{"id":29606,"date":"2012-04-02T23:25:43","date_gmt":"2012-04-03T06:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/?p=29606"},"modified":"2012-04-03T10:20:32","modified_gmt":"2012-04-03T17:20:32","slug":"rip-curl-pro-bells-beach-chimes-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/?p=29606","title":{"rendered":"Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Chimes In"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"450\" height=\"259\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Hw-bxJ_4xX8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Day one of the 2012 <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/live.ripcurl.com\/?bells2012\" target=\"_blank\">Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach<\/a><\/strong> seemed to go well for all of the top seeds, except for <strong>Taj Burrow<\/strong>. Burrow came in last against <strong>Nic Muscroft<\/strong> and <strong>Kolohe Andin<\/strong>o in Round one Heat eight. Muscroft seemed surprised by it all.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cMy legs are a bit sore after that last wave,\u201d Muscroft said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know if I would have much of a chance against those guys out there, but I was able to get a good wave at the end and got the score. It\u2019s always a pleasure to compete at this level and my best friend Robbo (Adam Robertson) made it to the Finals here a few years ago and that\u2019s given me the confidence to do well here too.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>High men&#8217;s score of the day went to <strong>Owen Wright<\/strong> with a 17.93. But the day&#8217;s highest score was <strong>Sally Fitzgibbons<\/strong> 18.84 against <strong>Coco Ho<\/strong> and <strong>Sage Erickson<\/strong>. For the official word from the ASP follow the jump.<!--more-->BELLS BEACH, Victoria\/Australia (Tuesday, April 3, 2012) \u2013 The opening rounds of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by Ford Ranger and the Rip Curl Women\u2019s Pro Bells Beach presented by Ford Fiesta were run today in clean three-to-four foot (1 metre) waves at the primary venue of Bells Beach.<\/p>\n<p>The second stop on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach culminates the crucial, season-opening Australian leg for the world\u2019s best surfers and today saw the top seeds dominate the opening round affairs in variable conditions.<\/p>\n<p>Owen Wright (AUS), 22, 2011 ASP World No. 3, was in sensational form during his opening round bout with Patrick Gudauskas (USA), 26, and Bede Durbidge (AUS), 29, posting the highest heat total of the round, a 17.93 out of a possible 20.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really turning on out there,\u201d Wright said. \u201cAfter watching that first heat and noticing it was slow I figured we would be on in terms of waves. Bells is always slow heat, fast heat, slow heat, fast heat. It was good to get into a rhythm and wrack up a few solid scores.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Consistently one of the best-performing goofy-footers on the elite ASP World Championship Tour, Wright draws inspiration from 1999 ASP World Champion and goofy-footed legend Mark Occhilupo (AUS), 45. Coincidently, Occhilupo is the last goofy-footer to claim the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, back in 1998.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m feeling in form and I\u2019ve actually been drawing a lot of inspiration from Occy (Mark Occhilupo) at Margaret River last week,\u201d Wright said. \u201cHe\u2019s 45 and he\u2019s still pushing the limits of surfing and it was really exciting to see him do so well. With this event, I put a bit more volume in the boards after noticing Occy had a bit more in his boards out West. I\u2019ve got some new fins and it\u2019s just a great combination I have going at the moment. Feels like the boards have really been carrying me through those soft sections out there and putting me where I want to be on the waves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, 2011 ASP World Runner-Up and defending Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach winner, continued to show the world why he is regarded as one of the finest surfers ever to step foot in the Bells Bowl, coming back from an inconsistent heat to post an excellent 9.27 out of a possible 10 and advance directly to Round 3.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBells can definitely go quiet like that,\u201d Parkinson said. \u201cThere are some really good waves out there today, but it can be pretty slow. It can be a good heat or a bad heat. You just don\u2019t know. That 9.27 was a dream little Bells Bowl waves. It just lined up for me and I was able to let my surfing do what it needed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jordy Smith (ZAF), 24, heir apparent to the Bells Bowl stylemaster mantel and current ASP World No. 3, survived a wave-starved opening round heat, claiming victory with some excellent surfing in the dying moments of the heat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was rough out there,\u201d Smith said. \u201cKieren (Perrow) and Freddy (Patacchia) started up the point at Rincon and I started in the Bowl which didn\u2019t work out for me. It really boiled down to the last few minutes with one set and I had to make the most of it. Happy to be back at Bells and the swell looks good for the week so hopefully we get some more consistent conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith\u2019s increased fitness level over past seasons has been noted by the media as well as his fellow competitors as a key contributor to his newfound consistency this year, and the South African is looking poised for another solid run at the ASP World Title.