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ASP International News (02/2008) III

Fantasy Island
The ASP World Tour and ASP Women’s World Tour seasons are once again upon us and that means that everyone, and we mean EVERYONE, needs to get their Fantasy Surfer teams picked before the start of the season. Fantasy Surfer and the ASP will be rolling out bigger, better and more prizes as well as some big incentives for the overall ratings leaders. Be sure to play both the men’s and the women’s to qualify for the big prizes. Sign up today to lock your teams in for the Quiksilver and Roxy Pros!

ASP WQS Situation Room - Monday, February 18, 2008
Perhaps the recent Presidential Primary Elections in the States have elicited a change of a different kind as the Americans are dominating the ASP WQS ratings after the first three events of the season. At present, the top four spots are held by Seppos, but bare in mind that the three events this season have been in Florida, Hawaii and Brazil. Congrats are in order for former ASP World Tour campaigner Raoni Monteiro (BRA) who took out the ASP WQS 5-Star Prime Hang Loose Pro in Brazil yesterday.

Meet a Rookie 2008: Aritz Aranburu
Although little is known about the first Basque surfer to ever qualify for the prestigious ASP World Tour, ASP European Tour Manager Gregoire Puget caught up with 2008 rookie Aritz Aranburu to get the inside scoop on this talented natural-footer. Aritz will do battle with the world’s best beginning at the Quiksilver Pro pres. by LG at Snapper Rocks from Mar. 22 – Feb. 5, 2008, but you can get all your background info here first.

A Word from Jimi Ripstix
With the ASP World Champions Crowning Banquet days away, the world’s best surfers and assorted industry celebrities are dusting off their black-and-whites and preparing for an evening of revelry and good times. In addition to awarding the most sought-after accolades in professional surfing, the night is also notorious for generating more than its fair share of memorable stories. ASP caught up with longtime banquet attendee Jimi Ripstix to get the lowdown on how to survive the biggest night in surfing.

Swell on the Way for Quiksilver and Roxy Pros
The fine folks at Coastal Watch, the official forecasters for the Quiksilver and Roxy Pros, are calling for a fetch of promising swell projected to hit for this season’s event at Snapper Rocks. In the midst of a mature La Nina cycle, Australia’s Gold Coast has been experiencing a run of good swell throughout the past few weeks, and it looks like more will be coming in this week. For a full report, read on…

it´s always summer inside!

www.strandleben-frankfurt.de

ASP International News (02/2008) II

Trials to the Title for Pancho Sullivan
Hawaiian powerbroker Pancho Sullivan kicked off his 2008 competitive season in fine form last week, taking out the ASP WQS 3-Star Monster Energy Pro at Pipeline despite having to compete from as early as the Trials (resulting from a late registration). Taking down fellow islanders Fred Patacchia, Roy Powers and Dustin Barca in the all-Hawaiian final, the former event champ (2005) proved he is still the man out at the revered break. In addition to the points and prize money on offer were 14 extremely-coveted local wildcards into season-ending Billabong Pipeline Masters. Read on to see who will battle it out with the world’s best come December.

Abubo Celebrates Big 3-0 in Australia
Ground-breaking Hawaiian competitor Megan Abubo celebrated the big 3-0 over the weekend in Tweed Heads on Australia’s Gold Coast. Although Megan’s birthday was actually in late January, this past Saturday saw dozens of the world’s best surfers and friends descend upon returning ASP Women’s World Tour campaigner Serena Brooke’s beautiful Tweed Heads home for a night of revelry. With all the girls now converging upon the Gold Coast, it’s only a matter of time before they take to the water for the start of the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour with the Roxy Pro, and you can be sure that Abubo will look to keep the good times rolling.

ASP WQS Situation Room - Monday, February 11, 2008
Big week for the Hawaiians with the completion of the ASP WQS 3-Star Monster Energy Pro at Pipeline. Congratulations go out to Pancho Sullivan as well as the rest of the top finishers on the North Shore. No rest for the wicked as we're straight into some more 'QS excitement this week with the ASP WQS 5-Star Prime Hang Loose Pro in Brazil. The points at this event will be of consequence with surfers looking to really get ahead in the race for the Dream Tour. The Grind is swinging into full motion and we're seeing the launching of several promising careers.

