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Red Sox game at Fenway with Matt, Nick (just back from a year in New Zealand), and his girlfriend Sumeena (visiting from Germany, and here for her 21st birthday). The Sox won the night before, and the night after, but they got clobbered the night we went. Oh well, we still had fun watchin the game.
Game summary, pasted from www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2010/09/08...:
RAYS 14, RED SOX 5
Rays leave Sox in deep trouble
Visitors hammer 5 homers in rout
By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff | September 8, 2010
There were cheers, and then there were boos. The cheers came as manager Terry Francona bounded from the dugout to remove starter Daisuke Matsuzaka. The boos were for Matsuzaka, who frustrated the fans and failed to help the Red Sox gain ground against their closest competition.
His performance was a debacle.
And the 14-5 loss led to the first official sign that the Sox have started thinking about 2011. Instead of having Clay Buchholz pitch tonight on short rest, Tim Wakefield will get the start. The watch has started on Boston’s elimination number — the Sox are 7 1/2 games back in the wild-card race — as talk turns to the prospects. The deficit appears too large to overcome, as Matsuzaka was unable to give his team one last grasp at a chance.
“I knew very well that this was a critical game, as far as our chances of advancing to the playoffs,’’ Matsuzaka said through interpreter Masa Hoshino. “So to allow what happened to happen so early in the game, I can really only apologize to my teammates and to the fans.’’
It was the walks, missed chances, and the long balls that allowed the Rays to clobber the Sox in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Matsuzaka was not the only culprit. The two relievers that followed were equally abysmal. They only added to a parade of Rays running around the bases. The lowlight was a mammoth home run by Evan Longoria in the fifth.
But while it might have gone the farthest (it was last seen headed toward some cars parked in a Lansdowne Street lot), Longoria’s homer wasn’t the only one. After Matsuzaka had allowed two home runs, the relievers one-upped him, yielding three more before the end of the sixth inning. The five round-trippers were a season high for Tampa.
By that point, though, the adding-on hardly mattered. Matsuzaka allowed the game to get out of hand, allowing eight runs on eight hits and four walks in just 4 2/3 innings. There was no coming back from that.
“On a day like today, I didn’t have any life or bite or command on my pitches,’’ Matsuzaka said. “I’m sure that Victor [Martinez] felt that there wasn’t anything that he could try and do either.’’
Although he got through the first two innings unscathed before giving up a two-run homer to Ben Zobrist in the third, it was in the fourth that things started to fall apart.
“Lack of command caught up with him and kind of caught up in a hurry,’’ Francona said. “[Fourth] inning, we got walk, walk, bunt, and we’ve got bases loaded, nobody out. There was a lot of hits and some walks mixed in. That’s not a good combination.’’
After those two walks to start the fourth, B.J. Upton attempted to sacrifice the runners over. But the Sox didn’t take the out, as Martinez coaxed Matsuzaka to throw to third base to get the lead runner. He couldn’t, as Matt Joyce slid in safe.
“Took a chance,’’ Martinez said. “You can’t play this game afraid to make a mistake. Mistakes are out there. You can’t play this game being afraid to fail. I called it. I called it to third and we didn’t get the out.’’
The bases were loaded for Jason Bartlett, who walked in a run, the sixth time Boston pitching has done that in the last three games. Matsuzaka allowed an RBI single to Zobrist and a two-run double to Carl Crawford before getting out of the fourth. There was more ugliness in the fifth. Matsuzaka got two quick outs before allowing an infield single to Upton and that home run to Bartlett. He was then showered with boos as he was lifted in favor of Dustin Richardson.
The lefthander walked two batters and committed a throwing error, the major league-high 20th of the season by Sox pitching. That scored a run, ended his outing, and brought in Robert Manuel to face Longoria, who launched his bomb. Dan Johnson and Upton added back-to-back home runs in the sixth.
Meanwhile, the Sox could do little against David Price, who allowed just two hits and two runs over his six innings, with Martinez getting both of the hits. They scored three runs in the eighth, but by then it was too late.
The loss left the Sox thinking about the bigger picture, about the future, not about the postseason, which they’re almost certain to miss.
“It doesn’t look good at all,’’ Martinez said. “But we still have to go out there and keep playing. Keep playing and see what happens. The only thing we can control is keeping coming to the ballpark and keep playing hard. That’s it.’’
Red Sox game at Fenway with Matt, Nick (just back from a year in New Zealand), and his girlfriend Sumeena (visiting from Germany, and here for her 21st birthday). The Sox won the night before, and the night after, but they got clobbered the night we went. Oh well, we still had fun watchin the game.
Game summary, pasted from www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2010/09/08...:
RAYS 14, RED SOX 5
Rays leave Sox in deep trouble
Visitors hammer 5 homers in rout
By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff | September 8, 2010
There were cheers, and then there were boos. The cheers came as manager Terry Francona bounded from the dugout to remove starter Daisuke Matsuzaka. The boos were for Matsuzaka, who frustrated the fans and failed to help the Red Sox gain ground against their closest competition.
His performance was a debacle.
And the 14-5 loss led to the first official sign that the Sox have started thinking about 2011. Instead of having Clay Buchholz pitch tonight on short rest, Tim Wakefield will get the start. The watch has started on Boston’s elimination number — the Sox are 7 1/2 games back in the wild-card race — as talk turns to the prospects. The deficit appears too large to overcome, as Matsuzaka was unable to give his team one last grasp at a chance.
“I knew very well that this was a critical game, as far as our chances of advancing to the playoffs,’’ Matsuzaka said through interpreter Masa Hoshino. “So to allow what happened to happen so early in the game, I can really only apologize to my teammates and to the fans.’’
It was the walks, missed chances, and the long balls that allowed the Rays to clobber the Sox in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Matsuzaka was not the only culprit. The two relievers that followed were equally abysmal. They only added to a parade of Rays running around the bases. The lowlight was a mammoth home run by Evan Longoria in the fifth.
But while it might have gone the farthest (it was last seen headed toward some cars parked in a Lansdowne Street lot), Longoria’s homer wasn’t the only one. After Matsuzaka had allowed two home runs, the relievers one-upped him, yielding three more before the end of the sixth inning. The five round-trippers were a season high for Tampa.
By that point, though, the adding-on hardly mattered. Matsuzaka allowed the game to get out of hand, allowing eight runs on eight hits and four walks in just 4 2/3 innings. There was no coming back from that.
“On a day like today, I didn’t have any life or bite or command on my pitches,’’ Matsuzaka said. “I’m sure that Victor [Martinez] felt that there wasn’t anything that he could try and do either.’’
Although he got through the first two innings unscathed before giving up a two-run homer to Ben Zobrist in the third, it was in the fourth that things started to fall apart.
“Lack of command caught up with him and kind of caught up in a hurry,’’ Francona said. “[Fourth] inning, we got walk, walk, bunt, and we’ve got bases loaded, nobody out. There was a lot of hits and some walks mixed in. That’s not a good combination.’’
After those two walks to start the fourth, B.J. Upton attempted to sacrifice the runners over. But the Sox didn’t take the out, as Martinez coaxed Matsuzaka to throw to third base to get the lead runner. He couldn’t, as Matt Joyce slid in safe.
“Took a chance,’’ Martinez said. “You can’t play this game afraid to make a mistake. Mistakes are out there. You can’t play this game being afraid to fail. I called it. I called it to third and we didn’t get the out.’’
The bases were loaded for Jason Bartlett, who walked in a run, the sixth time Boston pitching has done that in the last three games. Matsuzaka allowed an RBI single to Zobrist and a two-run double to Carl Crawford before getting out of the fourth. There was more ugliness in the fifth. Matsuzaka got two quick outs before allowing an infield single to Upton and that home run to Bartlett. He was then showered with boos as he was lifted in favor of Dustin Richardson.
The lefthander walked two batters and committed a throwing error, the major league-high 20th of the season by Sox pitching. That scored a run, ended his outing, and brought in Robert Manuel to face Longoria, who launched his bomb. Dan Johnson and Upton added back-to-back home runs in the sixth.
Meanwhile, the Sox could do little against David Price, who allowed just two hits and two runs over his six innings, with Martinez getting both of the hits. They scored three runs in the eighth, but by then it was too late.
The loss left the Sox thinking about the bigger picture, about the future, not about the postseason, which they’re almost certain to miss.
“It doesn’t look good at all,’’ Martinez said. “But we still have to go out there and keep playing. Keep playing and see what happens. The only thing we can control is keeping coming to the ballpark and keep playing hard. That’s it.’’
John John Florence, the hottest young surfer on the planet today, has continued his winning streak by taking out the ASP Prime rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River today.
Nineteen year old Florence won a hotly contested, all-Hawaiian final against 25 year old Olamana Eleogram, who could not continue his giant-killing dream run after earlier eliminating top seeds Owen Wright and Josh Kerr in the man on man heats.
Florence was clearly the form surfer of the event heading into the final, having consistently recorded 16 point plus heat scores over the week. Florence progressed after an amazing face-off against fellow teen prodigy Kolohe Andino in the Round of 16 late on Friday afternoon. John John made up for loss to Andino in a No Loser round earlier that day with a scorching score of 19.70 featuring the first and only ten point ride of the competition.
The wind died down and the swell began to pulse for the Men’s final after strong offshore winds made surfing in the early morning finals difficult. Eleogram was the first to strike in the 35 minute final, catching a right hander to bank an early score of 6.00. Florence soon responded with a 7.00 point right hander and backed it up straight away with another nice right, nailing an enormous finishing turn to score 7.83.
The final then became a backhand battle between the two natural footers as the lefthander began to offer the best scoring potential in the changing wind. Eleogram went left under priority hitting a number of critical turns to score an 8.83 to take the lead. But that only seemed to make Florence more determined as he aggressively attacked consecutive lefthanders, taking to the air on both waves to land scintillating backside reverse aerials, impressing the judges with scores of 9.43 and 9.33 to take a solid grip on the final by the half way mark with a total of 18.76.
That left Eleogram needing a perfect ride for the win, as Florence continued to put on a jaw-dropping display of new-school innovative surfing. The challenge proved too great for the affable Eleogram, who had to be content with making an ASP Prime final for the first time in his career.
“I was so stoked about being in the final with a good friend, a guy I grew up surfing with as a young kid,” said Florence after he had been chaired up the staircase from the beach by his mates. “Some great waves came through early in the heat and I felt loose and relaxed and hit a few airs. The wind here is just like home and it was pushing into the left for a change and gave me a chance to get up on a couple.” But the cool Florence did admit to some jitters midway into the final. “I started to get nervous with about fifteen minutes left, just thinking this could turn around on me, you just never know.”
The win for Florence continues a hot start to 2012, his rookie year on the ASP World Tour, as he won the season starting ASP 5 star Volcom Pipe Pro at his home beach in Hawaii, before going through to the last 16 at the opening World Tour event at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast earlier this month. It marks a rare streak of form for the Hawaiian prodigy who first rose to prominence on the tour when he became the youngest ever surfer to clinch the coveted Vans Triple Crown at his home breaks in Hawaii at the end of 2011, clinching his place on the ASP World Tour for 2012.
Florence’s performance at this event will go down as one of the most dominant in the event’s history. Florence has collected five of the top ten single wave scores and the top thee two-wave heat totals thanks to his full repertoire. Florence defeated fellow Hawaiian Olamana Eleogram (HAW) in the Final by scoring two 9-point-rides, for mixing huge power gouges with technical aerials.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun this week,” Florence said. “The waves are are a lot like at home, even the wind when it’s good for airs is a lot like Hawaii. The waves have been fun in all of my heats. I’m so stoked to win. This gives me a lot of confidence going into Bells because I hear the waves are similar. I was so stoked to make the Final with Ola (Eleogram) at Margaret River.”
Mark Occhilupo (AUS), 1999 ASP World Champion, although retired from full-time competition decided to come to Margaret River and attempt to win the event for his third time. Occhilupo’s affinity for Margaret River was clear from day one, with surf fans being treated to watching his iconic style and flair as he progressed through the contest. His dream run ended in the last minute of his Semifinal today, when Olamana Eleogram (HAW) posted a 6.50 and took the lead, sending Occhilupo home with an equal 3rd place finish.
“I have had the best time this week,” Occhilupo said. “In that Semifinal I had a pretty bad heat. A wave came at the end that I could have gotten the score on, but I fell. I’m going to go away and keep thinking about that. I’m still beating myself up about it. By the time I get home it will have sunken in and I will be stoked with third. That competitive nature doesn’t ever leave you.”
Courtney Conlogue Goes Back-To-Back At The Telstra Drug Aware Pro Margaret River
Courtney Conlogue (USA), reigning Telstra Drug Aware Pro event champion, today won the event for the second year in a row. Conlogue’s powerful backhand attack is perfectly suited to these powerful South West WA waves. The young Californian dominated the Final against Hawaiian Malia Manuel (HAW), posting two scores in the 8-point-range (out of a possible 10), to etch her name on the winners list once again.
“I was trying not to think about going back-to-back too much because I didn’t want to put pressure on myself,” Conlogue said. “I’m stoked to have gotten two in a row. This place taught me a lot last year and the years before. The first time I came here I lost in the second round and it was quite an embarrassing heat. Going from that to what I’ve done now feels great, and each year I come back I feel like I get to know the waves better and better. Now I’m looking forward to going to Bells because this place is great training for down there.”
