Parko in good company: Slater knows all about heartbreak in Hawaii

Champion ... Mick Fanning is chaired up the beach by Joel Parkinson, left, and Dean Morrison after claiming the world title. Photo: Getty Images

OAHU: Kelly Slater says Joel Parkinson's mental toughness is about to face its toughest examination.

Parkinson's loss of the world title to Mick Fanning at the Billabong Pipeline Masters came after he seemed certain to become world No.1 following his three triumphs in the first five events of the year. But an ankle injury sustained in Bali, a string of shock defeats and Fanning's blistering late-season charge all conspired against him. Slater, who lost a Pipe shoot-out to Andy Irons for the 2003 world championship before the lingering disappointment led to an ordinary 2004, claimed Parkinson might struggle to a similar degree.

''Talk about a dominant start to the year with Parko,'' the nine-time world champion said.

''And talk about a more dominant finish to the year by Mick. It's been a great see-saw battle. They were probably battling each other in PE classes at school and now they've been battling each other at Pipe. To have it stolen from under you like Joel has, that's probably pretty disheartening for him right now. Halfway through the year everyone was saying it was going to be boring because Parko was just on fire, but I kept saying to people, 'Don't write it off. Joel runs hot at some stage of every single year, but not the whole year.' It happened. A few of us saw the opening a few months ago but Mick was the only one who could do something about it.''

Slater advanced to the quarter-finals at Pipe alongside Australians Bede Durbidge, Taj Burrow and Dean Morrison. The event is likely to finish today. Parkinson threw everything into this year's campaign and Slater said it would require great resilience for him to do it all again. More resilience than Slater could find after Irons gazumped him. ''What Mick has done here would have Joel really frustrated,'' he said.

''To have the start to the year Joel had, but still lose, I'd say next year is going to be a really tough year for Joel mentally. I had that year in '03 when I came real close but I lost to Andy and that basically threw me for the next 12 months. I'm not saying that has to happen to anyone else but for me, to lose the world title in the last contest at Pipe, that's devastating. You can get scared of putting yourself back in that situation because you might just get disappointed all over again.''

On Fanning, Slater added: ''He's definitely one of the best competitors of all time in the surf game. He doesn't go out and try to light the world on fire like a Dane Reynolds. He goes out to do his job and his job is to win contests. He's one of the best surfers in the world without always being the guy pushing it to the next level. But those guys don't win contests. Mick wins heats and contests, and world titles. He wins in all conditions. He's pretty much the ultimate competitor out here right now.'

Pipeline is the Mecca of the surfing world, and it is at this legendary location that we are proud to announce Volcom's first ever ASP event: The Volcom Pipeline Pro, a WQS 5-star event running with a waiting period from January 23rd – February 5th, 2010.

Volcom has been deeply rooted on the North Shore since the early 1990's. It all started with our first team houses at Turtle Bay, then Rocky Point, then V-Land, and Sunset - until finally settling permanently at our dual beachfront locations directly in front of the Banzai Pipeline.

"To have our own contest in front of the Volcom Pipe Houses is truly amazing," says Volcom Founder and CEO, Richard Woolcott. "I think it's going to be a great event for everyone; the surfers, the spectators and the community. This is something I never would have imagined when starting Volcom... It really is a dream come true."


Pipeline in 2009. Photo by Tom Carey
The Volcom Pipeline Pro will feature a prize purse of US $120,000 and be a great opportunity for locals to get much needed WQS and Triple Crown points.

"We're super pumped to host an event at Pipeline," says Troy Eckert, VP of Marketing. "This is the place that separates the men from the boys, and we're all very honored to be involved at this level. I'm glad that we are able to step in and support the Hawaiian surfing community."

Volcom has always been dedicated to Hawaii - from supporting a team of world- class Hawaiian athletes and ambassadors, to giving back to the community through local charitable events, sponsorships and organizations. The Volcom Pipeline Pro is the next step in our commitment to Hawaii and we hope you'll join us, either on the beach at "The Proving Grounds" or via live webcast at Volcom.com.