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m feeling really good this season,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI\u2019m training a bit, but mostly eating right. I\u2019m not having burgers and pizza every day\u2026I guess I have it occasionally, but better diet has been the best thing for me. My board feels really good and I think I\u2019m in a good position to pick up another result at Bells.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kelly Slater (USA), 40, reigning 11-time ASP World Champion, survived a slow affair later in the afternoon, collecting the heat-winning ride (the highest single-wave score of the day \u2013 a 9.50 out of a possible 10) in the dying moments of the heat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was interesting out there as I really did all the work in the last four minutes,\u201d Slater said. \u201cI felt like I was out of rhythm the whole heat, but really there just weren\u2019t waves with a lot of scoring potential. Bells has that characteristic though and the door was left open just enough for me to get one in at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adriano de Souza (BRA), 25, current ASP World No. 2, is coming off an impressive Final\u2019s berth at the season-opening event on the Gold Coast, and the young Brazilian showed exceptional poise in Round 1 today.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m really happy with myself to do well on the Gold Coast and then come here with a win in the first round,\u201d De Souza said. \u201cI\u2019ve gotten a lot of waves here the past week. I came here early to get my equipment ready and get used to the conditions and I think it\u2019s really helped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Long heralded as Brazil\u2019s finest candidate for a maiden ASP World Title clinching, De Souza is taking a measured approach to the season ahead and retains his focus for the job at hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t really feel the pressure of trying to be the first Brazilian world champ,\u201d De Souza said. \u201cI just do my thing. We\u2019ll see at the end of the year whether I\u2019m in the race or not. I\u2019m focused on Bells now and focused on the next heat. I\u2019m happy with my performance so far.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nic Muscroft (AUS), 29, trials\u2019 winner and wildcard into the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, caused the day\u2019s biggest upset in besting current ASP World No. 1 Taj Burrow (AUS), 33, and rookie phenom Kolohe Andino (USA), 18, to advance directly to Round 3 of competition. The local Victorian trailed for the bulk of the heat until the dying moments where he tore apart a set righthander to take out the heat win.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy legs are a bit sore after that last wave,\u201d Muscroft said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know if I would have much of a chance against those guys out there, but I was able to get a good wave at the end and got the score. It\u2019s always a pleasure to compete at this level and my best friend Robbo (Adam Robertson) made it to the Finals here a few years ago and that\u2019s given me the confidence to do well here too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Conditions deteriorated this afternoon to the point where event organizers called the men\u2019s Round 1 off after Heat 9, opting to resume in better conditions possibly tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p>When men\u2019s competition resumes, up first will be Michel Bourez (PYF), 26, Damien Hobgood (USA), 32, and C.J. Hobgood (USA), 32, in Heat 10 of Round 1.<\/p>\n<p>Running in conjunction with the men\u2019s event, Round 1 of the Rip Curl Women\u2019s Pro Bells Beach presented by Ford Fiesta was completed this morning in clean three-to-four foot (1 metre) waves at Bells Beach.<\/p>\n<p>Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 21, defending Rip Curl Women\u2019s Pro Bells Beach winner and current ASP Women\u2019s World No. 3, took top honors today, posting an incredible 18.84 out of a possible 20 in her convincing Round 1 win.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVery happy with that heat as everything went my way,\u201d Fitzgibbons said. \u201cI was able to pick off two really good waves that linked all the way through the Bowl. Coco (Ho) was ripping and probably would have won a lot of heats today. My equipment feels good and I\u2019m just excited to be back in Bells.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carissa Moore (HAW), 19, reigning ASP Women\u2019s World Champion and last year\u2019s event Runner-Up, continued to display her dominant form this morning, besting Europeans Pauline Ado (FRA), 21, and Justine Dupont (FRA), 20, to advance directly to Round 3.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe waves are really fun out there and it was great to get the first heat out of the way,\u201d Moore said. \u201cI\u2019m very happy to be back at Bells and out in some fun waves. I didn\u2019t get the result I wanted on the Gold Coast so I\u2019m hoping to post a better one here.\u201d<br \/>\nLaura Enever (AUS), 20, current ASP Women\u2019s World No. 2, was in sensational form this morning, posting a solid win in the opening heat of the event.