WILDCARD entrant Owen Wright (Culburra, NSW) is surfing’s undisputed high-flyer after taking down the greatest-ever line-up of aerialists at the Boost Mobile Surf Sho presented by Nokia at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast today.



The Australian Junior champion stamped his mark on the second-annual tournament, soaring past surfing’s top names including reigning world champion Mick Fanning (Coolangatta, QLD), world no.2 Bede Durbidge (Currumbin, QLD) and defending event champion Taj Burrow (Yalingup, WA) to take the crown in excellent 1.5-metre beach break conditions.



18-year-old Wright out-flew his fellow finalist Luke Stickley (Byron Bay), boosting high over Surfers Paradise with a near-perfect 9.93 aerial move in the dying minutes of the 25-minute final to fly away with the winner-takes-all $25,000 prize cheque for the biggest pay day of his career.



On Friday, the super talent won the junior wildcard to secure a spot in today’s main event.



“It’s hard to explain how good I feel,” said Wright.



“I did a couple of good airs in the opening stages of the final, but couldn’t stick any. With a couple of minutes remaining the perfect ramp popped up and I sealed the deal.



“When I landed it I hoped no one landed anything bigger cause all the guys were capable of pulling a big move off. It feels great to win it.”



Wright emerged victorious from the water before being chaired up the beach in front of thousands of cheering spectators to the winner’s podium where he donned the perpetual surf sho champions jacket.



Surfers Paradise proved the ideal playground for today’s main event with surf conditions allowing the 20-strong field to throw down some gravity-defying moves in surfing’s biggest aerial extravaganza.



In contrast to traditional competition, the day’s format was based around a large spinning wheel (Boost Mobile Surf Sho Wheel) that dictated the aerial tricks performed by surfers.



Stickley, who finished in runner-up behind Wright, consistently lifted off above the lip to be one of the standout surfers of the day, but with the winner-takes-all prize purse he walked away with a huge dose of respect.



Finishing equal third in the five-man final were Julian Wilson (Coolum), Dru Adler (Palm Beach) and Asher Pacey (Coolangatta), who all posted impressive performances throughout the day.



Reigning world champion Fanning, just back from his honeymoon in Italy, took to the water in his first surf in over two weeks and was clearly excited to be competing under no ratings pressure in his maiden aerial event.



“I’ve never competed in an event like this, so I’m excited to be here mixing it up with everyone,” said Fanning.



“Its great to be competing in an event that’s so different. Everyone is rippin’ hard. It’s exciting to watch.”



After a slow start Fanning bounced back into contention on a red lilo to be one of the four top scorers of round two at the Boost Mobile Surf Sho.



The 26 year-old forced to exchange his surfboard for a surf mat after the event’s Game Show Wheel landed on the bizarre Goon section dictating the surfers’ craft for that heat.







World no.10 golfer and keen surfer Adam Scott joked it wasn’t how he expected to see Fanning compete at his first ever-surfing event.



“I didn’t expected to see world champ Mick Fanning riding a red Lillo,” said Scott.



“This is my first ever-surfing contest, so it feels great to be here. The action is amazing.”



Defending event champion Burrow couldn’t repeat the form that saw him win last year’s inaugural event, but the world no.4 had a bash even scoring a 360-degree spin on a bodyboard.



Saturday’s qualifying winner Chris ‘Chippa’ Wilson continued his skyward brand of surfing in today’s main event, bagging a perfect 10-point ride for a superb full-rotation air reverse. Unfortunately, Wilson was unfortunately out-punted in the race for an elusive finals spot.



Not just a surf sho, the interactive three-day tournament rocked out Surfers Paradise today with a beachside music event. Hitting the stage at completion of the day’s surfing included Kwerkshoppe, Amy Meredith and Razbin Sam.



At the completion of day’s action, contest organisers vowed to be back bigger and better next year.



