See those ominous clouds? Feel that whipping wind blowing straight onshore at Barra da Tijuca? That’s why after five days of waiting the 2011 Billabong Pro Rio has yet to run even one men’s heat.
“Unfortunately we’ve got bad winds are definitely not running today,” Richie Porta, ASP International Head Judge said. “The good news is we’ve got swell on the rise and conditions have been forecasted to improve and we’re looking to get things started tomorrow.”
Stay tuned tomorrow morning (May 17, 2011) at 3 AM PST (7 AM local) to see if the guys will finally get in the water. Afterall, there are only six days left in the waiting period. Follow the jump for the official word from the ASP. [click to continue…]
With a win over Sally Fitzgibbons,Carissa Moore took the 2011 Billabong Pro Rio (her third elite tour win of the season), solidified her lead in the rankings and helped end four-time world champ Stephanie Gilmore’s hopes of a fifth consecutive title.
“I just went out there and had fun and to me there was no pressure in the Final,” Moore said. “I was just stoked to be in the Final regardless of how I finished. Obviously I’m happy that I won. The girls really didn’t go on those lefts, but they worked out for me today.”
Gilmore got past Laura Enerver in the quarterfinals, but in the semis Fitzgibbons put her away 13.16 to 9.23.
“It was tough work out there,” Gilmore said. “Sally (Fitzgibbons) got a couple and I had some opportunities. I only needed a six and was too deep on that wave that came in at the end. Sally’s in the zone right now.” . . .“I’m going through so many emotions right now, it’s hard,” Gilmore said. “It’s been a pretty good year and Sally and Carissa (Moore) have been on fire. It’s good for the sport and good for me. I really don’t know what to say.”
It’s nice to see that not much has changed when it comes to the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association Surf Summit in Los Cabos, Baja, Mexico. At their 14th Annual event held May 11-14, 2011, it appears that the usual industry suspects, drank, surfed, and sat in air-conditioned meetings rooms just as they have for the last 13 years. Click here for the official party photos with little or no commentary whatsoever. Come to think of it, that’s probably all you need to know. Can’t wait for next year.
Surfer Adrian Bronson, 37, was in shallow water on May 13, 2011 “near the Harvard Drive beach approach in Ormond Beach, Floride when he felt a nip in his calf.
He sustained minor puncture wounds and didn’t go to the hospital, Marris said. After surfing, he went to work, she said. . . This is the second shark bite incident off Volusia County beaches this year, she said.
Volusia County sharks better hurry up if they want to hold onto their title as the “shark bite capital of the world.” Two this year? Someone is slacking.
Yes, Tyler Wright (pictured above) slayed Courtney Conlogue and Claire Bevilacqua in Round 1 Heat 1 of the 2011 Billabong Pro Rio and after a few falls Stephanie Gilmore finally got back into world champion form in the two to three-foot surf, but it was Alana Blanchard’s bronzed, bouncing buns bobbing between breaks that had the Internet buzzing.
“After watching Alana’s heat this am, I am fried,” said one fan. “My gosh. When in Rio do as the Rios do.”
Even the webcast camera operators seemed to find it hard to keep the coverage in the PG rated zone whenever Alana was in the water. They were constantly panning away, or zooming in on the back of her head while Alana was paddling out.
For her part, Alana looked pretty comfortable in her tiny Rip Curl Alana’s Closet bikini. After a third place finish in Round 1 behind Sofia Mulanovich and Coco Ho, she turned it up in Round 2 and soundly trounced Jessi Miley-Dyer 13.10 to 8.70.
The rest of the women’s Round 1 and 2 heats went pretty much as expected with the top seeds doing what they do. For the official word from the ASP, including not one word about Alana Blanchard, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
The Newport Beach, California City Council voted unanimously last night (May 10, 2011) to approve a zoning change that would allow iconic 50-year-old surf shop The Frog House to remain in its current location, according to a story in the Daily Pilot.
By unanimously approving a zoning change for the store’s West Newport property, the council caused cheers from the crowd. . . “I’m stoked,” shop owner T.K. Brimer said after the vote. “The city has treated us very well at every step.”
Dealing with City Hall is never easy. It is good see things working out well this time.
[Editors’ Note: Organizers waited until 10:12 AM local time before deciding to call OFF the Billabong Pro Rio on May 11, 2011. Next call May 12, 7 Am local time.]
From the looks of the waves today (and the promise of a swell) the Billabong Pro Rio will probably start on May 11, 2011 at 4 AM PST (7 AM EST) on the first day of the waiting period. Kelly Slater is ready for Rio, apparently:
“I have a lot of good memories from competing in Rio,” Slater said. “The last year that I was here was the year Peterson Rosa won, and if he didn’t win I wouldn’t have won the World Title that year. I was here once or twice in the 90’s and I’ve had good times. One year we had good waves and good barrels and I have a lot of good friends here and it’s been a long time since I’ve been back.”
Welcome, welcome to Rio. Welcome, welcome to. . . follow the jump for all the details including Round 1 heat lineups. [click to continue…]
Mark Occhilupo joins snowboarder Louie “Tiny Dancer” Vito as the second third boardrider (we forgot Layne Beachley) to appear on a version of Dancing With The Stars. Occy’s first go didn’t go so well. As one judge said:
“You’re not just a goofy-footed surfer, you’re a really goofy footed dancer . . .I’ll be clear––it was the worst routine we’ve had in 11 series. You had no concept of partnering Jade, you were out of time, your steps were wrong. It was just truly awful. . . stick to surfing.”
While it obviously takes serious sack to get out and dance on TV, we’ll just put it this way after round one: Snowboarders: 1, Surfers 0.
Pliscou mimes the sincere voice and meticulous punctuation of an easy reader (“See Dude surf. Whoa! Look at Dude surf. Surf, Dude, surf”). Her humor arises from unexpected vocabulary (“Stokaboka!”), paired with earnest illustrations of Dude hanging 10, wiping out, and visiting a taco stand for a “bodacious burrito”—things Dick and Jane never dreamed of.
The book is aimed at kids four to eight, but it looks like Dude would be good on any coffee table. Click here to buy it.