TDAP 2012: Men's R48, Heats 1-2
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
John John Florence (HAW) 18.76 def. Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 15.43
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 11.67 def. Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.84
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.13 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 14.37
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 14.83 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 2.34
QF 2: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 17.63 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 16.03
QF 3: John John Florence (HAW) 15.44 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.10
QF 4: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.90 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.93
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.23 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.03
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.90 def Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.40
SF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.67 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.00
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 9.83
QF 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.17 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.17
QF 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.06
QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.26 def. Kirby Wright (AUS) 12.90
For more information, visit www.telstradrugawarepro.com
Red Sox game at Fenway with Matt, Nick (just back from a year in New Zealand), and his girlfriend Sumeena (visiting from Germany, and here for her 21st birthday). The Sox won the night before, and the night after, but they got clobbered the night we went. Oh well, we still had fun watchin the game.
Game summary, pasted from www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2010/09/08...:
RAYS 14, RED SOX 5
Rays leave Sox in deep trouble
Visitors hammer 5 homers in rout
By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff | September 8, 2010
There were cheers, and then there were boos. The cheers came as manager Terry Francona bounded from the dugout to remove starter Daisuke Matsuzaka. The boos were for Matsuzaka, who frustrated the fans and failed to help the Red Sox gain ground against their closest competition.
His performance was a debacle.
And the 14-5 loss led to the first official sign that the Sox have started thinking about 2011. Instead of having Clay Buchholz pitch tonight on short rest, Tim Wakefield will get the start. The watch has started on Boston’s elimination number — the Sox are 7 1/2 games back in the wild-card race — as talk turns to the prospects. The deficit appears too large to overcome, as Matsuzaka was unable to give his team one last grasp at a chance.
“I knew very well that this was a critical game, as far as our chances of advancing to the playoffs,’’ Matsuzaka said through interpreter Masa Hoshino. “So to allow what happened to happen so early in the game, I can really only apologize to my teammates and to the fans.’’
It was the walks, missed chances, and the long balls that allowed the Rays to clobber the Sox in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Matsuzaka was not the only culprit. The two relievers that followed were equally abysmal. They only added to a parade of Rays running around the bases. The lowlight was a mammoth home run by Evan Longoria in the fifth.
But while it might have gone the farthest (it was last seen headed toward some cars parked in a Lansdowne Street lot), Longoria’s homer wasn’t the only one. After Matsuzaka had allowed two home runs, the relievers one-upped him, yielding three more before the end of the sixth inning. The five round-trippers were a season high for Tampa.
By that point, though, the adding-on hardly mattered. Matsuzaka allowed the game to get out of hand, allowing eight runs on eight hits and four walks in just 4 2/3 innings. There was no coming back from that.
“On a day like today, I didn’t have any life or bite or command on my pitches,’’ Matsuzaka said. “I’m sure that Victor [Martinez] felt that there wasn’t anything that he could try and do either.’’
Although he got through the first two innings unscathed before giving up a two-run homer to Ben Zobrist in the third, it was in the fourth that things started to fall apart.
“Lack of command caught up with him and kind of caught up in a hurry,’’ Francona said. “[Fourth] inning, we got walk, walk, bunt, and we’ve got bases loaded, nobody out. There was a lot of hits and some walks mixed in. That’s not a good combination.’’
After those two walks to start the fourth, B.J. Upton attempted to sacrifice the runners over. But the Sox didn’t take the out, as Martinez coaxed Matsuzaka to throw to third base to get the lead runner. He couldn’t, as Matt Joyce slid in safe.
“Took a chance,’’ Martinez said. “You can’t play this game afraid to make a mistake. Mistakes are out there. You can’t play this game being afraid to fail. I called it. I called it to third and we didn’t get the out.’’
The bases were loaded for Jason Bartlett, who walked in a run, the sixth time Boston pitching has done that in the last three games. Matsuzaka allowed an RBI single to Zobrist and a two-run double to Carl Crawford before getting out of the fourth. There was more ugliness in the fifth. Matsuzaka got two quick outs before allowing an infield single to Upton and that home run to Bartlett. He was then showered with boos as he was lifted in favor of Dustin Richardson.
The lefthander walked two batters and committed a throwing error, the major league-high 20th of the season by Sox pitching. That scored a run, ended his outing, and brought in Robert Manuel to face Longoria, who launched his bomb. Dan Johnson and Upton added back-to-back home runs in the sixth.
Meanwhile, the Sox could do little against David Price, who allowed just two hits and two runs over his six innings, with Martinez getting both of the hits. They scored three runs in the eighth, but by then it was too late.
The loss left the Sox thinking about the bigger picture, about the future, not about the postseason, which they’re almost certain to miss.
“It doesn’t look good at all,’’ Martinez said. “But we still have to go out there and keep playing. Keep playing and see what happens. The only thing we can control is keeping coming to the ballpark and keep playing hard. That’s it.’’
Rexona Girls Pro Junior
ASP 2-Star European Women’s Pro Junior event
Trois Bassins - Reunion Island
April 9-17, 2011
Defay leads Score Board on Day 1 of Rexona Reunion Girls Pro Junior, Quarterfinalists Decided
TROIS BASSINS, Reunion Island (Tuesday, April 12, 2011) – Women’s division in the 2011 Yop Reunion Surf Pro Junior, the ASP 2-Star Rexona Girls Pro Junior kicked-off today in consistent and building five-to-seven-foot (two meter) waves, the twenty athletes battling it out during two consecutive rounds to advance through to the Quarterfinals of the first event of this year’s ASP European Women’s Junior Series.
Much expected for their first appearance in an ASP sanctioned event on Reunion Island, event top seeds and favorites Joanne Defay (St Leu, REU), Canelle Bulard (St Leu, REU) and Justine Dupont (Lacanau, FRA) taking control of the line-up heat after heat. Coming straight from Australia where they were attending an ASP Women’s 6-Star event, the three top guns looked at ease in the consistent surf.
Leading the score board with the event’s best heat result men and women division comprised, former ASP World Junior No. 3 Joanne Defay was able to make the best out of the conditions, going left to unleash spectacular top turns and critical sections’ assaults.
Defay, a former ASP European Women’s Junior champion (2009), is looking to open her 2011 campaign with a blast, having in mind to finish in this year’s European Top 2 if not one the highest step.
Following fellow Reunion-born athlete Defay en route to the Quarterfinals, multi-event winner on the European Junior tour, Canelle Bulard (St Leu, REU) let no chance to her Round 2 opponents posting solid scores and showing promising determination towards a possible win.
Used to travelling around the world to attend ASP Women’s Star and Junior events, Bulard enjoyed competing at home today, the smiling and renowned 16-year-old athlete benefiting from her parents’ support, amongst other.
Answering the Reunion-based assault and flying the Basque flag, experienced Junior competitor Garazi Sanchez (Basque Country, EUK) was able to catch some good lefthanders in Round 2, securing a Quarterfinal ticket where she will battle against fellow Basque native Loiola Canales.
Sole Portuguese in the Final-8 of the Rexona Girls Pro Junior, Maria Abecasis (PRT) stood strong as well against the French contigent, keeping a firm grip on her Quarterfinal qualification where she will meet local top gun Bulard when competition resumes.
With the women already in the Quarterfinals stage of the event, the ASP 2-Star Rexona Girls Pro Junior is getting closing to the business end.
REXONA GIRLS PRO JUNIOR UPCOMING QUARTERFINALS
Heat 1: Joanne Defay (REU) Vs Joanna Giansanti (FRA)
Heat 2: Loiola Canales (EUK) Vs Garazi Sanchez (EUK)
Heat 3: Canelle Bulard (REU) Vs Maria Abecasis (PRT)
Heat 4: Maud Lecar (REU) Vs Justine Dupont (FRA)
John John Florence, the hottest young surfer on the planet today, has continued his winning streak by taking out the ASP Prime rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River today.
Nineteen year old Florence won a hotly contested, all-Hawaiian final against 25 year old Olamana Eleogram, who could not continue his giant-killing dream run after earlier eliminating top seeds Owen Wright and Josh Kerr in the man on man heats.
Florence was clearly the form surfer of the event heading into the final, having consistently recorded 16 point plus heat scores over the week. Florence progressed after an amazing face-off against fellow teen prodigy Kolohe Andino in the Round of 16 late on Friday afternoon. John John made up for loss to Andino in a No Loser round earlier that day with a scorching score of 19.70 featuring the first and only ten point ride of the competition.
The wind died down and the swell began to pulse for the Men’s final after strong offshore winds made surfing in the early morning finals difficult. Eleogram was the first to strike in the 35 minute final, catching a right hander to bank an early score of 6.00. Florence soon responded with a 7.00 point right hander and backed it up straight away with another nice right, nailing an enormous finishing turn to score 7.83.
The final then became a backhand battle between the two natural footers as the lefthander began to offer the best scoring potential in the changing wind. Eleogram went left under priority hitting a number of critical turns to score an 8.83 to take the lead. But that only seemed to make Florence more determined as he aggressively attacked consecutive lefthanders, taking to the air on both waves to land scintillating backside reverse aerials, impressing the judges with scores of 9.43 and 9.33 to take a solid grip on the final by the half way mark with a total of 18.76.
That left Eleogram needing a perfect ride for the win, as Florence continued to put on a jaw-dropping display of new-school innovative surfing. The challenge proved too great for the affable Eleogram, who had to be content with making an ASP Prime final for the first time in his career.
“I was so stoked about being in the final with a good friend, a guy I grew up surfing with as a young kid,” said Florence after he had been chaired up the staircase from the beach by his mates. “Some great waves came through early in the heat and I felt loose and relaxed and hit a few airs. The wind here is just like home and it was pushing into the left for a change and gave me a chance to get up on a couple.” But the cool Florence did admit to some jitters midway into the final. “I started to get nervous with about fifteen minutes left, just thinking this could turn around on me, you just never know.”
The win for Florence continues a hot start to 2012, his rookie year on the ASP World Tour, as he won the season starting ASP 5 star Volcom Pipe Pro at his home beach in Hawaii, before going through to the last 16 at the opening World Tour event at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast earlier this month. It marks a rare streak of form for the Hawaiian prodigy who first rose to prominence on the tour when he became the youngest ever surfer to clinch the coveted Vans Triple Crown at his home breaks in Hawaii at the end of 2011, clinching his place on the ASP World Tour for 2012.
Florence’s performance at this event will go down as one of the most dominant in the event’s history. Florence has collected five of the top ten single wave scores and the top thee two-wave heat totals thanks to his full repertoire. Florence defeated fellow Hawaiian Olamana Eleogram (HAW) in the Final by scoring two 9-point-rides, for mixing huge power gouges with technical aerials.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun this week,” Florence said. “The waves are are a lot like at home, even the wind when it’s good for airs is a lot like Hawaii. The waves have been fun in all of my heats. I’m so stoked to win. This gives me a lot of confidence going into Bells because I hear the waves are similar. I was so stoked to make the Final with Ola (Eleogram) at Margaret River.”
Mark Occhilupo (AUS), 1999 ASP World Champion, although retired from full-time competition decided to come to Margaret River and attempt to win the event for his third time. Occhilupo’s affinity for Margaret River was clear from day one, with surf fans being treated to watching his iconic style and flair as he progressed through the contest. His dream run ended in the last minute of his Semifinal today, when Olamana Eleogram (HAW) posted a 6.50 and took the lead, sending Occhilupo home with an equal 3rd place finish.
“I have had the best time this week,” Occhilupo said. “In that Semifinal I had a pretty bad heat. A wave came at the end that I could have gotten the score on, but I fell. I’m going to go away and keep thinking about that. I’m still beating myself up about it. By the time I get home it will have sunken in and I will be stoked with third. That competitive nature doesn’t ever leave you.”
Courtney Conlogue Goes Back-To-Back At The Telstra Drug Aware Pro Margaret River
Courtney Conlogue (USA), reigning Telstra Drug Aware Pro event champion, today won the event for the second year in a row. Conlogue’s powerful backhand attack is perfectly suited to these powerful South West WA waves. The young Californian dominated the Final against Hawaiian Malia Manuel (HAW), posting two scores in the 8-point-range (out of a possible 10), to etch her name on the winners list once again.
“I was trying not to think about going back-to-back too much because I didn’t want to put pressure on myself,” Conlogue said. “I’m stoked to have gotten two in a row. This place taught me a lot last year and the years before. The first time I came here I lost in the second round and it was quite an embarrassing heat. Going from that to what I’ve done now feels great, and each year I come back I feel like I get to know the waves better and better. Now I’m looking forward to going to Bells because this place is great training for down there.”
TDAP 2012: Men's R48, Heats 1-2
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
John John Florence (HAW) 18.76 def. Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 15.43
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 11.67 def. Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.84
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.13 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 14.37
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 14.83 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 2.34
QF 2: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 17.63 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 16.03
QF 3: John John Florence (HAW) 15.44 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.10
QF 4: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.90 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.93
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.23 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.03
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.90 def Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.40
SF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.67 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.00
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 9.83
QF 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.17 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.17
QF 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.06
QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.26 def. Kirby Wright (AUS) 12.90
For more information, visit www.telstradrugawarepro.com
John John Florence, the hottest young surfer on the planet today, has continued his winning streak by taking out the ASP Prime rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River today.
Nineteen year old Florence won a hotly contested, all-Hawaiian final against 25 year old Olamana Eleogram, who could not continue his giant-killing dream run after earlier eliminating top seeds Owen Wright and Josh Kerr in the man on man heats.
Florence was clearly the form surfer of the event heading into the final, having consistently recorded 16 point plus heat scores over the week. Florence progressed after an amazing face-off against fellow teen prodigy Kolohe Andino in the Round of 16 late on Friday afternoon. John John made up for loss to Andino in a No Loser round earlier that day with a scorching score of 19.70 featuring the first and only ten point ride of the competition.
