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Billabong Pro - J Bay - 2008/07/10 20:56
Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay - World's best surfers psyched for the upcoming event in South Africa
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
ASP World Tour rookie Jordy Smith (ZAF) put the world's best surfers on notice when he made the semifinals of the 2006 Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay as an 18-year-old wildcard.
Halfway through his first year as a member of the ASP Top 45, the young South African has yet to match or beat that equal 3^rd result. He will head into the July 10-20, 2008 Billabong Pro waiting period hoping to change that.
"I can't wait for JBay," Smith said. "I've only ever surfed in one event there but I went there at age 7 for the first time and I love the wave. It's probably the best wave for me on tour so I just hoping to get a good result.
Smith is currently rated ASP World No. 19 after finishing 9th on the Gold Coast of Australia, 33rd in BellsBeach and 17th in Tahiti and Fiji. A former ASP World Junior Champion who finished 1st on the 2007 ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS), Smith has yet to enjoy paralleled success at surfing's highest level, the ASP World Tour.
"I have definitely made a lot of rookie mistakes, but that stuff I think will come in time," Smith said. "Still, it's been pretty cool traveling for the first time with some of your heroes that you looked up to growing up as a kid."
Smith will meet current ASP World No. 3 Adriano de Souza (BRA) and fellow South African Travis Logie in Heat 3 of Round 1.
The main event will be preceded by the VonZipper Wildcard
Trials which will pit eight of South Africa's rising stars against four international surfers in three heats The winner of each heat will earn a wildcard into the main event and the opportunity to test their skills against the world's best surfers.
The South African trialists include ASP WQS campaigners Warwick Wright (Durban) and Damien Fahrenfort, freesurfer and J-Bay local Shaun Payne and Pro Junior surfers Rudy Palmboom Jr., Klee Strachan, Chad du Toit, Shaun Joubert and Dale Staples.
The international trialists include 1984 JBay champion and 1999 ASP World Champion Mark Occhilupo (AUS), Tahiti's Tamaroa McComb and Brazil's Peterson Crisanto. The fourth trialist is yet to be named.
Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Round 1 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Roy Powers (HAW), Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 2: Bobby Martinez (USA), Jay Thompson (AUS), Ben Bourgeois (USA)
Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Jordy Smith (ZAF), Travis Logie(ZAF)
Heat 4: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS), Jihad Khodr (BRA)
Heat 5: Andy Irons (HAW), Bruce Irons (HAW), Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 6: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Damien Hobgood (USA), Ricky Basnett(ZAF)
Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Taylor Knox (USA), Nic Muscroft
(AUS)
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA), Dayyan Neve (AUS), TBD
Heat 9: Mick Fanning (AUS), Dane Reynolds (USA), TBD
Heat 10: Taj Burrow (AUS), Tom Whitaker (AUS), TBD
Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Chris Ward (USA), Royden Bryson (ZAF)
Heat 12: Luke Stedman (AUS), Mikael Picon (FRA), Daniel Wills (AUS)
Heat 13: Kai Otton (AUS), Neco Padaratz (BRA), Leonardo Neves (BRA)
Heat 14: Tim Reyes (USA), Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Heitor Alves (BRA)
Heat 15: Dean Morrison (AUS), Luke Munro (AUS), Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA) Heat 16: Pancho Sullivan (HAW), Michael Campbell (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS)
The Billabong Pro will be webcast LIVE on www.aspworldtour.com and www.billabongpro.com when competition runs. The event waiting period stretches from July 10-20, 2008.
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Re:Billabong Pro - J Bay - 2008/07/11 20:49
Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay - Big surfing and big scores on day one as J-Bay is torn apart by the world's best
Friday, 11 July 2008
There was no shortage of standout surfing in Round 1 of the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, but it was ASP World Tour veteran Taylor Knox (USA) who stole the show in perfect four to six foot (one to two metre) waves in South Africa today.
Knox posted near perfect 9.90 and a 9.80 wave scores for a combined total of 19.70 out of 20.00 points to take out World No. 2 Joel Parkinson and replacement surfer Nic Muscroft (AUS). Muscroft is surfing in place of an injured Aritz Aranburu (EUK).
“It's really enjoyable to be in a heat like that, it was unreal.” Knox said. “It was exciting, because Parko got the first wave and I could see that it was such a good wave and I knew that once it went by me it would barrel. Right then I saw a big one out the back and just thought, ‘I'm going to get barreled.’”
Knox utilized his entire repertoire while posting the highest heat total of his 15 year, 474 heat ASP World Tour career. In addition to his 9.90 and 9.80 Knox had a 9.00 in his scoreline to spare.