Format:



The three day Surf Sho will open with the Boost Mobile Junior Air Sho Challenge on Friday 18th of April, which is open to forty eight of Australia’s hottest aerial punks aged 18-years and under. The winner will surf away with $1,000 plus a spot into the AUD $25,000 Boost Mobile Surf Sho final.



The action continues on Saturday 19th of April with sixty of Australia’s finest aerial exponents fighting it out for AUD $7,500 worth of cash and prizes and one of four spots in the Surf Sho final. The format is as per a standard surfing event with four surfer heats.



Wrapping up the exciting, all weekend surfing festival will be the invitational Boost Mobile Surf Sho presented by Nokia on Sunday 20th of April, 2008. Twenty of the world’s best aerial surfers will surf against each other in a one day; winner takes all AUD$25,000 Surf Sho. The format will be based around a large spinning wheel (Boost Mobile Surf Sho Wheel) that will dictate the aerial tricks to be performed.



Adding to the already high stakes is the Boost Mobile Jet Ski Tow-In Expression Session. Aided by a jet ski, Boost’s global surf team will attempt to launch themselves as high as possible off a wave into the air, completing a technical aerial move at the same time. This session is bound to be a crowd pleaser!



Airshows have created a sub-culture for the world’s most innovative and futuristic surfers and have attracted a strong cult following around the world.



In Airshow surfing contests, judges only score maneuvers performed in the air, as opposed to the more traditional approach of judging surfing maneuvers on a wave.

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 4-Star 6.0 Lowers Pro and Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior will bring 192 of the world’s best professional surfers and 32 of the world’s best professional juniors to Lower Trestles, April 29 to May 3, 2008. The event will unite top seeds, local and international talent, wild cards and even one female vying for an increased prize purse of $80,000 for the WQS and $10,000 for the juniors, as well as, valuable ASP points and the possibility of a Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series bonus.



6.0 Lowers Pro Athletes

ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) vets Taylor Knox (Carlsbad, CA), who won the event in ’94, and local favorite Chris Ward (San Clemente, CA) will come in as top seeds this year. They’ll be joined by fellow WCT surfers Adriano de Souza (BRA), Ben Bourgeois (Wrightsville Beach, NC) and Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), currently off of the Tour due to injury,



2006 Surfbout champion Dustin Cuizon (HAW), as well as, current WQS points leader Patrick Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA), Cory Lopez (Dana Point, CA), Shea Lopez (Daytona, FL), Brett Simpson (Huntington Beach, CA), Joel Centeio (HAW), and 2005 Macy’s California Trifecta Champion Asher Nolan (Neptune Beach, FL) are also top seeds.



Other local favorites and top contenders include 2006 Macy’s California Trifecta Champion Nate Yeomans (San Clemente, CA), 2007 Macy’s California Trifecta Champion Adam Virs (Ventura, CA), Mike Losness (San Clemente, CA) and 2007 fourth-place finisher Shaun Ward (Huntington Beach, CA), who was the only non-WCT surfer to make it to the final last year.



Nike 6.0 has extended wild cards to three young guns who are sure to represent the up-and-comers in a major way. The event’s only female, Carissa Moore (HAW), and Evan Geiselman (New Smyrna Beach, FL) will be seeded into the Round of 64, and Koa Smith (HAW) will debut in the Round of 96.



“I feel extremely honored and thankful that Nike gave me an opportunity to surf one of my favorite waves in the world,” said Carissa Moore. “I am going to try to do my best to surf at a level deserving of my wild card spot.”



Other up-and-comers to watch for include Oakley Pro Junior graduates Nick Rosza (Oxnard, CA), who claimed the 2007 Oakley Pro Junior Trifecta championship, Brent Dorrington (AUS), who won the Trestles Oakley Pro Junior in 2007 as a wild card entry, and Mitchell Coleburn (AUS), who established himself as a premier talent in 2007’s event by advancing to the semi-finals in both the WQS and Pro Junior events.