Victory at Trestles
Lower Trestles, the venue for Stop No. 7 of 11 on the 2008 ASP World Tour, the Boost Mobile Pro presented by Hurley, scored a major victory last week when the California Coastal Commission voted 8-2 against the projected toll road that would cut through the San Mateo state park and have an adverse effect on the surf at Trestles. Surfers and environmentalists rallied last Wednesday when the CCC voted and the protests and petitions have paid off for the time being. A major blow has been dealt to the developers, but you can still “Save Trestles”…

Freddy P’s Pink Pal
Amidst the bevy of stories flying out of Hawaii last week, a rumor started swirling that ASP Top 45 campaigner Fred Patacchia had ridden a pink bodyboard during the Finals of the ASP WQS 3-Star Monster Energy Pro at Pipeline. While Fred is without question a consummate waterman, we just had to find out if it was true. ASP caught up with the progressive Hawaiian to get the full story of the Patacchia the Pipeline and the Pinky…

it´s always summer inside!

www.strandleben-frankfurt.de

ASP International News (02/2008)

Jeremy Flores Sounds Off on 2008
Last year’s ASP World Tour Rookie of the Year, Jeremy Flores (FRA), has collected quite a few accolades in his 19 years on this planet, and now, the Frenchmen is sounding off on this past season and what lies ahead in 2008. Grégoire Puget, tour manager for ASP Europe, caught up with Flores before he journeyed to Australia for the start of the 2008 ASP World Tour season. Read on…

A Call to Action – Trestles
It’s been an issue for quite sometime now, but the venue for Stop No. 7 on the ASP World Tour, the world famous Lower Trestles, is currently being threatened by the development of a toll road that will cut through the state park. The California Coastal Commission will be meeting Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 9pm at the Del Mar Fairgrounds at Wyland to discuss moving forward with the potentially harmful development project. Be sure to do your part to ensure that Trestles keeps its epic form.

Newest Member of the ASP Women's World Tour
Veteran campaigner and perennial threat on the ASP Women’s World Tour, Melanie Redman-Carr, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl this past weekend. The tenacious Western Australian was out surfing Saturday morning, went into labor Saturday night, before giving birth on Sunday morning. The bubba has come a couple of weeks early, so the happy parents were caught a bit off guard in terms of naming the little one, but you can be sure that the grommet will be mixing it up in the lineup in no time. Congrats Melanie!

ASP WQS Situation Room – Monday, February 4, 2008
Go Giants! Quite the upset in the States as New York took down a formerly undefeated New England in the Super Bowl, and the ASP events saw their fair share of upsets as well this past week. The Monster Energy Pro presented by Billabong saw Pipe Specialists Andy Irons and Rob Machado both suffer early exits due to poor surf, and across the pond, the Oakley Pro Junior at North Stradbroke Island is gearing up for what could be a solid week of surf. Read on readers…

A Good Year
This time last year, ASP World Tour campaigner Bede Durbidge had lost his main sponsor and was preparing to put up his own cash to support his worldwide campaign. Fast-forward a scant 52 weeks and Bede has landed a number of sponsors, claimed the Billabong Pipeline Masters, become the Vans Hawaiian Triple Crown champion, finished No. 5 in the world, and now, has married his longtime sweetheart Tarryn Pennell. In a beautiful ceremony last Saturday at Currumbin Alley, Durbidge and Pennell tied the knot with fellow ASP World Tour campaigners Taj Burrow and Mick Fanning looking on. Congrats to the happy couple!

it´s always summer inside!

www.strandleben-frankfurt.de

ASP International News (01/2008) IV

ASP Champs Nominated for Laureus World Sports Awards
It’s not uncommon that our surfers are nominated and awarded prestigious accolades outside of the surfing community, and the Laureus World Sports Awards are no stranger to the ASP World Tour. Having already crowned past champions like Kelly Slater (2007) and Layne Beachley (2004), the prestigious awards have also named marquee athletes like Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, among others to their mantle. Now, reigning ASP World Champions Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore have been nominated and ASP caught up with the Aussies to get their impressions before next months awards presentation in Russia.