For all Volcom news, go to Volcom.com

Superior Firepower

When Everything is on the Line at the Most Hollow Wave on the

WCT Circuit, the Boards Behind the Curtain Make all the Difference

In 2008 Kelly Slater may have dominated the Pipeline Masters on a supremely unorthodox sled—a ride he and shaper Al Merrick dubbed “The Deep Six”—but it was hardly the first time (and certainly won’t be the last time) that somebody took a slightly different tack and introduced the world to something out of the norm.

Over the years the famed Banzai reef has played a vital roll in the progressive development of everything from 7’6” pintail stilettos to 5’6” plugs. In the early 1960s when Butch Van Artsdalen and John Peck were first penetrating the lineup, their boards were the biggest barrier to entry. As board sizes started to creep down, and surfers demanded equipment to achieve performance possibilities. Mike Hynson and Dick Brewer explored the down rail concept; Gerry Lopez and Rory Russell were quick to adopt the new shift in design, and tube riding changed seemingly overnight.

The early 1980’s saw another revolution when Simon Anderson introduced his (then) radical 3-fin Thruster concept – and proceeded to prove its merits by winning the 1981 Pipeline Masters.

This year the 8 finalists in the Billabong Pipe Masters are as motley a crew as you could have ever predicted: ASP veteran brothers CJ and Damien Hobgood, Coolangatta tube terror Dean Morrison, local Pipe specialist Flynn Novak, consummate competitor Bede Durbidge, Backdoor dynamo Taj Burrow, power prodigy Dane Reynolds, and super-freak Kelly Slater. And their surfboards are as varied as their unique talents.

Taj Burrow makes no secret of his love affair with Backdoor – especially when he can get it with only one other guy in the line-up. His quiver starts with a 6’1” Firewire but if it gets bigger (as expected for Tuesday) he may opt for 6’5 or 6’7” All his shapes are 18 1/8 X2 1/8 rounded pins with fixed fins.

Dane Reynolds has been riding a 6-6 proton step up, round pin (his model just made for a little bigger stuff, like Pipe.) The board is single concave and has a lot of curve - kind of an old faithful one from last year.

On Saturday Kelly was surfing this year’s version of his “Deep Six” model. It’s a design from the board he rode at Pipe last year which by the way was his back up board. In short the board is sort of 2 boards stuck together: a gun tail and a short board nose - 5’11” in length and just normal dimensions for the rest , He creased the new one pretty good in his last heat so it’s on the shed getting fixed. The big difference with the newer version: 4 fins as to the 3 fins from last years.
When the comp starts back up however, anything could be pulled out of the bag.

It remains to be seen if Slater’s new-age alternative equipment will have nearly the impact, but it’s a safe bet that as long as people are trying to get deeper in the tube at Pipe they’ll continue to push the limits of the boards they ride.

Watch the action as it resumes Tuesday at the Billabong Pipeline Masters. Van’s Triple Crown has all the action and FuelTV will broadcast the finals LIVE on television.

http://www.triplecrownofsurfing.com/pipelinemasters/index.html

Billabong - USA

The Third annual 'Dirty South' surf contest went off with waves. This year we set that date of Saturday Dec 5 and thats why we added skim, stand up paddle board and prone paddleboard. There were little waves really early from the day before's south swell. It wasn't enough to legitimately hold even the SUP surf contest. So we kicked things off with the paddleboard race from the jetty at South Beach to the 10th street buoy. It was won by local lifeguard Johnny Canellas on his 10'6" board in a time of 34.26 and the top female paddleboarder Lee Emerson-Smith and head lifeguard took second with  37.29 and Lucas Bocanegra 37.48. Johnny took home the new hull bottom single fin from Viking surfboards and he was donating it to their surf academy so others could learn to surf on it.

The SUP world champion was in town to win the SUP race, that also took the same track as the paddleboarders and was 2.1 miles long. Local Hawaiian Roray Kam took second with a time of 30 minutes, with Bob Paskowitz and Jim Levine to follow. Ekolu Kalama of Hawaii wins the race and the Viking 12 foot sup board that was lighter than all my short surf boards.