The wind died down and the swell began to pulse for the Men’s final after strong offshore winds made surfing in the early morning finals difficult. Eleogram was the first to strike in the 35 minute final, catching a right hander to bank an early score of 6.00. Florence soon responded with a 7.00 point right hander and backed it up straight away with another nice right, nailing an enormous finishing turn to score 7.83.
The final then became a backhand battle between the two natural footers as the lefthander began to offer the best scoring potential in the changing wind. Eleogram went left under priority hitting a number of critical turns to score an 8.83 to take the lead. But that only seemed to make Florence more determined as he aggressively attacked consecutive lefthanders, taking to the air on both waves to land scintillating backside reverse aerials, impressing the judges with scores of 9.43 and 9.33 to take a solid grip on the final by the half way mark with a total of 18.76.
That left Eleogram needing a perfect ride for the win, as Florence continued to put on a jaw-dropping display of new-school innovative surfing. The challenge proved too great for the affable Eleogram, who had to be content with making an ASP Prime final for the first time in his career.
“I was so stoked about being in the final with a good friend, a guy I grew up surfing with as a young kid,” said Florence after he had been chaired up the staircase from the beach by his mates. “Some great waves came through early in the heat and I felt loose and relaxed and hit a few airs. The wind here is just like home and it was pushing into the left for a change and gave me a chance to get up on a couple.” But the cool Florence did admit to some jitters midway into the final. “I started to get nervous with about fifteen minutes left, just thinking this could turn around on me, you just never know.”
The win for Florence continues a hot start to 2012, his rookie year on the ASP World Tour, as he won the season starting ASP 5 star Volcom Pipe Pro at his home beach in Hawaii, before going through to the last 16 at the opening World Tour event at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast earlier this month. It marks a rare streak of form for the Hawaiian prodigy who first rose to prominence on the tour when he became the youngest ever surfer to clinch the coveted Vans Triple Crown at his home breaks in Hawaii at the end of 2011, clinching his place on the ASP World Tour for 2012.
Florence’s performance at this event will go down as one of the most dominant in the event’s history. Florence has collected five of the top ten single wave scores and the top thee two-wave heat totals thanks to his full repertoire. Florence defeated fellow Hawaiian Olamana Eleogram (HAW) in the Final by scoring two 9-point-rides, for mixing huge power gouges with technical aerials.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun this week,” Florence said. “The waves are are a lot like at home, even the wind when it’s good for airs is a lot like Hawaii. The waves have been fun in all of my heats. I’m so stoked to win. This gives me a lot of confidence going into Bells because I hear the waves are similar. I was so stoked to make the Final with Ola (Eleogram) at Margaret River.”
Mark Occhilupo (AUS), 1999 ASP World Champion, although retired from full-time competition decided to come to Margaret River and attempt to win the event for his third time. Occhilupo’s affinity for Margaret River was clear from day one, with surf fans being treated to watching his iconic style and flair as he progressed through the contest. His dream run ended in the last minute of his Semifinal today, when Olamana Eleogram (HAW) posted a 6.50 and took the lead, sending Occhilupo home with an equal 3rd place finish.
“I have had the best time this week,” Occhilupo said. “In that Semifinal I had a pretty bad heat. A wave came at the end that I could have gotten the score on, but I fell. I’m going to go away and keep thinking about that. I’m still beating myself up about it. By the time I get home it will have sunken in and I will be stoked with third. That competitive nature doesn’t ever leave you.”
Courtney Conlogue Goes Back-To-Back At The Telstra Drug Aware Pro Margaret River
Courtney Conlogue (USA), reigning Telstra Drug Aware Pro event champion, today won the event for the second year in a row. Conlogue’s powerful backhand attack is perfectly suited to these powerful South West WA waves. The young Californian dominated the Final against Hawaiian Malia Manuel (HAW), posting two scores in the 8-point-range (out of a possible 10), to etch her name on the winners list once again.
“I was trying not to think about going back-to-back too much because I didn’t want to put pressure on myself,” Conlogue said. “I’m stoked to have gotten two in a row. This place taught me a lot last year and the years before. The first time I came here I lost in the second round and it was quite an embarrassing heat. Going from that to what I’ve done now feels great, and each year I come back I feel like I get to know the waves better and better. Now I’m looking forward to going to Bells because this place is great training for down there.”
TDAP 2012: Men's R48, Heats 1-2
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
John John Florence (HAW) 18.76 def. Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 15.43
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 11.67 def. Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.84
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.13 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 14.37
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 14.83 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 2.34
QF 2: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 17.63 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 16.03
QF 3: John John Florence (HAW) 15.44 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.10
QF 4: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.90 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.93
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.23 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.03
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.90 def Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.40
SF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.67 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.00
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 9.83
QF 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.17 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.17
QF 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.06
QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.26 def. Kirby Wright (AUS) 12.90
For more information, visit www.telstradrugawarepro.com
TARANAKI, New Plymouth/New Zealand (Thursday, April 28, 2011) – ASP World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) continued to ride her wave of victory to New Zealand, posting another top class performance during Round 1 of the Subaru Pro TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival in Taranaki, today.
After strong winds delayed the start of competition until 1:15pm, Round 1 was completed in great 0.5- meter left-hand waves at Back Beach, that saw no shortage of excellent rides against the snowy backdrop of Mount Taranaki.
Fitzgibbons, fresh off her maiden ASP World Title Tour victory at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in Australia this week, proved her backhand to be as polished as her forehand, netting the highest two-wave heat total of the round, an 18.45 (out of a possible 20.00) to defeat Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) and Pauline Ado (FRA).
“It still feels exciting coming straight off a win at Bells,” Fitzgibbons said. “I feel like my surfing has been on the right track for the last couple of years but I was making a few mistakes. I think I’ve learned a lot from the ins and outs of losing as well as winning so it feels really nice to get another win out here today.”
Driving unprecedented speed off her flawless bottom turns, Fitzgibbons posted the top five individual wave scores of the day, which include her winning 8.95 and 9.50 (out of 10) rides.
“I’m so psyched to be going left, we’ve had Snapper and Bells and we’ve been going right for so long, so it’s a nice change to be looking down the line the other way,” Fitzgibbons said.
Four times ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) shone just as brightly in the wind affected waves, her superb wave selection proving crucial to her victory when she stroked into the best wave of the heat in the dying minutes to unleash a powerful series of backhand snaps on a reeling lefthander for a near perfect 9.00 ride.
“Its actually pretty fun out there, there’s a good little left and it was nice to feel some power in the wave,” Gilmore said. “It’s an interesting experience sitting in the lineup looking at a snow covered mountain but I love it, it’s really raw here and it’s great to be back.”
Gilmore, who has had a relatively slow start to the season, posting equal fifth and third place results at the first two events of the season, now finds herself in the ASP World No. 4 position, and while sealing a victory over Laura Enever (AUS) and Alana Blanchard (USA) today, sighted two of today’s standout girls to beat at this year’s event.
“I think Sally Fitzgibbons and Carissa Moore will be tough to beat this year, the Hawaiian girls are looking really strong and Sally having just come off a win, is looking like the girl to beat,” Gilmore said.
Local surf star Paige Hareb (NZ) attracted a large crowd during her round clash against Chelsea Hedges (AUS) and Tyler Wright (AUS), the ASP Women’s World Title Tour’s only kiwi surfer proving determined to advance in first place.
“I was lucky to get the two better waves of the whole heat,” Hareb said. “I just surfed them and didn’t try too hard, I wanted to get a score under my belt and it paid off. It’s my best result of the season so I’m stoked.”
ASP World Tour rookie Courtney Conlogue (USA) out-surfed tour veterans Silvana Lima (BRA) and Rebecca Woods (AUS), holding nothing back to advance with a pair of excellent 8.00 rides.
“I didn’t know if I’d scored an eight or a six so I just tried to stay busy and keep the exchanges going ‘cos its hard to hear out there,” Conlogue admitted. “I was so ready to surf at 7am this morning but it was called off until lunch time so you’ve just got to be able to turn it off and on, I’m definitely learning that this year.”
ASP World No. 1 and defending event champion Carissa Moore (HAW) joined fellow Round 1 winners by advancing into Round 3 ahead of wildcard Sarah Mason (NZL) and tour veteran Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS).
“The waves were pretty good, but I’m not too psyched with my performance,” Moore said. “I didn’t get too many great waves and only scored two sixes. I wish I could have done a better job but we had some fun waves and at least I’m through.”
The final heat of the day revealed an intense battled between Hawaii’s Melanie Bartels and Coco Ho, the pair exchanging rides with Bartels advancing ahead of Ho by less than a point.
Surfers will reconvene at Fitzroy Beach for the next call at 06.30 tomorrow.
The TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival will be webcast LIVE via www.nzsurffestival.co.nz/
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.
TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Paige Hareb (NZL) 15.00; Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 7.90; Tyler Wright (AUS) 6.75
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.10; Silvana Lima (PER) 14.10; Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.20
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 12.75; ); Sarah Mason (NZL) 11.30; Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 10.50
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.45; Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 15.53; Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.00
Heat 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.10; Laura Enever (AUS) 9.15; Alana Blanchard (HAW) 3.10
Heat 6: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 13.95; Coco Ho (HAW) 13.40; Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.90
Photo © ASP/ SCHOLTZ
John John Florence, the hottest young surfer on the planet today, has continued his winning streak by taking out the ASP Prime rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River today.
Nineteen year old Florence won a hotly contested, all-Hawaiian final against 25 year old Olamana Eleogram, who could not continue his giant-killing dream run after earlier eliminating top seeds Owen Wright and Josh Kerr in the man on man heats.
Florence was clearly the form surfer of the event heading into the final, having consistently recorded 16 point plus heat scores over the week. Florence progressed after an amazing face-off against fellow teen prodigy Kolohe Andino in the Round of 16 late on Friday afternoon. John John made up for loss to Andino in a No Loser round earlier that day with a scorching score of 19.70 featuring the first and only ten point ride of the competition.
The wind died down and the swell began to pulse for the Men’s final after strong offshore winds made surfing in the early morning finals difficult. Eleogram was the first to strike in the 35 minute final, catching a right hander to bank an early score of 6.00. Florence soon responded with a 7.00 point right hander and backed it up straight away with another nice right, nailing an enormous finishing turn to score 7.83.
The final then became a backhand battle between the two natural footers as the lefthander began to offer the best scoring potential in the changing wind. Eleogram went left under priority hitting a number of critical turns to score an 8.83 to take the lead. But that only seemed to make Florence more determined as he aggressively attacked consecutive lefthanders, taking to the air on both waves to land scintillating backside reverse aerials, impressing the judges with scores of 9.43 and 9.33 to take a solid grip on the final by the half way mark with a total of 18.76.
That left Eleogram needing a perfect ride for the win, as Florence continued to put on a jaw-dropping display of new-school innovative surfing. The challenge proved too great for the affable Eleogram, who had to be content with making an ASP Prime final for the first time in his career.
“I was so stoked about being in the final with a good friend, a guy I grew up surfing with as a young kid,” said Florence after he had been chaired up the staircase from the beach by his mates. “Some great waves came through early in the heat and I felt loose and relaxed and hit a few airs. The wind here is just like home and it was pushing into the left for a change and gave me a chance to get up on a couple.” But the cool Florence did admit to some jitters midway into the final. “I started to get nervous with about fifteen minutes left, just thinking this could turn around on me, you just never know.”
The win for Florence continues a hot start to 2012, his rookie year on the ASP World Tour, as he won the season starting ASP 5 star Volcom Pipe Pro at his home beach in Hawaii, before going through to the last 16 at the opening World Tour event at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast earlier this month. It marks a rare streak of form for the Hawaiian prodigy who first rose to prominence on the tour when he became the youngest ever surfer to clinch the coveted Vans Triple Crown at his home breaks in Hawaii at the end of 2011, clinching his place on the ASP World Tour for 2012.
Florence’s performance at this event will go down as one of the most dominant in the event’s history. Florence has collected five of the top ten single wave scores and the top thee two-wave heat totals thanks to his full repertoire. Florence defeated fellow Hawaiian Olamana Eleogram (HAW) in the Final by scoring two 9-point-rides, for mixing huge power gouges with technical aerials.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun this week,” Florence said. “The waves are are a lot like at home, even the wind when it’s good for airs is a lot like Hawaii. The waves have been fun in all of my heats. I’m so stoked to win. This gives me a lot of confidence going into Bells because I hear the waves are similar. I was so stoked to make the Final with Ola (Eleogram) at Margaret River.”
Mark Occhilupo (AUS), 1999 ASP World Champion, although retired from full-time competition decided to come to Margaret River and attempt to win the event for his third time. Occhilupo’s affinity for Margaret River was clear from day one, with surf fans being treated to watching his iconic style and flair as he progressed through the contest. His dream run ended in the last minute of his Semifinal today, when Olamana Eleogram (HAW) posted a 6.50 and took the lead, sending Occhilupo home with an equal 3rd place finish.
“I have had the best time this week,” Occhilupo said. “In that Semifinal I had a pretty bad heat. A wave came at the end that I could have gotten the score on, but I fell. I’m going to go away and keep thinking about that. I’m still beating myself up about it. By the time I get home it will have sunken in and I will be stoked with third. That competitive nature doesn’t ever leave you.”
Courtney Conlogue Goes Back-To-Back At The Telstra Drug Aware Pro Margaret River
Courtney Conlogue (USA), reigning Telstra Drug Aware Pro event champion, today won the event for the second year in a row. Conlogue’s powerful backhand attack is perfectly suited to these powerful South West WA waves. The young Californian dominated the Final against Hawaiian Malia Manuel (HAW), posting two scores in the 8-point-range (out of a possible 10), to etch her name on the winners list once again.