ASP WQS Situation Room – Monday, January 28, 2008
Well, we’re off and running this season and the 2008 Women’s ASP WQS got stuck into things with the Roxy Girls Festival at Phillip Island which enjoyed great surf throughout the event. Giant slayer and newly-crowned ASP Women’s World Champ Sally Fitzgibbons took out the field and has gotten herself off to a good start on her qualifying campaign. Congratulations are also in order for Brazilian Bruna Schmitz who made her first final as well as Hawaii’s Bethany Hamilton and usual suspect (and ASP Women’s World Tour stalwart) Jessi Miley-Dyer both making the semis – a personal best for Hamilton. We’re getting underway this week with the Monster Energy Pro at Pipeline, so read on for the full report…

Pipeline Comes to Life for the Monster Energy Pro
Pipeline is back on the menu this week for our competitors as the ASP WQS 3-Star Monster Energy Pro presented by Billabong is set to begin. Boasting an impressive field that includes former three-time ASP World Champ Andy Irons, Rob Machado, Jamie O’Brien, Bruce Irons, Derek Ho, among others, the Monster Energy Pro will not only provide the 136 competitors with an opportunity for valuable ratings points, but will also offer locals with a chance at a wildcard into the season-ending Billabong Pro Pipeline Masters, an elite ASP World Tour event. With plenty of energy in the North Pacific, the event could get some great waves, so be sure to catch all the action.

Training Day
With each passing day, the sport of surfing is growing exponentially – bigger events, bigger contracts, bigger superstars. So, it’s not surprising that athletes and coaches are beginning to take their jobs more professionally. Frankly, there is a lot on the line. A couple of weeks ago, Red Bull teamed up with ’QS veteran Andy King at the Surfing Australia center in Casuarina to hold the first Red Bull ASP WQS Selection Camp where an international field of some of the most promising young surfers on the planet headed to learn from established pros and coaches about how to crack the code. This…is their story.

Juniors Go Big
In a world where ASP World Junior Champs like Jordy Smith and Nicola Atherton qualify for the big show in one season, and newly crowned champ Sally Fitzgibbons takes out the first ASP WQS event of 2008 (which happens to be a 6-Star!), it’s not surprising that surfers competing on the ASP Pro Junior Series are being looked at as serious contenders. Oakley has thrown down a whopping $25,000US to own the biggest prize purse on tour this season. The ASP Grade-4 event will go down at the infamous Cylinder Beach on North Stradbroke Island for the fourth men’s event on the 2008 ASP Australasia Pro Junior Series.

it´s always summer inside!

www.strandleben-frankfurt.de

ASP International News (01/2008) III

Al Hunt's Situation Room - Monday, January 21, 2008
The scant 28 days between when the 2007 ASP WQS finished and the ’08 season commenced were nigh unbearable for me, but thankfully, we’re back on the Grind following the completion of the ASP WQS 5-Star O’Neill SI Pro. Congratulations to Patrick Gudauskas who, in his first event since last season’s injury, collected the opening event of the season and is the current points leader on the 2008 ASP WQS. Bit of movement and bit of forecasting on my end so read on!

Bustin’ Down the Door
A film of monumental proportions and importance is poised to hit the big screen in the coming weeks, and if you don’t plan on seeing it, you need to reevaluate your life my friend. "Bustin’ Down the Door" features professional surfing icons Shaun Tomson, Mark Richards, Ian Cairns, Peter Townend, ASP President Wayne Bartholomew among others in the story of how this brash group of phenomenal surfers broke boundaries on the North Shore in the 1970s, ultimately establishing the first competitive circuits and creating the sport of surfing. Narrated by Oscar winner Edward Norton, "Bustin’ Down the Door", reveals an intimate look at the forefathers of professional surfing, both then and now.

