June 26, 1988 // Melbourne Beach, Florida
Synopsis: A hyper-progressive talent, known for punting technical airs in and out of competition, Blake Jones had a huge year in 2008. While freesurfing everywhere from his beloved Sebastian Inlet to Indo to Europe to Australia to Hawaii, he also stockpiled a series of solid competitive results, including a fifth-place finish on the North American Junior tour.
Variables: Questions have been raised about Blake’s ability to blend power with his approach, but long stretches away from Florida during the past 12 months have helped in that department.
Forecast: As of press time—after two WQS events in 2009—he was in second place overall on the qualification tour. Plus, he’s also already done time in the Caribbean, shooting photos between events. The momentum he built in ’08 is obviously translating. Expect photo-and-video-driven travel for the first six months of 2009, and a more focus on the WQS during the back half of the year.