{"id":21667,"date":"2011-02-24T11:39:15","date_gmt":"2011-02-24T19:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/?p=21667"},"modified":"2011-03-06T19:26:08","modified_gmt":"2011-03-07T03:26:08","slug":"kelly-slaters-2011-asp-head-trip-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/?p=21667","title":{"rendered":"Kelly Slater’s 2011 ASP Head Trip Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Slater<\/a><\/p>\n

Kelly Slater<\/strong> is going to surf at least the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover<\/a><\/strong> at Snapper Rocks (February 26 – March 9, 2011). No surprise. It is his sponsor’s biggest event. And no different from most years, Kelly is rolling in with his trademarked, time-tested, media friendly ambivalence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe waves at Snapper wake me up enough for motivation but I’d love to get another win at the Quiksilver Pro,\u201d Slater said. \u201cEither a great way to go out or to start another campaign! I can’t honestly answer that (my plans for the year) right now. I’ve thought about doing a farewell aloha tour and saying bye to the tour and I’ve thought about retiring after this event for real.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But he can’t retire before the Quik Pro New York, so he might as well charge it, right? There are really only two possibilities for Snapper. If he wins, he moves on to the next event to see how he does there. Then on to the next and the next and eventually it will be October. The tour will be in Portugal and he’ll lock up number 11, because it’s one better than 10. Then all the old guys can wear their Ke11y<\/strong> shirts with pride and the discussions for 12 will begin.<\/p>\n

If, on the outside chance Slater goes out early at Snapper then he’ll be in a serious “can’t-go-out-like-that” position and will need to spend the next couple events battling his way back to a respectable retiring position. Either way we’re all in for another epic first half of the tour no matter what kind of head trip Kelly wants to lay on us. And that’s just the way we like it.<\/p>\n

Follow the jump for all the official ASP details including Round 1 heats for the men and the women.GOLD COAST, Queensland\/Australia (Wednesday, February 23, 2011) \u2013The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover is just a few short days away from commencing and the opening event of the season will be headlined by none other than reigning 10-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 39.
\nThe iconic natural-footer utilized the off-season to recharge in his adopted homes of Hawaii and California, working on equipment and taking advantage of the winter swell season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been hanging in Hawaii and getting boards sorted out in California and having down time,\u201d Slater said. \u201cSurfing myself out most of January was fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Historically coy about his annual plans, Slater maintains that his agenda for 2011 is still undecided, but is motivated to open the season up in high-performance righthand pointbreak of Snapper Rocks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe waves at Snapper wake me up enough or motivation but I’d love to get another win at the Quiksilver Pro,\u201d Slater said. \u201cEither a great way to go out or to start another campaign! I can’t honestly answer that (my plans for the year) right now. I’ve thought about doing a farewell aloha tour and saying bye to the tour and I’ve thought about retiring after this event for real.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ASP Top 34 comprises the best surfers on the planet and Slater is conscious of the increased level of talent in 2011. Utilizing a variety of varying world-class venues, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast could see the world\u2019s best contest anything from Snapper Rocks to Duranbah.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will depend on where the waves show up,\u201d Slater said. \u201cIf we\u2019re at the beach break, guys like Julian (Wilson) and Josh (Kerr) will be most dangerous. The points bring out the best tubes and carving typically, but everyone surfs well at snapper. Should be good to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slater will face Kai Otton (AUS), 31, and one of the event wildcards in the opening round of competition.
\nJoel Parkinson (AUS), 29, finished last season 24th in the ASP World Title rankings, following a near career-ending injury that saw the stylish natural-footer sit out the bulk of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess the benefit now is that I\u2019m hungry \u2013 not only to compete, but just to surf,\u201d Parkinson said. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the key things with surfing on the tour, you\u2019ve got to not only stay hungry to surf throughout a whole event, you\u2019ve got to stay hungry over the course of a whole year. The way I\u2019m feeling at the moment, I\u2019m going to paddle out for my last heat of the year at Pipe even hungrier than I was when I paddled out for my first heat at Snapper. That\u2019s how I\u2019m feeling, that\u2019s how hungry I am to surf right now. And the thing now is that I\u2019ve got three kids, so it\u2019s not like I can go surfing five times a day. I\u2019ve got to pick and choose my windows to surf in and I have to make the most of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