The Champ is Injured
A couple weeks back, the ASP caught up with the ASP Top 45 to see how they would spend their New Year’s Eve. Spattered amongst the revelry and holiday was reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning and his intention to go snowboarding in Japan. Soon after, rumors began swirling that the fleet-footed Australian had suffered an injury and had broken a wrist. Reports to the contrary followed and amidst all the confusion, no one single strain of thought came out on top. ASP caught up with the Rip Curl crew and learn that the Champ suffered a minor injury his left scaphoid, but will be 100% by the start of the season.

The Year of Kiron
Hot off the heals of the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships, which saw upstarts Pablo Paulino and Sally Fitzgibbons take the titles, the No Fear/Koastal Kaos Pro Junior went off in macking Sunset Beach last weekend. Brazilian-born Kiron Jabour came out victorious and will set his sites on a berth at Narrabeen next January.

Breakfast of Champions
Okay, so we’ve seen how you have to surf to win events, but what about the behind-the-scenes stuff? What kind of training do you have to do to get yourself there, what equipment do you need to use, and maybe most importantly…what do you need to eat? ASP caught up with recent O’Neill SI Pro Champion and current ASP WQS ratings leader Patrick Gudauskas to find out what went down the gullet the morning he changed his destiny.

it´s always summer inside!

www.strandleben-frankfurt.de

ASP International News (01/2008) II

Al Hunt's Situation Room - Monday, January 7, 2008
With only one ASP WQS event on this past week, the O’Neill SI Pro in Sebastian Inlet, not much has happened on the ’QS front. However, plenty has happened at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships and that does have a bearing on the ASP WQS. The top finishers in Narrabeen receive special seeding on the grind which can take years off your qualifying campaign. We’ve also had some events moved around on the schedule as well as others pulled completely. Read on for all the details…

Twice As Nice
Brazilian powerbroker Pablo Paulino just capped off his second win at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships, cementing his place in ASP History as one of the few who have accomplished such a feat. The victory went down in pumping (and what some are claiming as “epic”) six-to-eight foot (2 metre) surf at North Narrabeen, and Paulino defeated 17-year-old Hawaiian phenom Tonino Benson. The action was non-stop for the juniors this season and Billabong has all the clips and shots from what went down...

O’Neill SI Pro Cracks Away
On the other side of the planet, the O’Neill SI Pro (the first event of the 2008 ASP WQS season) is chipping away. The ASP WQS 5-Star event has enjoyed punchy surf over the first few days at Florida’s Sebastian Inlet with Kauai’s Sebastian Zietz and Floridian Sterling Spencer the standouts thus far. The top seeds will hit the water over the next few days to see who will emerge victorious and be the first to lead the ASP WQS ratings in the New Year. Catch all the action.

Moons Over North Narrabeen
For those who were glued to the webcast this past weekend to see who would be crowned the new ASP World Junior Champion, you may have noticed some exhibitionist behavior going down during the Panasonic Expression Session by a certain young Hawaiian who shall remain nameless for the time being. The diminutive culprit decided to free himself from the shackles of his boardies and proceeded to blast backside reverses for a good 15 minutes with the sun gracing his bare backside. Although he failed to walk away with any official awards, his fearless display rendered commentators speechless and attracted the eye of more than one of the many females on the beach.

Her Name Is Sally
Sally Fitzgibbons, one of the most touted young talents to emerge from Australia in recent years, added another accolade to her growing resume with an emphatic victory at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships yesterday in solid surf at North Narrabeen. The victory not only marks Sally as the undisputed ASP World Junior Champion, but also gives her preferred seeding into all ASP WQS events this season. Seeing as how last year’s champ Nicola Atherton qualified in just one season with the aid of her preferred seeding, we may see young Ms. Fitzgibbons displaying her phenomenal talents on the ASP World Tour very soon.

it´s always summer inside!

www.strandleben-frankfurt.de