ASP International News (12/2007) III

Al Hunt's Situation Room - Monday, December 24, 2007
That is all she wrote folks. The season is finished, the fix is in, and our qualifiers for the 2008 ASP World Tour have been finalized. It has been a hard-fought battle for our campaigners and congratulations to those who have realized their dreams. Condolences to those who came so close yet haven’t broken down that barrier just yet. Good luck to everyone in 2008. There are more points available, more events on tour than ever before so we hope everyone is resting well over the holiday season as it will be game on come January.

Bede Durbidge - Vans Triple Crown Throwdown
A big congratulations goes out to Australian Bede Durbidge for his impressive win at the Billabong Pipeline Masters last Monday. The win also garnered the powerful natural-footer that 2007 Vans Triple Crown Award as well as bumped him up to World No. 5 to finish out the season. Not bad for someone who went most of the season without a sponsor. Durbidge is joined by perennial threat Megan Abubo (HAW) who took down the women’s division of the Vans Triple Crown. Congratulations to both our competitors and we’ll see you next season.


Billabong ASP World Junior Championships
Make no mistake, the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships is the most prestigious and important junior event in the world. No other event on the planet is as accurate a benchmark for future greatness as are the WJCs. Running from January 3 – 10, 2008 at North Narrabeen in Australia, the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships will look to crown successors to the thrown of reigning champs Jordy Smith (ZAF) and Nicola Atherton (AUS), both of whom qualified for the ASP World Tour within one season after winning at Narrabeen.


O’Neill SI Pro Kicks Off 2008 ASP WQS
Just a scant few weeks after the ’07 season wrapped in Hawaii, the O’Neill SI Pro presented by Ron Jon will kick off the 2008 ASP WQS. Newly upgraded to an ASP WQS 5-Star event, the O’Neill SI Pro will go down at Sebastian Inlet, Florida from January 4-11, 2008. Reigning ASP North America Men’s Champion C.J. Hobgood (USA) took down the event in front of his hometown crowd last year and will look to defend again this season.


Holidays with the ASP Top 17
It’s been a long, hard-fought season for all our surfers at every level of ASP competition this year, and with the holidays upon us, we hope that everyone enjoys the season with their friends and families and gets good waves wherever they may be. While the guys and girls are scattered to the four corners of the Earth, ASP caught up with a few of the ladies from the ASP Women’s World Tour to find out what they’ll be doing over the holidays…

...the best waves for you next year!
www.strandleben-frankfurt.de

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

www.Strandleben-Frankfurt.de

Rinlo, Galicia, Spain (43°7'31"N,7°6'30"W)

Where: NW Spain, close to the town of Ribadeo in the north-east of Galicia, right on the border with Asturias.

What: A relatively short, powerful point that breaks left off a small island and onto a rock bottom. It starts to work around 5-6ft and can hold up to solid 12ft. Works best at mid-tide, too high and you'll start to get backwash off the rocks.

Winds: Any south wind combination works as the spot is well sheltered by the steep, rugged coast, straight offshore is from the south.

Water temperature: 10°C (February) and 18°C (September).

Season: Autumn and winter are best as it needs a bit a swell to start breaking. Does occasionally work during summer months.

What board to bring: 6'3" to 6'8".

Swell window: A north west swell is best.

Where to stay: You're better off heading to the nearby town of Ribadeo, a 10 minute drive away. There you'll find a youth hostel and a few low-budget hotels to choose from. Otherwise there are several campsites west towards Foz but only open during the summer months.

Closest airport: 2 1/2 hour drive east from Santiago de Compostela (served by Ryanair) or west from Oviedo, Asturias (served by Easyjet).

Interesting facts: Originally a whaling port with more than 500 years of history, Rinlo continues to earn its livelihood as a small, picuresque fishing village and is proud to boast the oldest fisherman cooperative in the whole of Spain.

www.strandleben-frankfurt.de

ASP International News (12/2007) II

Al Hunt's Situation Room - Monday, December 17, 2007
Well, well, well…you have to love the holidays. It has literally been raining situations this past week, and frankly, I’m a bit exhausted from all the ups and downs. The Billabong Pro Maui has finished, and the women are set for 2008. The men, on the other hand, haven’t yet completed the Billabong Pipeline Masters, but there have been some major changes in terms of who is safe and who is in trouble for the Dream Tour next year. Read on to find out what has happened...