“I was trying not to think about going back-to-back too much because I didn’t want to put pressure on myself,” Conlogue said. “I’m stoked to have gotten two in a row. This place taught me a lot last year and the years before. The first time I came here I lost in the second round and it was quite an embarrassing heat. Going from that to what I’ve done now feels great, and each year I come back I feel like I get to know the waves better and better. Now I’m looking forward to going to Bells because this place is great training for down there.”
TDAP 2012: Men's R48, Heats 1-2
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
John John Florence (HAW) 18.76 def. Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 15.43
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 11.67 def. Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.84
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.13 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 14.37
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 14.83 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 2.34
QF 2: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 17.63 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 16.03
QF 3: John John Florence (HAW) 15.44 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.10
QF 4: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.90 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.93
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.23 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.03
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.90 def Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.40
SF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.67 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.00
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 9.83
QF 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.17 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.17
QF 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.06
QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.26 def. Kirby Wright (AUS) 12.90
For more information, visit www.telstradrugawarepro.com
Red Sox game at Fenway with Matt, Nick (just back from a year in New Zealand), and his girlfriend Sumeena (visiting from Germany, and here for her 21st birthday). The Sox won the night before, and the night after, but they got clobbered the night we went. Oh well, we still had fun watchin the game.
Game summary, pasted from www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2010/09/08...:
RAYS 14, RED SOX 5
Rays leave Sox in deep trouble
Visitors hammer 5 homers in rout
By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff | September 8, 2010
There were cheers, and then there were boos. The cheers came as manager Terry Francona bounded from the dugout to remove starter Daisuke Matsuzaka. The boos were for Matsuzaka, who frustrated the fans and failed to help the Red Sox gain ground against their closest competition.
His performance was a debacle.
And the 14-5 loss led to the first official sign that the Sox have started thinking about 2011. Instead of having Clay Buchholz pitch tonight on short rest, Tim Wakefield will get the start. The watch has started on Boston’s elimination number — the Sox are 7 1/2 games back in the wild-card race — as talk turns to the prospects. The deficit appears too large to overcome, as Matsuzaka was unable to give his team one last grasp at a chance.
“I knew very well that this was a critical game, as far as our chances of advancing to the playoffs,’’ Matsuzaka said through interpreter Masa Hoshino. “So to allow what happened to happen so early in the game, I can really only apologize to my teammates and to the fans.’’
It was the walks, missed chances, and the long balls that allowed the Rays to clobber the Sox in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Matsuzaka was not the only culprit. The two relievers that followed were equally abysmal. They only added to a parade of Rays running around the bases. The lowlight was a mammoth home run by Evan Longoria in the fifth.
But while it might have gone the farthest (it was last seen headed toward some cars parked in a Lansdowne Street lot), Longoria’s homer wasn’t the only one. After Matsuzaka had allowed two home runs, the relievers one-upped him, yielding three more before the end of the sixth inning. The five round-trippers were a season high for Tampa.
By that point, though, the adding-on hardly mattered. Matsuzaka allowed the game to get out of hand, allowing eight runs on eight hits and four walks in just 4 2/3 innings. There was no coming back from that.
“On a day like today, I didn’t have any life or bite or command on my pitches,’’ Matsuzaka said. “I’m sure that Victor [Martinez] felt that there wasn’t anything that he could try and do either.’’
Although he got through the first two innings unscathed before giving up a two-run homer to Ben Zobrist in the third, it was in the fourth that things started to fall apart.
“Lack of command caught up with him and kind of caught up in a hurry,’’ Francona said. “[Fourth] inning, we got walk, walk, bunt, and we’ve got bases loaded, nobody out. There was a lot of hits and some walks mixed in. That’s not a good combination.’’
After those two walks to start the fourth, B.J. Upton attempted to sacrifice the runners over. But the Sox didn’t take the out, as Martinez coaxed Matsuzaka to throw to third base to get the lead runner. He couldn’t, as Matt Joyce slid in safe.
“Took a chance,’’ Martinez said. “You can’t play this game afraid to make a mistake. Mistakes are out there. You can’t play this game being afraid to fail. I called it. I called it to third and we didn’t get the out.’’
The bases were loaded for Jason Bartlett, who walked in a run, the sixth time Boston pitching has done that in the last three games. Matsuzaka allowed an RBI single to Zobrist and a two-run double to Carl Crawford before getting out of the fourth. There was more ugliness in the fifth. Matsuzaka got two quick outs before allowing an infield single to Upton and that home run to Bartlett. He was then showered with boos as he was lifted in favor of Dustin Richardson.
The lefthander walked two batters and committed a throwing error, the major league-high 20th of the season by Sox pitching. That scored a run, ended his outing, and brought in Robert Manuel to face Longoria, who launched his bomb. Dan Johnson and Upton added back-to-back home runs in the sixth.
Meanwhile, the Sox could do little against David Price, who allowed just two hits and two runs over his six innings, with Martinez getting both of the hits. They scored three runs in the eighth, but by then it was too late.
The loss left the Sox thinking about the bigger picture, about the future, not about the postseason, which they’re almost certain to miss.
“It doesn’t look good at all,’’ Martinez said. “But we still have to go out there and keep playing. Keep playing and see what happens. The only thing we can control is keeping coming to the ballpark and keep playing hard. That’s it.’’
John John Florence, the hottest young surfer on the planet today, has continued his winning streak by taking out the ASP Prime rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River today.
Nineteen year old Florence won a hotly contested, all-Hawaiian final against 25 year old Olamana Eleogram, who could not continue his giant-killing dream run after earlier eliminating top seeds Owen Wright and Josh Kerr in the man on man heats.
Florence was clearly the form surfer of the event heading into the final, having consistently recorded 16 point plus heat scores over the week. Florence progressed after an amazing face-off against fellow teen prodigy Kolohe Andino in the Round of 16 late on Friday afternoon. John John made up for loss to Andino in a No Loser round earlier that day with a scorching score of 19.70 featuring the first and only ten point ride of the competition.
The wind died down and the swell began to pulse for the Men’s final after strong offshore winds made surfing in the early morning finals difficult. Eleogram was the first to strike in the 35 minute final, catching a right hander to bank an early score of 6.00. Florence soon responded with a 7.00 point right hander and backed it up straight away with another nice right, nailing an enormous finishing turn to score 7.83.
The final then became a backhand battle between the two natural footers as the lefthander began to offer the best scoring potential in the changing wind. Eleogram went left under priority hitting a number of critical turns to score an 8.83 to take the lead. But that only seemed to make Florence more determined as he aggressively attacked consecutive lefthanders, taking to the air on both waves to land scintillating backside reverse aerials, impressing the judges with scores of 9.43 and 9.33 to take a solid grip on the final by the half way mark with a total of 18.76.
That left Eleogram needing a perfect ride for the win, as Florence continued to put on a jaw-dropping display of new-school innovative surfing. The challenge proved too great for the affable Eleogram, who had to be content with making an ASP Prime final for the first time in his career.
“I was so stoked about being in the final with a good friend, a guy I grew up surfing with as a young kid,” said Florence after he had been chaired up the staircase from the beach by his mates. “Some great waves came through early in the heat and I felt loose and relaxed and hit a few airs. The wind here is just like home and it was pushing into the left for a change and gave me a chance to get up on a couple.” But the cool Florence did admit to some jitters midway into the final. “I started to get nervous with about fifteen minutes left, just thinking this could turn around on me, you just never know.”
The win for Florence continues a hot start to 2012, his rookie year on the ASP World Tour, as he won the season starting ASP 5 star Volcom Pipe Pro at his home beach in Hawaii, before going through to the last 16 at the opening World Tour event at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast earlier this month. It marks a rare streak of form for the Hawaiian prodigy who first rose to prominence on the tour when he became the youngest ever surfer to clinch the coveted Vans Triple Crown at his home breaks in Hawaii at the end of 2011, clinching his place on the ASP World Tour for 2012.
Florence’s performance at this event will go down as one of the most dominant in the event’s history. Florence has collected five of the top ten single wave scores and the top thee two-wave heat totals thanks to his full repertoire. Florence defeated fellow Hawaiian Olamana Eleogram (HAW) in the Final by scoring two 9-point-rides, for mixing huge power gouges with technical aerials.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun this week,” Florence said. “The waves are are a lot like at home, even the wind when it’s good for airs is a lot like Hawaii. The waves have been fun in all of my heats. I’m so stoked to win. This gives me a lot of confidence going into Bells because I hear the waves are similar. I was so stoked to make the Final with Ola (Eleogram) at Margaret River.”
Mark Occhilupo (AUS), 1999 ASP World Champion, although retired from full-time competition decided to come to Margaret River and attempt to win the event for his third time. Occhilupo’s affinity for Margaret River was clear from day one, with surf fans being treated to watching his iconic style and flair as he progressed through the contest. His dream run ended in the last minute of his Semifinal today, when Olamana Eleogram (HAW) posted a 6.50 and took the lead, sending Occhilupo home with an equal 3rd place finish.
“I have had the best time this week,” Occhilupo said. “In that Semifinal I had a pretty bad heat. A wave came at the end that I could have gotten the score on, but I fell. I’m going to go away and keep thinking about that. I’m still beating myself up about it. By the time I get home it will have sunken in and I will be stoked with third. That competitive nature doesn’t ever leave you.”
Courtney Conlogue Goes Back-To-Back At The Telstra Drug Aware Pro Margaret River
Courtney Conlogue (USA), reigning Telstra Drug Aware Pro event champion, today won the event for the second year in a row. Conlogue’s powerful backhand attack is perfectly suited to these powerful South West WA waves. The young Californian dominated the Final against Hawaiian Malia Manuel (HAW), posting two scores in the 8-point-range (out of a possible 10), to etch her name on the winners list once again.
“I was trying not to think about going back-to-back too much because I didn’t want to put pressure on myself,” Conlogue said. “I’m stoked to have gotten two in a row. This place taught me a lot last year and the years before. The first time I came here I lost in the second round and it was quite an embarrassing heat. Going from that to what I’ve done now feels great, and each year I come back I feel like I get to know the waves better and better. Now I’m looking forward to going to Bells because this place is great training for down there.”
TDAP 2012: Men's R48, Heats 1-2
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
John John Florence (HAW) 18.76 def. Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 15.43
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 11.67 def. Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.84
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.13 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 14.37
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 14.83 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 2.34
QF 2: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 17.63 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 16.03
QF 3: John John Florence (HAW) 15.44 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.10
QF 4: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.90 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.93
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.23 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.03
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.90 def Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.40
SF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.67 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.00
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 9.83
QF 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.17 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.17
QF 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.06
QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.26 def. Kirby Wright (AUS) 12.90
For more information, visit www.telstradrugawarepro.com
Red Sox game at Fenway with Matt, Nick (just back from a year in New Zealand), and his girlfriend Sumeena (visiting from Germany, and here for her 21st birthday). The Sox won the night before, and the night after, but they got clobbered the night we went. Oh well, we still had fun watchin the game.
Game summary, pasted from www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2010/09/08...:
RAYS 14, RED SOX 5
Rays leave Sox in deep trouble
Visitors hammer 5 homers in rout
By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff | September 8, 2010
There were cheers, and then there were boos. The cheers came as manager Terry Francona bounded from the dugout to remove starter Daisuke Matsuzaka. The boos were for Matsuzaka, who frustrated the fans and failed to help the Red Sox gain ground against their closest competition.
His performance was a debacle.
And the 14-5 loss led to the first official sign that the Sox have started thinking about 2011. Instead of having Clay Buchholz pitch tonight on short rest, Tim Wakefield will get the start. The watch has started on Boston’s elimination number — the Sox are 7 1/2 games back in the wild-card race — as talk turns to the prospects. The deficit appears too large to overcome, as Matsuzaka was unable to give his team one last grasp at a chance.
“I knew very well that this was a critical game, as far as our chances of advancing to the playoffs,’’ Matsuzaka said through interpreter Masa Hoshino. “So to allow what happened to happen so early in the game, I can really only apologize to my teammates and to the fans.’’
It was the walks, missed chances, and the long balls that allowed the Rays to clobber the Sox in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Matsuzaka was not the only culprit. The two relievers that followed were equally abysmal. They only added to a parade of Rays running around the bases. The lowlight was a mammoth home run by Evan Longoria in the fifth.
But while it might have gone the farthest (it was last seen headed toward some cars parked in a Lansdowne Street lot), Longoria’s homer wasn’t the only one. After Matsuzaka had allowed two home runs, the relievers one-upped him, yielding three more before the end of the sixth inning. The five round-trippers were a season high for Tampa.
By that point, though, the adding-on hardly mattered. Matsuzaka allowed the game to get out of hand, allowing eight runs on eight hits and four walks in just 4 2/3 innings. There was no coming back from that.
“On a day like today, I didn’t have any life or bite or command on my pitches,’’ Matsuzaka said. “I’m sure that Victor [Martinez] felt that there wasn’t anything that he could try and do either.’’
Although he got through the first two innings unscathed before giving up a two-run homer to Ben Zobrist in the third, it was in the fourth that things started to fall apart.
“Lack of command caught up with him and kind of caught up in a hurry,’’ Francona said. “[Fourth] inning, we got walk, walk, bunt, and we’ve got bases loaded, nobody out. There was a lot of hits and some walks mixed in. That’s not a good combination.’’
After those two walks to start the fourth, B.J. Upton attempted to sacrifice the runners over. But the Sox didn’t take the out, as Martinez coaxed Matsuzaka to throw to third base to get the lead runner. He couldn’t, as Matt Joyce slid in safe.