The skimmers turned out and the conditions were ideal for them as they could even ride the small ripples. The competition was decent and Danny Rodriguez held everyone off, even local surfer/skimmer Wyatt Krapf to take the win at the first skim contest ever held on South Beach as part of the third annual 'Dirty South' surf contest. Maybe Wyatt will get to show off his other skills next year. Danny won a Viking Hybrid short surf board with Bob Marley all over it. The beautiful trophies were made by hand by Red Dog with help from Annie Tworoger. Next years event will take place Saturday Dec 11 2010 and we will continue to hope for the best when comes to waves here in South Beach.

Thanks to all who helped and participated, like Ark Paddleboards: it was alot of fun, especially to see all the smiling faces.

A big thanks goes out to our major sponsors Viking surf and paddleboards and Quiksilver, who provided all the prizes. Thanks to our media sponsors shrimpcreole.com, tubedtv.com, surfguru.com and dadecosurf.com. Thanks to our only fully local sponsor F1rst Shop. Thanks to Elite Flyers for the flyers and posters and to Acm for the t shirts. A special thanks goes out  to the staff of the Miami Beach Life and Rescue for all their help and support

photos provided by Andrew Mckenzie

Johnny Canellas running across the finish line and winning the paddleboard division of the third annual 'Dirty South' surf contest

Paddleboard winners from left to right

LANCE-O, Rolando from Viking surfboards, Lee Emerson-Smith, Johnny Canellas and kneeling third place finisher Lucas Bocanegra

Stand Up Paddleboard start

Stand Up paddleboard winners pictured

LANCE-O, Ekolu Kalama, Rolando, Roray Kam, Sean Collins(in the back), Bob Paskowitz and top SUP female Sandy Raue

Top skimmer in form Danny Rodriguez

Big Waves Hit Your iPhone: Vans Launches First Ever Live Surfing app at Vans Triple Crown of Surfing

Coinciding with the arrival of huge waves on Oahu's famous North Shore, surf fans can catch all the live action of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing with a $0.99 iPhone application, available now at the iTunes store.

Delivering live contest webcasts, dynamic, real-time scoring and video-on-demand among its many features, the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing app is the first ever live mobile webcast application for any action sports event, and is a first for an Association of Surfing Professionals event.

The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing presented by Rockstar Energy Drink showcases top-ranked surfers in three big wave contests at the world's most iconic venues:

Haleiwa - Reef Hawaiian Pro, Nov. 12-23 - FINAL DAYS!
Sunset Beach - O'Neill World Cup of Surfing, Nov. 24-Dec.6
Banzai Pipeline - Billabong Pipe Masters, Dec. 8-20

The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing iPhone App includes:

LIVE CONTEST WEBCAST (WiFi only) - Each Vans Triple Crown of Surfing event streamed live in low, medium and high bandwidth.

LIVE RESULTS - Dynamic heat scores after each wave is surfed.

VIDEOS (WiFi only) - Daily event highlights, highest scoring rides, rider interviews.

PHOTOS - Live ASP photo feed with new images refreshed throughout the day.

NEWS - Daily news updates on competition, competitors, conditions, outstanding performances/best rides, and anything else that is noteworthy for the day.

FORECASTS -Daily surf report "powered by Surfline" with current surf conditions and swell forecast.

PUSH ALERTS - Let's you know when live event webcast is available.

Making the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing presented by Rockstar Energy Drink possible: Reef, O'Neill, Billabong, Gidget Worldwide, Nixon, Turtle Bay Resort, Hawaiian Airlines, JN Automotive Group, Surfing Magazine, Surfline.com, FUEL TV, The Honolulu Advertiser, Hawaiian Springs Water, Road Runner, Climb On! chemical-free skincare, and the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP). The Series is proud to announce that it is working with local company Tr3ees to embark upon a greener, more sustainable future.

http://www.vans.com/vans/iphone.asp

Stop No. 8 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Mundaka experienced an array of conditions for the event, from clean surf on the opening day at Mundaka to a lengthy seven-day wait before a marathon 24-heat session yesterday, culminating into today's dramatic finale.