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t set the bar too high last year at this event so I suppose it was easy to best that result,\u201d Enever said. \u201cIt\u2019s a new year though and my goals have changed. I started the season out with a Runner-Up finish on the Gold Coast and I\u2019m focusing on putting in a really solid year. It\u2019s great to be back at Bells. It\u2019s a lot warmer than it usually is, but we have fantastic waves and it\u2019s very beautiful down here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lakey Peterson (USA), 17, caused a major upset in besting four-time ASP Women\u2019s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 24, in a countback Round 1 affair. Peterson advances directly to Round 3 while Gilmore has been relegated to battle it out in the elimination Round 2.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe conditions were pretty tricky out there for us with not a lot of waves coming through in that heat,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cSteph (Gilmore) is such a force out there and to advance ahead of her at a spot like Bells is great for confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When women\u2019s competition resumes, up first will be Coco Ho (HAW), 20, and Rebecca Woods (AUS), 27, in Heat 1 of Round 2.<\/p>\n<p>Coastalwatch Plus, official forecasters for the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, are calling for a succession of strong WSW groundswells emanating from this activity are inbound across the region \u2013peaking early on Wednesday, followed by a second building in later Thursday and holding good size early Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 7:30am start.<\/p>\n<p>Highlights from today\u2019s Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach will be available via http:\/\/live.ripcurl.com <\/p>\n<p>For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com<\/p>\n<p>RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:<br \/>\nHeat 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.60, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 12.10, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 11.17<br \/>\nHeat 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 17.93, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 14.97, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 13.50<br \/>\nHeat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.00, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 8.67, Taylor Knox (USA) 4.17<br \/>\nHeat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.27, Kai Otton (AUS) 12.23, Adam Melling (AUS)<br \/>\nHeat 5: Nic Muscroft (AUS) 16.07, Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.06, Burrow (AUS) 11.10<br \/>\nHeat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 13.70, Brett Simpson (USA) 10.33, Davey Cathels (AUS) 9.77<br \/>\nHeat 7: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.10, Julian Wilson (AUS) 10.23, Yadin Nicol (AUS) 6.66<br \/>\nHeat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.76, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.10, Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.80<br \/>\nHeat 9: Travis Logie (ZAF) 10.93, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 10.90, Josh Kerr (AUS) 8.50<\/p>\n<p>REMAININING RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:<br \/>\nHeat 10: Michel Bourez (PYF), Damien Hobgood (USA), C.J. Hobgood (USA)<br \/>\nHeat 11: Alejo Muniz (BRA), John John Florence (HAW), Tiago Pires (PRT)<br \/>\nHeat 12: Heitor Alves (BRA), Miguel Pupo (BRA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS)<\/p>\n<p>RIP CURL WOMEN\u2019S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 1 RESULTS:<br \/>\nHeat 1: Laura Enever (AUS) 15.00, Paige Hareb (NZL) 12.83, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 9.67<br \/>\nHeat 2: Tyler Wright (AUS) 12.77, Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.17, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 8.30<br \/>\nHeat 3: Lakey Peterson (USA) 14.17, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.17, Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.90<br \/>\nHeat 4: Carissa Moore (AUS) 16.50, Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.43, Justine Dupont (FRA) 9.40<br \/>\nHeat 5: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.84, Coco Ho (HAW) 15.50, Sage Erickson (USA) 11.90<br \/>\nHeat 6: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.93, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 14.17, Sarah Mason (NZL) 12.57<\/p>\n<p>RIP CURL WOMEN\u2019S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:<br \/>\nHeat 1: Coco Ho (HAW) vs. Rebecca Woods (AUS)<br \/>\nHeat 2: Malia Manuel (HAW) vs. Jacqueline Silva (BRA)<br \/>\nHeat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)<br \/>\nHeat 4: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) vs. Justine Dupont (FRA)<br \/>\nHeat 5: Paige Hareb (BRA) vs. Sage Erickson (USA)<br \/>\nHeat 6: Pauline Ado (FRA) vs. Sarah Mason (NZL)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Day one of the 2012 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach seemed to go well for all of the top seeds, except for Taj Burrow. Burrow came in last against Nic Muscroft and Kolohe Andino in Round one Heat eight. Muscroft seemed surprised by it all. \u201cMy legs are a bit sore after that last wave,\u201d [&hellip;]<\/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":[6,28],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29606"}],"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=29606"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29645,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29606\/revisions\/29645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}