“Took a chance,’’ Martinez said. “You can’t play this game afraid to make a mistake. Mistakes are out there. You can’t play this game being afraid to fail. I called it. I called it to third and we didn’t get the out.’’
The bases were loaded for Jason Bartlett, who walked in a run, the sixth time Boston pitching has done that in the last three games. Matsuzaka allowed an RBI single to Zobrist and a two-run double to Carl Crawford before getting out of the fourth. There was more ugliness in the fifth. Matsuzaka got two quick outs before allowing an infield single to Upton and that home run to Bartlett. He was then showered with boos as he was lifted in favor of Dustin Richardson.
The lefthander walked two batters and committed a throwing error, the major league-high 20th of the season by Sox pitching. That scored a run, ended his outing, and brought in Robert Manuel to face Longoria, who launched his bomb. Dan Johnson and Upton added back-to-back home runs in the sixth.
Meanwhile, the Sox could do little against David Price, who allowed just two hits and two runs over his six innings, with Martinez getting both of the hits. They scored three runs in the eighth, but by then it was too late.
The loss left the Sox thinking about the bigger picture, about the future, not about the postseason, which they’re almost certain to miss.
“It doesn’t look good at all,’’ Martinez said. “But we still have to go out there and keep playing. Keep playing and see what happens. The only thing we can control is keeping coming to the ballpark and keep playing hard. That’s it.’’
John John Florence, the hottest young surfer on the planet today, has continued his winning streak by taking out the ASP Prime rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River today.
Nineteen year old Florence won a hotly contested, all-Hawaiian final against 25 year old Olamana Eleogram, who could not continue his giant-killing dream run after earlier eliminating top seeds Owen Wright and Josh Kerr in the man on man heats.
Florence was clearly the form surfer of the event heading into the final, having consistently recorded 16 point plus heat scores over the week. Florence progressed after an amazing face-off against fellow teen prodigy Kolohe Andino in the Round of 16 late on Friday afternoon. John John made up for loss to Andino in a No Loser round earlier that day with a scorching score of 19.70 featuring the first and only ten point ride of the competition.
The wind died down and the swell began to pulse for the Men’s final after strong offshore winds made surfing in the early morning finals difficult. Eleogram was the first to strike in the 35 minute final, catching a right hander to bank an early score of 6.00. Florence soon responded with a 7.00 point right hander and backed it up straight away with another nice right, nailing an enormous finishing turn to score 7.83.
The final then became a backhand battle between the two natural footers as the lefthander began to offer the best scoring potential in the changing wind. Eleogram went left under priority hitting a number of critical turns to score an 8.83 to take the lead. But that only seemed to make Florence more determined as he aggressively attacked consecutive lefthanders, taking to the air on both waves to land scintillating backside reverse aerials, impressing the judges with scores of 9.43 and 9.33 to take a solid grip on the final by the half way mark with a total of 18.76.
That left Eleogram needing a perfect ride for the win, as Florence continued to put on a jaw-dropping display of new-school innovative surfing. The challenge proved too great for the affable Eleogram, who had to be content with making an ASP Prime final for the first time in his career.
“I was so stoked about being in the final with a good friend, a guy I grew up surfing with as a young kid,” said Florence after he had been chaired up the staircase from the beach by his mates. “Some great waves came through early in the heat and I felt loose and relaxed and hit a few airs. The wind here is just like home and it was pushing into the left for a change and gave me a chance to get up on a couple.” But the cool Florence did admit to some jitters midway into the final. “I started to get nervous with about fifteen minutes left, just thinking this could turn around on me, you just never know.”
The win for Florence continues a hot start to 2012, his rookie year on the ASP World Tour, as he won the season starting ASP 5 star Volcom Pipe Pro at his home beach in Hawaii, before going through to the last 16 at the opening World Tour event at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast earlier this month. It marks a rare streak of form for the Hawaiian prodigy who first rose to prominence on the tour when he became the youngest ever surfer to clinch the coveted Vans Triple Crown at his home breaks in Hawaii at the end of 2011, clinching his place on the ASP World Tour for 2012.
Florence’s performance at this event will go down as one of the most dominant in the event’s history. Florence has collected five of the top ten single wave scores and the top thee two-wave heat totals thanks to his full repertoire. Florence defeated fellow Hawaiian Olamana Eleogram (HAW) in the Final by scoring two 9-point-rides, for mixing huge power gouges with technical aerials.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun this week,” Florence said. “The waves are are a lot like at home, even the wind when it’s good for airs is a lot like Hawaii. The waves have been fun in all of my heats. I’m so stoked to win. This gives me a lot of confidence going into Bells because I hear the waves are similar. I was so stoked to make the Final with Ola (Eleogram) at Margaret River.”
Mark Occhilupo (AUS), 1999 ASP World Champion, although retired from full-time competition decided to come to Margaret River and attempt to win the event for his third time. Occhilupo’s affinity for Margaret River was clear from day one, with surf fans being treated to watching his iconic style and flair as he progressed through the contest. His dream run ended in the last minute of his Semifinal today, when Olamana Eleogram (HAW) posted a 6.50 and took the lead, sending Occhilupo home with an equal 3rd place finish.
“I have had the best time this week,” Occhilupo said. “In that Semifinal I had a pretty bad heat. A wave came at the end that I could have gotten the score on, but I fell. I’m going to go away and keep thinking about that. I’m still beating myself up about it. By the time I get home it will have sunken in and I will be stoked with third. That competitive nature doesn’t ever leave you.”
Courtney Conlogue Goes Back-To-Back At The Telstra Drug Aware Pro Margaret River
Courtney Conlogue (USA), reigning Telstra Drug Aware Pro event champion, today won the event for the second year in a row. Conlogue’s powerful backhand attack is perfectly suited to these powerful South West WA waves. The young Californian dominated the Final against Hawaiian Malia Manuel (HAW), posting two scores in the 8-point-range (out of a possible 10), to etch her name on the winners list once again.
“I was trying not to think about going back-to-back too much because I didn’t want to put pressure on myself,” Conlogue said. “I’m stoked to have gotten two in a row. This place taught me a lot last year and the years before. The first time I came here I lost in the second round and it was quite an embarrassing heat. Going from that to what I’ve done now feels great, and each year I come back I feel like I get to know the waves better and better. Now I’m looking forward to going to Bells because this place is great training for down there.”
TDAP 2012: Men's R48, Heats 1-2
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
John John Florence (HAW) 18.76 def. Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 15.43
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 11.67 def. Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.84
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.13 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 14.37
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 14.83 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 2.34
QF 2: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 17.63 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 16.03
QF 3: John John Florence (HAW) 15.44 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.10
QF 4: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.90 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.93
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.23 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.03
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.90 def Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.40
SF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.67 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.00
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 9.83
QF 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.17 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.17
QF 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.06
QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.26 def. Kirby Wright (AUS) 12.90
For more information, visit www.telstradrugawarepro.com
Red Sox game at Fenway with Matt, Nick (just back from a year in New Zealand), and his girlfriend Sumeena (visiting from Germany, and here for her 21st birthday). The Sox won the night before, and the night after, but they got clobbered the night we went. Oh well, we still had fun watchin the game.
Game summary, pasted from www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2010/09/08...:
RAYS 14, RED SOX 5
Rays leave Sox in deep trouble
Visitors hammer 5 homers in rout
By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff | September 8, 2010
There were cheers, and then there were boos. The cheers came as manager Terry Francona bounded from the dugout to remove starter Daisuke Matsuzaka. The boos were for Matsuzaka, who frustrated the fans and failed to help the Red Sox gain ground against their closest competition.
His performance was a debacle.
And the 14-5 loss led to the first official sign that the Sox have started thinking about 2011. Instead of having Clay Buchholz pitch tonight on short rest, Tim Wakefield will get the start. The watch has started on Boston’s elimination number — the Sox are 7 1/2 games back in the wild-card race — as talk turns to the prospects. The deficit appears too large to overcome, as Matsuzaka was unable to give his team one last grasp at a chance.
“I knew very well that this was a critical game, as far as our chances of advancing to the playoffs,’’ Matsuzaka said through interpreter Masa Hoshino. “So to allow what happened to happen so early in the game, I can really only apologize to my teammates and to the fans.’’
It was the walks, missed chances, and the long balls that allowed the Rays to clobber the Sox in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Matsuzaka was not the only culprit. The two relievers that followed were equally abysmal. They only added to a parade of Rays running around the bases. The lowlight was a mammoth home run by Evan Longoria in the fifth.
But while it might have gone the farthest (it was last seen headed toward some cars parked in a Lansdowne Street lot), Longoria’s homer wasn’t the only one. After Matsuzaka had allowed two home runs, the relievers one-upped him, yielding three more before the end of the sixth inning. The five round-trippers were a season high for Tampa.
By that point, though, the adding-on hardly mattered. Matsuzaka allowed the game to get out of hand, allowing eight runs on eight hits and four walks in just 4 2/3 innings. There was no coming back from that.
“On a day like today, I didn’t have any life or bite or command on my pitches,’’ Matsuzaka said. “I’m sure that Victor [Martinez] felt that there wasn’t anything that he could try and do either.’’
Although he got through the first two innings unscathed before giving up a two-run homer to Ben Zobrist in the third, it was in the fourth that things started to fall apart.
“Lack of command caught up with him and kind of caught up in a hurry,’’ Francona said. “[Fourth] inning, we got walk, walk, bunt, and we’ve got bases loaded, nobody out. There was a lot of hits and some walks mixed in. That’s not a good combination.’’
After those two walks to start the fourth, B.J. Upton attempted to sacrifice the runners over. But the Sox didn’t take the out, as Martinez coaxed Matsuzaka to throw to third base to get the lead runner. He couldn’t, as Matt Joyce slid in safe.
“Took a chance,’’ Martinez said. “You can’t play this game afraid to make a mistake. Mistakes are out there. You can’t play this game being afraid to fail. I called it. I called it to third and we didn’t get the out.’’
The bases were loaded for Jason Bartlett, who walked in a run, the sixth time Boston pitching has done that in the last three games. Matsuzaka allowed an RBI single to Zobrist and a two-run double to Carl Crawford before getting out of the fourth. There was more ugliness in the fifth. Matsuzaka got two quick outs before allowing an infield single to Upton and that home run to Bartlett. He was then showered with boos as he was lifted in favor of Dustin Richardson.
The lefthander walked two batters and committed a throwing error, the major league-high 20th of the season by Sox pitching. That scored a run, ended his outing, and brought in Robert Manuel to face Longoria, who launched his bomb. Dan Johnson and Upton added back-to-back home runs in the sixth.
Meanwhile, the Sox could do little against David Price, who allowed just two hits and two runs over his six innings, with Martinez getting both of the hits. They scored three runs in the eighth, but by then it was too late.
The loss left the Sox thinking about the bigger picture, about the future, not about the postseason, which they’re almost certain to miss.
“It doesn’t look good at all,’’ Martinez said. “But we still have to go out there and keep playing. Keep playing and see what happens. The only thing we can control is keeping coming to the ballpark and keep playing hard. That’s it.’’
Red Sox game at Fenway with Matt, Nick (just back from a year in New Zealand), and his girlfriend Sumeena (visiting from Germany, and here for her 21st birthday). And, as it turned out, we ran into our brother Donnie after the game -- we didn't realize he had tickets. This is our first photo together in a year :-)
The Sox won the night before, and the night after, but they got clobbered the night we went. Oh well, we still had fun watchin the game.
Game summary, pasted from www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2010/09/08...:
RAYS 14, RED SOX 5
Rays leave Sox in deep trouble
Visitors hammer 5 homers in rout
By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff | September 8, 2010
There were cheers, and then there were boos. The cheers came as manager Terry Francona bounded from the dugout to remove starter Daisuke Matsuzaka. The boos were for Matsuzaka, who frustrated the fans and failed to help the Red Sox gain ground against their closest competition.
His performance was a debacle.
And the 14-5 loss led to the first official sign that the Sox have started thinking about 2011. Instead of having Clay Buchholz pitch tonight on short rest, Tim Wakefield will get the start. The watch has started on Boston’s elimination number — the Sox are 7 1/2 games back in the wild-card race — as talk turns to the prospects. The deficit appears too large to overcome, as Matsuzaka was unable to give his team one last grasp at a chance.
“I knew very well that this was a critical game, as far as our chances of advancing to the playoffs,’’ Matsuzaka said through interpreter Masa Hoshino. “So to allow what happened to happen so early in the game, I can really only apologize to my teammates and to the fans.’’
It was the walks, missed chances, and the long balls that allowed the Rays to clobber the Sox in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Matsuzaka was not the only culprit. The two relievers that followed were equally abysmal. They only added to a parade of Rays running around the bases. The lowlight was a mammoth home run by Evan Longoria in the fifth.
But while it might have gone the farthest (it was last seen headed toward some cars parked in a Lansdowne Street lot), Longoria’s homer wasn’t the only one. After Matsuzaka had allowed two home runs, the relievers one-upped him, yielding three more before the end of the sixth inning. The five round-trippers were a season high for Tampa.
By that point, though, the adding-on hardly mattered. Matsuzaka allowed the game to get out of hand, allowing eight runs on eight hits and four walks in just 4 2/3 innings. There was no coming back from that.
“On a day like today, I didn’t have any life or bite or command on my pitches,’’ Matsuzaka said. “I’m sure that Victor [Martinez] felt that there wasn’t anything that he could try and do either.’’
Although he got through the first two innings unscathed before giving up a two-run homer to Ben Zobrist in the third, it was in the fourth that things started to fall apart.
