ASP International News (08/2007) II
The Situation Room
The ASP WQS 6-Star Sooruz Lacanau Pro has just finished with South African phenom and current ASP World Junior Champion Jordy Smith not only taking down the event, but also grabbing the ratings lead with a staggering 12,200 points.
The race is far from over though and with the Rip Curl Pro Super Series in Hossegor offering the biggest points purse of the season up next, this week’s action will be critical to the ’08 Dream Tour qualifications.
South of the Border
Look out below! The women of the elite ASP Top 17 have descended from their Swiss Family Robinson-style tree houses for day 1 of battle in the punchy beachbreaks of Prais de Tiririca for the Billabong Girls Pro Brazil, stop No. 3 of 7 on this season’s ASP Women’s World Tour.
Two Aussies in Hedges and Gilmore currently lead the ratings, but Brazil could prove to be a turning point in this season’s race for the Title.
The ASP WQS 6-Star Sooruz Lacanau Pro has just finished with South African phenom and current ASP World Junior Champion Jordy Smith not only taking down the event, but also grabbing the ratings lead with a staggering 12,200 points.
The race is far from over though and with the Rip Curl Pro Super Series in Hossegor offering the biggest points purse of the season up next, this week’s action will be critical to the ’08 Dream Tour qualifications.South of the Border
Look out below! The women of the elite ASP Top 17 have descended from their Swiss Family Robinson-style tree houses for day 1 of battle in the punchy beachbreaks of Prais de Tiririca for the Billabong Girls Pro Brazil, stop No. 3 of 7 on this season’s ASP Women’s World Tour.
Two Aussies in Hedges and Gilmore currently lead the ratings, but Brazil could prove to be a turning point in this season’s race for the Title. Out of the Dark Ages
It only took them 45 years, but North America’s East Coast Surfing Championships (ECSC) will be webcasting this season’s competition for the first time ever. The event, which runs from August 22-26, 2007, hosts a bevy of divisions includ
ing an ASP WQS 2-Star Men’s, a 1-Star Women’s, a Grade-1 Pro Junior as well as a regional men’s longboard event all going down at Virginia Beach, Virginia. Be sure to catch all the action.Does Jimmy Choo Make a Beach Thong?
It won't be long before we see the formerly sweet and innocent longboard girls of the ASP World Tour transformed into grill-sporting, Bentley-driving money
moguls as the nosesliders are about to do battle in yet another event this season with the first annual Roxy Jam Honolulu from August 23-25, 2007. Going down at Queens in Waikiki, the longboarding lasses will be competing for a $5,000 prize purse as well as airfare for two to September's Roxy Jam Cardiff in California.Showdown in Portugal
The final event of the ASP European Pro Junior Men’s Series will be go down this week from August 23-26, 2007 at the reeling righthander of Ribeira d’Ilhas in Ericeira, Portugal for the ASP Grade-2 Billabong Pro Junior.
After four events of the ’07 season, including the ASP Grade-3 Rip Curl Pro Junior which wrapped last week, it’s Reunion Island’s Romain Cloitre who’s out in front with a sizable lead. Portugal’s Pro Junior will be the deciding event in who qualifies for the prestigious Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in January.Hedges On Fire After 4 Month Hiatus
Chelsea Hedges hasn’t competed in four months, but her Round 1 performance at the Billabong Girls Pro Brazil today could have fooled us.
The former world champ rocked up to the beach, threw down a 9.5 and a 9 point scoring ride, and then had enough breath left to tell us about how much of a rock star her current co-ratings leader Stephanie Gilmore is! Hedges, the 2005 ASP Women’s World Champion, shares the World No. 1 spot with travel-buddy and rookie title contender Gilmore. The day’s high scorer is well aware that she cannot give Gilmore an inch, and as her Round 1 performance proved, is thoroughly enjoying the challenge. Rip Curl Super Series
August 20-26
Hossegor, France
45th Annual East Coast Surfing Championships
August 22-26
Virginia, USA
Sunshine Surfmasters pres. by Toohey's Extra Dry
August 24-28
Western Australia, Australia
BPI Cascais Girls Pro pres. by Rock Sisters
August 20-21
Cascais, Portugal
Billabong Pro Junior
August 23-26
Ericeira, Portugal
Roxy Jam Honolulu
August 23-25
Honolulu, Hawaii
August 23-26
Ericeira, Portugal
Roxy Jam Honolulu
August 23-25
Honolulu, Hawaii
posted by Strandleben Frankfurt at 4:40 AM
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However, whereas in past seasons the cutoff has been in the 8,000-9,000 point range, the addition of the 6-Star Prime events has upped the ante on the Grind. As ASP WQS Tour Manager Al Hunt puts it, “There’s approximately 20% more points up for grabs this season which means the cutoff will most likely go up 20% too – 10,000 points at least.” The season is far from over.
Hobgood (17) all cracking the Top 20 for the men and Karina Petroni (11), Kyla Langen (12) and Julia Christian (16) getting it done for the women. Will there be a changing of the guard in ’08?
The Grind has just traversed the Eurasian continent from Japan and planted its flag in the sands of Newquay, England for the Rip Curl Boardmasters, an ASP WQS 5-Star men’s and women’s event. The Boardmasters comes at a vital time for those attempting to qualify for the elite ASP World Tours in '08. The 5-Star points could prove critical as the boys head into the lengthy European leg and the girls will enjoy their biggest payday until the season ender in Hawaii. The RC Boardmasters will run through August 12, 2007.
Australian compatriots Chelsea Hedges and Stephanie Gilmore head into South America tied for the ratings lead, but former ASP Women’s World Champs Sofia Mulanovich and Layne Beachley are nipping at their heals. Will someone break away from the pack in Brazil? Will Beachley defend her event title? Be sure to log on to the LIVE webcast beginning August 20.
Joining former ASP World No. 2 Rob Machado will be California phenom Dane Reynolds and reigning ASP World Junior Champ Jordy Smith. Both Reynolds and Smith received their entry through July’s Boost Mobile Shootout in Huntington Beach, defeating Shane Beschen and Brett Simpson in the four-man final. With the '07 World Title race getting tighter by the event, these three wildcards could easily cause some upsets.