Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior Action Resumes on Saturday
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., May 6, 2010 – The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME 6.0 Lowers Pro saw the event’s top seeds revel in pristine six foot conditions at Lower Trestles and the iconic pointbreak played host to world-class performances by several ASP Dream Tour competitors including a mind-blowing display of progressive surfing by current ASP World Title No. 2 Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, who posted the event’s first perfect 10-point ride.
With the shift into the ASP One World Rating in tow for the 2010 season, the 6.0 Lowers Pro’s PRIME status attracted 36 ASP Dream Tour surfers who are out to combat the hottest up-and-coming talent to capitalize on the mass of ratings points and $145,000 prize purse on offer at Lower Trestles.
Smith went on a tear in the final heat of the day, ripping through several 8-point scores before punting two massive aerials and wrapping up with a committed tail-blow on a single wave to post his perfect 10-point score. The flawless ride was tagged on to his previous high score to solidify the highest heat total of the entire event, an amazing 18.93 out of 20.
“The waves have been absolutely pumping all day,” Smith said. “Everyone has been getting pretty big scores today, so to get a 10, it’s pretty overwhelming.”
The South African prodigy has been in impeccable form throughout his third year on the ASP Dream Tour and feels that his current standing amongst the elite is due to his growing familiarity of life on the ASP Dream Tour.
“I’m feeling good on tour this year,” Smith said. “Mainly, I think I’ve just gone back to being myself. I’ve just been cruising and hanging out with friends a bunch. The first couple of years on tour, I kind of went from being a school kid to being alumni overnight and it was kind of tough dealing with that. I’m just trying to find my feet and it’s all working out for me.”
Dane Reynolds (Ventura, CA), 24, went absolutely ballistic in his opening heat, combining massive tail-drifting turns and rail-to-rail power gouges to snag the second-highest single wave score of the event, a 9.47 out of 10 on a lengthy righthand wall en route to posting an impressive 17.54 out of 20 heat total.
“The surf is huge out there,” Reynolds said. “For once at Trestles, you’re actually not looking for the biggest waves. I was actually looking for the smaller insiders, it was pretty cool.”
Reynolds, who is currently rated No. 6 on the ASP Dream Tour, is enjoying the empty Lower Trestles lineup during his heats while capitalizing on the precious ratings points on offer at the 6.0 Lowers Pro.
“It’s nice to be doing an event close to home,” Reynolds said. “I think that’s why I did this contest, to not have to travel and get some waves at Trestles and just go out and surf, really. You want to make your heat just so you can go out there and surf again.”
Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY), 28, unleashed a solid performance in his Round 2 heat to take a massive win over three-time ASP World Champion Andy Irons (Hanalei, HI), 31, who advanced in second, Australian ASP Dream Tour surfer Jay Thompson (AUS), 27, and Brazilian talent Marcio Farney (BRA).
“I’ve surfed against Andy twice before, once in France and once in Hawaii and he destroyed me,” Gonzales said. “It was great to surf with him and get a heat win. I just tried to focus on my surfing. It’s not often that you get great conditions like this in your heat.”
Tom Whitaker (AUS), 30, was another ASP World Title Race surfer to stand tall amongst the elite field competing in the ideal afternoon conditions with lightning fast rail-to-rail power surfing and crucial fin wafts to post a convincing Round 2 victory with a 17.25 heat total.
“It’s ridiculous how good it is out there right now,” Whitaker said. “I’ve been on the tour for eight or nine years and I’ve never seen it this good. There are just so many waves coming through and the boys can really light up, it’s sick to watch.”
The Australian standout is hoping that the south swell will stick around for the remaining days and is out to continue to rip into the perfect Lowers conditions on offer with his fellow ASP Dream Tour campaigners.
“Any time a really good event is put on at a world-class place like this you’re going to get the best surfers in the world,” Whitaker said. “It’s not even all about the points, I’m looking forward to having a lot of fun in these conditions and just going out and ripping with everyone.”
Tomorrow’s 6.0 Lowers Pro action will begin at 8 am local time with the Round of 48. Watch the high-quality webcast with live video coverage and scoring at nike6lowerspro.com.
The Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior will resume action with the Quarters, Semis and Finals on Saturday. For more about the Oakley Pro Junior, visit oakleyprojunior.com.
The 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of sponsors. A special thank you goes out to title sponsor Nike 6.0 and junior title sponsor Oakley, co-sponsors Red Bull and Corralejo Tequila, and media sponsors Surfer (surfermag.com), Surfing (surfingthemag.com) and FUEL TV.