“Lack of command caught up with him and kind of caught up in a hurry,’’ Francona said. “[Fourth] inning, we got walk, walk, bunt, and we’ve got bases loaded, nobody out. There was a lot of hits and some walks mixed in. That’s not a good combination.’’
After those two walks to start the fourth, B.J. Upton attempted to sacrifice the runners over. But the Sox didn’t take the out, as Martinez coaxed Matsuzaka to throw to third base to get the lead runner. He couldn’t, as Matt Joyce slid in safe.
“Took a chance,’’ Martinez said. “You can’t play this game afraid to make a mistake. Mistakes are out there. You can’t play this game being afraid to fail. I called it. I called it to third and we didn’t get the out.’’
The bases were loaded for Jason Bartlett, who walked in a run, the sixth time Boston pitching has done that in the last three games. Matsuzaka allowed an RBI single to Zobrist and a two-run double to Carl Crawford before getting out of the fourth. There was more ugliness in the fifth. Matsuzaka got two quick outs before allowing an infield single to Upton and that home run to Bartlett. He was then showered with boos as he was lifted in favor of Dustin Richardson.
The lefthander walked two batters and committed a throwing error, the major league-high 20th of the season by Sox pitching. That scored a run, ended his outing, and brought in Robert Manuel to face Longoria, who launched his bomb. Dan Johnson and Upton added back-to-back home runs in the sixth.
Meanwhile, the Sox could do little against David Price, who allowed just two hits and two runs over his six innings, with Martinez getting both of the hits. They scored three runs in the eighth, but by then it was too late.
The loss left the Sox thinking about the bigger picture, about the future, not about the postseason, which they’re almost certain to miss.
“It doesn’t look good at all,’’ Martinez said. “But we still have to go out there and keep playing. Keep playing and see what happens. The only thing we can control is keeping coming to the ballpark and keep playing hard. That’s it.’’
TARANAKI, New Plymouth/New Zealand (Thursday, April 28, 2011) – ASP World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) continued to ride her wave of victory to New Zealand, posting another top class performance during Round 1 of the Subaru Pro TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival in Taranaki, today.
After strong winds delayed the start of competition until 1:15pm, Round 1 was completed in great 0.5- meter left-hand waves at Back Beach, that saw no shortage of excellent rides against the snowy backdrop of Mount Taranaki.
Fitzgibbons, fresh off her maiden ASP World Title Tour victory at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in Australia this week, proved her backhand to be as polished as her forehand, netting the highest two-wave heat total of the round, an 18.45 (out of a possible 20.00) to defeat Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) and Pauline Ado (FRA).
“It still feels exciting coming straight off a win at Bells,” Fitzgibbons said. “I feel like my surfing has been on the right track for the last couple of years but I was making a few mistakes. I think I’ve learned a lot from the ins and outs of losing as well as winning so it feels really nice to get another win out here today.”
Driving unprecedented speed off her flawless bottom turns, Fitzgibbons posted the top five individual wave scores of the day, which include her winning 8.95 and 9.50 (out of 10) rides.
“I’m so psyched to be going left, we’ve had Snapper and Bells and we’ve been going right for so long, so it’s a nice change to be looking down the line the other way,” Fitzgibbons said.
Four times ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) shone just as brightly in the wind affected waves, her superb wave selection proving crucial to her victory when she stroked into the best wave of the heat in the dying minutes to unleash a powerful series of backhand snaps on a reeling lefthander for a near perfect 9.00 ride.
“Its actually pretty fun out there, there’s a good little left and it was nice to feel some power in the wave,” Gilmore said. “It’s an interesting experience sitting in the lineup looking at a snow covered mountain but I love it, it’s really raw here and it’s great to be back.”
Gilmore, who has had a relatively slow start to the season, posting equal fifth and third place results at the first two events of the season, now finds herself in the ASP World No. 4 position, and while sealing a victory over Laura Enever (AUS) and Alana Blanchard (USA) today, sighted two of today’s standout girls to beat at this year’s event.
“I think Sally Fitzgibbons and Carissa Moore will be tough to beat this year, the Hawaiian girls are looking really strong and Sally having just come off a win, is looking like the girl to beat,” Gilmore said.
Local surf star Paige Hareb (NZ) attracted a large crowd during her round clash against Chelsea Hedges (AUS) and Tyler Wright (AUS), the ASP Women’s World Title Tour’s only kiwi surfer proving determined to advance in first place.
“I was lucky to get the two better waves of the whole heat,” Hareb said. “I just surfed them and didn’t try too hard, I wanted to get a score under my belt and it paid off. It’s my best result of the season so I’m stoked.”
ASP World Tour rookie Courtney Conlogue (USA) out-surfed tour veterans Silvana Lima (BRA) and Rebecca Woods (AUS), holding nothing back to advance with a pair of excellent 8.00 rides.
“I didn’t know if I’d scored an eight or a six so I just tried to stay busy and keep the exchanges going ‘cos its hard to hear out there,” Conlogue admitted. “I was so ready to surf at 7am this morning but it was called off until lunch time so you’ve just got to be able to turn it off and on, I’m definitely learning that this year.”
ASP World No. 1 and defending event champion Carissa Moore (HAW) joined fellow Round 1 winners by advancing into Round 3 ahead of wildcard Sarah Mason (NZL) and tour veteran Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS).
“The waves were pretty good, but I’m not too psyched with my performance,” Moore said. “I didn’t get too many great waves and only scored two sixes. I wish I could have done a better job but we had some fun waves and at least I’m through.”
The final heat of the day revealed an intense battled between Hawaii’s Melanie Bartels and Coco Ho, the pair exchanging rides with Bartels advancing ahead of Ho by less than a point.
Surfers will reconvene at Fitzroy Beach for the next call at 06.30 tomorrow.
The TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival will be webcast LIVE via www.nzsurffestival.co.nz/
Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.
TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Paige Hareb (NZL) 15.00; Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 7.90; Tyler Wright (AUS) 6.75
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.10; Silvana Lima (PER) 14.10; Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.20
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 12.75; ); Sarah Mason (NZL) 11.30; Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 10.50
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.45; Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 15.53; Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.00
Heat 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.10; Laura Enever (AUS) 9.15; Alana Blanchard (HAW) 3.10
Heat 6: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 13.95; Coco Ho (HAW) 13.40; Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.90
Photo Steve Dickenson / Curl Magazine www.pacificmedia.co.nz
TARANAKI, New Plymouth/New Zealand (Thursday, April 28, 2011) – ASP World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) continued to ride her wave of victory to New Zealand, posting another top class performance during Round 1 of the Subaru Pro TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival in Taranaki, today.
After strong winds delayed the start of competition until 1:15pm, Round 1 was completed in great 0.5- meter left-hand waves at Back Beach, that saw no shortage of excellent rides against the snowy backdrop of Mount Taranaki.
Fitzgibbons, fresh off her maiden ASP World Title Tour victory at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in Australia this week, proved her backhand to be as polished as her forehand, netting the highest two-wave heat total of the round, an 18.45 (out of a possible 20.00) to defeat Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) and Pauline Ado (FRA).
“It still feels exciting coming straight off a win at Bells,” Fitzgibbons said. “I feel like my surfing has been on the right track for the last couple of years but I was making a few mistakes. I think I’ve learned a lot from the ins and outs of losing as well as winning so it feels really nice to get another win out here today.”
Driving unprecedented speed off her flawless bottom turns, Fitzgibbons posted the top five individual wave scores of the day, which include her winning 8.95 and 9.50 (out of 10) rides.
“I’m so psyched to be going left, we’ve had Snapper and Bells and we’ve been going right for so long, so it’s a nice change to be looking down the line the other way,” Fitzgibbons said.
Four times ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) shone just as brightly in the wind affected waves, her superb wave selection proving crucial to her victory when she stroked into the best wave of the heat in the dying minutes to unleash a powerful series of backhand snaps on a reeling lefthander for a near perfect 9.00 ride.
“Its actually pretty fun out there, there’s a good little left and it was nice to feel some power in the wave,” Gilmore said. “It’s an interesting experience sitting in the lineup looking at a snow covered mountain but I love it, it’s really raw here and it’s great to be back.”
Gilmore, who has had a relatively slow start to the season, posting equal fifth and third place results at the first two events of the season, now finds herself in the ASP World No. 4 position, and while sealing a victory over Laura Enever (AUS) and Alana Blanchard (USA) today, sighted two of today’s standout girls to beat at this year’s event.
“I think Sally Fitzgibbons and Carissa Moore will be tough to beat this year, the Hawaiian girls are looking really strong and Sally having just come off a win, is looking like the girl to beat,” Gilmore said.
Local surf star Paige Hareb (NZ) attracted a large crowd during her round clash against Chelsea Hedges (AUS) and Tyler Wright (AUS), the ASP Women’s World Title Tour’s only kiwi surfer proving determined to advance in first place.
“I was lucky to get the two better waves of the whole heat,” Hareb said. “I just surfed them and didn’t try too hard, I wanted to get a score under my belt and it paid off. It’s my best result of the season so I’m stoked.”
ASP World Tour rookie Courtney Conlogue (USA) out-surfed tour veterans Silvana Lima (BRA) and Rebecca Woods (AUS), holding nothing back to advance with a pair of excellent 8.00 rides.
“I didn’t know if I’d scored an eight or a six so I just tried to stay busy and keep the exchanges going ‘cos its hard to hear out there,” Conlogue admitted. “I was so ready to surf at 7am this morning but it was called off until lunch time so you’ve just got to be able to turn it off and on, I’m definitely learning that this year.”
ASP World No. 1 and defending event champion Carissa Moore (HAW) joined fellow Round 1 winners by advancing into Round 3 ahead of wildcard Sarah Mason (NZL) and tour veteran Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS).
“The waves were pretty good, but I’m not too psyched with my performance,” Moore said. “I didn’t get too many great waves and only scored two sixes. I wish I could have done a better job but we had some fun waves and at least I’m through.”
The final heat of the day revealed an intense battled between Hawaii’s Melanie Bartels and Coco Ho, the pair exchanging rides with Bartels advancing ahead of Ho by less than a point.
Surfers will reconvene at Fitzroy Beach for the next call at 06.30 tomorrow.
The TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival will be webcast LIVE via www.nzsurffestival.co.nz/
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.
TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Paige Hareb (NZL) 15.00; Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 7.90; Tyler Wright (AUS) 6.75
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.10; Silvana Lima (PER) 14.10; Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.20
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 12.75; ); Sarah Mason (NZL) 11.30; Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 10.50
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.45; Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 15.53; Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.00
Heat 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.10; Laura Enever (AUS) 9.15; Alana Blanchard (HAW) 3.10
Heat 6: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 13.95; Coco Ho (HAW) 13.40; Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.90
Photo © ASP/ SCHOLTZ
Carissa Moore Wins Billabong Rio Pro, Gilmore Knocked Out of ASP World Title Race
BARRA DA TIJUCA, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (Sunday, May 15, 2011) – Carissa Moore (HAW), 18, has claimed the Billabong Rio Pro, stop No. 5 of 7 on the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title Season, over Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 20, in punchy two-to-four foot (1 metre) waves in a hard-fought Final at Barra Da Tijuca.
The electrifying action of the final day of women’s competition at Barra da Tijuca culminated in dramatic fashion with the world’s best female surfers going toe-to-toe with the highly-coveted 2011 ASP Women’s World Title on the line.
Moore and Fitzgibbons nearly matched scores on their opening accounts, but the young Hawaiian notched a solid 8.10 midway through the heat with polished backhand surfing on a lefthander that proved to be enough to solidify Moore’s third elite event victory of the 2011 season.
“I just went out there and had fun and to me there was no pressure in the Final,” Moore said. “I was just stoked to be in the Final regardless of how I finished. Obviously I’m happy that I won. The girls really didn’t go on those lefts, but they worked out for me today.”
Moore, who marched past local favorite Silvana Lima (BRA), 26, to earn her final berth, appeared in her fifth consecutive final out of the five events held this year and her victory at the Billabong Rio Pro extends her lead on the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title Season over current ASP Women’s World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons.
“I was really nervous that I wouldn’t make the Final because I was up against Silvana (Lima) and she’s the local favorite,” Moore said. ““I’m excited. We have two events left and it’d be nice to just finish really strong.”
Fitzgibbons built momentum throughout the Billabong Rio Pro, winning her non-elimination Round 3 heat before topping ASP Women’s World Tour Rookie Pauline Ado (FRA), 20, and Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 22, but was unable to find the score needed to surpass Moore in the final and continues to trail the Oahu prodigy for the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title.
“It’s a long year and there are a couple of events to go and it has been great here competing in Rio for the first time,” Fitzgibbons said. “Looking into the next few events it’s really going to be about stepping it up and having fun and focusing on my surfing. Hopefully I can get a few more results.”
Moore and Fitzgibbons remain the only two surfers in contention for the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title.
Stephanie Gilmore, reigning four-time ASP World Champion, was lethal in her Quarterfinals heat against Laura Enever (AUS), 19, but was unable to find the score needed to surpass Fitzgibbons in their Semifinals matchup, finishing Equal 3rd overall.
“It was tough work out there,” Gilmore said. “Sally (Fitzgibbons) got a couple and I had some opportunities. I only needed a six and was too deep on that wave that came in at the end. Sally’s in the zone right now.”
Gilmore, who made surfing history by winning four ASP Women’s World Titles in four consecutive attempts, was knocked out of the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title race today, with her failure to advance past Fitzgibbons and into the Final. This historic moment in women’s sport proved emotional for the Australian icon.
