Savvy - Surfing News

Supertubos – The Rip Curl Pro Portugal has been called ON with a strong possibility of finishing the event by day’s end. Competition will commence at 8am in clean three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) waves at Supertubos.

Event No. 8 of 10 on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Portugal bore witness to the elimination of top seeds Kelly Slater (USA), 40, and Mick Fanning (AUS), 31, in yesterday’s action, opening up the 2012 ASP World Title Race for Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, and John John Florence (HAW), 20 – who will meet one another in this morning’s Quarterfinals.

“Clean conditions and still swell on offer this morning so we’ll commence competition immediately,” Rich Porta, ASP International Head Judge, said. “We’ll be aiming to finish the event today, but will monitor conditions closely and adjust calls accordingly. Good luck to all our remaining competitors today.”

Up first this morning be Jeremy Flores (FRA), 24, up against Raoni Monteiro (BRA), 30, in the final heat of Round 5 at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal.

The Rip Curl Pro Portugal will be available via http://live.ripcurl.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL REMAINING ROUND 5 MATCH-UP:
Heat 4: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Raoni Monteiro (BRA)

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:
QF 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)
QF 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. John John Florence (HAW)
QF 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Owen Wright (AUS)
QF 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. TBD

15/10/2012

SA’s Travis Logie Faces John John at Rip Curl Pro Portugal

Surf-Savvy - Surfing News

Supertobus – The final four Round 2 heats of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal were completed this afternoon in challenging two-to-three foot (1 metre) waves at Supertubos.

Event No. 8 of 10 on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Portugal not only plays an important role in the hunt for the 2012 ASP World Title, but also the requalification campaigns of the world’s best surfers.

Brett Simpson (USA), 27, current ASP WCT No. 18, negotiated a challenging affair as the first heat of the day, commencing at an uncharacteristic 4:45pm.

“We’ve been down since 6:30am assessing the conditions,” Simpson said. “Wilko (Matt Wilkinson) and I have been having fun all day as he was here too – we’re friends out of the water, but we were just trying to catch the best waves we can. I had a really good opportunity solidify my lead out there more, but was unable to.”

While the heat didn’t offer tremendous scoring opportunity, Simpson was relieved to put up some modest score on the board in hopes of building momentum throughout the latter rounds.

“My last few heats have been 2s and 3s and it’s been a little frustrating but we’re all professionals,” Simpson said. “we’re down here and we just want to get the best waves. I’m excited, it’s a bummer for Wilko (Matt Wilkinson) but we both got chances. I want to keep my dreams alive on this tour and I feel like I have a lot more to give to it so hopefully I can just keep pushing.”

Simpson will face Gabriel Medina (BRA), 19, in Round 3 of competition.

Kai Otton (AUS), 32, bested compatriot Adam Melling (AUS), 27, in a slow affair this afternoon, advancing directly to Round 3 of competition.

“I was actually really lucky to get that good left,” Otton said. “I made a paddling mistake and I couldn’t catch the wave – maybe I’m too old. I don’t know, but I missed it and gave up priority and Adam (Melling) actually got a nice righthander straight after. I was just lucky enough that my left was behind that, otherwise he would have had the heat. Tomorrow looks reasonably good and there’s an Armaggeddon swell coming which I think it’s going to wash away the whole scaffolding so they probably want to finish by Tuesday. You know, conditions like last year don’t come very often so if we get even half of that, it’d be pretty amazing.”

Otton has drawn Owen Wright (AUS), 22, in the next round of competition.

Kolohe Andino (AUS), 18, 2012 ASP WCT rookie, continued his form run throughout Europe defeating sole Portuguese representative Tiago Pires (PRT), 32, in the final heat of the day.

“It’s finally paying off,” Andino said. “I’ve been trying really hard to wake up early, stretch and all that stuff. It’s a bummer for Tiago (pires), he’s probably got all his people down here but it’s cool to see that they’re really passionate about surfing and their surfers.”

Following a mid-season injury that sidelined him for several events, Andino’s recent performance has helped his requalification campaign to rejoin the world’s elite in 2013.

“I don’t worry about anything else except for trying to requalify and trying to have some good heats,” Andino said. “I was worried about trying to win an event at the start of the year, and I couldn’t even make a heat. Tavarua was like the moment when it really popped, I made a fool of myself after I loss to Tiago (Pires) and then I got injured so I had some time to regroup so I’m pretty happy that I’m making a few heats here and there.”

Andino will take on Taj Burrow (AUS), 34, when competition resumes.

Travis Logie (ZAF), 33, current ASP WCT No. 27, survived a hard-fought battle against tour stalwart Damien Hobgood (USA), 33, in this afternoon’s

“Damo (Hobgood) is a good friend of mine and he’s definitely one of the guys you don’t want to get out here as he’s so good in the barrel,” Logie said. “He’s beaten me so many times in all sorts of ‘QS and ‘CT events so I’m stoked to get one over him but he’s a good friend I’m also bummed to see him down. I just want to take a moment to send a shout out to one of my best friend back home, Rat and his sister Jackie their father passed away this morning, this one’s for those guys.”