Oakley Pro Junior Athletes

With an increased Trifecta bonus and qualification spots into the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge added perks, the 2008 Oakley Pro Junior field is impressive. As the only competitor who made it to last year’s final who hasn’t aged out of the division, last year’s third-place finisher Cory Arrambide (Ventura, CA) returns as the number two seed. 2007 Macy’s California Trifecta Oakley Pro Junior runner-up Adam Wickwire (Satellite Beach, FL) will enter the event as the top seed.



Rounding out the top five junior seeds are three East Coast talents: Travis Beckman (Vero Beach, FL), Cody Thompson (Jacksonville Beach, FL) and Blake Jones (Melbourne Beach, FL).



Oakley wild card spots have gone to Shaun Jobert (ZAF), who won the Durban Oakley Pro Junior last month, and Sebastian Zietz (HAW).



Others to watch for include 2007 Santa Cruz Oakley Pro Junior champion Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA) and super-local-grom Riley Metcalf (San Clemente, CA), who is each also in the round of 192 in the WQS event.



Formerly known as the Body Glove Surfbout, the 6.0 Lowers Pro will continue to serve as one of the most touted events on the ASP WQS schedule due to its premiere location and history of groundbreaking competitive surfing match ups. In 2009 and 2010, the event will upgrade to a 6-Star, making it one of only two North American 6-Stars, helping to elevate the relevance of the ASP North American leg of the WQS and ensuring that the legacy of competitive surfing at Lowers continues to grow.



The Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series (an ASP North America Specialty Series) was formed in 2005 to strengthen surfing in America and has added additional cash and prize incentives each year. For 2008, the series unites the 6.0 Lowers Pro, the Oakley Newport Pro (Sept. 16-21), and the O’Neill Cold Water Classic (Oct. 21-26) under one banner, as well as, an Oakley Pro Junior at each of the three stops.



The Trifecta Series provides surfers with an opportunity to earn crucial points towards the ASP WQS and Pro Junior end-of-year rankings, which factors into advancement to the coveted ASP World Tour and ASP World Junior Championships. Additionally, the series will award a $33,333 bonus to the surfer who takes first place in all three WQS events. Should one surfer not win all three events, the overall points-winner will receive a $10,000 bonus and second and third will receive $3,500 and $1,500, respectively. Juniors will vie for an additional $10,000 bonus.

Clean 3 ft (1 meter) waves were breaking over the reef of La Sauzaie for Day 2 of the Vendee Pro, allowing organisers to run the ten remaining heats of Round 1 and get Round 2 underway with Heats 1 to 6 completed today.



Eric Geiselman (California, USA) was the man of the day, opening Round 2 with the best score of the event, an impressive 18.77 point heat tally to easily advance ahead of Bobby Morris (USA) in the 3 ft clean waves at La Sauzaie.



“I had a bad result here last year so I just tried to stay loose and have fun,” Geiselman said. “The water is cold but the consistency of the waves today made it really fun, very similar to Lowers in California so I just felt good.”



Geiselman, who will be a favorite in Round 3, posted an near perfect 9.77 out of possible 10 during the 25-minute decider showing great speed and control on his board.



“I have been surfing new boards shaped by my dad and they just work really well so it should keep me turned on for next round,” Geiselman said. “I cannot wait to get back out there and surf these waves.”



The second day of competition happened to be a day of high scores and performance, the top seeded surfers entering the event in perfect timing with the swell increase.



Luke Campbell (AUS) was one of today’s top scorers posting a solid 17.34 point heat score to qualify. Campbell, who surfed in the ASP WQS 6-Star Prime event of Margaret River last week , adapted well to the 10°C water and finished ahead of Arthur Bourbon (GLP), both getting their Round 3 ticket ahead of Norman Landa (EUK) and Alexandre Ferreira (PRT).



Dale Lovelock (Queensland, AUS), 21, had secured an impressive 16.76 point heat tally (out of possible 20) earlier in the day in Heat 12 of Round 1. Lovelock, who dominated the small tricky conditions, defeated Hawaii’s North Shore charger Tamayo Perry (HAW) and local Vincent Primel (FRA) to advance ahead of heat second Adrien Toyon (REU).



