Sunset Surf

Triathon reviews series.

admin — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:54:55 +0000

As one of the UK’s fastest growing sports and one of the most fun, lots of surfers are turning to triathlons as a great way to stay in shape for surfing as well as compete in a challenging and enjoyable sport.

As part of this following on from our successful tried and tested reviews section over the next few months we are going to feature a number of reviews directly relating to triathlons, including wetsuits, tri-suits, bikes etc..

We hope that you will find these reviews as helpful as the wetsuit reviews that we have done as the fantastic feedback has been so positive.

Next to buying a bike the wetsuit is going to be one of the more expensive purchases that you make as a triathlete. The market has changed totally over the past five years and instead of suits being owned by a few and hired by the majority for the occasional open water event we now have the reverse. Of course, this assumes that you are planning an open water event — with one or two notable exceptions you will not be allowed to use a wetsuit in a pool-based event.

Prices of suits range from an entry-level around the £170 mark through to top-end suits that any pro would be delighted to use for £300 and more. If you are on a budget it’s always worth looking into end-of-year or end-of-range bargains in the winter sales or considering an ex-hire suit.

Major races like London actually operate their own hire fleet of suits for those people who are aiming to do just the one event and will let you keep the suit for the entire season for training in for a fraction of the cost of buying it. They aren’t very glamorous suits but they are more than adequate and offer a sensible alternative to purchase for one-off triathletes.

Regulations

You can’t wear a wetsuit under the following conditions:

Swim distance Temperature

less than 2000m greater than 21 degrees C

2000m to 3000m greater than 22 degrees C

more than 3000m greater than 23 degrees C

Wetsuits become ‘optional’ (unless other arrangements are in force, such as at events like London) at 14 degrees C and below this the swim distances are limited with 500m being the maximum recommended distance at 11 degrees C and no swimming should take place at all if it’s colder. Theoretically you won’t ever need a wetsuit in a pool swim but we know of three pools; Wellington College and Eton College (must be something about English boys schools!) and Tooting Bec Lido, where the water is definitely wet-suit legal for almost the whole year!

Wetsuits may be constructed of up to three separate parts (that’s legs, top and hood but you cannot wear just the legs), and you are not allowed to use boots or gloves in a race. The maximum thickness of the neoprene is also limited to 5mm and there are some other highly technical bits about distribution of the various thicknesses but for normal use we can ignore them. Any suit from the major manufacturers listed below will be a legal suit and you can check the official list on the ITU’s website: http://www.triathlon.org

The big investment

A wetsuit is a significant investment, especially when you consider that you’ll probably only use it half a dozen times a year. Like all such investments it’s sometimes hard to justify spending more than a bare minimum but it’s definitely worth it. The more expensive the suit the more flexible it will be and, generally, the better it will fit. Not all wetsuit makers use the same body proportions so do not rely on the fact that two different makes describe a size as Medium – they may be wildly different in fit. Do get advice on the fit of the suit and do be prepared to try on several, and allow time for this. Once bought and worn it’s unlikely that the shop will be willing to take it back if you decide that it is the If you are outside of the ‘norms’ in terms of body size or shape you can opt for a made to measure suit. Getting a made to measure suit means that you can, within the limits laid down by the BTA/ITU, choose your suit to match your swimming style. If you have a good leg kick you’ll need less rubber on the legs, if you have a lousy leg kick and get cold very quickly then you might go for thicker rubber and a thermal lining. The elite, who can literally win or lose a race in transition, might go for special panels so that the suit slides off easier or different zipper configurations. You can also opt for different suit types such as sleeveless or even a shorty but you need to be pretty tough and a good swimmer to get by in one of these in most of the British waters

For the majority of triathletes reading this, however, an off the peg suit will be more than adequate and they now come in such a range of sizes that it will be hard not to find one to fit.

The small investment

If you are on a really tight budget and you’ve just been conned into doing your first, and possibly only, open-water swim then the sensible answer is to hire a suit. Several of the big triathlon shops do offer suit hire for the major events and, as previously mentioned, London operates its own fleet of suits. DO NOT hire a suit from a surf or sailboard shop other than as a last resort. Triathlon wetsuits are very different to watersports suits and are specifically designed to swim in – most other suits are too restrictive.

Another alternative is to go for a second-hand suit or ex-hire suit but there can be problems with this route. Many athletes use petroleum jelly to lubricate the collar and cuffs of the suit to reduce chafing and speed transition. This can, and does, literally rot the suit by weakening the rubber and slowly dissolving the glue that joins the bits of the suit together. The trouble is, you can’t really tell that the rot is there until you start tugging and stretching and then it’s usually too late! That said, many second-hand suits are in good condition and often a bargain. The shops that hire out the suits often sell them off at the end of a season and they are unlikely to have been too badly abused in one year.

The fit

A wetsuit is, as its name suggests, not going to keep you dry! The whole idea is that a thin layer of water gets in between the neoprene and your skin where it gets warmed up by your efforts and then this warmth is kept in by the rubber. And, in terms of fit, that’s one of the key indicators — the suit needs to be tight enough that there are no baggy bits, wrinkles or obvious air pockets (the small of the back is one area you always need to check as are the armpits).

One way of describing the perfect suit fit is that the suit should feel like a surgeon’s glove — not constricting but like a second skin. However, because the suits stretch so much getting this fit is not simply a matter of squeezing yourself into the smallest suit that lets you breathe, your arms need to be able to move freely so that you can swim properly and the body of the suit certainly doesn’t want to pull between the neck and the crotch.

Women, having a different body shape to men, should look for suits that are made for them first. That said, there are plenty of women out there swimming in a man’s suit because, for their body shape, it is a better fit. Wetsuits are, all said and done, just neoprene body bags and, for the sport of triathlon at least, gender neutral. As with choosing a bike, get one that fits right and ignore the label.

Putting one on

There is a trick to putting on a wetsuit which, once learned, makes life in transition so much easier. First, always make sure your nails are trimmed short — long nails rip through rubber and will result in a lot of bad nicks or worse. If you have to have long nails then consider wearing thin gloves when putting the suit on (something like the De Feet Dura Glove is ideal). So, for the trick itself, you need a typical supermarket carrier bag; Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsburys or whatever takes your fancy but the thinner the better. Now, prepare the suit by unzipping and rolling it inside out down to half a leg. Now put your foot in the bag and then slip it into the leg pulling the suit up as you go. Peel the bag off your foot and repeat for the other leg. Easy, wasn’t it! The trick is that the bag acts as a barrier between the clingy lycra interior fabric and your skin and makes it almost frictionless. Now roll the suit up to the crutch and make sure the legs are fully pulled up and there is no nappy gap. Finish off by repeating the bag trick with the arms and then get a friend to do the zip up for you.

To make things easier for removing the suit you can use a little lubricant round the ankles but many seasoned triathletes also cut a bit off the bottom of the legs, usually angled front to back, which makes the home a bit bigger and so stops the suit balling up around the ankle when you pull it down. As long as there is still water inside the suit it will come off pretty easily once the zip is undone. Just get the arms out first and the roll it all the way down to the knees and step out of it. Once you have one leg out you can tread on this to help get the other leg out. In races where T1 is a long run from the water you may decide to take the suit off immediately but do make sure you get well out of the way first as impeding other athletes often leads to abuse and even a possible penalty. Some races, London is one example, make you take the suit off and bag it to stop lots of water getting onto the transition flow while others, IMUK being an example, may even provide neutral helpers to assist in stripping off the suit. Whatever the race, this is something you need to practice.

Looking after it

With proper care and attention you will get several seasons of use out of a quality suit. Indeed, apart from physical damage there’s little that can fail other than the rubber itself or the stitching. Do check the seams, they can usually be re-taped, glued and stitched if they show signs of wear, and if the suit seems to be holding water like a sponge then it’s a sign that the neoprene is failing.

Always wash the suit with clean warm water and dry it in the open air (but not in bright sunlight) after use

After a race where the water was less than clean put Milton in the washing water to remove those lingering odours!

Store the suit flat and, if you have to fold, do it lightly as though you were folding a good suit to pack in a case

For long term storage such as over-wintering turn the suit inside out and store flat in a cool place

If you need lubrication use a water-soluble natural substance. Body Glide is the real deal here but the Body Shop’s Avocado Body Butter is an excellent alternative and the Americans swear by a product called Pam which is a low calorie spray-on cooking oil. NO VASELINE!!

Who makes suits

If you want a custom made suit then there are really only two choices. Snugg, based in Newquay, can work miracles with rubber and many pro suits which appear to be a sponsor’s branded suit have often been seriously altered by Malcolm and his team. They also offer a repair service which can fix pretty much anything from a nick to a completely torn off leg or arm. Terrapin, run by the redoubtable Biddie Foord and based up in Leicester will also craft a suit to your desires and fix most sorts of problems.