When competition resumes, up first will be John John Florence (HAW), 19, up against Travis Logie (ZAF), 31, in Heat 1 of Round 3 at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7:45am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.

Magic Seaweed, official forecaster for the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, is calling for:

- Mix of smaller swell on Monday morning before longer period swell fills in into the later afternoon.
- Tuesday sees a transition from northerly winds to onshore westerly conditions.
- Disruptive storm creating onshore conditions through the middle of the week.
- Possible transition between storms hints at contestable conditions sometime around Fri/Sat before the risk of another storm creating problem winds towards the end of the window.

Highlights from the Rip Curl Pro Portugal will be available via http://live.ripcurl.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL REMAINING ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 9: Brett Simpson (USA) 12.50 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 11.40
Heat 10: Kai Otton (AUS) 11.67 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 8.00
Heat 11: Travis Logie (ZAF) 10.94 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.27
Heat 12: Kolohe Andino (USA) 11.70 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 11.50

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)
Heat 4: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Heat 5: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. C.J. Hobgood (USA)
Heat 6: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 7: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 8: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)
Heat 9: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 10: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Bede Durbidge (AUS)
Heat 12: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Yadin Nicol (AUS)

15/10/2012

Perfect 10s at Rip Curl Pro Portugal Day 1

Surf-Savvy - Surfing News

Supertubos – The Rip Curl Pro Portugal commenced today with Round 1 and the opening eight heats of Round 2 completed in improving three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) waves at the primary venue of Supertubos.

Event No. 8 of 10 on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Portugal plays a vital role in the hunt for the 2012 ASP World Title and today saw no shortage of fireworks from this season’s top contenders.

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, current ASP WCT No. 1, was in sizzling form for today’s Round 1, posting the morning’s highest heat total of a 17.17 out of a possible 20.

“There are a few waves out there for sure,” Parkinson said. “Supertubos is a really fun wave. This morning was tough as there weren’t really a lot of waves breaking through so you had to be on the ones that offered the most scoring opportunity.”

Despite sitting at No. 1 on the ASP WCT rankings, Parkinson has yet to claim an event win this year, something he intends to remedy at the 2012 Rip Curl Pro Portugal.

“I’m here to win,” Parkinson said. “Everyone is. I’ve had a few seconds this year but am keen to put a win on the board. I’m not thinking about the World Title race really. I need to get some wins first before that can become a reality.”

Parkinson advances through to Round 3 of competition.

Kelly Slater (USA), 40, reigning 11-time ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 2, finished Runner-Up at the 2011 installment of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal and continued his dominant form here today, besting fellow Floridian Damien Hobgood (USA), 33, and wildcard Dillon Perillo (USA), 22, in their Round 1 bout.

“My preparation varies from event to event,” Slater said. “Supertubos, on its day, is one of the funner waves we have one tour. It can be big and barreling and close to shore and the crowd is right there so you feel like you’re interacting with them in the lineup. It’s a great place.”

While Slater sits at No. 2 on the ASP WCT rankings, the iconic Floridian holds three wins for the season (Fiji, Trestles, France) and is in a commanding position for the final three events of the year.

“No pressure at the moment,” Slater said. “I obviously have to perform in the last three events and so do all the other guys. When the race is close like it is this year, it’s definitely a lot more exciting and I feel like I perform well in those situations. The younger guys like Gabriel (Medina) and John John (Florence) and that whole generation are so talented. I’m lucky that I probably only have to compete against them for three more events.”

Mick Fanning (AUS), 31, former two-time ASP World Champion (2007, 2009), suffered an uncharacteristic Round 1 loss this morning to compatriot Kieren Perrow (AUS), 35, but was back to typical form this afternoon, eliminating wildcard Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA), 21, in Round 2 with an impressive 16.17 out of a possible 20 heat total.

“I was a little bit freaked out this morning,” Fanning said. “The waves weren’t that great so I just wanted to go out again and catch waves in this afternoon’s heat. I’ve been a little bit on edge in the last few heats in France adn this morning, so it was good to get a few waves under the belt and just relax a little.”

Currently seated No. 3 on the ASP WCT rankings, Fanning finds himself once again in the battle for the highly-coveted ASP World Title.

“It’s been a while and I sort of almost moved on from those first two World Titles,” Fanning said. “I’ve been trying to re-invent myself so I’m not too stressed and I’m having a lot more fun this year. I just want to surf well and if I can do that consistently you know I’ll be happy.”

With conditions improving throughout the day, the performance level continued to rise throughout the afternoon, yielding the first three Perfect 10s of the event.