A perennial ASP World Title contender, the Australian has yet to secure his inaugural crown despite several near misses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big year for me for sure.\u201d Parkinson said. \u201cI turn 30 pretty soon. After what\u2019s happened over the past couple of years, after the injuries and disappointments, if I can surf every event this year at 100% fitness, I\u2019d consider that a victory in itself. And if I can do that I\u2019m confident I\u2019m going to be challenging. But I don\u2019t dwell on what\u2019s happened to me. I\u2019ve learned to just worry about the 30 minutes of the next heat in front of me. It doesn\u2019t even matter who I\u2019m surfing against, doesn\u2019t matter what happened last year, doesn\u2019t matter that I\u2019m turning 30. It\u2019s all about those next 30 minutes. Then it\u2019s all about stringing a lot of good 30 minutes together.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his sights set on the 2011 ASP World Title, Parkinson is well aware of the roadblocks that exist in the form of his fellow elite campaigners.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Jordy (Smith) will be a lot more mature in the way he surfs heats, just on the back of the confidence he\u2019ll take from last year,\u201d Smith said. \u201cHe\u2019s an amazing surfer and he put together a really good season last year. And Mick\u2019s surfing on the trip we just did blew me away. You can see he\u2019s been working pretty hard on big airs and stuff the judges will really notice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parkinson will battle the South American duo of Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, and Alejo Muniz (BRA), 21, in Round 1 of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.<\/p>\n

Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, 2011 ASP World Title rookie, has long been touted as one of the most progressive surfers in the world and his 11th hour qualification heroics from Hawaii last winter cemented his position amongst the world\u2019s elite this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels really rewarding to have qualified,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cI’ve always had my dreams set on making the World Tour and now I\u2019ve accomplished it. There’s only one place to be if you have a dream of chasing world titles.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young natural-footer from Australia\u2019s Sunshine Coast is easing into his first full year on tour, and is excited about opening the season at Snapper Rocks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very clich\u00e9 but my goal this season is to take it one heat at a time, enjoy where I’m at and surf some amazing waves with only one other guy out,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cSnapper is such a fun wave and is my favourite event of the year. I grew up surfing the points at Noosa (two hours North) and even though they’re not always as good, I seem to feel at home in those kind of waves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilsonwill take on Adrian Buchan (AUS), 28, and Heitor Alves (BRA), 28, in the opening heat of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.<\/p>\n

Dane Reynolds (USA), 25, who finished the 2010 ASP World Title season in 4th, has withdrawn from the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee as a result of an injury he had suffered in Hawaii in early December. He started rehab the week after surgery, and is expecting be back in the water sometime in mid to late March. Cory Lopez (USA), 33, will be serving as his replacement at the event.<\/p>\n

The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast will run from February 26 through March 9, 2011 and will be webcast LIVE via http:\/\/www.quiksilverpro.com<\/p>\n

Running in conjunction with the men\u2019s event will be Roxy Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover, the opening event in the ASP Women\u2019s World Title season.<\/p>\n

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com<\/p>\n

QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1:
\nHeat 1:Adrian Buchan (AUS), Heitor Alves (BRA), Julian Wilson (AUS)
\nHeat 2: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Gabe Kling (USA)
\nHeat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS), Bobby Martinez (USA), Cory Lopez (USA)
\nHeat 4: Taj Burrow (AUS), Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
\nHeat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), TBA
\nHeat 6: Kelly Slater (USA), Kai Otton (AUS), TBA
\nHeat 7: Owen Wright (AUS), Taylor Knox (USA), Dusty Payne (HAW)
\nHeat 8: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Brett Simpson (USA), Josh Kerr (AUS)
\nHeat 9: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Joel Parkinson (AUS), Alejo Muniz (BRA)
\nHeat 10: Michel Bourez (PYF), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Daniel Ross (AUS)
\nHeat 11: Chris Davidson (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Adam Melling (AUS)
\nHeat 12: Jadson Andre (BRA), Damien Hobgood (USA), Tiago Pires (PRT)<\/p>\n

ROXY PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1:
\nHeat 1:Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Paige Hareb (NZL), Jacqueline Silva (BRA)
\nHeat 2: Silvana Lima (BRA), Rebecca Woods (AUS), Pauline Ado (FRA)
\nHeat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Tyler Wright (AUS), TBA
\nHeat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Laura Enever (AUS), Claire Bevilacqua (AUS)
\nHeat 5: Carissa Moore (HAW), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), Alana Blanchard (HAW)
\nHeat 6: Chelsea Hedges (AUS), Coco Ho (HAW), Courtney Conlogue (USA)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kelly Slater is going to surf at least the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover at Snapper Rocks (February 26 – March 9, 2011). No surprise. It is his sponsor’s biggest event. And no different from most years, Kelly is rolling in with his trademarked, time-tested, media friendly ambivalence. \u201cThe waves at Snapper […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21667"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21667"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21868,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21667\/revisions\/21868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}