Adriano de Souza (BRA), 22, who had previously experienced in the ASP World Junior Championships (winning in 2003) and on the ASP World Qualifying Series winning in 2005), was rapt with his inaugural ASP World Tour victory.

"I don't have words to express how happy I am right now,"De Souza said. "I have been working so hard for this ever since winning the ASP World Junior Championships and the ASP WQS. To finally win here in Mundaka, where the culture is so rich and the people love surfing so much, is an incredible thing. This is the most special day of my life."

The young Brazilian dominated the crumbling lefthander of Sopelana, racking up an insurmountable 16.40 out of a possible 20 to overtake his Australian opponent, resulting in his history-making win as the first South American to take out the prestigious event win.

"The conditions have been hard for this event but we surfed the best waves that were available to us," De Souza said. "Davo (Chris Davidson) is such a strong surfer and he has been going after a win for so long. When he beat C.J. (Hobgood) in the Semifinals, I knew it was going to be a battle. I was able to get the better waves today and that's why I won."

The victory rockets De Souza into a solid 3rd place on the 2009 ASP World Tour ratings, putting him within striking distance for a shot at the ASP World Title.

"I'm not thinking about the world title right now,"De Souza said. "I am just enjoying my win. This is the biggest win of my career and have a lot of confidence heading into the next events."

Davidson, who's storied career amongst the world's best surfers has seen him qualifying and falling off tour multiple times, secured his best ever result today with his Runner-Up finish at the Billabong Pro Mundaka.

"Everything has felt special at this event for some reason,"Davidson said. "Everything has clicked and I've felt confident in every heat. Couldn't find the waves in the Final, but congrats to Adriano (de Souza) - it's a truly deserving win."

The win vaults Davidson into 20th position on the 2009 ASP World Tour ratings, well within the requalification cutoff for 2010.

"It was a really crucial event for me in terms of the ratings," Davidson said. "I was on the bubble heading into this event and knew I needed to pull something out of the bag. I'm frothing for the next event and the rest of the year."

C.J. Hobgood (USA), 30, former ASP World Champion (2001), matched his best result today, finishing equal 3rd and solidifying his position at 4th on the ASP World Tour ratings.

"I'm really stoked for Davo (Chris Davidson), but it's disappointing at the same time," Hobgood said. "I'm happy that I matched my best result this season, but was hoping for better. I felt like I prepared well and surfed conditions similar to this most of the week, but in the end, I couldn't edge into the Final."

Kelly Slater (USA), 37, reigning nine-time ASP World Champion, was in stunning form throughout the event despite nursing an Ilio-tibial band strain in his knee, only losing to eventual winner De Souza in a tightly fought Semifinal bout.

"The knee felt okay today," Slater said. "It was sore walking downhill but felt okay out in the lineup. I guess I'm still in contention (for the ASP World Title), but we'll see how it pans out."

The race for the 2009 ASP World Title is far from over and the world's best surfers will battle it out in the remaining two events.

Next stop on the 2009 ASP World Tour will be the Rip Curl Pro Search in Peniche, Portugal from 19 - 28, 2009.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG PRO MUNDAKA FINAL RESULTS:
1. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.40
2. Chris Davidson (AUS) 11.83

BILLABONG PRO MUNDAKA SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Chris Davidson (AUS) 13.84 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 10.53
SF 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.00 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 15.93

BILLABONG PRO MUNDAKA QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 14.00 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 10.97
QF 2: Chris Davidson (AUS) 13.40 def. Drew Courtney (AUS) 10.10
QF 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.33 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 10.67
QF 4: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.33 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 10.60

