The Bubblegum Blog

Rip Curl Pro: Day 8

APRIL 14 2009

Owen Wright Triumphs Over Slater; Parko On A Roll by Sean Doherty, Surfermag.com

Bells Beach is six foot, offshore, sunny, warm… and the Earth has surely shifted a few degrees off its axis.

“It’s pumping, proper,” offered Joel Parkinson as he jogged down the hill at Bells for his Rip Curl Pro heat this morning. For all the venom it cops, Bells shone today, the best day for a contest here in a decade.

As soon as Rip Curl committed to the new format, pruning a round off their event and consigning 16 surfers to a sudden and bloody demise on day one, you could have almost guaranteed this eventuality would present itself. Here is an event generally starved of waves suddenly with more waves than it knows what to do with.

It doesn’t rain, it pours.

“When the contest started on day one this swell was only 50/50,” surmised event forecaster Ben Matson. “And now we’ve got two of them.” So good is the forecast for the remaining days that they even called off the contest yesterday – the best day at Bells in six months, and surely the best layday in Bells’ history.

The surfing today, fittingly, lifted, and it was most evident in the top-heavy top half of the draw. The magic in the early heats came from the likes of Taylor Knox, Parko and Mick Fanning in particular. Parko looked the pick, surfing weightless yet brutal.

“I’m just glad he didn’t get another high nine,” laughed Joel’s travelling mentor, Luke Egan after the heat. “What can ya tell a guy who just got two 9.8s? You should have got two 10s?” Managing talent of that calibre can be the easiest and hardest job in the world, and in the case of a guy like Joel, seemingly, it’s more about managing momentum than anything else.

Joel’s win became even more significant after Kelly’s loss. The top half of the draw became somewhat less stacked when the world champion was bundled out by Aussie wildcard, Owen Wright. Kelly Slater’s love/hate relationship continued today, with little love out there for the defending Bells champion. Surfing a board substantially longer than his well-trumpeted 5’4”, a board with a nose even, Kelly surfed well, even managing to conjure a barrel from the barrel-less expanse of the Bells Bowl. But at no stage could you clearly say either he or Wright owned the heat.

“I just didn’t want to look him in the eyes out there,” said the stringbean Aussie after walking back up the stairs. “The boys had warned me about it.” Owen, a long heralded prodigy here in Australia, threw a couple of turns big enough to get some traction with the judges and consign Kelly to his second 17th, and second wildcard loss in a row. Where that leaves his 10th world title was anyone’s guess, but the sound of champagne corks popping were notable by their absence. With Tahiti next he’s still in the mix.

The contest was shuffled over the headland after lunch to Winkipop as the tide filled in and the wind swung sideshore. The only established star still floating around in the bottom half of the draw is Taj Burrow, and he’ll be first heat in the water when the contest resumes in days ahead. With the wind expected to stay sideshore south-west tomorrow before swinging back to the ideal nor-west on Thursday, it looks like a day off is the likely outcome.

See you Thursday.

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 2 RESULTS: Heat 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.00 def. Mick Campbell (AUS) 11.00 Heat 2: Taylor Knox (USA) 16.93 def. Chris Ward (USA) 10.67 Heat 3: Kai Otton (AUS) 12.67 def. Dayyan Neve (AUS) 12.50 Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.76 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 11.66 Heat 5: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.16 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 15.27 Heat 6: Bobby Martinez (USA) 16.40 def. Tim Boal (FRA) 12.50 Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13.00 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.17 Heat 8: Owen Wright (AUS) 14.67 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 13.83 Heat 9: Adam Robertson (AUS) 16.10 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.84 Heat 10: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 12.57 def. Jihad Khodr (BRA) 9.67 Heat 11: Drew Courtney (AUS) 16.07 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.60 Heat 12: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 15.60 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.47

REMAINING RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 2 HEATS: Heat 13: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Jay Thompson (AUS) Heat 14: Tim Reyes (USA) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS) Heat 15: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Dean Morrison (AUS) Heat 16: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. David Weare (ZAF)

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS: Heat 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Taylor Knox (USA) Heat 2: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Joel Parkinson (AUS) Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Bobby Martinez (USA) Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Owen Wright (AUS) Heat 5: Adam Robertson (AUS) vs. Tom Whitaker (AUS) Heat 6: Drew Courtney (AUS) vs. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) Heat 7: TBA Heat 8: TBA

This entry was posted on April 14th, 2009.