“I am stoked to get such scores, and I could not hope more than this 9.33 to start my first event in France” Lovelock said. “The waves were pretty good out there and I felt in rythm and got the good ones.”



Lovelock, who surfed his first heat ever in the French cold waters today, became a full ASP World Qualifying Series campaigner this year and hopes for a solid result in the Vendee Pro before going to Scotland next week.



“The water is so cold here it was tough when I first paddled out yesterday,” Lovelock said. “It was my fourth surf since I got here and I am getting used to it now. I am looking for a quarterfinal finish and anything above that will be perfect before the event in Scotland next week.”



Lovelock will meet veteran European surfer Frederic Robin (REU), Devon Tresher (USA) and Joao Guedes (PRT) in Heat 12 of Round 2 when competition resumes.

Joan Duru (Hossegor, FRA), former ASP European Pro Junior Champion, showed promissing skills posting the fifth best wave score of the event in Heat 14 of Round 1 with a 9.00 point ride. Duru, a World Qualifying Series top European and French surfer, easily advanced to Round 2 with a 15.00 point final score (out of possible 20).



“The waves were better than I thought and I am happy with that heat,” Duru said. “I did not plan to come here as I was supposed to be in the 6-Star Prime event in South Africa, but now that I am here I want to get the best result possible.”



Duru, who will turn 19 next week, is now a full time WQS surfer and is already thinking of possible qualification for the 2009 ASP World Tour.

“I want to give my best at every event I will go to this year and why not end up in the top 16 to join the ASP Top 45,” Duru said. “I feel good right now so I will see how things go.”



Among today’s upsets were the elminations of former ASP European Pro Surf Tour champion Justin Mujica (PRT) and former top ASP European junior Vincent Duivgnac (FRA). Hawaii’s North Shore Liam Mc Namara and Tamayo Perry were both eliminated today, so was former top ASP World Tour surfer Richie Collins (USA).



The Vendee Pro is LIVE on www.aspeurope.com



All news, videos, podcasts and photos are available on www.aspeurope.com



ROUND 2 RESULTS (1ST AND 2ND ADVANCE TO ROUND 3)

Heat 1: Eric Geiselman (USA) 18.77 pts, Bobby Morris (USA) 11.83 pts, Yannick De Jager (NLD) 10.00 pts, Oier Illaramendi (EUK) 9.97 pts

Heat 2: Vincent Duvignac (FRA) 13.80 pts, Ruben Gonzalez (PRT) 14.63 pts, Karlos Gomez (EUK) 14.43 pts, Richie Collins (USA) 6.85 pts

Heat 3: Blake Wilson (AUS) 13.66 pts, Damien Chaudoy (REU) 13.33 pts, Justin Mujica (PRT) 12.00 pts, Txaber Trojaola (EUK) 9.43 pts

Heat 4: Luke Campbell (AUS) 17.34 pts, Arthur Bourbon (GLP) 13.14 pts, Norman Landa (EUK) 9.90 pts, Alexandre Ferreira (PRT) 9.67 pts,

Heat 5: Romain Cloitre (REU) 15.34 pts, Justin McBride (USA) 10.64 pts, Johnny Fryer (GBR) 9.30 pts, Laars Musschoot (BEL) 7.84 pts

Heat 6: Kepa Acero (EUK) 12.40 pts, Miguel Ximenez (PRT) 10.96 pts, Marcos San Segundo (EUK) 12.13 pts, Darren Turner (AUS) No Show



UPCOMING ROUND 2 HEATS

Heat 7: Mikael Picon (FRA), Christophe Allary (REU), Nick White (NZL), Josch Schmeltzer (DEU)

Heat 8: Jose Maria Cabrera (CNY), Tristan Guilbaud (FRA), Yassine Ramdaini (MAR), William Pasquet (REU)

Heat 9: Jean-Sebastien Estienne (GLP), Adrien Valero (FRA), Daniel Billon (FRA), Leon Van Der Merwe (ZAF)