“I’ve had 10s before but I don’t think that I have ever backed it up with a 9.70 so I’d say that this was probably the highest scoring heat I’ve ever surfed,” Knox said.
Parkinson scored a perfect 10 in his heat against Knox, and backed it up with an 8.00 but still came up short. The World No. 2 will meet 1984 Jeffreys Bay Champion Mark Occhilupo (AUS), who earned a wildcard into the event via the VonZipper Trials, in Heat 1 of Round 2.
Eight-time ASP World Champion and ASP ratings leader Kelly Slater (USA) beat Occhilupo and Dayyan Neve (AUS) in Round 1.
“It's nice to have a heat with Occy, especially out here,” Slater said. “There's always a chance that he could get another wildcard, but every event he's in, we're all thinking it might be his last and this is the place that he has really shined over the years.”
Slater has really shined in 2008. Having claimed three of four events this season, he is well and truly poised to campaign for a ninth ASP World Title and is enjoying every minute of it.
“I've been having a lot of fun,” Slater said. “The tour has been a lot of fun and the contests have been fun. I wasn't planning on doing all of the contests this year. I wasn't planning on going to Bells and then I won Bells, so it made Tahiti and Fiji pretty hard to pass up. It's been a miracle year for me so far, everything is falling into the right places at the right times.”
Slater has won at Jeffreys Bay a record three times and stands to increase his lead if he can take out the event a fourth time. Still, Slater’s closest contenders are in form as well.
“JBay has been a great place for me competitively,” Slater said. “But if I were to win I know one of those guys close by me would be in second and another would be in third, so it wouldn't be a huge amount of ground made up, still stranger things have happened. Last year in Trestles most of the best guys lost early on and I made some ground. I could also blow it here and a whole bunch of guys could catch up, so it's still really open. Everyone gets on a hot streak for a little while, so you can't count anyone out at this point.”
World No. 5 Taj Burrow (AUS) won his heat after opening up with a 9.93, the second highest wave score of the day, for a deep barrel ride.
“I was pretty high up the top and I know that Tommy was sniffing around for the same wave, but I got onto it out the back and knew I needed to go as fast as I could,” Burrow said. “By the time I got to the sweet spot it was pretty round so I just went straight through it a couple of times, it was fun!”
Burrow is the defending champion having beat Slater in the Billabong Pro final in Jeffreys Bay last year. He was also runner-up to the ASP World Title last year and is eager to make another run in 2008.
“I feel like I can defend my title.” Burrow said. “It's definitely on my mind because if we want to make a jump on Kelly it's a now or never kind of thing. This is an event I know I can do it in so that's my plan. Everyone is fired up and surfing so well – it's going to be awesome for the spectators but pretty hard for us!”
Reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) put on a signature performance to take out Dane Reynolds (USA) and Hawaiian wildcard Granger Larsen in his Round 1 heat today.
“It was good fun; really nice waves,” Fanning said. “I'm just stoked to start the contest off with a big bang after last year which was pretty sad. When there are waves like this everyone is on their game. These are the Top 45 surfers in the world and everyone rips – so put them on an open canvas like this and watch them go.”
Fanning has dropped to 7th on the ratings but is enjoying a reprieve from the pressure that goes along with chasing a title. He is concentrating on his game, not Slater’s.
“I'm just worried about myself,” Fanning said. “I had a topsy turvy start to the year, but now everything is feeling good so I'm just going to try to concentrate on myself and get the result I need.”
Brazil’s Adriano de Souza, who sits 4th on the ratings, continued his roll to take out South Africans Jordy Smith and Travis Logie today.
"I can't believe I won that heat,” de Souza said. “To have two South African guys in my heat was really hard, they know this spot well. I was sitting out back waiting for the bomb and I got it and got a 9.00 which gave me the confidence to win the heat and beat Jordy. I've been on tour for two years, so I have more experience and I think that is how I won the heat.”
World No. 3 Bede Durbidge (AUS) beat South African Ricky Basnett and Damien Hobgood (USA) and is poised to live up to his potential at JBay.
“People always say I'm a good shot at the title here and I think I am too,” Durbidge said. “Hopefully this year I can live up to it."
Bruce Irons (HAW) scored a last minute victory to send his brother Andy and Australia’s Dan Ross to Round 2.
“I thought I lost,” Bruce said “I walked home and gave my brother my jersey to turn in. Then Joel (Parkinson) came over and told me I won on the last exchange. I didn't think I got it, but it's cool, I get to move on. I'm hoping to get a little more adjusted to the cold water though, I couldn't feel my feet.”