The major brands, at least in terms of UK market share, are Orca, Blue Seventy/Ironman, Foor (exclusive to Tri-UK) and Quintana Roo although this latter brand has declined in both popularity and availability quite markedly in recent years. Adding to this quartet are a whole raft of new and non-so-new brands: 2XU, Aquaman, De Soto (T1), ProMotion, XTERRA and Zoot.

Watch this space for the new tried and tested reviews coming very soon, and thanks to tri247.com for help with all this.

Russel Winter Sends Out Warning at Relentless Boardmasters

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:37:28 +0000

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Europe

RELENTLESS BOARDMASTERS
Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 5-Star Men’s Event

Stop No.4 of 12 on the 2010 ASP European Men’s Series
August 3 to 8, 2010
Newquay, England

Russel Winter Sends Out Warning at Relentless Boardmasters

Russel Winter (GBR) [Photocredit:Aquashot/aspeurope.com]

NEWQUAY – England (Wednesday, August 4, 2010) - The Relentless Boardmasters a Men’s Star Series $120,000 5-Star event advanced through to complete remaining round one heats and the first four clashes of round two which was capped off with Newquay local Russel Winter (GBR) blasting his way into the
third round of this Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) sanctioned event with an outstanding performance to place himself in a commanding position for the remaining rounds of the Relentless Boardmasters 2010.

There were 3-4ft peaks during the entire day offering plenty of waves but making it very difficult for competitors to find a wave connecting through the many sections to allow for any series of manoeuvres. The stacked international field made the most of the tricky conditions battling against wind and rain in their bid to reach the advancing positions.

Russel Winter (GBR) nailed an 8.17 out of 10 in the first minutes of his 25-minute clash and a second wave of 6.17 to cruise through to round three and emerges as a threat to many of the top seeds in this year’s edition of the Relentless Boardmasters 2010.

“I got those two waves right off the bat really and that first one that came to me was really a nice size set and I bottomed turned and snapped at the top and almost over did it as the fins slid out a bit but managed to hold onto it and do another snap so after that I felt a little more confident so I am on a roll and stoked.”

Travis Logie (ZAF) also advanced to round three behind Joao Guedes (PRT) who claimed his best ever result at the Relentless Boardmasters after four previous visits to Newquay and it was all the sweeter making it in a heat so stacked with talent.

“I am really happy to pass into the next round and it was not an easy heat and to come out on top over a WCT surfer like Travis Logie who I really like the way he surfs and on my first wave I was lucky and on my third because the waves are not easy to surf right now. My two waves held up and went almost to the shore break and I did some turns and made it through.”

Due to the strong winds Guedes was unable to hear situations so without exactly knowing where he was positioned in regards to his competitors was forced to search and surf everything available in his attempt to advance.

“I was a bit nervous out there because I couldn’t hear anything during the entire heat and I had no idea what position I was so I got nervous in the end because I saw the guys ripping some waves and all I could do was keep on catching waves.”

Early standout was Jay Quinn (NZL) who in his first appearance here this year at the Relentless Boardmasters capped off an excellent 25-minute display of powerful forehand surfing to claim a two wave total of 15.00 out of a possible 20 the highest of the day.

Coming back to Europe after a break at home after the European Spring leg in Scotland and France Quinn is hoping to make a result hear at the Relentless Boardmasters the first of six major ASP Men’s Star Series events.

“I went out there trying to keep busy and the waves I took off on pushed all the way through to the inside so it was quite nice to get a couple of 7 point rides. I’ve been here a few times and I’ve had a quarter-finals finish here and I hope to do better than that this time round.”

“The draw has opened up a lot because there are other events on at the moment so my chances have improved to get a result here,” explained Quinn. “I want to try and take advantage of that. I have had a bit of time off over the last couple of months at home surfing some good waves so I’m feeling good and I will stay for all six events here so looking for a good start to it all with a
result here to begin with.”

Reubyn Ash (GBR) 22, is one of the best young surfers in Britain with a huge future ahead of him and having surfed at Fistral beach over many years knows that choice of equipment in these kind of conditions is crucial when wanting to get results at Fistral beach.

“It is kind of real hard conditions now and I managed that one air which got me the score I needed to get into the heat and come through so I am stoked because it is all over the place so you can really benefit from having a good board here that works in bad conditions because even though it looks about 4ft in the end you end up on a little 1 footer on the inside.”

At times lacking confidence in his own ability which has put pressure on himself and affected results over his career Ash has a new approach to his competitive surfing which he explains.

“I’ve got a real nice little board at the moment so I just want to have fun really when I am surfing and I think to be honest at the contests at the moment I am not really worried about all the results I am just trying to enjoy what I enjoy doing. I’ve spent too many years worrying about whether to get through or not when I should go out there and surf and try to do what I do
best.”

Event officials have decided to make a check-in tomorrow on day 3 of the Relentless Boardmasters at 8:30am for a 9:00am start to heat 5 of round two. Conditions are expected to remain the same and with the higher tide another day of action is planned to unfold.

All results, photos, news and daily releases are available on www.aspeurope.com

UPCOMING ROUND TWO MATCH-UPS RELENTLESS BOARDMASTERS
Heat 5: Marc Lacomare (FRA), Txaber Trojaola (EUK), Billy Stairmand (NZL), Renato Galvao (BRA)
Heat 6: Gordan Fontaine (FRA), Beyrick De Vries (ZAF), Eduardo Fernandes (PRT), Russell Malony (AUS)
Heat 7: Messias Felix
(BRA), Kyle Lane (ZAF), Andre Oziol (HAW), Robertson Goncalves (PRT)
Heat 8: Oli Adams (GBR), Killian Garland (USA), Alan Stokes (GBR), Jay Quinn (NZL)
Heat 9: Reubyn Ash (GBR), Chad Du Toit (ZAF), Hugo Savalli (REU), Joackim Petersen Guichard (NOR)
Heat 10: Heath Joske (AUS), Josh Piper (GBR), Romain Laulhe (FRA), Anthony Walsh (AUS)
Heat 11: Vincent Duvignac (FRA), Jorge Spanner (BRA), Antonio Bortoletto (ZAF), Matt Bemrose (AUS)
Heat 12: Ruda Carvalho
(BRA), Nathan Webster (AUS), Nick Riley (AUS), Romain Cloitre (FRA)

RESULTS ROUND TWO RELENTLESS BOARDMASTERS
Heat 1: Joao Guedes (PRT) 9.90, Travis Logie (ZAF) 9.83, Abdel El Harim (MAR) 8.27, Mark Harris (GBR) 8.23
Heat 2: Russel Winter (GBR) 14.43, Christophe Allary (REU) 9.57, Odirlei Coutinho (BRA) 9.07, Reubin Pearce (ZAF) 7.50
Heat
3: Brendon Gibbens (ZAF) 10.00, Andre Teixeira (BRA) 8.97, Frederic Robin (REU) 8.37, Freddie Meadows (SWE) 7.20
Heat 4: Leigh McMahon (AUS) 9.87, Sam Lamiroy (GBR) 7.83, Adrien Toyon (REU) 7.37, Klee Strachan (ZAF) 7.00

RESULTS ROUND ONE RELENTLESS BOARDMASTERS
Heat 13: Messias Felix (BRA) 13.83, Oli Adams (GBR) 8.67, Britton Galland (USA) 6.27
Heat 14: Kyle Lane (ZAF) 14.83, Killian Garland (USA) 11.87, Johnny Fryer (GBR) 8.37, Richard Dodd (GBR) 4.00
Heat 15: Alan Stokes (GBR) 11.83,
Andre Oziol (BRB) 8.93, Madison Williams (AUS) 7.94, Dean Gough (GBR) 4.57
Heat 16: Jay Quinn (NZL) 15.00, Robertson Goncalves (PRT) 7.24, Manfred Adrio (ZAF) 7.00, Matt Rodwell (GBR) 4.57
Heat 17: Reubyn Ash (GBR) 14.74, Heath Joske (AUS) 11.06, Michael February (ZAF) 9.83, Jaime Mathers (GBR) 4.46
Heat 18: Chad Du Toit (ZAF) 10.70, Josh Piper (GBR) 8.20, Anderson Santos (BRA) 5.37, Alexander El Naib (DEU) 1.23
Heat 19: Romain Laulhe (FRA) 11.16, Hugo Savalli (REU)
9.27, Eric Castaldo (USA) 3.74, Alex Piper (GBR) 3.13
Heat 20: Anthony Walsh (AUS) 11.34, Yoackim Petersen Guichard (NOR) 10.24, Jayce Robinson (GBR) 8.03, Thomas Good (GBR) 4.90
Heat 21: Vincent Duvignac (FRA) 11.17, Ruda Carvalho (BRA) 10.84, Matt Capel (GBR) 6.20, Carlos Marques (ESP) 4.36
Heat 22: Jorge Spanner (BRA) 9.83, Nathan Webster (AUS) 8.13, Jared Thorne (USA) 6.04, Cain Kilcullen (IRL) 2.96
Heat 23: Nick Riley (AUS) 13.87, Antonio Bortoletto (ZAF) 10.00, Tom
Buttler (GBR) 8.60, Christopher Schnitzer (ZAF) 7.20
Heat 24: Romain Cloitre (FRA) 13.33, Matt Bemrose (AUS) 8.83, Luca Petersen Guichard 8.47, Cheyne Willis (HAW) 3.97