Heat 10: Abdel El Harim (MAR), Simon Marchand (FRA), Geoffroy Henno (FRA), Ivo Anselmo (PRT)

Heat 11: Eric Rebière (FRA), Charles Martin (GLP), Jatyr Berasaluce (EUK), Adrien Toyon (REU)

Heat 12: Devon Tresher (USA), Frederic Robin (REU), Dale Lovelack (AUS), Joao Guedes (PRT)

Heat 13: Hugo Savalli (REU), Oli Adams (GBR), Pablo Solar (ESP), Matt Capel (AUS)

Heat 14: Matt King (USA), Thomas Bady (FRA), Joan Duru (FRA), Cesar Rosa (PRT)

Heat 15: Blake Howard (USA), Marc Lacomare (FRA), Rudy Marechal (FRA), Medi Veminardi (REU)

Heat 16: Romain Laulhe (FRA), Adrian Rapp (REU), Rowan Aish (NZL), Kevin Kapsky (HAW)

Julian Wilson is out to claim a grand final win at this weekend's Boost Mobile Surf Sho at Surfers Paradise beach after a controversial judging decision toppled his chances in 2007.

  

 Wilson, who was knocked out in the 6th round of the Professional World Qualifying Series at Margaret River last weekend following a 9th place finish at  Newcastle a fortnight ago, is excited at the prospect of returning to the Gold Coast to compete in the unique event which judges surfers on their ability to perform selected aerial manoeuvres - on demand.

  

 Known for his innovative moves, Wilson again enters the event as one of the favourites, and at the top of his game, feels as though he has a good chance to progress through to the final again.

  

  "This is a really cool event that Boost put on," said Wilson. "I had a great time competing at Surfers Paradise last year and can’t wait to have another crack at the $20,000 in front of a big crowd."

  

 "I am feeling very little pressure this year; I'm loving what I am doing and always enjoy the challenges of surfing against the big international names."

  

 "I could have won this event last year but I had a decision go against me in the final, so this could be my chance to turn that result around"

 

 "Bring it on!" Wilson quipped.

  

 He is just 1 of 20 open riders in the main event on Sunday afternoon. The 'wheel rounds' will pit 5 riders against each other per heat, with each heat winner earning a letter of the word B-O-O-S-T.  The top 5 surfers will advance to the Grand Final where they have just 30 minutes to perform the most creative moves in their repertoire.

  

 Regarded as a true pioneer in surf style, Julian spent much of last month riding Indonesia's infamous breaks while filming for 2008’s most anticipated surf film, 'Stranger Than Fiction'.

  

 Julian's last appearance on the Gold Coast saw him entered as a wildcard at the Quiksilver Pro, where he drew an unfortunate short straw and lost to eventual runner-up and current world champion Mick Fanning in round 3.

Shark sighting by ASP world number 4 rated surfer halts the competition

Competitors forced to exit the surf mid heat due to a massive shark cruising the line up



Wednesday, 9 April 2008



Competitors were forced to exit the surf mid heat at the Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River in Western Australia due to a massive shark sighted by a fellow competitor.



Mitch Coleborn was one of these competitors and was leading the heat comfortably when the surfers were called in with 9 minutes remaining.



“I’d just completed a wave when I heard the commentators call us all in so I knew immediately it was a shark sighting – I paddled as fast as I could and it definitely rattled me when they called us in…. “



Coleborn and fellow competitors will resume their heat if and when contest officials, which include a strong contingent of local surfers patrolling the surf on jet ski’s are satisfied the heat can continue and the final 9 minutes will be completed.



Coleborn added – “ I have a good lead but it’s sort of unsettling now… I have to go back out and get back in the rythmn and stay in front. As far as paddling back out, well, I have faith in the organizers and local surfers who will fully assess the area and send us out when they are ready but for sure the shark will sit in my mind as well.”

Reigning world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore has taken out the 6-star World Qualifying Series (WQS) Midori Pro at Newcastle’s Merewether Beach.