5 Response(s) to Rip Curl Pro: Day 8

christinaxblair says:

On May 31st, 2011 at 1:20 pm

I am the first time here right here and to start with i need to say greetings to All Ms and Mr

allanxpabrazinsky says:

On May 31st, 2011 at 2:10 pm

Happy to meet everybody on this page

CarlitaColpitts says:

On June 21st, 2011 at 7:46 pm

Sunglasses have often played an integral role inside the planet of fashion, and for excellent cause: stylish men and women realize that wearing sunglasses creates a mysterious aura. Confident, quite a few actors, like Victoria Beckham, Lindsay Lohan and Mickey Rourke also wear them to shield their eyes in hopes of producing them much less recognizable to the paparazzi or general public, but they need to know that the sunglasses add appeal to their wardrobes.

Rock stars have created wearing [url=http://www.rayban2132.net/]Ray Ban[/url] sunglasses glamorous since the 1950s and are usually seen wearing them although onstage or even for the duration of interviews-maybe they're wanting to hide the effects of their hard-living lifestyles. Ultimately, athletes wear them to shield their eyes when performing in the harsh sun, however they clearly opt for the most fashionable types.

In the course of the 1980s, [url=http://www.rayban2132.net/]RayBan[/url] was the coolest brand of sunglasses available; skateboarders and surfers created them popular. Even so, in the past handful of years, the brand has had a resurgence and a diverse array of persons can be noticed wearing them.

The best characteristic of sunglasses is that the choices are endless! New styles emerge each and every season, with retro types resurfacing generally also. Colours range from basics like black and red to funky leopard patterns to polka dots. The price points are diverse also, so any one can locate a fantastic pair of sunglasses to generate them stand out from the crowd!

WinstonCleland says:

On July 4th, 2011 at 7:26 am

How you can Pick the correct Sunglasses

Choosing the right sunglasses is essential for those who need to get essentially the most out of your obtain. Not all sunglasses are created equal and not all people use sunglasses within the same way. Your option of sunglasses will depend on your wants. People who are participating in action water sports have considerably unique wants from people who just desire to look superior on the beach. Here is really a quick and simple guide to deciding upon the right sunglasses.

The first thing it is best to look for in any sunglasses buy is a sticker that says 100% UVA and UVB protection. This can make certain that your eyes is going to be protected. It is best to also examine distinct lens colors. Gray lenses will not alter the color of the world around you. Orange-brown [url=http://www.bestrayban.net/]Ray Ban[/url] are the top at filtering out UV rays and blue light. Green lenses, red lenses and yellow lenses are also available.

In the event you play sports, you have several distinct alternatives. Golfers need to opt for tinted brown or grey lenses. Snow sports call for amber lenses to reduce the glare of the sun off the snow. Wrap around lenses are excellent for cycling or motocross drivers. If fishing, water skiing or other water sports are a lot more your forte, make sure you look for polarized sunglasses.

One more major consideration for your sunglasses is your face shape. Certain face shapes look very best with certain forms of lenses. Those with round faces must uncover rectangular or square shaped [url=http://www.bestrayban.net/]RayBan[/url]. Square faced people today ought to pick round or oval frames. Heart shaped faces (wide forehead and narrow chin) really should use a pair of thin, wire framed glasses. Those with oval shaped faces can wear almost anything.

By choosing the best glasses for your face shape and activity level, you will have the ability to discover the perfect pair for you.

LucianoBanfield says:

On July 8th, 2011 at 8:11 am

Sunglasses have often played an integral role inside the planet of fashion, and for very good cause: stylish individuals realize that wearing sunglasses creates a mysterious aura. Positive, a lot of actors, like Victoria Beckham, Lindsay Lohan and Mickey Rourke also wear them to shield their eyes in hopes of creating them less recognizable for the paparazzi or basic public, however they must realize that the sunglasses add appeal to their wardrobes.

Rock stars have created wearing [url=http://www.rayban2132.net/]Ray Ban[/url] sunglasses glamorous since the 1950s and are usually observed wearing them even though onstage or even during interviews-maybe they may be wanting to hide the effects of their hard-living lifestyles. Ultimately, athletes wear them to shield their eyes when performing inside the harsh sun, but they clearly select one of the most fashionable designs.

Through the 1980s, [url=http://www.rayban2132.net/]RayBan[/url] was the coolest brand of sunglasses out there; skateboarders and surfers produced them popular. Nonetheless, inside the past handful of years, the brand has had a resurgence and also a diverse array of folks is often witnessed wearing them.

The most beneficial characteristic of sunglasses is that the options are endless! New styles emerge every single season, with retro types resurfacing usually at the same time. Colours range from fundamentals like black and red to funky leopard patterns to polka dots. The cost points are diverse also, so any one can uncover a great pair of sunglasses to generate them stand out from the crowd!

Post a comment

*
*
*
 
* REQUIRED FIELD