Andy Irons will meet wildcard Granger Larsen in Heat 2 of Round 2 which could run tomorrow.
Fellow Hawaiian Pancho Sullivan missed Round 1 citing travel challenges but will compete in the event if he can make it to South Africa before his Round 2 heat.
An official call on competition status will be made at 7am.
The Billabong Pro will be webcast LIVE on www.aspworldtour.com and www.billabongpro.com.
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Re:Billabong Pro - J Bay - 2008/07/17 16:48
Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay - Kelly Slater (USA) sets the pace heading into the business end in South Africa
Thursday, 17 July 2008
Kelly Slater (USA), professional surfing’s most decorated athlete, showed no signs of slowing down in Jeffreys Bay today. The eight-time ASP World Champion and current ratings leader blitzed in both his Round 3 and Round 4 Billabong Pro clashes.
Slater defeated Travis Logie 19.14 to 12.06 in Heat 8 of Round 3 before beating Tom Whitaker 18.03 to 10.67 in the last heat of the day.
“The waves just came in in that heat,” Slater said. “Tom had a few good ones, but I ended up getting the one big long one with a lot of sections on it. I think I got about eight turns in and then got that little tube at the end. Sometimes you just will your way into certain things and believe it’s going to happen and it does.”
Slater will now meet current World No. 4 Adriano de Souza in Quarterfinal 2.
“Adriano gets it done,” Slater said. “He’s learned a lot over the past couple of years and he’s been impressive out here. He’s been really fast and throwing a lot of spray, and doing a lot of turns, so I’m definitely not going to underestimate him.”
Slater’s closest competition, Joel Parkinson (AUS), relished a narrow victory over fellow Australian Kai Otton in the first heat of Round 4.
“Kai needed an 8.2, he got an 8.1 and he lost by .1,” Parkinson said. “A win is a win. I think I was kind of lucky in a way, but it’s a good result for me. My goal was to lift a little; I felt like I had another notch in me and going into tomorrow everyone is going to be surfing really well.”
Parkinson is currently rated World No. 2. With Slater still in Billabong Pro contention Parkinson knows he has to keep the pace. He will face World No. 3 Bede Durbidge (AUS) in Quarterfinal 1.
“You can’t really slack off at any point now because Kelly has got such a lead,” Parkinson said. “I pretty much have to win all my heats so I’ll try that. I can’t really do anything about what he does, but hopefully come some point toward the end of the yea, I’m still there with a chance.”
Defending Champion Taj Burrow (AUS) beat South African Royden Bryson in Round 3 and has yet to surf Round 4 – only heats one through four of that round were run today. Burrow will meet another South African in Jordy Smith in Heat 7 of Round 4.
“Jordy is a tough heat for sure,” Burrow said. “He’s gotten better and better and he’s got the local crowd behind him and he knows this wave so it will be good.”
Burrow beat Smith in the semifinals of the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay in 2006 when Smith was surfing the event as a wildcard. As the sole South African remaining in the event, both Smith and the local crowd will be looking for revenge.
“I lost to Taj a couple of years ago, so hopefully we get the waves and we’ll see what happens,” Smith said. “I’d love to get him back but Taj is surfing really, really well.”
France’s Jeremy Flores will meet three-time ASP World Champion Andy Irons (HAW) in the last heat of Round 4. Both surfers escaped elimination by advancing out of Round 3 today.
“Andy is one of my favorite surfers and I’ve looked up to him since I was a little kid so having a heat with him is a pleasure,” Flores said. “If I win I’ll be so happy, if I lose it will be kind of normal so I just have to do my best!”
Twenty heats of competition were run in the four to six foot (two metre) conditions on offer today. Only 11 heats of the Billabong Pro remain.
The first heat in the water when Round 4 resumes will be Heat 5 featuring reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning and Hawaiian Bruce Irons. A former winner at JBay, Fanning seems unfazed by his current 7th place rating and is instead concentrating on the second half of 2008.
“I’m surfing good,” Fanning said. “I’ve just had one bad result this year, so that’s a good base for me for the rest of the tour and I really enjoy the second half of the year.”
Chances are excellent that a Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Champion will be crowned tomorrow. An official call on competition status will be made at 7am.
Visit www.aspworldtour.com and www.billabongpro.com for additional information, including surfer quotes, videos and photos.