In a dream final match up for contest organisers, the 20-year-old from Tweed Heads defeated the reigning world junior champion Sally Fitzgibbons to take out 2008’s biggest WQS event for women in Australia and pocket $US4500.



Small right-handers up to a metre in height were affected by a light onshore wind, but Gilmore still found plenty of wave faces to perform some big maneuvers that were cheered by thousands of spectators and rewarded by the judges.



Gilmore, who came into the Midori Pro as the number one seed in the round of 48, won each of the five heats she contested before assuring herself victory half-way through the thirty minute final when she had a 7.83 and 8.83 on the score sheet while Fitzgibbons had only managed a 6.17.



"I was a little bit nervous out there in the earlier heats because I am pretty used to surfing in the man-o-man heats of the top tour," Gilmore said.



"I am absolutely wrapped. Sally was surfing really well here and did great in the semi – I knew it was going to be hard to beat her," she said.



"I’ll slip this one under my belt –it’s another feather in my cap," she said.



The Midori Pro winner paid her respect to Fitzgibbons and said she expects to be meeting her at the top-level events in 2009.



"Sally really is going to be one to watch. There’s no doubt she has a great future," Gilmore said.



The world champ said she was going to take some time off from the grind of the tour and will not be competing at next week’s Margaret River event.



"I haven’t been home since Bells and it is good to go into a break with a couple of wins.



"I just want to spend some time with my family and friends –home is just so good.



"I will then go to Bali for a couple of trips and the next contest I’ll surf will be the Billabong Pro in Brazil," she said.



Earlier in the quarter-finals, Gilmore accounted for three-time winner at this event and current world number six Rebecca Woods from Copacabana on the New South Wales Central Coast.



In the semi-final, Gilmore easily accounted for South Africa’s Rosanne Hodge on the right-handers off Merewether reef.



Fitzgibbons, who hails from Gerroa on the New South Wales South Coast, has made three finals in three WQS events on the Australian leg of the Qualifying Series tour.



She won at both Phillip Island and at the Central Coast - and after her second placing today today she is likely to have already racked up enough points to ensure a berth on the elite tour in 2009.



Fitzgibbons made it to today’s final by defeating fellow Aussie Jessi Miley-Dyer from Coogee in Sydney and then defeated Hawaiian Alana Blanchard in the semi-final.



Fitzgibbons said she was happy to have made her third final on the Australian leg of the WQS in 2008.



"Steph is the current world champion and is doing extremely well so it was a privilege and honor to be in the same heat and pick up some tips at the same time.



"Just watching the way she surfs is awesome – there’s always something to learn from the world’s best.



"It’s a dream of mine to be on the world tour like her," Fitzgibbons said.



"Steph got two good waves early on and I knew I had to do something big but I couldn’t get the waves so unfortunately she got me.



"I am going over to Margaret River and it is going to be my first time competing in WA so it’ll be great to get the experience and have some fun as well," she said.



This morning’s round of 32 in the Mark Richards Pro saw competition heat up as the field was narrowed down to the final 16 surfers.



The day’s honours went to current world number nine, Adrian de Souza, after the Brazilian secured his name at the top of the day’s tally-sheet with a 16.33.



Jeremy Flores (France), who is ranked fourth on the ASP World Tour and the number one seed here, continued to dominate in the water by eliminating Aussies Nathan Hedge (Narrabeen) and Leigh Sedley (Sunshine Coast).



Last weekend’s winner of the Motorola Pro Junior at the same beach, Owen Wright from Culburra on the New South Wales South Coast, was unable to hold off the experienced attack provided by Sunshine Coast hot shot Julian Wilson and Kiama’s Rhys Bombaci.



Wright was bundled out of the competition by less than one point.



Wilson will tomorrow meet Flores in heat seven of Sunday’s round of 16 which gets underway at 8am.



Other surfers who progressed through this morning’s round included Aussies Adam Melling, Blake Wilson, Ryan Campbell, Nic Muscroft, Michael Campbell and Jarrad Sullivan.