About ASP: The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing’s undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and
Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Japan, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

Association of Surfing Professionals
72-80 Marine Parade
Coolangatta, QLD 4225
Australia

Aliotti Leads Opening Battles of Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:57:58 +0000

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Europe

ISLAS CANARIAS SANTA PRO JUNIOR
ASP Pro Junior Grade-2 Men’s Event
Stop No. 3 of 4 on the 2010 ASP European Pro
Junior Series
August 4 to 8, 2010
La Cicer, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – Canary Islands

Aliotti Leads Opening Battles of Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior

Complimentary image caption: William Aliotti (Saint Martin, French West Indies, FRA), 16, confirmed he is on a good roll after his third place finish last week pulling spectacular airs to advance
through to Round 2 [Aquashot/aspeurope.com]

LA CICER, Gran Canaria (Wednesday, August 4, 2010) – The Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior, first of two
ASP Grade-2 events taking place in Europe this summer, kicked-off this morning in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, tricky two-to-three foot (0.5 to 1 meter) waves, Round 1 competitors delivering some good progressive surfing.

Second to last event on this year’s ASP European men’s Junior tour, the Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior’s crucial ratings’ points meant added pressure from the first day of competition, local rising talents making their best to shine at their home beach and cause some upset against some of Europe’s most promising surfers.

Taking control of Day 1 with solid surfing to open his Canarian campagn in style was Caribbean’s Saint Martin native William Aliotti (St Martin, FRA) who dominated Heat 8 to advance and join event top seeds in Round 2 of competition. Unleashing convincing fins-out turns on the rapid-breaking launching ramps of La Cicer’s beachbreak, Sopelana pro Junior’s finalist lost no time to make his intentions clear posting a 14.34 point heat score.

“These conditions usually suit me well and I was really looking for the vertical sections and pull some airs,” Aliotti said. “It’s my first time here, it’s pretty cool and I feel comfortable on that wave so hopefully I can get through some more heats in the next couple of days.”

Besting Basile Belime (Algarve, PRT) and eliminating threats Nico Arrigue and Cristian Rincon (Gran Canaria, CNY) en route to Round 2, Aliotti showed how relaxed he was despite knowing the importance of securing a big result by the end of the week, a finish that would mean serious confidence before the showdown next week in France.

“That result in Sopelana was just great and I couldn’t expect for much more,” Aliotti said. “I’ve been training and travelling pretty much alone and it’s so good to see things going my way. I’ve found some support to start things on the junior tour this year so I am pretty stoked to be here and will give it my best.”

Following the day’s top scorer in excellent form was the Basque contingent led by second best scorer of the day Alex Iriondo (EUK). With eight surfers finishing first or second of their respective heats out of a possible nine, the Basque flag was up all day at La Cicer, Iriondo’s 12.50 point result and Mitxel Lopez’s 7.00 pointer setting pace before Round 2.

Day 1 was called off after Heat 16 of Round 1, event officials setting Thursday’s call at 9.30 AM at La Cicer for all remaining sixty-four competitors. With ratings’ leaders readying to hit the water around 10 AM and consistent three-foot surf expected, the Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior will witness another rise of level.

Ratings’ leader Medi Veminardi (REU) and ratings’ No. 2 Tom Cloarec will be amongst those starting their run tomorrow, recent event winner Charles Martin (GLP) coming with high expectations as well towards a possible end-of-year win.

“It’s my last year as a Pro Junior so I am looking at the regional title before moving on to my professional career,” Martin said. “I just won an event and I am the defending champion here so it is great confidence before my start tomorrow.”

The ASP Grade-2 Islas Canarias Santa Pro will offer LIVE scoring facility, news, photos and videos at www.aspeurope.com

Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior Round 2 Heats
Heat 1: Jules Thomet (FRA), Marc Audo (FRA), Pierre Rollet (FRA), Hanniel Berton (CNY)
Heat 2: Filipe Jervis (PRT), Damien Chaudoy (REU), Ivan Gonzalez (ESP), Remi Petersen (ZAF)
Heat 3: Igor Muniain (EUK), Ander Mendiguren (EUK), Alex Iriondo (EUK), Pedro Berasaluce (EUK)
Heat 4: Edouard
Delpero (FRA), Asier Makeda (EUK), Leonardo Belime (PRT), Martin Dambreville (FRA)
Heat 5: David Leboulsh (FRA), Tom Cloarec (FRA), Nelson Cloarec (FRA), Miguel Blanco (PRT)
Heat 6: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT), Borja Agote (EUK), Mitxel Lopez (EUK), Hugo Robin (FRA)
Heat 7: Frederico Morais (PRT), Lyndon Wake (GBR), Natxo Gonzalez (EUK), Basile Belime (PRT)
Heat 8: Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA), Javier Ascanio (CNY), William Aliotti (FRA), Nico Von Rupp (DEU)
Heat 9: Charles
Martin (GLP), Jose Roman Grau (CNY), Kosme Fernandes (EUK), Ramon Taliani (ITA)
Heat 10: Dimitri Ouvre (FRA), Hugo Dubosc (FRA), Lewis Clinton (GBR), Toby Donachie (GBR)
Heat 11: Marcos Sansegundo (EUK), Tom Neuschwanger (REU), Txaber Gaminde (EUK), Stuart Campbell (GBR)
Heat 12: Tristan Guilbaud (FRA), Fransisco Alves (PRT), Imanol Yeregi (EUK), Marcelino Botin (ESP)
Heat 13: Mario Azurza (EUK), Ramzi Boukiam (MAR), Roberto Letemendia (EUK), Alberto Garcia (CNY)
Heat
14: Pablo Pola (FRA), Ian Fontaine (FRA), Miguel Villalba (EUK), Alex Gironi (EUK)
Heat 15: Kieren Bulard (REU), José Ferreira (PRT), Gaspard Larsonneur (FRA), Kevin Bourez (PYF)
Heat 16: Medi Veminardi (REU), Angelo Bonomelli (ITA), Luis Eyre (GBR), Andy Criere (FRA)

Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior Round 1 Results
Heat 1: Pierre Rollet (FRA) 8.27, Remi Petersen (ZAF) 7.64, Joao Kopke (PRT) 7.00
Heat 2: Ivan Gonzalez (ESP) 6.40, Hanniel Bertoni (CNY) 5.13, Kai Garcia (CNY) 5.10
Heat 3: Alex Iriondo (EUK) 12.50, Martin Dambreville (FRA) 10.00, Ethan Eguiguren (6.87)
Heat 4: Leonardo Belime (PRT) 10.33, Pedro Berasaluce (EUK) 9.10, Jorgann Couzinet (FRA) 8.20
Heat 5: Nelson Cloarec (FRA) 10.60, Hugo
Robin (FRA) 8.30, Juan Manuel Florit (CNY)
Heat 6: Mitxel Lopez (EUK) 12.00, Miguel Blanco (PRT) 9.84, Bentor Gonzalez (CNY) 7.37, Luis Diaz Urrejola (CNY) 5.40
Heat 7: Natxo Gonzalez (EUK) 9.57, Nico Von Rupp (DEU) 9.56, Hugo Palmarini (8.73)
Heat 8: William Aliotti (FRA) 14.34, Basile Belime (PRT) 7.70, Nico Aguirre (CNY) 5.54, Cristian Rincon (CNY) 3.16
Heat 9: Kosme Fernandez (EUK) 10.20, Toby Donachie (GBR) 9.43, Josu Alcantara (ESP) 5.20
Heat 10: Lewis Clinton
(GBR) 9.33, Ramon Taliani (ITA) 9.00, Manuel Lezcano (CNY) 6.04
Heat 11: Txaber Gaminde (EUK) 11.33, Marcelino Botin (ESP) 8.67, Aldric God (FRA) 3.84
Heat 12: Imanol Yeregi (EUK) 10.87, Stuart Campbell (GBR) 9.60, Leonardo Fioraventi (ITA) 9.40, Saul Torres (CNY) 3.40
Heat 13: Roberto Letemendia (EUK) 10.53, Alex Gironi (EUK) 8.00, Lewis Leadbetter (GBR)
Heat 14: Miguel Villalba (CNY) 8.80, Alberto Garcia (CNY) 6.07, Luca Dioguardi (CNY) 5.90, Charly Termeau (FRA) 5.04
Heat 15: Gaspard Larsonneur (FRA) 12.67, Luis Eyre (GBR) 10.14, Alexandre Descacq (FRA) 8.70
Heat 16: Andy Criere (FRA) 11.33, Kevin Bourez (PYF) 10.70, Ben Reuveni (ISR) 6.80, Javier Sanchez (CNY) 2.34

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Europe
Media

Greg Puget (on ste)
Email: greg@aspeurope.com

FRA Mobile: (33) 615 439 732

FRA Office: (33) 558 723 996

Association of Surfing Professionals

72-80 Marine Parade
Coolangatta, QLD 4225
Australia

Travis Logie Leads Day One at Relentless Boardmasters Newquay

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:06:50 +0000

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Europe

RELENTLESS BOARDMASTERS
Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 5-Star Men’s Event

Stop No.4 of 12 on the 2010 ASP European Men’s Series
August 3 to 8, 2010
Newquay, England

Travis Logie Leads Day One at Relentless Boardmasters Newquay

Travis Logie (ZAF) [Photocredit:Aquashot/aspeurope.com]

NEWQUAY – England (Tuesday, August 3, 2010) - The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Relentless Boardmasters a Men’s Star Series $120,000 5-Star event kicked-off today with current ASP Dream Tour member Travis Logie (Durban North/ZAF) 31, leading the charge of international surfers on day one
of competition at the main contest site of Fistral beach, Newquay with a commanding performance in the first clash of the tournament setting the pace for the remainder of the day.

