Surfing

Way back in 2010 the Association of Surfing Professionals (and the surfers) thought it would be a good idea to have all of the professional surfers ranked under the same point system (like tennis or golf). The ASP hoped that that would allow surfers to work their way onto the WCT from the WQS during the season and give everyone a better understanding of where they stood, but apparently things never really worked out that well. Not, the first things new “full-fledged ASP Commissioner Kieren Perrow” is doing this year is to fashion a “complete separation of the rankings” for the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) and the ASP Qualification Series (QS).

“The tweaks and alterations that have been made to the technical aspects of the sport over the past several years have been done so with one guiding principle – create a fair and balanced platform for the world’s best surfing to be rewarded,” Perrow said. “The combined ranking served a purpose throughout its time on tour, but the Commissioner’s Office believes that a separated ranking is the best path forward.”

It was a good try, right? For the official word from the ASP, follow the jump. [click to continue…]

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Santa Cruz, California surfer Vince “The Godfather” Collier was about to go fishing the evening of January 3, 2014 when he heard the cry of what he thought was a baby sea otter. Turns out it was a woman who had fallen 30 feet down the cliff along West Cliff Dr., according to a story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

The woman, who wore denim from top to bottom, was hard to spot on the rocks, he said. . . “I put my pole down because it sounds like someone is screaming for help,” Collier, 53, said on Sunday as he described his role in helping the Los Gatos woman. “She was in and out of consciousness.” . . . Collier said he climbed back up to West Cliff Drive to direct folks gathered in a parking lot near Merced Street to call 911 while he returned to help stabilize the woman until rescuers from the Santa Cruz Fire Department arrived.

The tide was rising fast and Collier says she would have been swept out to sea if he hadn’t heard her. Thanks to Collier’s work the woman survived with numerous injuries including broken teeth and ribs. If you’re going to be rescued from something in Santa Cruz, there’s probably no one better to be rescued by the Vince Collier.

[Link: Santa Cruz Sentinel]

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Saturday, December 14, 2013 will likely go down in history as one of the best single day of competitive surfing in Pipeline’s history. As the final event of the ASP World Tour and the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, a lot was riding on the 2013 Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons. There was the ASP World Title battle between 11-time winner Kelly Slater and 2-time winner Mick Fanning, and then there was 2 John Florence’s drive to win his second Triple Crown and his first Pipeline Masters title.

In the end, everyone did what they had to do. Fanning won his third ASP World Title, Slater won his seventh Pipe Masters title, and Florence won his second Vans Triple Crown. There’s no doubt that Florence will win a Pipeline masters, just not this year.

Before the event Kelly Slater was asked what was left for him in surfing. He’d already won the world titles, the six Pipe Masters. His answer, “My dream was to surf a final against John John at Pipeline.” Slater didn’t make his title wins a dozen, but he did get his wish in the final.

“It was a strange Final,” Slater said. “John John (Florence) and I both waited for a while and neither of us really got a score until late in the match. I knew it was going to be a sprint and it was probably a little advantageous not to have priority in the Final as I was able to go for a lot of waves instead of wait for those that took a while to eventuate.”

As for the big question of Slater continuing on the tour? He said, referring to coming so close: “I think that pissed me off just enough to keep going!” And Slater staying on the tour that is owned by his manager Terry Hardy is probably good for everybody involved. For the official word from the ASP and final results, follow the jump. [click to continue…]

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It took the mind and body of a warrior and several last minute heat-saving waves, but Mick Fanning marched on through to claim his third ASP World Title on Saturday December 14, 2013 by making it to the semi-finals over Yadin Nicol in the quarter finals of the Billabong Pipe Masters In Memory of Andy Irons.

“The world title is something that takes a whole year, but sometimes it can feel like it boils down to the final day and the final heats,” Fanning said. “I’m sure I gave my wife Karissa and my mum enough stress today to last a lifetime. I was never worried myself now that I think of it. I knew what I needed to do and if the opportunity came, I knew I could do it. That opportunity came in both heats today. It’s an incredible feeling. I’ve been having fun all year and to clinch on a day like this at Pipeline makes it that much more special.”

When asked how he felt about winning his third world title and the hunt for Kelly Slater’s 11 title record, Fanning shrugged, laughed and said, “I don’t know. I was happy with one.” For the official word from the ASP follow the jump. [click to continue…]

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Here’s the current 2013 ASP World Title situation: After losing to John John Florence and Nat Young (thanks to a last second interference against Florence) Mick Fanning was bumped into round 5 where he will face barrel riding magician CJ Hobgood. If Mick loses to CJ AND Kelly Slater wins the 2013 Billabong Pipe Masters, then Mr. Slater will win his 12th ASP world title. If Kelly wins and Mick gets third place or second, then Mick wins his third world title. If Kelly doesn’t win the Pipe Masters, Mick wins. See how crazy all this stuff is getting?

While the deck appears to be stacked against Slater he stayed right on message all day, both in his round 3 heat against Mitch Crews and his round 4 heat against 2012 Vans Triple Crown winner Sebastian Zietz and Miguel Pupo.

“I was worried this-morning about the conditions,” Slater said. “John John (Florence) and I were out trying to catch a couple of waves and I kind of thought ‘maybe we shouldn’t run, maybe we should wait and hour or two until it gets better.’ It seemed like it turned on during my heat and some kind of energy came through for me. I knew I had to make that heat, you can’t let those things escape your mind, that was the reality of the situation, but it’s not going to change how you go out there and perform. I had to go out there focused.”

Surfline is calling for a rising swell on Friday, December 13, 2013, and a pretty large swell on Saturday. It would appear that round 5 through the finals will go down on Saturday, December 14, 2013. And you just might want to tune in as it just may be the heaviest day in pro surfing history. Follow the jump for the official word from the ASP. [click to continue…]

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The Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons kicked off today (December 8, 2013) in firing six to eight foot surf that faded over the course of the day, but never stopped delivering barrels. Brazilian Gabriel Medina put down the highest score of the day (18.67) and landed one of the biggest airs ever done at Pipeline on his way to blazing Bruce Irons.

“I got a little bit lucky,” Medina said. “I got three really good barrels and did the air at the end. I was watching the guys always getting big scores at backdoor and had them in my mind. Somehow, I found those lefts and that was such a fun heat. I’ve always watched Bruce (Irons) and I really respect him. To be surfing with him is a dream come true.”

The top seeds jump into the action tomorrow in round three. For the official word from the ASP including complete results, follow the jump.
[click to continue…]

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