Internationals still in contention at Merewether include Kiwi Bobby Hansen, Brazilian Willian Cardoso and Tahiti’s Alan Riou.



Also at Merewether today, a legion of legends gathered on Merewether Beach for the Landcom Charity Teams Session.



In a unique event, retired rugby league great and likely immortal Andrews Johns went board-to-board with former world champions Mark Occhilupo, Mark Richards and Sunny Garcia along with Merewether’s Matt Hoy, former world number two Luke Egan and Simon Law.



This is one of the first opportunities Johns has had to surf back on his home break since his move to Sydney late last year.



Johns was pleased to be among his surfing idols, which showed in his "dreadful" performance in the surf.



"I think the occasion got the better of me," Johns said.



"To surf in the sort of thing is really an honour.



"Mark Richards, especially in this town, is a god."



Occhilupo, who said goodbye to professional surfing at the conclusion of last year’s end of tour event in Hawaii, was enjoying the opportunity to catch some waves with his surfing mates.



Newcastle provides fond memories for Occy.



He took out the Surfest main event in 1986 and 1998.



"It feels great surfing with all my really good friends," Occhilupo said.



"Newcastle has been such a special spot to me over the years and it felt really good being back.



"It weird being down here without competing, I guess that’s when you know you’re retired."



Occhilupo will be honoured in Newcastle tonight with a special dinner and at Merewether Beach tomorrow with his very own expression session that starts at approximately 1:30 local time.

The 2008 Vans Pier Classic presented by Jack’s Surfboards kept tradition today, crowning Huntington Beach locals Shaun Ward and Courtney Conlogue in their respective divisions, while Brazilian transport Bruno Rodrigues (Huntington Beach, CA) took down the Ezekiel Pro Junior.



The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 2-Star event culminated a week’s worth of action today, in contestable two-to-four feet (1 metre) peaks at Huntington Beach Pier.



Ward, who had been the standout surfer of the event, connected the dots in a hard-fought final against fellow contenders Dylan Graves (Isabella, PR), Brad Ettinger (Huntington Beach, CA) and Austin Ware (Solana Beach, CA).



“I’ve been training a lot, and putting a lot into my surfing,” Ward said. “I’m overwhelmed to win a ASP WQS at home, I’ve been trying for a long time, so I’m so excited to take the win at home. I’m off to Australia tomorrow, so I hope I can keep the momentum going.”



Running in conjunction with the men’s division, the ASP WQS 2-Star Vans Pier Classic also ran a hotly-contested women’s event, which saw youngster Courtney Conlogue (Santa Ana, CA) take down fellow finalists Sage Erickson (Ojai, CA), Naje Mulamud (Hanalei, HI) and Lauren Sweeney (Carlsbad, CA).



“I felt pretty confident going into the finals,” Conlogue said. “I just wanted to go out there and win it. Last year I got second place, and I wanted to improve on that. My goal is just to surf as good as I can.”



The ASP Grade-2 Ezekiel Pro Junior was privy to some of the most sensational junior action all season as an international field of top talents took to the Huntington Beach peaks.



Brazilian transplant Bruno Rodrigues (Huntington Beach, CA), who had been in domineering form in both the men’s and the junior’s division all week, proved unstoppable during the final against North America’s top juniors Travis Beckmann (Vero Beach, FL), Trevor Saunders (San Clemente, CA) and Adam Wickwire (Satellite Beach, FL).



“I’m surfing Huntington every day, so the win feels great,” Rodrigues said. “I am living here in Huntington with my father now, and this place feels like home because my family is here. I just met my father, he is American, I have a family here now, so I feel like I’m an American, and I would love to represent the United States in the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships competition in Australia.”



Wickwire, defending ASP North America Pro Junior Champion, was keen to reestablish his dominance on this season’s ASP North America Pro Junior Series, but fell short in the final, with conditions deteriorating rapidly.