Consistent 3-4ft (1m) waves were on offer throughout the morning and early afternoon as the tide pushed in to allow event officials to run the first half of round one and with 5 days remaining in the waiting period and a swell increase expected a call was made for 8:30am tomorrow morning for heat nº 13 to start proceedings.

Travis Logie was the pace maker from the start today opening the event with a 14.43 out of a possible 20 to set the scale of what we could expect from the surfers in round one at the Relentless Boardmasters 2010. Fresh from a series of events including the World Tour Championship (WCT) in Jefferies Bay where he finished in 17 ^th position, his best for this season, that have given him
a confidence boost at the half-way point leading into the European leg of competitions.

“I have been at home lately for all the events there and I have had a good little run and I have got some results in the WQS events and I started to get through some heats in the WCT events after a really bad start so the middle third of my year is going really well so far. I want to keep going here with that sort of feeling and after this event I head off to the Azores for the 6-star Prime event and
then to Tahiti for the CT over there so this is a great event for me to get started on this next leg of contests.”

Logie went on to explain how his heat unfolded and opening his account with a 7.33 out of a possible 10 and then backing it up with a strong backhand series of cracks to claim a 7.10 late in the 25-minute clash.

“Right at the beginning of the heat I got a 7 on a good long left and then I got that really nice little right and got some turns in so a nice way for sure to start the event.”

Marc Lacomare (FRA) 18, current ASP European Junior Champion took time to gain experience in his first heat ever at the Relentless Boardmasters. Catching many low scoring rides throughout the heat Lacomare finally latched onto a bomb to score an 8.50 the highest single heat score of the contest.

Having arrived late yesterday afternoon and trying as hard as he could to adjust to the English surf and weather conditions Lacomare found that he needed almost the entire 25 minutes of his first heat to feel that both board and body are slowly getting into sync.

“It’s my first time here so I wanted to try my board and get to know the wave a little bit better so I decided to catch a lot of waves and focus on my board and try to catch the good waves but it is really hard to see from the water which one is good and which one is going to line up.”

“I surfed late at night yesterday and the water was cold and I had the wrong wax and was falling on all the waves,” explained Lacomare. “Now I feel good and my board is good so I am stoked to get through.”

As current European Junior title holder Lacomare is granted a wildcard spot into all of the major Men’s Star Series events scheduled this year in Europe thus forcing him to change his focus to the larger events putting aside for the moment the current ASP Pro Junior series.

“I am here this year because I have the wildcard from last year so I am going to focus on the WQS this year. Right now there is a junior event in Canary Islands but I want to practice here and get some points and a good result and then go to all the big WQ contests this summer.”

Russel Winter (GBR) topped the pile with a typical powerful display aggressive surfing to claim the highest two wave heat total of 15.33 out of a possible 20. Despite having left the tour full-time Winter is motivated to do well on home soil in front of his home crowd. Fitter than ever and taking it all very seriously with his unquenched competitive spirit Winter is one surfer the top seeds may have to be
wary of coming into the following rounds.

“I had a bit of a slow start to the heat because I wanted to get some good ones early but obviously I sort of built on it towards the end of the heat. I was anxious to try and impress everyone I guess so I should really try and calm down a bit. (laughs).”

“I am not travelling so much now,” continued Winter. “I have spent time training here a lot for this contest and as I don’t get the opportunity to do many events nowadays I would really like to try and win this one. I‘ve been training and I am as fit as can be and I have some good boards so hopefully if I get the waves but really everybody is ripping so one heat at a
time.”

Part of a massive weekend of music and sport the Relentless Boardmasters showcases the world’s best surfers as they vie for valuable ratings points on the One World Rankings in their attempt to pace highly and qualify for the ASP Dream Tour of 2011. For the European contingent the Relentless Boardmasters marks stop nº4 of 12 on the ASP Men’s European Series.

For more information and LIVE scores, photos, and news log-on to www.aspeurpe.com

REMAINING ROUND ONE MATCH-UPS RELENTLESS BOARDMASTERS
Heat 13: Messias Felix (BRA), Oli Adams (GBR), Britton Galland (USA)
Heat 14: Killian Garland (USA), Kyle Lane (ZAF), Jonny Fryer (GBR), Richard Dodd (GBR)
Heat 15: Alan Stokes (GBR), Madison Williams (AUS), Andre
Oziol (BRB), Dean Gough (GBR)
Heat 16: Jay Quinn (NZL), Manfred Adrio (ZAF), Robertson Goncalves (PRT), Matt Rodwell (GBR)
Heat 17: Heath Joske (AUS), Michael February (ZAF), Reubyn Ash (GBR), Jaime Mather
Heat 18: Chad Du Toit (ZAF), Nico Rupp (DEU), Anderson Santos (BRA), Josh Piper (GBR)
Heat 19: Hugo Savalli (REU), Romain Laulhe (FRA), Eric Castaldo (USA), Alex Piper (GBR)
Heat 20: Anthony Walsh (AUS), Joaquim Guichard (DNK), Jayce Robinson (GBR), Thomas
Good
Heat 21: Ruda Carvalho (BRA), Vincent Duvignac (FRA), Carlos Marques (ESP), Matt Capel
Heat 22: Jorge Spanner (BRA), Nathan Webster (AUS), Jared Thorne (USA), Cain Kilcullen (IRL)
Heat 23: Antonio Bortoletto (ZAF), Nick Riley (AUS), Tom Buttler (GBR). Christopher Schnitzer (ZAF)
Heat 24: Romain Cloitre (FRA), Luca Guichard (DNK), Cheyne Willis (HAW)

UPCOMING ROUND TWO MATCH-UPS RELENTLESS BOARDMASTERS
Heat 1: Travis Logie (ZAF), Abdel El Harim (MAR), Joao Guedes (PRT), Mark Harris (GBR)
Heat 2: Rudy Palmboom (ZAF), Christophe Allary (REU), Russel Winter (GBR), Odirlei Coutinho (BRA)
Heat 3: Freddie Meadows (SWE),
Frederic Robin (REU), Andre Teixeira (BRA), Brendon Gibbens (ZAF)
Heat 4: Adrien Toyon (REU), Klee Strachan (ZAF), Leigh McMahon (AUS), Sam Lamiroy (GBR)
Heat 5: Marc Lacomare (FRA), Txaber Trojaola (EUK), Billy Stairmand (NZL), Renato Galvao (BRA)
Heat 6: Gordan Fontaine (FRA), Beyrick De Vries (ZAF), Eduardo Fernandes (PRT), Russell Malony (AUS)

RESULTS ROUND ONE RELENTLESS BOARDMASTERS
Heat 1: Travis Logie (ZAF) 14.43, Reubin Pearce (ZAF) 9.53, Ricardo Lange (DEU) 9.47
Heat 2: Abdel El Harim (MAR) 11.83, Christophe Allary (REU) 10.80, Sam Scoble (GBR) 7.37, David Young (GBR) 4.60
Heat 3: Russel Winter (GBR)
15.33, Joao Guedes (PRT) 10.53, Richard Sills (GBR) 7.53, Stephen Michelsen (ZAF) 2.65
Heat 4: Odirlei Coutinho (BRA) 13.67, Mark Harris (GBR) 7.30, Omer Bar (ISR) 6.60, James Snyman (GBR) 4.87
Heat 5: Freddie Meadows (SWE) 8.90, Adrien Toyon (REU) 8.54, Ricky Basnett (ZAF) 7.77
Heat 6: Frederic Robin (REU) 11.87, Klee Strachan (ZAF) 9.57, Josh Ash (GBR) 7.86, Jack Clinton (GBR) 6.07
Heat 7: Leigh McMahon (AUS) 10.90, Andre Teixeira (BRA) 9.27, Mitch Coleborn (AUS) 7.94,
Ryan Thomas (GBR) 3.40
Heat 8: Sam Lamiroy (GBR) 9.34, Brendon Gibbens (ZAF) 9.24, Rudy Marechal (FRA) 7.17
Heat 9: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 15.00, Gordan Fontaine (FRA) 10.00, Gareth Llewellyn (GBR) 6.33
Heat 10: Txaber Trojaola (EUK) 12.50, Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 12.17, Alessandro Piu (ITA) 7.86, Joshua Cleaver (GBR) 2.27
Heat 11: Eduardo Fernandes (PRT) 11.77, Billy Stairmand (NZL) 11.13, Lee Bartlett 7.46, Warren Tuck (ZAF) 5.33
Heat 12: Russell Malony (AUS) 11.87,
Renato Galvao (BRA) 10.34, Taylor Thorne (USA) 5.83

72-80 Marine Parade
Coolangatta, QLD 4225
Australia

Marathon Opening Day at Nikita Pro Junior Sopelana.