BILLABONG PRO MUNDAKA ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 8.00 def. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 6.17
Heat 2: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.93 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 10.90
Heat 3: Chris Davidson (AUS) 14.73 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 14.17
Heat 4: Drew Courtney (AUS) 13.26 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 10.74
Heat 5: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 14.44 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.10
Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.16 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 11.44
Heat 7: Kelly Slater (USA) 12.93 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 9.26
Heat 8: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.60 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 11.43

CURRENT ASP WORLD TOUR TOP 10 (After Billabong Pro Mundaka):
1. Mick Fanning (AUS) 6350 points
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 6306 points
3. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 5773 points
4. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 5748 points
5. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 5524 points
6. Kelly Slater (USA) 5514 points
7. Taj Burrow (AUS) 5149 points
8. Bobby Martinez (USA) 4914 points
9. Taylor Knox (USA) 4816 points
10. Damien Hobgood (USA) 4794 points

The Billabong Pro Mundaka is back ON in two-to-three foot (1 metre) surf at the backup site of Sopelana.

Event No. 8 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Mundaka will open up this morning with Heat 9 of Round 1, continuing with the elimination man-on-man format utilized on Day 1 of competition.

“The swell has increased since yesterday and we’ll be getting underway at 9:15am with Heat p of Round 1,” Mike Parsons, Billabong Pro Mundaka Contest Director, said. “We’ll be monitoring conditions throughout the day, but plan on running as many heats as possible.”

Kai Otton
 

Up first this morning is ASP Dream Tour veteran Dean Morrison (AUS), 28, up against event wildcard Dean Bowen (AUS) in Heat 9 of Round 1.

The Billabong Pro Mundaka will be available web LIVE via www.billabongpro.com/mundaka09/

The Billabong Pro Mundaka will host the world’s best surfers from October 5 through 17, 2009.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

"My Retrosinglefin"  Photo by Don McManamy

So you’ve been watching Fuel TV and you’re completely amped watching Kelly Slater kill it on every wave. Or you’ve been in your local Barnes and Noble sipping coffee while picking through a Surfer’s Journal or some other adventure rag looking at pictures of toothy grinned adventurers enjoying an exotic laid back beach scene in some far off land. Then you arrive at a place where you say to yourself, that’s awesome, I wish I could do that. Sadly, for a lot of people that is as close as they get to surfing because like so many, they fall prey to misconceptions. I’m here to tell you it is completely possible. You just need some basic skills, and a little inside information.
Swimming is the first skill you really need. You don’t have to be Michael Phelps, just good enough to keep yourself afloat and able to get back to the beach. I’ve pulled people out of the ocean because they overzealously went too far and were sucked out into overhead depths and couldn’t swim. Don’t get yourself into a situation where you endanger yourself. Learn to swim if you want to surf.
The next skill is environmental awareness. The ocean is not a swimming pool, it is an environment and you should know a bit about it. Ocean shorelines have tides, currents, rips, sand bars, underwater obstacles, jetties, sea life and other people in them. You shouldn’t be scared of these things, but you need to be aware of each if they are present. This is very important and will help you to easily avoid big trouble.
Now let’s talk about some inside information. Surfers have a reputation for being territorial which is a bit of a misconception. Surfers, like anyone else, expect people to obey the rules. Like every sport surfing has them, chief among them is the right of way.
The surfer closest to the curl, or the part of the wave that is breaking, has the right of way. When you catch a wave with someone who is closer to the curl you are “dropping in” on them and often people will tell you not to do it, loudly. They’ll probably even call you “kook” which is surfing slang that I guess is most delicately described as, dummy-rule-breaker-that-doesn’t-get-it. They may even throw in a few more expletives if it’s a close call or a really good wave.
This is where the territorial thing comes from because there is just no way an outsider going it alone can know about this rule of rules. They probably have no idea what dropping in means or what a kook is either, so it just looks like surfers yell at the new guys, which can appear territorial.
It’s also a bad idea to ditch your board. This is what a lot of new people do when they find themselves trying to get out and are confronted by a breaking wave. Mild panic forces many new surfers to release their boards and dive under waves. The released surfboard is now a projectile that can strike anyone behind you. This can really hurt a person or damage their board so you should hold onto your board at all times. Always use a leash. A leash is a cord made of very pliable plastic that attaches the board to your ankle and comes in a variety of sizes. The length of your leash should be roughly equivalent to the length of your board.
It is a very good idea to take lessons. If you want you’re learning curve to spike, go to a surfshop and inquire about it, as many here in New Jersey offer lessons, like this one http://www.heritagesurf.com/lessons.htm
Not only will you get a lot of good advice on how to stand and ride, but you’ll increase your confidence level. This usually leads to having more fun, more quickly. Don’t be concerned about age either. One time a buddy of mine taught a lesson for three generations of a family, a father, his son and his grandson. They had a blast and so did my buddy.
Getting your hands on a board is easy as most shops provide rentals. For those of you that are sure you will love surfing and have to get your own board, here are some things you should know.
Basically there are three types of surfboards, longboards, shortboards and funboards. Longboards are at least nine feet in length and are very buoyant and stable. These characteristics make them ideal for beginners because they are easy to paddle and stand up on. However their size can be a bit overwhelming when it comes time to turn.
Short boards are generally less than seven feet in length and are much narrower, thinner and squirrely. These characteristics make them difficult to handle for those just starting out and in turn may make the learning process really stretch out.
This brings us to funboards. These are the best for beginners because they offer much of the stability and float of longboards as well as some of the maneuverability of shortboards. They also give you the option of figuring out through experience which direction you want your surfing to go. Another plus is the really good resale value. Yes that’s right, there is a good market for used boards and I’ve yet to go into a surf shop that doesn’t deal in it. Funboards, if well maintained, tend to retain their value better than other boards.
I gave a bit of vernacular earlier with kook and dropping in. Surfing has a ton of terminology, don’t worry you’ll pick it up as you go, just please be aware that moondoggie is out. In fact I don’t think it was ever in.
I leave you with one final thought. This is a great activity but sometimes people make a big deal out of how good a surfer is. I heard someone say this once, it has stuck with me ever since and every time I go surfing it becomes even more important a truth. The best surfer is the one having the most fun.