Steph Gilmore – New ASP World Champ
You’ve seen the photos; you’ve read the releases…19-year-old Stephanie Gilmore made ASP History last Thursday when she became the only surfer to ever claim the ASP World Title in their rookie season. The young Australian was a dominating force on tour this year, scalping four out of the eight events on the ASP Women’s World Tour. Gilmore was crowned following the completion of Round 3 of the Billabong Pro Maui at Honolua Bay, which saw rival contenders Sofia Mulanovich (PER) and Silvana Lima (BRA) both lose out early.

Go the Bull, Bull is King
The iconic Mark Occhilupo has retired after a stunning career that has spanned over three decades. After a meteoric rise to the top during the 1980’s, Occy took a brief sabbatical from the pro tour, only to come back with a vengeance and claim the ASP World Title in 1999. The Occ has inspired virtually every surfer on the planet, and his legacy is one that will forever resonate through the annals of surfing folklore.

Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Update
Hawaiian Megan Abubo claimed the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Award last Friday for her solid finish at the Billabong Pro Maui. After an impressive win at the Reef Pro Haleiwa, Abubo was sidelined with a vicious abdominal injury at the Roxy Pro Sunset. The Hawaiian rallied in the final event of the season to finish equal 5th at Honolua Bay. For here efforts, Abubo received $10,000 as well as a new Chevrolet Truck. The men’s division of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing is coming down to the wire, and will be decided at the Billabong Pipeline Masters.

Cracking the Code
The world’s most prestigious junior event, the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships, just got another injection of distinction with the qualifications of the reigning ASP World Junior Champions, Jordy Smith (ZAF) and Nicola Atherton (AUS), for their respective Dream Tours in ’08. In one year, Smith and Atherton have cracked the ASP WQS code and will follow in the footsteps of past ASP World Junior Champions like Andy Irons (AUS), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), Adriano de Souza (BRA), etc. The next Billabong ASP World Junior Championships will begin January 3, 2008 in Narrabeen, and given the pedigree and accomplishments of the last two champs, expect a major showdown.

...stay wet!
www.strandleben-frankfurt.de

10 Jahre Ultras Frankfurt!

NORDWESTKURVE FRANKFURT

10 Jahre Lebenstraum!

Alles Gute Jungs! ...keep on fightin'!

support your local!

www.strandleben-frankfurt.de

ASP International News (12/2007)

Al Hunt’s Situation Room – Monday, December 10, 2007
The Fat Lady has yet to sing! Although the Grind has wrapped for the season, the Billabong Pipeline Masters will confirm or deny the fates of those who sit on the brink of qualifying for the 2008 ASP World Tour, the big show, the Dream Tour. We have 18 ASP WQS campaigners who have qualified (with a few double qualifiers from the ASP World Tour), as well as three others who are on the brink. It’s all coming down to the final event!

Vans Triple Crown Update
The race for the 2007 Vans Triple Crown is far from over as we wait to find out what will happen at the Billabong Pipeline Masters and Billabong Pro Maui respectively. Pipe has yet to run so we’ll see how Triple Crown leaders Roy Powers (HAW), Makuakai Rothman (HAW) and Mick Fanning (AUS) fare out there, but the Billabong Pro Maui has finished Day 1 of competition which saw ASP Women’s World Title contenders Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Sofia Mulanovich (PER) and Silvana Lima (BRA) all power through Round 1 as well as Vans Triple Crown frontrunners Mulanovich and Megan Abubo (HAW). It’s all happening in Hawaii – don’t miss a moment of action.

Paddle Out with the Champ
It’s not an easy thing, surfing a spot for the first time. Tricky paddle-outs, local customs, shallow spots in the reef and some unfriendly little fish below are just a few of the concerns if you’re unfamiliar with the break. However, if you had yourself a guide to help you avoid the hard lessons, then you’ll be sweet. Well, ASP has gone to the best of the best; we’ve lined up defending Billabong Pro Champion Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) to give us some tips on surfing Honolua Bay.

21 New Faces
We touched on it last week, but the Billabong Pipeline Masters will see 21 new faces thrown in amongst the ASP World Tour’s regular heavy hitters. Hawaiians Kalani Chapman, T.J. Barron, Sunny Garcia, Mikey Bruneau, Roy Powers, Jamie O’Brien, Gavin Gillette, Flynn Novak, Kainoa McGee, Danny Fuller, David Wassell, Tory Barron, Shane Dorian, Mikala Jones, Ian Walsh, Myles Padaca and Makua Rothman, Australian Laurie Towner, Tahitian Manoa Drollet, Californian transplant Gavin Beschen and Portugal’s Tiago Pires will join the Dream Tour members when Pipe commences, and look for them to shake things up.