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:13:20 +0000

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Europe

NIKITA PRO JUNIOR SOPELANA
ASP Pro Junior Grade-1 Men’s Event
ASP Pro Junior Grade-1 Women’s Event
July 29 to August 1, 2010
Sopelana, Basque
Country SPAIN

Marathon Opening Day at Nikita Pro Junior Sopelana.

Charly Martin (GLP) [Photocredit:Aquashot/aspeurope.com]

SOPELANA – Basque Country/Spain (Thursday, July 29, 2010) – A total of 56 heats were completed today in a marathon session at The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Nikita Pro Junior Sopelana due to a poor swell forecast for the upcoming days. Event
officials gathered early this morning knowing they had to make good use of the conditions which greeted the competitors of round one. With only 32 of the 128 who started the event the best was left for the last round of the day when on high tide the little running swell converged to form multiple 2-3ft (0.5-1m) waves to give competitors more than adequate conditions to vie for a place into the quarter-finals.

Emphasis was given to the men’s event in an attempt to complete the 128 man format over two days. With only 4 events on this year’s ASP Europe Pro Junior Men’s Series the chance of losing a result would be devastating for the overall series. Having one extra event this year the Nikita
Girls Pro Junior Sopelana will get their chance tomorrow to take the stage as event officials are seriously considering the option of crowning both event champions tomorrow with the weekend offering very little opportunity for contestable conditions.

Having decided to enter the Nikita Pro Junior Sopelana at the last moment Charlie Martin (GLP) had to battle his way through 4 rounds against many of the topseeds to secure his spot in the final 16. Surfing with style and flair on both his forehand and backhand Martin scored a handful of excellent rides overall looking fast and sharp in his
approach.

“I have done four heats today and it has helped me to get used to the wave and my board, chilli, which is going really good and the waves are hard but I still got some scores so I am happy”

“It is very physical out there in these kind of conditions on such long days with so many heats but I have just come back from Puerto Escondido where I surfed a lot and I feel good and having fun. Tomorrow it will be the same for everyone in the water so I just want to do my best and try to get the best waves which I think is the only thing that can really
help you when it is like this to help you make the heat so I hope for the waves and try to surf them good and not fall off and maybe win the event or make some heats at least.”

Filipe Jervis (PRT) was another of the standout surfers with a powerful display of surfing and physical fitness winning his heats and first to qualify for the quarters. A former quarter-finalist here and having trained extensively leading up to this his final assault on the ASP Pro Junior Series Jervis has set goals and a sense that he can attain
them.

“Last year I made the quarters as well but this year my goal is to go further because I have been training hard and trying some small wave boards for competitions and I have been training really hard this winter when I went to Hawaii then straight to Australia for 2 months working on my surfing and getting fit and working on getting good results this
year on my last year as a junior so I am feeling great and my surfing is better than it has ever been so I want to keep going and at least make the top 10 on my last pro junior year.”

After such a gruelling day of competition the young Portuguese surfers knows that he is only half way there and that the job ahead is going to be equally tough.

“Now with the high tide it is a little bit better than in the morning when I had my first heat it was pretty hard now there are some waves out there and it is good fun actually. It feels awesome to be through to the quarter-finals so I am going to home and rest a little for tomorrow and hopefully make it through to the finals.”

Pierre-Valentin Laborde (Hossegor/FRA) 19, made the most of the scarce offerings during the morning session to come home strongly with a dominating performance in round four getting off to an early lead and keeping his opponents in check for the remaining minutes to advance. Somewhat of a small wave specialist Laborde has a full array of repertoire coming into
events with these testing conditions.

“This heat was really good with conditions much more consistent with my first two waves a 5.5 and a 7.5 (out of a possible 10) so I am stoked to get through.”

“I have a new board here for small waves and it goes good,” explained Laborde. “I’m small and so I train in small waves which I think are better for me so in all conditions not only when it is perfect. These last days in Hossegor have been really small and I knew that at this contest it was going to be real small so it has
worked well for me today.”

First-call will be at 7:30am (local time) for both men and women with a possible crowning of the Nikita Pro Junior Sopelana Champions if conditions avail.

There are four events on this year’s ASP European Men’s Junior Tour, each and every heat will be crucial towards the prestigious ASP European Junior Championship as well as the qualification for the ASP World Junior Tour, the year-end ratings’ Top 4 securing their ticket for the two ASP Wold Junior title decider events in Bali and Australia.

For all results, photos, daily highlights and press releases log-on to www.aspeurope.com

UPCOMING QUARTER-FINALS NIKITA PRO JUNIOR SOPELANA
Heat 1: Filipe Jervis (PRT), Pablo Pola (FRA), Ian Fontaine (FRA), William Aliotti
(FRA)
Heat 2: Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA), Mario Azurza (EUK), Tom Cloarec (FRA), Marcos San Segundo (EUK)
Heat 3: Medi Vemenardi (REU), David Leboulch (FRA), Charles Martin (GLP), Edouard Delpero (FRA)
Heat 4: Igor Munian (EUK), Jose Ferreira (PRT), Jocelyn Poulou (PYF), Ramizi Boukiam (MAR)

UPCOMING ROUND ONE MATCH-UPS NIKITA GIRLS PRO JUNIOR SOPELANA
Heat 1: Joanna Giansanti (FRA), Camille Davila (FRA), Virginia Giesen (DEU),
Alizee Arnaud (FRA)
Heat 2: Fanny Brice (FRA), Loiola Canales (EUK), Raine Jackson (GBR), Elisa Bonomelli (ITA)
Heat 3: Ainara Aymat (EUK), Ana Morau (FRA), Kim Veteau (GLP), Yolanda Aneiros (ESP)
Heat 4: Joanne Defay (FRA), Marie Mitsuko Bochaton (FRA), Erika Franco (ESP)
Heat 5: Marie Dejean (FRA), Carina Duarte (PRT), Josephine Costes (FRA)
Heat 6: Maud Lecar (FRA), Ana Sarmento (PRT), Tessa Thyssen (GLP), Amaia Billecoq (FRA)
Heat 7: Garazi Sanchez
(EUK), Lucia Martino (ESP), Marina Lopez (ESP)
Heat 8: Marion Bouzigues (FRA), Leticia Canales (EUK), Lisa Girardet (REU), Tassy Swallow (GBR)

RESULTS ROUND FOUR NIKITA PRO JUNIOR SOPELANA
Heat 1: Filipe Jervis (PRT) 11.80, Mario Azurza (EUK) 11.33, Kieren Bulard
(REU) 8.90, Martin Dambreville (FRA) 8.80
Heat 2: Ian Fontaine (FRA) 10.73, Marcos San Segundo (EUK) 8.13, Luis Eyre (GBR) 6.00, Mikel Zamakona (EUK) 3.90
Heat 3: Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA) 13.00, Pablo Pola (FRA) 9.70, Tristan Guilbaud (FRA) 7.97, Lyndon Wake (GBR) 7.27
Heat 4: Tom Cloarec (FRA) 10.16, William Aliotti (FRA) 9.33, Toby Donachie (GBR) 8.97, Nelson Cloarec (FRA) 5.90
Heat 5: Medi Vemenardi (REU) 13.67, Jose Ferreira (PRT) 10.43, Vasco Ribeiro
(PRT) 9.90, Remi Cordier (FRA) 8.84
Heat 6: Charles Martin (GLP) 13.67, Ramizi Boukiam (MAR) 11.54, Frederico Morais (PRT) 11.06, Txaber Gaminde (EUK) 5.10
Heat 7: Igor Munian (EUK) 10.50, David Leboulch (FRA) 10.00, Demitri Ouvre (FRA) 7.97, Angelo Bonomelli (ITA) 7.48
Heat 8: Jocelyn Poulou (PYF) 9.93, Edouard Delpero (FRA) 9.54, Damien Chaudoy (REU) 9.50, Yann Guyonneau (FRA) 6.54