“It’s good to get back in the mix,” Wickwire said. “It feels good not to lose first heat. I was pretty far down on the ratings before now, and I’m looking to improve my rating, so any spot in the final is good.”



The 2008 ASP North America Tour will continue its year with the ASP WQS 4-Star Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro featuring the ASP Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior beginning April 29- May 3, 2008.



For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org



Results: Vans Pier Classic presented by Jack’s Surfboards (ASP WQS 2- star event)



Final:

1- Shaun Ward (USA) 15.25

2- Dylan Graves (PRI) 13.65

3- Brad Ettinger (USA) 9.10

4- Austin Ware (USA) 8.90



Semifinals: 8 surfers remaining (1st and 2nd advance)

Heat 1: Austin Ware (USA) 16.25, Brad Ettinger (USA) 13.10, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 12.65, Kyle Ramey (HAW) 8.85

Heat 2: Dylan Graves (PRI) 15.50, Shaun Ward (USA) 10.50, Jason Miller (USA) 7.20, Ian Rotgans (USA) 4.75



Quarterfinals: 16 surfers remaining (1st and 2nd advance)

Heat 1: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 16.75, Brad Ettinger (USA) 8.50, Dane Gudauskas (USA) 7.45, Chris Drummy (USA) 5.65

Heat 2: Kyle Ramey (USA) 12.50, Austin Ware (USA) 10.50, Matt King (USA) 8.95, Heath Walker (AUS) 8.75

Heat 3: Dylan Graves (PRI) 13.00, Ian Rotgans (USA) 9.75, Casey Brown (HAW) 8.00, Sunny Garcia (HAW) 6.30

Heat 4: Shaun Ward (USA) 15.00, Jason Miller (USA) 14.00, Jason Collins (USA) 10.95, Nathan Yeomans (USA) 9.65



Results: Vans Pier Classic presented by Jack’s Surfboards (ASP WQS 2-star event)



Final:

1- Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.35

2- Sage Erickson (USA) 12.75

3- Nage Malamud (HAW) 11.00

4- Lauren Sweeney (USA) 8.65



Semifinals: 8 surfers remaining (1st and 2nd advance)

Heat 1: Nage Malamud (HAW) 14.60, Lauren Sweeney (USA) 14.50, Anastasia Ashley (USA) 8.50, Christa Alves (USA) 7.85

Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 17.75, Sage Erickson (USA) 12.30, Leila Hurst (HAW) 11.10, Bo Stanley (USA) 5.10



Results: Ezekiel Pro Junior presented by Jacks Surfboards (ASP Pro Junior Grade-2)



Final:

1- Bruno Rodrigues (USA) 13.10

2- Travis Beckmann (USA) 11.55

3- Trevor Saunders (USA) 9.95

4- Adam Wickwire (USA) 8.25



Semifinals 8 surfers remaining (1st and 2nd advance)

Heat 1: Trevor Saunders (USA) 17.35, Bruno Rodrigues (USA) 14.35, Austin Smith Ford (USA) 11.80, Jason Harris (USA) 7.65

Heat 2: Adam Wickwire (USA) 15.25, Travis Beckman (USA) 14.00, Blake Jones (USA) 12.15, Cody Thompson (USA) 9.50



Quarter Finals: 16 surfers remaining (1st and 2nd advance)

Heat 1: Jason Harris (USA) 13.35, Bruno Rodrigues (USA) 11.50, Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 10.10, Quinn McCrystal (USA) 9.85

Heat 2: Trevor Saunders (USA) 15.25, Austin Smith Ford (USA) 13.50, Logan Strook (USA) 12.60, Kekoa Cazimero (HAW) 9.80

Heat 3: Blake Jones (USA) 13.50, Travis Beckmann (USA) 13.00, Eric Geiselman (USA) 11.50, Spencer Reagan (USA) 10.60

Heat 4: Cody Thompson (USA) 11.65, Adam Wickwire (USA) 9.80, Andrew Doheny (USA) 8.70, Nat Young (USA) 5.75