The Top 10 Moments From The Quiksilver Pro Today (Part 2)
Words by Craig Jarvis | Most photos by Simon Muirhead Early morning, long before the contest was due to start, the rain was coming down and the wind was up. The surf was worse than terrible, and it looked like a non-surfing day. As Coolangatta does however, the sun came up, albeit briefly, the tide dropped, […]
Words by Craig Jarvis | Most photos by Simon Muirhead
Early morning, long before the contest was due to start, the rain was coming down and the wind was up. The surf was worse than terrible, and it looked like a non-surfing day. As Coolangatta does however, the sun came up, albeit briefly, the tide dropped, and the waves started looking good. Some of the boys were lighting it up for the early…
1. Mick Fanning: Always keen for an early, Fanning hit it at first light for a few quick ones in the rain and the wind. He loosened up enough to take it through to a win in the first heat against Matt Banting. Mick surfed a perfect competitive heat, with strong rail turns, taking no big chances and making no mistakes. No shame to Banting though, he put on a good performance against the champ and in the contest in general, and it looks like his future’s already here, at the first WT event of the year.
2. Construction time, again: While the new ASP has loaded up the construction to untold heights, and everyone on the receiving end is so happy with more space to move, better facilities, delicious food and high speed Wifi humming all over the place, one thing that all the extra buildings have done is totally obliterate the view from a number of previously-coveted vantage points. No more hanging on the ridge above the public toilets, as all you’ll get is a view of another new building. Instead, The New ASP (henceforth called TNASP for brevity) has built a large enough TV screen for everyone to be able to see. How big? You can most definitely see it from space.
3. The engine room: We get a lot from the webcast. We get the play-by-plays, the scores, the excited in-the-moment commentating from a great commentating team, and we get a couple of adverts just to pepper it thoroughly. The commentating team is pretty awesome, and with just the barest smattering of make-up on, Ronnie Blakey is the hottest. They have a cool studio set up, on the beach, with their back to the ocean and with lights brightening up their wide toothy smiles. This is the view from the beach looking in at the machine.
Mo grip pads, mo problems. Tiago, all wax and stacks. ASP/Cestari
4. Upset no. 1: Tiago vs Jordy. Two very hungry surfers took to the water. Jordy on a crazy title run, and Tiago fighting fit and ready to vindicate his contentious wildcard for the year at the expense of others. “I’m way more relaxed now, and I now know how the judges are scoring after that heat,” said Tiago. Showing no sign of knee pain, Tiago threw into some serious rail grinding in the small (but running) surf, while Jordy chose to wait for a set wave, needing a mere 5.53 The conditions changed, and no set came for the last half of the heat. “I waited about 16 minutes and nothing came,” said Jordy through a brave face. “I only surfed six waves in two heats during the whole contest, which isn’t very many. Usually I average about seven waves a heat. My boards are going well and I’m fit and healthy, but that heat really didn’t go my way at all.” Don’t worry mate, it’s coming.
Have the pleasure of Trav’s infallible wind-up. ASP/Cestari
5. Upset no. 2: Then the diminutive South African Travis Logie smashed the second biggest upset of the day, eliminating John John Florence. Another strange play, with John John flying down a good looking wave and with two fast wraparound cutties, went for a huge wallet drop and came unstuck with the lip, blowing a possible good score in the bag. Travis picked up a clean wall at the end and went upside down numerous times on his New Pier-polished backhand for an 8.77, and it was goodnight John. “I’m always the underdog, and I love it,” said Trav. “If I was the favourite I might get a bit worried.” Even for a smallish kid, John John’s stomps on the scaffolding stairs could be heard all the way to Surfers Paradise.
6. Locals, please: Quiksilver and TNASP had to make sure that all their eventing permits were in place, and that the locals get their fair shake in the water as well. Commentator Bruce Lee frequently encourages locals to head out and get a few while the contest is on hold. As everyone knows, the locals are all a bunch of absolute frothers, and given half a chance they’re out there, including local girl ripper Ellie Brooks (pictured), who was out there with the boys at first light, muscling in and getting her share.
7. Drop ins: If you want to be the best surfer in the world, you need to be ruthless. Nice guys come last and all the ruthless people rise to the top. Kelly didn’t get 11 world titles by high-fiving his way out of position at Pipe; he did it by high-fiving his way into position at Pipe. The only way to be a winner is to fight your way to the top in this brutal game of surfing. First is first and second is nothing, no one likes a loser and all of those clichés. Even if this approach means burning 12-year-old Jaggar Bartholomew, son of Rabbit, the man who invented the Dream Tour. Aritz Aranburu, being that guy. He lost to Adriano either way.
8. Hedgey: After a fine second place finish at Newcastle’s Surfest, Hedgey is still hot on the comeback trail and more hungry than ever. He was out there this morning, as he is out every morning at every contest he’s at, frothing and surfing as hard as he can whenever he gets the opportunity. He was smashing it to the dawn’s early light, with those fast backhand hooks he’s notorious for. Smashing so hard that his board destructed underfoot…
9. Carmen: The rain came down during the day, dampening the mood somewhat and quietening down the goings on at the beach. We had such a good day yesterday with so many girls on the beach and enjoying the surfing and the surfers that we decided to bring one of them back in from day one. This is Carmen, she’s pretty cool, and you may’ve seen her in print before.
Started from the bottom now we… oh, Kai didn’t make it through. Rookie’s don’t always fall. ASP/Cestari
10. Kai Otton’s dispatch: “Seven points? Is that all I got? I did an air and a bunch of other stuff on that wave.” – Kai Otton talking to his mates after his heat with Dion Atkinson. Just to solidify his case, Kai went and got himself marked on an interference, and that was the end of that. Dion was all-smiles about it, and seems to be all-smiles about life in general. Making it onto the World Tour after six years of slog, and then having TNASP make it totally the best year ever to be a pro surfer is enough to make anyone smile a lot.
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