RESULTS ROUND THREE NIKITA PRO JUNIOR SOPELANA

Heat 1: Mario Azurza (EUK) 12.27, Luis Eyre (GBR) 9.90, Vicent Escale (FRA) 8.63Hugo Palmarini (REU) 7.90
Heat 2: Kieren Bulard (REU) 10.43, Mikel Zamakona (EUK) 9.70, Ander Mendiguren (EUK) 8.23, Lucas Jannier (FRA) 5.77
Heat 3: Ian Fontaine (FRA) 11.40, Filipe Jervis (PRT) 10.97, Jules Thomet (FRA) 10.93, Borja Agote (EUK) 7.77
Heat 4: Marcos San Segundo (EUK) 15.50, Martin Dambreville (FRA) 9.67, Jorgann Couzinet (REU)
6.23, Marc Audo (FRA) 5.03
Heat 5: Tristan Guilbaud (FRA) 11.00, Nelson Cloarec (FRA) 8.04, Tom Neuschwanger (REU) 7.16, Antoine Chamoux (FRA) 3.90
Heat 6: Pablo Pola (FRA) 9.54, Tom Cloarec (FRA) 9.16, Leonardo Belime (PRT) 7.84, Timothee Bisso (REU) 4.37
Heat 7: William Aliotti (FRA) 11.16, Lyndon Wake (GBR) 7.60, Lewis Clinton (GBR) 7.44, Hugo Debosc (REU) 6.97
Heat 8: Toby Donachie (GBR), Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA) 8.37, Kosme Fernandes (EUK) 5.64, Gaspard
Larsonneur (FRA) 5.60
Heat 9: Medi Vemenardi (REU) 15.14, Charles Martin (GLP) 11.67, Alex Gironi (EUK) 8.66, Mitxel Lopez (EUK) 5.67
Heat 10: Jose Ferreira (PRT) 14.50, Frederico Morais (PRT) 10.47, Stuart Campbell (GBR) 8.63, Harry Delanne (FRA) 6.90
Heat 11: Ramizi Boukiam (MAR) 12.34, Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 10.00, Aldric God (FRA) 6.93, Kevin Bourez (PYF) 6.74
Heat 12: Txaber Gaminde (EUK) 9.84, Remi Cordier (FRA) 9.53, Ramon Taliani (ITA) 6.40, Nico Rupp (DEU) 3.72
Heat 13: David Leboulch (FRA) 12.00, Jocelyn Poulou (PYF) 11.43, Asier Makeda (EUK) 11.24, Remi Petersen (ZAF) 9.30
Heat 14: Igor Munian (EUK) 15.50, Yann Guyonneau (FRA) 8.83, Francisco Alves (PRT) 8.17, Roberto D’Amico (ITA) 8.13
Heat 15: Damien Chaudoy (REU) 16.20, Demitri Ouvre (FRA) 13.00, Maurice Meyerwestphal (REU) 7.53, Jordan Oueslati (FRA) 5.94
Heat 16: Edouard Delpero (FRA) 10.30, Angelo Bonomelli (ITA) 9.97, Javier Ascanio (CNY) 7.70, Andy Crière (FRA)
5.73

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Europe
Media

Robert Gunning (On Site)
Email: rob@aspeurope.com

FRA Mobile: (33) 625 833 454

Association of Surfing Professionals
72-80 Marine Parade
Coolangatta, QLD 4225
Australia

Medi Vemenardi and Pauline Ado Claim Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian Titles

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 18:16:23 +0000

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Europe

OAKLEY PRO JUNIOR SAN SEBASTIAN
ASP Pro Junior Grade-1 Men’s Event
ASP Pro Junior Grade-1 Women’s Event
July 22 to 25, 2010
San Sebastian, Basque Country SPAIN

Medi Vemenardi and Pauline Ado Claim Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian Titles

Pauline Ado (FRA) [Photocredit:Aquashot/aspeurope.com]

SAN SEBASTIAN – Basque Country/Spain (Saturday, July 24, 2010) – An amazing day of surfing unfolded at the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian were Europe’s finest under-21 male and female surfers showed off what talent is on offer at the moment with
Pauline Ado (FRA) coming out on top in the Oakley Girls Pro Junior San Sebastian while Medi Vemenardi (REU) 19, claimed the Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian men’s title.

Excellent 3-4ft (1m) peeling lefts and rights greeted event officials and surfers this morning offering competitors the perfect playing field to do battle in the 2010 edition of the Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian. With a poor swell prediction for the following days officials did not hesitate to take advantage of the conditions to run the finals.

In a highly contested 35-minute men’s final Medi Vemenardi (REU) held on to take the victory and the lead in the ASP Europe Pro Junior ratings with his maiden win here at the Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian over Tom Cloarec (FRA), Damien Chaudoy (REU) and Basque surfer Alex Gironi who finished in second, third and fourth place respectively.

From the opening siren Vemenardi had a set stratedy opening his account strongly with a 5.83 and a 7.50 out of 10 to take the lead in the first half of the final knowing that with the tide rising waves with scoring potential would be scarce in the remaining minutes and sticking to his game plan despite heavy pressure from his opponents managed to hold on until the final siren.

“I knew the tide was getting higher so I was sure I would have to get my waves in the first half of the heat. I was lucky enough to get those two waves in the first five minutes and after that I just waited for 30-minutes saying to myself that no more waves would come so I am so happy now with the win.”

“With the high tide there is only one peak,” explained Vemenardi. “Everyone wanted to get the good ones and there is only one spot and we were very close to each other so everyone was paddling for anything that came through so there was a lot of pressure for the entire heat. I tried this board yesterday and it went really well so I have used it today and it worked. I want to win as many pro
juniors as I can that is my goal and hope I can make it. It is three years now in the top 5 and I really want to make it this year.”

Local Basque surfer Alex Gironi (Sopelana/EUK) was the crowd favourite after securing his best result in an ASP Europe Pro Junior sanctioned event. Surfing hard on his backhand to impress the judges Gironi battled it out like a seasoned veteran not throwing in the towel in his attempt to get into the heat.

With his fourth place finish here and the Sopelana Pro Junior coming up next week Girioni will be hungry to better his result on home soil.

“I am happy but in the final I couldn’t catch any waves that would let me do any turns but it was great to be in the final with these guys and with all the people here on the beach. My semi was better because I got a wave with only two minutes left and I did some strong turns and made it through to the final, I just don’t know what to say I am just so happy right now.”

Pauline Ado (Hendaye/FRA) 19, was the standout surfer today in the Oakley Girls Pro Junior San Sebastian which she dominated from her open heat where she belted out a series of forehand turns to claim a 9.60 out of 10 and a combined heat total of 17.27 the highest of the entire event. Having missed the opening series event Ado jumps to fourth on the overall women’s pro junior ratings. With other
commitments at the US Open shortly Ado will have to leave her European title hopes to the last throw of the dice in the final ASP Grade-2 Pro Junior in Lacanau this August.

“My first heat of the day my quarter-final went really well with some good scores which gave me a big confidence boost so I just wanted to do the same in the semi and the final. I started well in the final but it felt so long the 30-minute final because I was in the lead and the girls were getting closer and closer but it finished really good because I didn’t do very well in the last contest so I
am pretty happy right now.”

“It is great to be on the ratings in fourth spot,” continued Ado. “I didn’t do the first contest but unfortunately I won’t be in the next pro junior in Sopelana because I am going to the US Open but I think here is a perfect training session for the WQS events with so many girls surfing so well. I have been preparing physically and on my technique for the summer leg of ASP
contests and I feel fit and inform and I hope I can continue like this.”

Cannelle Bulard (REU) who made her third consecutive Pro Junior final this year now leads the ASP Europe Women’s Junior ratings ahead of fellow finalists today Justine Dupont (FRA) who is currently second followed by Alizee Arnaud (FRA).

“I am happy with the result but the waves for the final were not the same as this morning with it getting smaller and difficult to find the best waves but I am happy. I really want to qualify for the World Juniors this year and I want to stay at the top of the ratings so it will be a difficult task but in Lacanau we will see how I finish and maybe I can win it if I am a bit lucky.

There are four events on this year’s ASP European Men’s Junior Tour which will eventually crown the prestigious ASP European Junior Championship as well as qualifying for the ASP World Junior Tour. Year-end ratings’ Top 4 securing their place in the two ASP Wold Junior title decider events in Bali and Australia.

First of two ASP Europe Sanctioned Pro Junior events taking place in Euskadi (Basque Country), the Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian will also be a crucial event for surfers bidding for the 1000 Euro extra-prize money offered by Surfing Euskadi to the best male and female performer at both the Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian and the upcoming Sopelana Pro Junior.