Jordy Smith’s Indo Rodeo Flip: Most Radical Manuever Ever Pulled?

It has been a big news day over at Quiksilver. The company announced today it was extending 9-time ASP champ Kelly Slater’s contract for five years.

Here’s the release:

Quiksilver, Inc.  today announced that it has signed legendary 9-time ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Champion Kelly Slater to a 5-year endorsement contract, extending his sponsorship arrangement with the company and ensuring that the greatest surfer of all time will be sponsored by Quiksilver for his entire competitive career.

Robert B. McKnight, Jr., Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of Quiksilver, Inc., commented, “We couldn’t be more pleased than to continue our long-standing relationship with the greatest surfer the sport has ever known. Kelly has been a fantastic spokesman for Quiksilver, a terrific ambassador and promoter for the sport of surfing and a true friend of the company. Kelly continues to work toward broadening the exposure of surfing through projects such as his upcoming IMAX movie and he’s got some great ideas that we will work on together to enhance the marketability of surfing and bring surf competitions to a broader audience in new and innovative ways. Kelly’s agreement to accept a significant portion of his compensation in the form of Quiksilver stock demonstrates his confidence in Quiksilver and our future prospects. We are absolutely delighted to continue our partnership with Kelly.”

Kelly Slater added, “Quiksilver’s been family to me for so long it’s hard to remember a time before them. It might not come as a surprise to many people that I’ve re-signed with them but there have been major transitions in my life and many changes within Quiksilver. It’s a long relationship and things often alter over the course of time. In our case, we’ve got exciting projects that coincide and are still stoked working and surfing together. These next 5 years and beyond will end up being our best together. As we put our minds and efforts together capturing our lifestyle and creating product that reflects this, I see Quiksilver remaining the industry leader. Revisiting what got us there and breaking new ground into some unforeseen areas, it seems things are on the upswing and it’s a fresh time again.”