June 09 Archive

Check out the Nationals on Live Webcast

The scene was just what you’d expect for the 2009 NSSA National Championships. Hundreds of kids scampering around left, right and everywhere in-between the company-sponsored pop-up tents and beach umbrellas. For the adults, the atmosphere always hovers between awkwardness and jealousy, since foosball games, tag, towing each other in wagons, never changing from wetsuits and endless free food and energy drink is just a little bit too Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. “I love getting to hang out with all my friends from around the country,” mini-grom all-star Kanoa Igarashi admitted, before swinging a tree branch at a buddy’s head. “That’s probably my favorite thing about Nationals.” Did we mention these kids rip, too? There is the older generation of competitors, though, and they take the scene a bit more seriously. Santa Barbara’s Conner Coffin chose to avoid most non-surf antics and keep focused to the water: “I’m definitely feeling a little pressure,” he said. “Keanu Asing has been winning a lot lately and Brother [Kolohe Andino] has been killing it, too.”

Coffin even wanted to talk a little strategy. “Lefts — they have been better than the rights so far today,” he said. “But the conditions have been changing heat-to-heat, so I’ve gotta stay on my toes.” But, admittedly, young Conner would be pleased with any outcome this year, knowing that just being at Nationals is a huge achievement and a big step in moving toward a bright professional career.

Hawaii’s Kiron Jabour was a little less lenient when talking competition. “I’m at a stage in my surfing where I’m graduating from the NSSA — I really want to finish with a win.”

Perhaps Kiron is the only truly honest kid running around the Nationals playground, because embedded in every game of tag, foosball and stick fight is the pursuit to become winner…and no one wants to loose a game of tag. Or a NSSA Nationals heat — not even a 10-year-old grom. Young grasshoppers like Ian Gentil, Benji Brand, Kanoa Igarashi and Kalani David all channeled their onshore competitive prowess into the water and made it into the Open Boys semi finals, which will face off this Saturday. Kalani David was happy with his performance, which was a credit to his maturity…or all the extra-curricular competition on the beach. “It’s cool to see all my friends, but I’m trying to stay pretty serious,” he admitted. As Day 1 wrapped up and parents began to gather up their wandering young ones, there was already an air of both victory and defeat drifting through the contest site. A clearly bummed Hawaiian mini-grom was bombarded by a group of feral children — presumably his buddies — and surrounded. The leader of the pack wrapped an arm around the deflated grom and explained: “We all lose sometimes, but after you lose,” he said, “you gotta just play around.” Though the leader was probably 80 pounds, shaggy-haired and filthy from playing in the dirt all day, his words were spoken like a true gentleman. The point of Nationals, he had quickly found out, was to not just win, but to have fun — in and out of the water.

By Alex Ryden, Surfing Magazine

Pretty cool exposure for the surf world. Front page of Yahoo!

Check it out

SriLankan Airlines Pro Maldives

ASP 6-Star Prime WQS Mens event Pasta Point, Maldives 8 - 14 June 2009

Live Coverage | Results/Photos/Videos etc

SrLankan Airlines Pro in Maldives - Owen Wright Wins Epic Final in Maldives

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 14 June, 2009 : - - Owen Wright (Australia) has won the 10th annual Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) six star PRIME rated World Qualifying Series (WQS) SriLankan Airlines Pro in the Maldives. It was a monumental high scoring final, described by numerous ASP officials at this event as the greatest final they have ever seen.

This final had everything with both surfers forcing each other to new heights combining superb power surfing with new age aerial moves. The final scores saw Owen Wright on 19.23 out of a possible 20 to Gudauskas on 18.93. Wright's second ride in the final of 9.83 was decisive, pulling two major aerial manoerveres along with a series of fully powered on face vertical turns.

While that wave opened up a serious lead, Gudauskas challenged hard on his second ride driving through a series of powerful top to bottom turns but just fractionally mistimed his final floating re entry and fell. The wave was still awarded an outstanding 8.94, many believed had he landed that final turn it would have been his second perfect 10 point ride for the event.

Wright capitalised mid final with another outstanding 9.4 ride, again inclusive of aerial moves and Gudauskas suddenly found himself in a combination situation. Gudauskas, who earlier in this event had scored a perfect ten point ride utilizing the new age rodeo clown move, refused to concede the final and began to focus on going for another perfect 10 by attempting some massive rodeo clowns which he went perilously close to landing. Inside the final five minutes, Gudauskas found his final excellent wave, unleashed three incredible top to bottom powered turns, lined up the final section, launched and landed another amazing aerial flip to take a perfect 10 points. Still in second place and requiring a 9.24 to win, time ran out for Gudauskas and Wright was the deserving winner of this epic battle.

"That was the best final I have ever experienced " said Wright after his win.

" I knew Pat was capable of scoring 9 to 10 point rides and before the final I knew I'd have to pull multiple aerials to win - my strategy was at least two serious aerials on the waves and a lot of powerful surfing in between the aerials and that's exactly how it played out." Owen Wright is now number one rated surfer on the ASP World Qualifying Series and the exciting 19 year old has already reassessed his goals for the season.

"At the start of the year I was focusing on winning the Pro Junior season in Australia and doing a few WQS events to get the experience but now I'm definitely looking to win the WQS and qualify for the ASP World Tour." ASP world tour head judge Perry Hatchet firmly placed this final within the top five finals he had ever witnessed while many others declared it the best final they had witnessed.

The entire event, which created history earlier when Pat Gudauskas delivered the first competitive rodeo clown manoeuvre, appears to have sped up the aerial assault that surfing is taking. Pat Gudauskas's efforts both in the final and throughout the event left the 23 year old feeling good after his narrow defeat in the final.