For all news, results, videos, photos, daily highlights of the Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian log-on to www.aspeurope.com

RESULTS FINAL OAKLEY PRO JUNIOR SAN SEBASTIAN
Medi Vemenardi (REU) 13.33, Tom Cloarec (FRA) 10.60, Damien Chaudoy (REU) 8.50, Alex Gironi (EUK) 6.27

RESULTS FINAL OAKLEY GIRLS PRO JUNIOR SAN SEBASTIAN
Pauline Ado (FRA) 13.67, Alizee Arnaud (FRA) 12.56, Cannelle Bulard (REU) 7.64, Justine Dupont (FRA) 5.93

RESULTS SEMI-FINALS OAKLEY PRO JUNIOR SAN SEBASTIAN
Heat 1: Medi Vemenardi (REU) 13.40, Alex Gironi (EUK) 11.66, Martin Dambreville (FRA) 10.27, David Leboulch (FRA) 10.17
Heat 2: Tom Cloarec (FRA) 14.00, Damien Chaudoy (REU) 14.00, Jules Thomet (FRA) 12.03, Tristan Guilbaud
(FRA) 9.97

RESULTS SEMI-FINALS OAKLEY GIRLS PRO JUNIOR SAN SEBASTIAN
Heat 1: Cannelle Bulard (REU) 13.77, Alizee Arnaud (FRA) 10.53, Joanna Giansanti (FRA) 7.57, Josephine Costes (FRA) 6.94
Heat 2: Pauline Ado (FRA) 13.50, Justine Dupont (FRA) 10.20, Garazi Sanchez (EUK)
9.46, Joanne Defay (FRA) 9.00

RESULTS QUARTER-FINALS OAKLEY PRO JUNIOR SAN SEBASTIAN
Heat 1: Martin Dambreville (FRA) 15.50, Alex Gironi (EUK) 10.50, Ramizi Boukiam (MAR) 10.03, Jorgann Couzinet (REU) 8.50
Heat 2: Medi Vemenardi (REU) 12.80, David Leboulch (FRA) 11.33, Jocelyn Poulou (PYF) 11.33, Pedro
Berasaluce (EUK) 8.00
Heat 3: Jules Thomet (FRA) 13.17, Tristan Guilbaud (FRA) 10.10, Guillaume Mangiarotti (FRA) 8.73, Andrew Petrelluzzi (GLP) 7.46
Heat 4: Tom Cloarec (FRA) 12.14, Damien Chaudoy (REU) 11.47, Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 10.16, Ander Mendiguren (EUK) 7.94

RESULTS QUARTER-FINALS OAKLEY GIRLS PRO JUNIOR SAN SEBASTIAN
Heat 1: Cannelle Bulard (REU) 13.50, Joanna Giansanti (FRA) 11.66, Marie Dejean (FRA) 5.27, Ainara Aymat (EUK) 4.20
Heat 2: Alizee Arnaud (FRA) 12.50, Josephine Costes (FRA) 7.00, Ana Morau (FRA) 6.30, Ana Sarmento
(PRT) 5.17
Heat 3: Pauline Ado (FRA) 17.27, Garazi Sanchez (EUK) 10.00, Lucia Martino (ESP) 6.13, Erika Franco (ESP) 3.36
Heat 4: Joanne Defay (FRA) 12.50, Justine Dupont (FRA) 9.10, Marion Bouzigues (FRA) 5.76, Camille Davila (FRA) 5.56

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Europe
Media

Robert Gunning (On Site)
Email: rob@aspeurope.com

FRA Mobile: (33) 625 833 454

FRA Office: (33) 558 723 996

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Quarter Finalists Decided at Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:57:54 +0000

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Europe

OAKLEY PRO JUNIOR SAN SEBASTIAN
ASP Pro Junior Grade-1 Men’s Event
ASP Pro Junior Grade-1 Women’s Event
July 22 to 25, 2010
San Sebastian, Basque Country SPAIN

Impressive Opening Day at Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian

Hugo Palmarini (REU) [Photocredit:Aquashot/aspeurope.com]

SAN SEBASTIAN – Basque Country/Spain (Thursday, July 22, 2010) - The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian ran through to complete round two of the men’s event with a spectacular display of surfing from Europe’s up-and-coming junior force. A
marathon day of surfing on the opening day of the Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian saw one of its most spectacular afternoon sessions of competition with conditions improving as the day went on and with a slight swell increase expected to hit overnight expectations are high for the high level of surfing to continue through to the weekend.

Heavy cloud cover and occasional showers persisted throughout the morning clearing in the afternoon with light off-shore winds offering excellent conditions for the best under-21 surfers to demonstrate their abilities on the peaky 3ft (1m) beach break.

Hugo Palmarini (REU) 19, today set the main peak on fire with a blistering back-hand assault smashing out an 8.83 out of a possible 10 to claim the highest single score of the event. Having had a semi-final result here two years ago and not being able to compete last year due to his school studies the stocky goofy-footer has sent out a clear message to his rivals that he has returned to the competitive scene
set to give it his all.

“There are some really good rights out there now and if you can catch the best one you will get good scores. I got lucky and took a chance and the judges gave me the good score so I am happy.”

With one of the strongest back-hand attacks in the field Palmarini surfed with a calm approach avoiding the hassling out on the peak and will face fellow countryman Hugo Debosc in round three.

“On my backhand I feel comfortable and it is definitely my strongest point in my surfing. I am back this year and ready to do the best I can. Tomorrow I am up against one of my best friends Hugo Debosc so it should be good fun I hope so.”

Damien Chaudoy (REU) having entered the Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian late used his first round start to his benefit obtaining the perfect warm up after having been forced out of the water with an ankle injury for over a fortnight. Adding to his situation Chaudoy found himself without his wetsuit having to surf in shorts and a borrowed vest which left him feeling the cold after each of his 20-minute
clashes.

“When I saw I was going to start in the first round I was a bit disappointed but it really doesn’t matter because I can use it as a warm up for the next part of the competition for sure.”

“I haven’t surfed for like almost three weeks and the waves were so good out there during my heats that it has in the end been a good opportunity for me and I am happy and looking forward to tomorrow. I always look at the positive side and it is the same for me if I start in the first round I keep the same game plan when I go out into the water.”

Othmane Choufani (MAR) had to battle through two of the hardest fought heats of the day and starting out this morning on the alternate list Choufani made the most of his call-up to put on the competition vest. Competing for the third time on the ASP Pro Junior Series his round two heat came down to the last exchange of the heat to finally give Choufani his pass through to the following
round.

“I registered late for this event and I was first on the alternate list when suddenly the beach marshal called me saying I was in the heat so I grabbed my vest and ran to the water and I am so tired now. I needed a small score and I got in two turns on the shore break and I got through”

“My last heat was also really tough and it was again down to the last wave to pass but I was lucky with my last two waves and I am happy. This is my third year on the pro junior series and I want to do my best this year because I have trained really hard this year on my fitness with my coach.”

Jocelyn Poulou (PYF) 18, claimed the highest heat total of the day scoring 14.50 out of a possible 20 for his two wave total. Speaking a few words about his approach here at the Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian and what his goals are for the series in his search for results and sponsors.

“I want to get a good result here and get some overall results because I no longer have a sponsor at the moment so I want to show that I can surf at this level and maybe find a new sponsor. The waves are really fun and much better than first thing this morning.”

Tomorrow will see the girls get their chance to hit the water first followed by round three and four of the men’s event. With swell still on offer for Friday the scene is set for another action packed day as the top-seeds get into competition against today’s qualifiers.

With only four events on this year’s ASP European Men’s Junior Tour, each and every heat will be crucial towards the prestigous ASP European Junior Championship as well as the qualification for the ASP World Junior Tour, the year-end ratings’ Top 4 securing their ticket for the two ASP Wold Junior title decider events in Bali and Australia.

For all results, photos, daily highlights and press releases log-on to www.aspeurope.com

SCHEDULE FRIDAY 23 JULY
First-call 7:30am
Women’s Round One
Men’s Round Three
Men’s Round Four

UPCOMING ROUND ONE OAKLEY GIRLS PRO JUNIOR SAN SEBASTIAN
Heat 1: Cannelle Bulard (REU), Ana Morau (FRA), Carina Duarte (PRT), Kim Veteau (GLP)
Heat 2: Marie Dejean (FRA), Ana Sarmento (PRT), Marie Mitsuko Bochaton (FRA), Virginia Giesen (DEU)
Heat 3: Fanny Brice (FRA),
Joanna Giansanti (FRA), Josephine Costes (FRA), Marina Lopez (ESP)
Heat 4: Alizee Arnaud (FRA), Yolanda Aneiros (ESP), Ainara Aymat (EUK)
Heat 5: Pauline Ado (FRA), Camille Davila (FRA), Loiola Canales (EUK)
Heat 6: Garazi Sanchez (EUK), Marion Bouzigues (FRA), Lucie Milochau (FRA), Raine Jackson (GBR)
Heat 7: Joanne Defay (FRA), Leticia Canales (EUK), Lucia Martino (ESP), Tessa Thyssen (GLP)
Heat 8: Justine Dupont (FRA), Maud Lecar (FRA), Erika Franco (ESP),
Lisa Girardet (REU)