6.0 Lowers Pro Round of 96 Results:
Heat 4: Nat Young (USA), 11.47, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.90, Kai Otton (AUS) 10.56, Tim Boal (FRA) 8.84
Heat 5: Taylor Knox (USA) 12.24, Tim Reyes (USA) 11.33, Dayyan Neve (AUS) 9.63, Hugo Savalli (REU) 8.07
Heat 6: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 13.30, Shaun Cansdell (AUS) 13.26, Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 12.90, Mason Ho (HAW) 10.56
Heat 7: Nate Yeomans (USA) 12.83, Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 12.40, Daniel Ross (AUS) 10.66, Damien Fahrenfort (ZAF) 9.48
Heat 8: Chris Davidson (AUS) 16.77, Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA) 13.77, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.70, Kai Barger (HAW) 8.26
Heat 9: Adrian Bucchan (AUS) 16.43, Adam Robertson (AUS) 16.33, Glen Hall (IRL) 12.34, Marlon Lipke (DEU) 11.20
Heat 10: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.00, Kolohe Andino (USA) 11.77, Marco Polo (BRA) 11.67, Brian Toth (PRI) 8.83
Heat 11: Dylan Graves (PRI) 14.10, Eric Geiselman (USA) 13.80, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 12.17, Brett Simpson (USA) 8.67
Heat 12: Jadson Andre (BRA) 16.20, Sebastien Zietz (HAW) 11.87, Brandon Jackson (ZAF) 9.33, Chris Waring (USA) 7.40
Heat 13: Dane Reynolds (USA) 17.54, Michael Picon (FRA) 12.27, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 12.26, Leonardo Neves (BRA) 11.17
Heat 14: John John Florence (HAW) 15.93, Dean Morrison (AUS) 13.66, Dusty Payne (HAW) 11.20, Tonino Benson (HAW) 8.07
Heat 15: Tiago Pires (PRT) 14.50, Blake Thornton (AUS) 13.94, Darrell Goodrum (USA) 7.77, Shaun Ward (USA) 6.23
Heat 16: Owen Wright (AUS) 14.50, David Weare (ZAF) 11.50, Willian Cardoso (BRA) 6.83, Joel Centeio (HAW) 6.67
Heat 17: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.70, Gabe Kling (USA) 15.97, Maxime Huscenot (REU) 12.24, Alain Riou (PYF) 11.37
Heat 18:Thiago Camarao (BRA) 14.93, Cory Lopez (USA) 14.06, Neco Padaratz (BRA) 13.20, Luke Munro (AUS) 10.94
Heat 19:Jonathan Gonzales (CNY) 17.00, Andy Irons (HAW) 12.94, Jay Thompson (AUS) 12.43, Marcio Farney (BRA) 10.24
Heat 20: Nathan Hedge (AUS) 15.13, Dion Atkinson (AUS) 12.13, Bernardo Miranda (BRA) 9.86, Michel Bourez (PYF) 9.47
Heat 21: Joan Duru (FRA) 14.80, Damien Hobgood (USA) 14.07, Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) 11.40, Jean Da Silva (BRA) 11.03
Heat 22: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 17.25, Josh Kerr (AUS) 13.40, Jarrad Sullivan (AUS) 13.24, Blake Jones (USA) 12.34
Heat 23: Wiggoly Dantas (BRA) 15.33, Drew Courtney (AUS) 13.60, Mick Campbell (AUS) 12.77, Rudy Palmboom (ZAF) 7.40
Heat 24: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 18.93, Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 15.27, Austin Ware (USA) 13.43, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.33
OVERVIEW: Good size south-southwest swell will very gradually start to fade through the day on Friday. The fading trend will continue on Saturday, although fun size waves will continue. Small northwest windswell will also mix in through Saturday.
FRIDAY 7th: SWELL/SURF: Slow fading SSW swell with more 4-6’ surf (shoulder high to slightly overhead) in the morning along with a few larger sets running up to a couple feet overhead on occasion. Easing surf prevails for the afternoon. Small NW windswell also mixing in. WIND: Light/variable to light south early morning wind. SW shifting W wind builds for the afternoon 8-12kts.
SATURDAY 8th: SWELL/SURF: Fading, but still fun SSW swell in the 3-4-5’ range (waist to head high) with some bigger waves possible early. Small NW windswell also mixing in. WIND: Light/variable in the early morning, with moderate+ W wind in the afternoon 9-14kts.
About Nike 6.0
The Nike 6.0 brand defines innovation and embodies the creativity of youth, united by action. Nike 6.0 delivers footwear and apparel to support the new generation of action sports athletes who are changing the worlds of surf, snow, moto, BMX, wake and freeski. Their unlimited potential and contagious energy deliver the future through performance and lifestyle. www.nike6.com
About Oakley, Inc.
The global leader in performance sunglasses, goggles and prescription eyewear, Oakley also offers technical and lifestyle apparel, footwear, watches and accessories. The company was created for athletes who see impossibility as just another challenge, and their dedication inspires Oakley to seek out problems, solve with innovation and wrap invention in art. Exceeding the limits of possibility for more than thirty years, Oakley serves the demands of world-class athletes with unbeatable technologies including High Definition Optics® (HDO®). Additional information is available at oakley.com.
About Source Interlink Media’s Action Sports Group (ASG):
Reaching more than two million enthusiasts, Source Interlink Media’s Action Sports Group (ASG) is the dominant force in the action sports and adventure sports arenas. In addition to publishing leading lifestyle publications such as Surfer, Surfing, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Bike, Powder and Canoe & Kayak, Source Interlink Media’s ASG delivers a cutting-edge network of online properties, events and television programming.
Media Contacts:
Dawn Hamilton Elishia Matta
KHPR for ASG SURFER PR Manager
310-295-1189 949-370-7083
dhamilton@khpublicrelations.com elishia.matta@sorc.com
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