Happy Holidays
We are well and truly into the month of December, and as the 2007 ASP World Tour comes to a close, the crew at ASP would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season. Although we still yet to wrap the final events of the season, the Billabong Pipeline Masters and the Billabong Pro Maui, ASP hopes everyone spends the holidays amongst loved ones and gets waves wherever they may be. Enjoy the final events of the season and we’ll see you in 2008.

it`s always summer inside!

www.strandleben-frankfurt.der

surfeurope (12/2007)

The 2007 Photo Annual - On the shelves 15th December
Featuring all the very finest imagery from the year of wave-riding that was two thousand and seven anno domini, Surf Europe's 2007 Photo Annual will make the perfect Christmas gift to self, colleagues, lovers, rivals, friends, foes, sea dogs, land lubbers, capitalist, hippies, legends, kooks, locals, blow-ins, big dogs, underlings, chargers, pea-hearts, aristocrats, plebeians, generals and foot soldiers alike.

Billabong Pipeline Masters, December 8th-20th 2007
Two days to go until the start of the Billabong Pipeline Masters, the final event of the 2007 Foster's ASP World Tour. White Lightning might have clinched the 2007 Foster's ASP World Title with one of the most impressive comebacks from injury in professional sport, but the highly coveted Vans Triple Crown of Surfing is still on the line. Watch the Billabong Pipeline Masters trailer and live webcast from Saturday onwards.

Tools of the Trade with Jeremy Flores
With a 3rd at Trestles and 5th places in Tahiti and Mundaka, Jeremy Flores is now in prime position to take out the ASP Foster's World Tour rookie of the year award. If you haven't already, check out the French surfing prodigy's Tools of the Trade with Aussie shaper Mark Phipps.

Hurley Sound & Vision, Vol. 1 Yadin Nicol
Now on Mpora Premium TV , the first episode in a series of quarterly Hurley teamrider films focuses on classic Aussie Yadin Nicol, who's energetic nature and positive vibes stretch far beyond any beach. Crack open a cold one, sit back and watch Yadin unleash his lighting fast, powerful, progressive surfing while his closest peers lend insight into what makes this million dollar maniac tick.

cheers to the surfeurope-crew!

All the best for 2008!

keep on ridin´!

www.strandleben-frankfurt.de

ASP International News (11/2007) III

Al Hunt’s Situation Room – Monday, November 26, 2007
The Reef Hawaiian Pro has finished meaning there is one more chance for surfers competing on the Grind to gain some ground in the ratings race, and that chance lies in the bombing west peaks of Sunset Beach for the O’Neill World Cup. That being said, the ASP WQS 6-Star Prime event at Haleiwa was not without its repercussions – we have new qualifiers for 2008 and a few that have been pushed off the fringe. Onward we march…

Vans Triple Crown Action
Into its 25th season on the North Shore, the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing has kicked off with Hawaiians Roy Powers and Megan Abubo taking out the first events of the season at the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa. With their respective wins, both surfers have secured their places on the Dream Tours in 2008, but they’re also out in front of the ratings for the 2007 Vans Triple Crown Titles. Next up will be the O’Neill World Cup and Roxy Hawaiian Pro at Sunset Beach from November 25 through December 6 where our surfers will do battle at the second of three events on this season’s series.

Rookie Assault
The waiting period for the Roxy Pro Hawaii at Sunset Beach has started, and the collective surfing world is waiting to see if rookie sensation Stephanie Gilmore can make ASP history in claiming the ASP Women’s World Title in her inaugural year on tour. Will Gilmore usher in a new dynasty in professional women’s surfing? Will the old guard stave off the onslaught from the up-and-comers? It’s all happening here in Hawaii.

New in ’08
The new year is just around the corner, and ASP has grown its competition schedule exponentially, adding over 30 events in 2008. World Tour event, WQS events, Pro Junior events, Longboard events and Specialty events, the ASP has them all. A full schedule is available for download on the homepage at www.aspworldtour.com, but the link below highlights what’s new in ’08.

Holiday Shopping
Well, the Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone, and if you’re still searching for that perfect gift for someone special, look no further. This season, instead of buying someone a board they may snap first session out or a steamer that will be ruined as soon as they’re nibbled on by a white pointer, why not get them the gift of friendship? That’s right, we’re talking about the original-yet-inspired idea of referring your Myspace friends to join hands with the ASP. Befriend the likes of your favorite pros including Claire Bevilacqua, Layne Beachley, Bede Durbidge, Steph Gilmore, Jeremy Flores among others.

Be cool - keep warm!

www.strandleben-frankfurt.de

support your local!