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Re:Billabong Pro - J Bay - 2008/07/19 09:21
Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay - Slater does it again claiming his fourth ASP victory from five events this season
Friday, 18 July 2008
He’s done it again. Eight-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) beat reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) today to win the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, earn his 38th ASP World Tour victory and claim the fourth event on the 2008 ASP World Tour.
“I didn’t realize I was going to be overwhelmed by it, but I haven’t been in this position before, at this point of the year, with this many wins,” Slater said. “There are great things going on in my life so I’m just trying to soak it up and be appreciative.”
Surfing his 14th season on the ASP World Tour, Slater is still the only member of the Top 45 to win an event this season. The one tournament Slater lost was won by an event wildcard. He now has a 1262 point lead on World No. 2 Joel Parkinson and is in commanding contention to claim his 9th ASP World Title.
“I’ve put a lot of years in obviously, it’s been my life on so many levels for so long, in a way I was trying to pull back from it, but also I do love it,” Slater said. “I get a lot of enjoyment out of competing because competing really pushes your level. The best performances in the world are on tour.”
Slater beat Fanning 16.73 to 9.40 in the Billabong Pro Final. While conditions early this morning were clean and six foot (two metre), onshore winds made the semifinal and final tricky.
“It was really challenging,” Slater said. “You really have to change your frame of mind because we were looking at waves the other day where we were getting 30-45 second rides and doing six to eight maneuvers and now we’re looking at waves where if you get three moves it’s a good score. It’s really hard to change your perception on how you are going to surf a wave. I didn’t really catch on until the very end of that heat when I realized I could get a three move wave and probably seal it.”
With six events remaining, there is still a possibility the title could be clinched by another surfer on the ASP World Tour roster, but the probability that will happen is small – something Slater’s competition knows all too well.
“I’d like to think I have it the bag but I have to be realistic, it’s early on – we’re not quite half way yet,” Slater said. “We have 11 events this year and this is number five. Last year at this point I was looking at Mick [Fanning] that way. He had a first, a couple seconds and a third so I’d imagine being on the same side of that coin and looking at someone with four firsts and a throwaway is probably tough to look at.”
Only one member of the Top 45, Taylor Knox, is older than Slater. At 36, Slater already owns the title of youngest and oldest ASP World Title winner. He won his last World Title at age 34 in 2006.
“When I was a kid I would never have imagined a guy who is 36 winning four events on tour, let alone having a chance at the world title, so I’m just trying to soak that up,” Slater said.
Fanning was understandably disappointed to lose his second final of the year to Slater – the two met in the final of the first event of the year on the Gold Coast of Australia too.
“I surfed like an idiot,” Fanning said. “I had the opportunity to win the whole thing and I fell and I don’t know why. I don’t know what happened, I just had a shocker. I was feeling great, I just couldn’t stay on my board.”
Fanning, who was hoping to defend his ASP World Title this year can’t help but take a defeatist’s look at the 2008 title race.
“I guess it’s not over ‘till it’s over, but it’s like climbing Everest and he’s halfway up the bloody hill,” Fanning said.
Fanning moved to 4th with his second place result at Jeffreys Bay. He beat last year’s World No. 2 and the defending Billabong Pro Champion Taj Burrow (AUS) in the semifinals. Burrow now sits 5th on the ratings.
“I’m pretty disappointed,” Burrow said. “Mick just wave-selected me to death basically. He picked the absolute best waves and must have surfed them pretty well because he got a 9.00. I got really crap waves and tried my guts out to try to do some turns and throw airs but it was just really choppy and hard. I needed to be more patient really.”
Burrow, like most of his compatriots, shares Fanning’s sentiments on Slater’s victory today.
“Kelly wins another final, enough said, unbelievable.” Burrow said. “The door is really closing as far as I can see it. He’s got a ridiculous amount of keepers now so… how many events left? Not enough!”
Slater beat Parkinson in a close semifinal en route to the final. He stays in 2nd on the leaderboard with the result.
“Conditions really deteriorated but I had my chances but I let one or two waves go that I probably shouldn’t have; I could have got my scores on them,” Parkinson said. “It’s hard to tell because you stand up on a wave and it looks like it’s going to be a piece of crap and it turns into a good wave or you stand up on a wave that looks good and it turns into a piece of crap. That’s the nature of the game.”
The next event on the 2008 ASP World Tour remains undisclosed. The “Search” event will be held July 30-August 10, 2008, “Somewhere.”
For more details visit www.aspworldtour.com and www.billabongpro.com.
Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Final Results:
Final: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.73 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 9.40
Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Semifinal Results:
Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.00 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14.17
Heat 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.84 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 11.83
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