Gabriel Medina (BRA), 18, ASP WCT No. 9 and into his first full year amongst the world’s elite, punctuated the day’s affairs with the first Perfect 10 of the event for an impressive forehand barrel completed with an impressive forehand air.

“That was fun,” Medina said. “I dropped in that wave and started pumping in the barrel and it was just too perfect. I did a little straight air at the end, and it was a pretty sick wave. It felt great, I heard everyone screaming for me right on the beach and it’s a good feeling to have the crowd with you. It’s a lot of fun.”

Medina was joined for former ASP World Champion (2001) C.J. Hobgood (USA), 33, in attaining Perfect 10s today with Hobgood threading a lengthy lefthander and Tahitian Michel Bourez (PYF), 26, for an incredibly critical forehand barrel of his own.

When competition resumes, up first will be Brett Simpson (USA), 27, against Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 24, in Heat 9 of Round 2 of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7:45 to assess conditions for a potential 8am start.

Magic Seaweed, official forecasters for the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, are calling for:

- Dropping surf from the current swell into Sunday.
- Potential pause on Monday morning before longer period swell fills in into the later afternoon.
- Suggestions in delay of onshore conditions make Tuesday a possibility for contestable surf.
- Remaining probability that the waiting period from Wednesday onward will suffer strong and disruptive onshore winds.

Highlights from the Rip Curl Pro Portugal will be available via http://live.ripcurl.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 6.30, Brett Simpson (USA) 5.06, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 3.67
Heat 2: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 14.33, Taj Burrow (AUS) 11.36, Jadson Andre (BRA) 6.73
Heat 3: John John Florence (HAW) 14.73, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 7.34, Kai Otton (AUS) 4.13
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 9.67, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 9.70, Dusty Payne (HAW) 2.33
Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA) 13.67, Dillon Perillo (USA) 6.60, Damien Hobgood (USA) 5.90
Heat 6: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.17, Kolohe Andino (USA) 15.36, Pierre Valentin Laborde (FRA) 2.96
Heat 7: Owen Wright (AUS) 16.26, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11.94, Yadin Nicol (AUS) 7.65
Heat 8: Josh Kerr (AUS) 10.70, Taylor Knox (USA) 7.43, Heitor Alves (BRA) 5.53
Heat 9: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.50, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 13.83, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 11.67
Heat 10: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14.00, Adam Melling (AUS) 11.87, Michel Bourez (PYF) 9.67
Heat 11: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.73, Travis Logie (ZAF) 12.83, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.03
Heat 12: Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.53, Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.27, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 3.13

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.17 def. Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA) 6.17
Heat 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.33 def. Dillon Perillo (USA) 10.37
Heat 3: Dusty Payne (HAW) 12.80 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 10.77
Heat 4: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.50 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 17.73
Heat 5: Michel Bourez (PYF) 15.73 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 10.93
Heat 6: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 15.00 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.93
Heat 7: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 16.10 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 8.24
Heat 8: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.63 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 12.33

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL REMAINING ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 9: Brett Simpson (USA) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 10: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 11: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 12: Kolohe Andino (USA) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT)

10/10/2012

Lay Day Called for Rip Curl Pro Portugal

Surf-Savvy - Surfing News

Supertubos – Event organizers at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal have called competition off for the day, opting to wait for improved conditions before commencing the event.

Stop No. 8 of 10 on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Portugal will play a vital role in both the hunt for the 2012 ASP World Title as well as the requalification campaigns of the world’s best surfers.

“Clean conditions this morning but not enough swell to begin competition,” Rich Porta, ASP International Head Judge, said. “We’ll be back tomorrow morning to make another call.”

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7:45am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.

Magic Seaweed, official forecaster for the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, are calling for:

- NNW swell for the weekend looking likely for head+ surf.
- Large storm system sending pulses of more westerly swell for next week with a very very mixed, but positive, longer range outlook.

When competition commences, up first will be Adriano de Souza (BRA), 25, Brett Simpson (USA), 27, and Raoni Monteiro (BRA), 30, in the opening heat of Round 1.

The Rip Curl Pro Portugal will be webcast LIVE via http://live.ripcurl.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Brett Simpson (USA), Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 2: Taj Burrow (AUS), Alejo Muniz (BRA), Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 3: John John Florence (HAW), Kai Otton (AUS), Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA), Damien Hobgood (USA), Dillon Perillo (USA)
Heat 6: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Kolohe Andino (USA), Pierre Valentin Laborde (FRA)
Heat 7: Owen Wright (AUS), Bede Durbidge (AUS), Yadin Nicol (AUS)
Heat 8: Josh Kerr (AUS), Heitor Alves (BRA), Taylor Knox (USA)
Heat 9: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Miguel Pupo (BRA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 10: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Michel Bourez (PYF), Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 11: Jordy Smith (ZAF), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 12: Julian Wilson (AUS), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Tiago Pires (PRT)