UPCOMING ROUND THREE MATCH-UPS OAKLEY PRO JUNIOR SAN SEBASTIAN
Heat 1: Marcos San Segundo (EUK), Alex Gironi (EUK) Josu Alcantara (EUK), Vicent Escale (FRA)
Heat 2: Demitri Ouvre (FRA), Francisco Alves (PRT), Jocelyn Poulou (PYF), Julien Gomez (FRA)
Heat 3: Kieren
Bulard (REU), Txaber Gaminde (EUK), Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA), Hugo Robin (REU)
Heat 4: David Leboulch (FRA), Angelo Bonomelli (ITA), Alexandre Descacq (REU), Martin Dambreville (FRA)
Heat 5: Pablo Pola (FRA), Asier Makeda (EUK), Pierre Rollet (FRA), Kevin Lestrade (FRA)
Heat 6: Nico Rupp (DEU), Ramizi Boukiam (MAR), Natxo Gonzalez (EUK), Jorgann Couzinet (REU)
Heat 7: Hugo Debosc (REU), Jose Ferreira (PRT), Hugo Palmarini (REU), Stuart Campbell (GBR)
Heat
8: Medi Vemenardi (REU), Ethan Egiguren (EUK), Remi Cordier (FRA), Pedro Berasaluce (EUK)
Heat 9: Edouard Delpero (FRA), Alex Iriondo (EUK), Damien Chaudoy (REU), Lewis Clinton (GBR)
Heat 10: Lyndon Wake (GBR), Ander Mendiguren (EUK), Ben Reuveni (ISR), Maxime Comet (FRA)
Heat 11: Tristan Guilbaud (FRA), Marc Audo (FRA), Mangiarotti Guillaume (FRA), Othmane Choufani (MAR)
Heat 12: Igor Munian (EUK), Tom Neuschwanger (REU), Diego Mignot (FRA), Gaspard Larsonneur (FRA)

Heat 13: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT), Luis Eyre (GBR), Jordan Oueslati (FRA), Andrew Petrelluzzi (GLP)
Heat 14: Filipe Jervis (PRT), Tom Cloarec (FRA), Miguel Blanco (PRT), Leonardo Belime (PRT)
Heat 15: Frederico Morais (PRT), Ian Fontaine (FRA), Andy Crière (FRA), Remi Petersen (ZAF)
Heat 16: Mario Azurza (EUK), Nelson Cloarec (FRA), Jules Thomet (FRA), Kevin Bourez (PYF)

RESULTS ROUND TWO OAKLEY PRO JUNIOR SAN SEBASTIAN
Heat 1: Josu Alcantara (EUK) 8.37, Julien Gomez (FRA) 5.83, Rafael Debierre (GLP) 5.44, Maxime Prenant (MAR) 5.06
Heat 2: Jocelyn Poulou (PYF) 14.50, Vicent Escale (FRA) 9.76, Tyler Larronde (FRA) 8.83, Eritz
Urrusolo (EUK) 4.36
Heat 3: Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA) 12.60, Martin Dambreville (FRA) 12.14, Alessandro Demartini (ITA) 6.54, Joao Kopke (PRT) 5.70
Heat 4: Alexandre Descacq (REU) 9.60, Hugo Robin (REU) 9.08, Roberto Letemendia (EUK) 6.13, Marcelino Botin (ESP) 5.50
Heat 5: Pierre Rollet (FRA) 8.77, Jorgann Couzinet (REU) 5.67, Imanol Yeregi (EUK) 5.56, Luca Dioguardi (CYN) 5.43
Heat 6: Natxo Gonzalez (EUK) 8.33, Kevin Lestrade (FRA) 6.93, Emilien Lojou (FRA) 5.74,
Charly Termeau (FRA) 4.70
Heat 7: Hugo Palmarini (REU) 14.00, Pedro Berasaluce (EUK) 12.00, Juan Diaz Teran (ESP) 7.40, Jonathan Barre (REU) 4.40
Heat 8: Remi Cordier (FRA) 13.24, Stuart Campbell (GBR) 11.74, William Aliotti (FRA) 7.93, Clement Soubies (FRA) 5.77
Heat 9: Damien Chaudoy (REU) 14.17, Maxime Comet (FRA) 6.93, Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 5.43, Kosme Fernandes (EUK) 5.13
Heat 10: Ben Reuveni (ISR) 8.30, Lewis Clinton (GBR) 8.00, Thomas Oueld El Maallem (FRA)
7.67, Ronan Oertzen (IRL) 5.57
Heat 11: Mangiarotti Guillaume (FRA) 10.44, Gaspard Larsonneur (FRA) 9.00, Mitxel Lopez (EUK) 5.70, Antoine Ramonborde (FRA) 5.23
Heat 12: Diego Mignot (FRA) 8.67, Othmane Choufani (MAR) 8.50, Sebastien Brugmans (BEL) 7.63, Rui Henriques (PRT) 6.40
Heat 13: Jordan Oueslati (FRA) 11.67, Leonardo Belime (PRT) 10.84, Roberto D’Amico (ITA) 6.87, Harry Delanne (FRA) 5.47
Heat 14: Miguel Blanco (PRT) 8.66, Andrew Petrelluzzi (GLP) 7.96, Yann
Guyonneau (FRA) 6.64, Basile Belime (PRT) 3.87
Heat 15: Andy Crière (FRA) 10.67, Kevin Bourez (PYF) 7.04, Kelly Bikoumou (COG) 5.54, Javier Ascanio (CNY) 1.53
Heat 16: Jules Thomet (FRA) 14.03, Remi Petersen (ZAF) 7.54, Mikel Zamakona (EUK) 7.27, Paul Cesar Distinguin (FRA) 7.06

RESULTS ROUND ONE OAKLEY PRO JUNIOR SAN SEBASTIAN
Heat 1: Josu Alcantara (EUK) 11.17, Eritz Urrusolo (EUK) 6.66, Eriz Eizmendi (EUK) 4.23, Martin Jannier (FRA) 3.23
Heat 2: Jocelyn Poulou (PYF) 11.34, Rafael Debierre (GLP) 4.63, Jeremy Barre (REU) 3.20, Gatien Delahaye (GLP)
2.10
Heat 3: Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA) 12.36, Marcelino Botin (ESP) 6.66, Pablo Goncalves (REU) 5.90, Lucas Jannier (GLP) 5.20
Heat 4: Alexandre Descacq (REU) 6.73, Alessandro Demartini (ITA) 5.17, Simon Tom Sew-Heng (REU) 4.96, Titouan Deffarges (FRA) 4.03
Heat 5: Pierre Rollet (FRA) 8.14, Emilien Lojou (FRA) 7.14, Dorian Campario (REU) 6.73, Nomme Mignot (FRA) 6.07
Heat 6: Natxo Gonzalez (EUK) 9.77, Luca Dioguardi (CYN) 5.74, Leo Latourte (FRA) 4.50, Jean
Tonnerre (FRA) 4.13
Heat 7: Jonathan Barre (REU) 9.77, Clement Soubies (FRA) 6.43, Hanneil MacEdo (CNY) 3.63, Aymeric Nicaudie (GLP) 3.27
Heat 8: Remi Cordier (FRA) 11.23, Pedro Berasaluce (EUK) 6.10, Charles Quiveront (FRA) 6.07, Maurice Meyerwestphal (REU) 4.37
Heat 9: Damien Chaudoy (REU) 11.83, Ronan Oertzen (IRL) 9.76, Tom Lasset (FRA) 4.50, Manex Manex (EUK) 4.00
Heat 10: Thomas Oueld El Maallem (FRA) 12.00, Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 8.30, David Dorne (GLP) 3.93,
Elliot Ivarra (GLP) 3.93
Heat 11: Guillaume Mangiarotti (FRA) 7.17, Othame Choufani (MAR) 4.93, Giraudet Quentin (FRA) 4.07, Augustin Graignic (FRA) 3.60
Heat 12: Diego Mignot (FRA) 13.66, Antoine Ramonborde (FRA) 7.50, Dean Amlog (ISR) 7.06, Ramon Taliani (ITA) 5.16
Heat 13: Jordan Oueslati (FRA) 8.63, Andrew Petrelluzzi (GLP) 7.90, Iarom Madden (IRL) 4.60, Yentl Touboul (GLP) 1.43
Heat 14: Miguel Blanco (PRT) 12.24, Harry Delanne (FRA) 9.74, Borja Agote (EUK)
8.56, Yehonatan Cohen (ISR) 3.60
Heat 15: Kevin Bourez (PYF) 14.16, Jules Thomet (FRA) 11.17, Timothee Bisso (GLP) 5.87, Ervin Taupinard (GLP) 4.44
Heat 16: Remi Petersen (ZAF) 10.17, Kelly Bikoumou (COG) 6.10, Martin Coret (REU) 4.52, Julen Egiguren (EUK) 4.16

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Europe
Media

Robert Gunning (On Site)
Email: rob@aspeurope.com

FRA Mobile: (33) 625 833 454

FRA Office: (33) 558 723 996

Impressive Opening Day at Oakley Pro Junior San Sebastian

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:14:48 +0000