“I’m going through so many emotions right now, it’s hard,” Gilmore said. “It’s been a pretty good year and Sally and Carissa (Moore) have been on fire. It’s good for the sport and good for me. I really don’t know what to say.”
Silvana Lima (BRA), 26, put on an impressive performance in front of her hometown crowd to match her best result of 2011. The talented Brazilian finished behind Carissa Moore in their Semifinals matchup and was happy to tie her best result of the season at her home event.
“I’m so excited to have matched my best result in front of my home crowd,” Lima said. “Of course I wanted to make the Final, but I’m so happy with my result and thanks to everyone for all of the support.”
When men’s competition begins, 2010 ASP Rookie of the year Owen Wright (AUS), 21, will surf against Heitor Alves (BRA), 29, and Bobby Martinez (USA), 28, in Heat 1.
A call will be made at 7am local time tomorrow morning for a possible start to men’s Billabong Rio Pro competition.
The Billabong Rio Pro men’s waiting period runs from May 11 through 22 and is webcast LIVE via www.billabongpro.com
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com.
Billabong Rio Pro Final Results:
1 – Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.87
2 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.80
Billabong Rio Pro Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 13.67 def. Silvana Lima (BRA) 10.33
SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.16 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 9.23
Billabong Rio Pro Quarterfinals Results:
QF 1: Silvana Lima (BRA) 13.63 def. Tyler Wright (AUS) 12.27
QF 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 11.50 def. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 9.93
QF 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 12.44 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.97
QF 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 15.10 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.57
Billabong Rio Pro Women’s Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Silvana Lima (BRA) 14.33 def. Paige Hareb (NZL) 9.30
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.63 def. Alana Blanchard (HAW) 10.14
Heat 3: Pauline Ado (FRA) 12.40 def. Coco Ho (HAW) 11.03
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 13.84 def. Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 9.24
Billabong Rio Pro Women’s Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) 12.50, Silvana Lima (BRA) 7.14, Alana Blanchard (HAW) 1.97
Heat 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 11.83, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 11.26, Paige Hareb (NZL) 4.66
Heat 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.17, Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.73, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 8.00
Heat 4: Laura Enever (AUS) 11.66, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 9.00, Coco Ho (HAW) 9.00
ASP Women’s World Title Top 5 (After Billabong Rio Pro):
1. Carissa Moore (HAW) 47,000 pts
2. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 41,650 pts
3. Tyler Wright (AUS) 30,620 pts
4. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 29,350 pts
5. Silvana Lima (BRA) 27,920 pts
Billabong Rio Pro Men's Round 1 Match Ups:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS), Heitor Alves (BRA), Bobby Martinez (USA)
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Adam Melling (AUS), Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS), Alejo Muniz (BRA), TBA
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS), Dusty Payne (HAW), TBA
Heat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), TBA
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA), Julian Wilson (AUS), TBA
Heat 7: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Jadson Andre (BRA), Gabe Kling (USA)
Heat 8: Jeremy Flores (FRA), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA), Tiago Pires (PRT), Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 10: Michel Bourez (PYF), Chris Davidson (AUS), Cory Lopez (USA)
Heat 11: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Taylor Knox (USA)
Photo © ASP / CESTARI
The statue of Steve Carlton, by Zenos Frudakis of Glenside, Pennsylvania, was erected outside the Left Field Gate of Citizens Bank Park in 2004. Frudakis was commissioned to sculpt ten-foot bronze statues of four legendary Philadelphia Phillies for the new park--Mike Schmidt sits at the Third Base Gate, Robin Roberts sits at the First Base Gate, and Richie Ashburn sits in Ashburn Alley beyond center field.
After seven seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Steve Carlton was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies before the 1972 season and accounted for nearly half of their wins (27 of 59) that year. Carlton pitched in Philadelhia through 1986 before closing out his career with brief stops in San Francisco, Chicago, Cleveland and Minnesota. Carlton, affectionately known as "Lefty", was a 10-time All-Star, 3-time World Series Champion, and 4-time NL Cy Young Award winner. He retired from baseball with 329 wins and 4,136 strikeouts--both ranking second on the all time list for lefthanders at the time. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Phillies retired his #32.
John John Florence, the hottest young surfer on the planet today, has continued his winning streak by taking out the ASP Prime rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River today.
Nineteen year old Florence won a hotly contested, all-Hawaiian final against 25 year old Olamana Eleogram, who could not continue his giant-killing dream run after earlier eliminating top seeds Owen Wright and Josh Kerr in the man on man heats.
Florence was clearly the form surfer of the event heading into the final, having consistently recorded 16 point plus heat scores over the week. Florence progressed after an amazing face-off against fellow teen prodigy Kolohe Andino in the Round of 16 late on Friday afternoon. John John made up for loss to Andino in a No Loser round earlier that day with a scorching score of 19.70 featuring the first and only ten point ride of the competition.
The wind died down and the swell began to pulse for the Men’s final after strong offshore winds made surfing in the early morning finals difficult. Eleogram was the first to strike in the 35 minute final, catching a right hander to bank an early score of 6.00. Florence soon responded with a 7.00 point right hander and backed it up straight away with another nice right, nailing an enormous finishing turn to score 7.83.
The final then became a backhand battle between the two natural footers as the lefthander began to offer the best scoring potential in the changing wind. Eleogram went left under priority hitting a number of critical turns to score an 8.83 to take the lead. But that only seemed to make Florence more determined as he aggressively attacked consecutive lefthanders, taking to the air on both waves to land scintillating backside reverse aerials, impressing the judges with scores of 9.43 and 9.33 to take a solid grip on the final by the half way mark with a total of 18.76.
That left Eleogram needing a perfect ride for the win, as Florence continued to put on a jaw-dropping display of new-school innovative surfing. The challenge proved too great for the affable Eleogram, who had to be content with making an ASP Prime final for the first time in his career.
“I was so stoked about being in the final with a good friend, a guy I grew up surfing with as a young kid,” said Florence after he had been chaired up the staircase from the beach by his mates. “Some great waves came through early in the heat and I felt loose and relaxed and hit a few airs. The wind here is just like home and it was pushing into the left for a change and gave me a chance to get up on a couple.” But the cool Florence did admit to some jitters midway into the final. “I started to get nervous with about fifteen minutes left, just thinking this could turn around on me, you just never know.”
The win for Florence continues a hot start to 2012, his rookie year on the ASP World Tour, as he won the season starting ASP 5 star Volcom Pipe Pro at his home beach in Hawaii, before going through to the last 16 at the opening World Tour event at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast earlier this month. It marks a rare streak of form for the Hawaiian prodigy who first rose to prominence on the tour when he became the youngest ever surfer to clinch the coveted Vans Triple Crown at his home breaks in Hawaii at the end of 2011, clinching his place on the ASP World Tour for 2012.
Florence’s performance at this event will go down as one of the most dominant in the event’s history. Florence has collected five of the top ten single wave scores and the top thee two-wave heat totals thanks to his full repertoire. Florence defeated fellow Hawaiian Olamana Eleogram (HAW) in the Final by scoring two 9-point-rides, for mixing huge power gouges with technical aerials.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun this week,” Florence said. “The waves are are a lot like at home, even the wind when it’s good for airs is a lot like Hawaii. The waves have been fun in all of my heats. I’m so stoked to win. This gives me a lot of confidence going into Bells because I hear the waves are similar. I was so stoked to make the Final with Ola (Eleogram) at Margaret River.”
Mark Occhilupo (AUS), 1999 ASP World Champion, although retired from full-time competition decided to come to Margaret River and attempt to win the event for his third time. Occhilupo’s affinity for Margaret River was clear from day one, with surf fans being treated to watching his iconic style and flair as he progressed through the contest. His dream run ended in the last minute of his Semifinal today, when Olamana Eleogram (HAW) posted a 6.50 and took the lead, sending Occhilupo home with an equal 3rd place finish.
“I have had the best time this week,” Occhilupo said. “In that Semifinal I had a pretty bad heat. A wave came at the end that I could have gotten the score on, but I fell. I’m going to go away and keep thinking about that. I’m still beating myself up about it. By the time I get home it will have sunken in and I will be stoked with third. That competitive nature doesn’t ever leave you.”
Courtney Conlogue Goes Back-To-Back At The Telstra Drug Aware Pro Margaret River
Courtney Conlogue (USA), reigning Telstra Drug Aware Pro event champion, today won the event for the second year in a row. Conlogue’s powerful backhand attack is perfectly suited to these powerful South West WA waves. The young Californian dominated the Final against Hawaiian Malia Manuel (HAW), posting two scores in the 8-point-range (out of a possible 10), to etch her name on the winners list once again.
“I was trying not to think about going back-to-back too much because I didn’t want to put pressure on myself,” Conlogue said. “I’m stoked to have gotten two in a row. This place taught me a lot last year and the years before. The first time I came here I lost in the second round and it was quite an embarrassing heat. Going from that to what I’ve done now feels great, and each year I come back I feel like I get to know the waves better and better. Now I’m looking forward to going to Bells because this place is great training for down there.”
TDAP 2012: Men's R48, Heats 1-2
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
John John Florence (HAW) 18.76 def. Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 15.43
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 11.67 def. Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.84
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.13 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 14.37
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 14.83 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 2.34
QF 2: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 17.63 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 16.03
QF 3: John John Florence (HAW) 15.44 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.10
QF 4: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.90 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.93
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.23 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.03
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.90 def Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.40
SF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.67 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.00
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 9.83
QF 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.17 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.17
QF 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.06
QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.26 def. Kirby Wright (AUS) 12.90
For more information, visit www.telstradrugawarepro.com
TARANAKI, New Plymouth/New Zealand (Thursday, April 28, 2011) – ASP World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) continued to ride her wave of victory to New Zealand, posting another top class performance during Round 1 of the Subaru Pro TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival in Taranaki, today.
After strong winds delayed the start of competition until 1:15pm, Round 1 was completed in great 0.5- meter left-hand waves at Back Beach, that saw no shortage of excellent rides against the snowy backdrop of Mount Taranaki.
Fitzgibbons, fresh off her maiden ASP World Title Tour victory at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in Australia this week, proved her backhand to be as polished as her forehand, netting the highest two-wave heat total of the round, an 18.45 (out of a possible 20.00) to defeat Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) and Pauline Ado (FRA).
“It still feels exciting coming straight off a win at Bells,” Fitzgibbons said. “I feel like my surfing has been on the right track for the last couple of years but I was making a few mistakes. I think I’ve learned a lot from the ins and outs of losing as well as winning so it feels really nice to get another win out here today.”
Driving unprecedented speed off her flawless bottom turns, Fitzgibbons posted the top five individual wave scores of the day, which include her winning 8.95 and 9.50 (out of 10) rides.
“I’m so psyched to be going left, we’ve had Snapper and Bells and we’ve been going right for so long, so it’s a nice change to be looking down the line the other way,” Fitzgibbons said.
Four times ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) shone just as brightly in the wind affected waves, her superb wave selection proving crucial to her victory when she stroked into the best wave of the heat in the dying minutes to unleash a powerful series of backhand snaps on a reeling lefthander for a near perfect 9.00 ride.
“Its actually pretty fun out there, there’s a good little left and it was nice to feel some power in the wave,” Gilmore said. “It’s an interesting experience sitting in the lineup looking at a snow covered mountain but I love it, it’s really raw here and it’s great to be back.”
Gilmore, who has had a relatively slow start to the season, posting equal fifth and third place results at the first two events of the season, now finds herself in the ASP World No. 4 position, and while sealing a victory over Laura Enever (AUS) and Alana Blanchard (USA) today, sighted two of today’s standout girls to beat at this year’s event.
“I think Sally Fitzgibbons and Carissa Moore will be tough to beat this year, the Hawaiian girls are looking really strong and Sally having just come off a win, is looking like the girl to beat,” Gilmore said.
Local surf star Paige Hareb (NZ) attracted a large crowd during her round clash against Chelsea Hedges (AUS) and Tyler Wright (AUS), the ASP Women’s World Title Tour’s only kiwi surfer proving determined to advance in first place.
“I was lucky to get the two better waves of the whole heat,” Hareb said. “I just surfed them and didn’t try too hard, I wanted to get a score under my belt and it paid off. It’s my best result of the season so I’m stoked.”
ASP World Tour rookie Courtney Conlogue (USA) out-surfed tour veterans Silvana Lima (BRA) and Rebecca Woods (AUS), holding nothing back to advance with a pair of excellent 8.00 rides.
“I didn’t know if I’d scored an eight or a six so I just tried to stay busy and keep the exchanges going ‘cos its hard to hear out there,” Conlogue admitted. “I was so ready to surf at 7am this morning but it was called off until lunch time so you’ve just got to be able to turn it off and on, I’m definitely learning that this year.”
ASP World No. 1 and defending event champion Carissa Moore (HAW) joined fellow Round 1 winners by advancing into Round 3 ahead of wildcard Sarah Mason (NZL) and tour veteran Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS).
“The waves were pretty good, but I’m not too psyched with my performance,” Moore said. “I didn’t get too many great waves and only scored two sixes. I wish I could have done a better job but we had some fun waves and at least I’m through.”
The final heat of the day revealed an intense battled between Hawaii’s Melanie Bartels and Coco Ho, the pair exchanging rides with Bartels advancing ahead of Ho by less than a point.
Surfers will reconvene at Fitzroy Beach for the next call at 06.30 tomorrow.
The TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival will be webcast LIVE via www.nzsurffestival.co.nz/
Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.
TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Paige Hareb (NZL) 15.00; Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 7.90; Tyler Wright (AUS) 6.75
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.10; Silvana Lima (PER) 14.10; Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.20
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 12.75; ); Sarah Mason (NZL) 11.30; Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 10.50
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.45; Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 15.53; Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.00
Heat 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.10; Laura Enever (AUS) 9.15; Alana Blanchard (HAW) 3.10
Heat 6: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 13.95; Coco Ho (HAW) 13.40; Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.90
Photo Steve Dickenson / Curl Magazine www.pacificmedia.co.nz
Carissa Moore Wins Billabong Rio Pro, Gilmore Knocked Out of ASP World Title Race
BARRA DA TIJUCA, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (Sunday, May 15, 2011) – Carissa Moore (HAW), 18, has claimed the Billabong Rio Pro, stop No. 5 of 7 on the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title Season, over Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 20, in punchy two-to-four foot (1 metre) waves in a hard-fought Final at Barra Da Tijuca.
The electrifying action of the final day of women’s competition at Barra da Tijuca culminated in dramatic fashion with the world’s best female surfers going toe-to-toe with the highly-coveted 2011 ASP Women’s World Title on the line.
Moore and Fitzgibbons nearly matched scores on their opening accounts, but the young Hawaiian notched a solid 8.10 midway through the heat with polished backhand surfing on a lefthander that proved to be enough to solidify Moore’s third elite event victory of the 2011 season.
“I just went out there and had fun and to me there was no pressure in the Final,” Moore said. “I was just stoked to be in the Final regardless of how I finished. Obviously I’m happy that I won. The girls really didn’t go on those lefts, but they worked out for me today.”
Moore, who marched past local favorite Silvana Lima (BRA), 26, to earn her final berth, appeared in her fifth consecutive final out of the five events held this year and her victory at the Billabong Rio Pro extends her lead on the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title Season over current ASP Women’s World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons.
“I was really nervous that I wouldn’t make the Final because I was up against Silvana (Lima) and she’s the local favorite,” Moore said. ““I’m excited. We have two events left and it’d be nice to just finish really strong.”
Fitzgibbons built momentum throughout the Billabong Rio Pro, winning her non-elimination Round 3 heat before topping ASP Women’s World Tour Rookie Pauline Ado (FRA), 20, and Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 22, but was unable to find the score needed to surpass Moore in the final and continues to trail the Oahu prodigy for the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title.
“It’s a long year and there are a couple of events to go and it has been great here competing in Rio for the first time,” Fitzgibbons said. “Looking into the next few events it’s really going to be about stepping it up and having fun and focusing on my surfing. Hopefully I can get a few more results.”
Moore and Fitzgibbons remain the only two surfers in contention for the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title.
Stephanie Gilmore, reigning four-time ASP World Champion, was lethal in her Quarterfinals heat against Laura Enever (AUS), 19, but was unable to find the score needed to surpass Fitzgibbons in their Semifinals matchup, finishing Equal 3rd overall.
“It was tough work out there,” Gilmore said. “Sally (Fitzgibbons) got a couple and I had some opportunities. I only needed a six and was too deep on that wave that came in at the end. Sally’s in the zone right now.”
Gilmore, who made surfing history by winning four ASP Women’s World Titles in four consecutive attempts, was knocked out of the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title race today, with her failure to advance past Fitzgibbons and into the Final. This historic moment in women’s sport proved emotional for the Australian icon.
“I’m going through so many emotions right now, it’s hard,” Gilmore said. “It’s been a pretty good year and Sally and Carissa (Moore) have been on fire. It’s good for the sport and good for me. I really don’t know what to say.”
Silvana Lima (BRA), 26, put on an impressive performance in front of her hometown crowd to match her best result of 2011. The talented Brazilian finished behind Carissa Moore in their Semifinals matchup and was happy to tie her best result of the season at her home event.
“I’m so excited to have matched my best result in front of my home crowd,” Lima said. “Of course I wanted to make the Final, but I’m so happy with my result and thanks to everyone for all of the support.”
When men’s competition begins, 2010 ASP Rookie of the year Owen Wright (AUS), 21, will surf against Heitor Alves (BRA), 29, and Bobby Martinez (USA), 28, in Heat 1.
A call will be made at 7am local time tomorrow morning for a possible start to men’s Billabong Rio Pro competition.
The Billabong Rio Pro men’s waiting period runs from May 11 through 22 and is webcast LIVE via www.billabongpro.com
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com.
Billabong Rio Pro Final Results:
1 – Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.87
2 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.80
Billabong Rio Pro Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 13.67 def. Silvana Lima (BRA) 10.33
SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.16 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 9.23
Billabong Rio Pro Quarterfinals Results:
QF 1: Silvana Lima (BRA) 13.63 def. Tyler Wright (AUS) 12.27
QF 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 11.50 def. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 9.93
QF 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 12.44 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.97
QF 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 15.10 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.57
Billabong Rio Pro Women’s Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Silvana Lima (BRA) 14.33 def. Paige Hareb (NZL) 9.30
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.63 def. Alana Blanchard (HAW) 10.14
Heat 3: Pauline Ado (FRA) 12.40 def. Coco Ho (HAW) 11.03
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 13.84 def. Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 9.24
Billabong Rio Pro Women’s Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) 12.50, Silvana Lima (BRA) 7.14, Alana Blanchard (HAW) 1.97
Heat 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 11.83, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 11.26, Paige Hareb (NZL) 4.66
Heat 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.17, Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.73, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 8.00
Heat 4: Laura Enever (AUS) 11.66, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 9.00, Coco Ho (HAW) 9.00
ASP Women’s World Title Top 5 (After Billabong Rio Pro):
1. Carissa Moore (HAW) 47,000 pts
2. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 41,650 pts
3. Tyler Wright (AUS) 30,620 pts
4. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 29,350 pts
5. Silvana Lima (BRA) 27,920 pts
Billabong Rio Pro Men's Round 1 Match Ups:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS), Heitor Alves (BRA), Bobby Martinez (USA)
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Adam Melling (AUS), Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS), Alejo Muniz (BRA), TBA
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS), Dusty Payne (HAW), TBA
Heat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), TBA
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA), Julian Wilson (AUS), TBA
Heat 7: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Jadson Andre (BRA), Gabe Kling (USA)
Heat 8: Jeremy Flores (FRA), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA), Tiago Pires (PRT), Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 10: Michel Bourez (PYF), Chris Davidson (AUS), Cory Lopez (USA)
Heat 11: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Taylor Knox (USA)
Photo © ASP / CESTARI
John John Florence, the hottest young surfer on the planet today, has continued his winning streak by taking out the ASP Prime rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River today.
Nineteen year old Florence won a hotly contested, all-Hawaiian final against 25 year old Olamana Eleogram, who could not continue his giant-killing dream run after earlier eliminating top seeds Owen Wright and Josh Kerr in the man on man heats.
Florence was clearly the form surfer of the event heading into the final, having consistently recorded 16 point plus heat scores over the week. Florence progressed after an amazing face-off against fellow teen prodigy Kolohe Andino in the Round of 16 late on Friday afternoon. John John made up for loss to Andino in a No Loser round earlier that day with a scorching score of 19.70 featuring the first and only ten point ride of the competition.
The wind died down and the swell began to pulse for the Men’s final after strong offshore winds made surfing in the early morning finals difficult. Eleogram was the first to strike in the 35 minute final, catching a right hander to bank an early score of 6.00. Florence soon responded with a 7.00 point right hander and backed it up straight away with another nice right, nailing an enormous finishing turn to score 7.83.
The final then became a backhand battle between the two natural footers as the lefthander began to offer the best scoring potential in the changing wind. Eleogram went left under priority hitting a number of critical turns to score an 8.83 to take the lead. But that only seemed to make Florence more determined as he aggressively attacked consecutive lefthanders, taking to the air on both waves to land scintillating backside reverse aerials, impressing the judges with scores of 9.43 and 9.33 to take a solid grip on the final by the half way mark with a total of 18.76.
That left Eleogram needing a perfect ride for the win, as Florence continued to put on a jaw-dropping display of new-school innovative surfing. The challenge proved too great for the affable Eleogram, who had to be content with making an ASP Prime final for the first time in his career.
“I was so stoked about being in the final with a good friend, a guy I grew up surfing with as a young kid,” said Florence after he had been chaired up the staircase from the beach by his mates. “Some great waves came through early in the heat and I felt loose and relaxed and hit a few airs. The wind here is just like home and it was pushing into the left for a change and gave me a chance to get up on a couple.” But the cool Florence did admit to some jitters midway into the final. “I started to get nervous with about fifteen minutes left, just thinking this could turn around on me, you just never know.”
The win for Florence continues a hot start to 2012, his rookie year on the ASP World Tour, as he won the season starting ASP 5 star Volcom Pipe Pro at his home beach in Hawaii, before going through to the last 16 at the opening World Tour event at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast earlier this month. It marks a rare streak of form for the Hawaiian prodigy who first rose to prominence on the tour when he became the youngest ever surfer to clinch the coveted Vans Triple Crown at his home breaks in Hawaii at the end of 2011, clinching his place on the ASP World Tour for 2012.
Florence’s performance at this event will go down as one of the most dominant in the event’s history. Florence has collected five of the top ten single wave scores and the top thee two-wave heat totals thanks to his full repertoire. Florence defeated fellow Hawaiian Olamana Eleogram (HAW) in the Final by scoring two 9-point-rides, for mixing huge power gouges with technical aerials.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun this week,” Florence said. “The waves are are a lot like at home, even the wind when it’s good for airs is a lot like Hawaii. The waves have been fun in all of my heats. I’m so stoked to win. This gives me a lot of confidence going into Bells because I hear the waves are similar. I was so stoked to make the Final with Ola (Eleogram) at Margaret River.”
Mark Occhilupo (AUS), 1999 ASP World Champion, although retired from full-time competition decided to come to Margaret River and attempt to win the event for his third time. Occhilupo’s affinity for Margaret River was clear from day one, with surf fans being treated to watching his iconic style and flair as he progressed through the contest. His dream run ended in the last minute of his Semifinal today, when Olamana Eleogram (HAW) posted a 6.50 and took the lead, sending Occhilupo home with an equal 3rd place finish.
“I have had the best time this week,” Occhilupo said. “In that Semifinal I had a pretty bad heat. A wave came at the end that I could have gotten the score on, but I fell. I’m going to go away and keep thinking about that. I’m still beating myself up about it. By the time I get home it will have sunken in and I will be stoked with third. That competitive nature doesn’t ever leave you.”
Courtney Conlogue Goes Back-To-Back At The Telstra Drug Aware Pro Margaret River
Courtney Conlogue (USA), reigning Telstra Drug Aware Pro event champion, today won the event for the second year in a row. Conlogue’s powerful backhand attack is perfectly suited to these powerful South West WA waves. The young Californian dominated the Final against Hawaiian Malia Manuel (HAW), posting two scores in the 8-point-range (out of a possible 10), to etch her name on the winners list once again.
“I was trying not to think about going back-to-back too much because I didn’t want to put pressure on myself,” Conlogue said. “I’m stoked to have gotten two in a row. This place taught me a lot last year and the years before. The first time I came here I lost in the second round and it was quite an embarrassing heat. Going from that to what I’ve done now feels great, and each year I come back I feel like I get to know the waves better and better. Now I’m looking forward to going to Bells because this place is great training for down there.”
TDAP 2012: Men's R48, Heats 1-2
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
John John Florence (HAW) 18.76 def. Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 15.43
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 11.67 def. Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.84
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.13 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 14.37
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 14.83 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 2.34
QF 2: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 17.63 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 16.03
QF 3: John John Florence (HAW) 15.44 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.10
QF 4: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.90 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.93
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.23 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.03
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.90 def Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.40
SF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.67 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.00
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 9.83
QF 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.17 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.17
QF 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.06
QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.26 def. Kirby Wright (AUS) 12.90
For more information, visit www.telstradrugawarepro.com
The Syracuse Chiefs are a minor league baseball team based in Syracuse, New York. They were the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays from 1978 to 2008.
Creighton James Tevlin
Position: Outfielder
Bats: Left, Throws: Right
Height: 6' 0", Weight: 175 lb.
Born: August 8, 1954 in Los Angeles, California
Creighton Tevlin never made it to the big leagues - he played in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system from 1980 - 1982 with Knoxville and Syracuse.
1973 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS - In 1973, USC again defeated Arizona State in the title game, this time behind an offense that featured outfielder Fred Lynn, shortstop Roy Smalley and third baseman Rich Dauer. It was USC‘s fourth consecutive championship.
Troy went undefeated en route to the championship (only the second time a CWS winner had been unbeaten since 1961). The first three victories were against Harvard, 4-1; Texas, 4-1; and Arizona State, 3-1. The next game, and the highlight of the CWS, was USC’s incredible 8-7 victory over Minnesota — one of the greatest comebacks in NCAA history in any sport. Going into the bottom of the ninth, the Trojans had been held to just one hit and were being shut out, 7-0, by Gopher pitcher and longtime major leaguer Dave Winfield. But Troy sent 11 men to the plate, coming up with eight singles, a sacrifice fly and a stolen base (as well as three Minnesota errors) to score eight runs and win the game. Pinch-hitter Ken Huizenga led off the ninth with a single and then his sacrifice fly tied the game at seven runs apiece. USC won it on outfielder CREIGHTON TEVLIN'S RBI single.
That vaulted the Trojans into the championship game, where they beat top ranked ASU, 4-3. USC took a 4-0 lead, then held on as lefthander Jeff Reinke, who was on a basketball scholarship at USC, retired the final 11 batters. Huizenga scored a run, had two RBI and made a diving catch to open the ninth inning for the Trojans.
Troy swept Washington State in two games for the second straight year to win its fourth consecutive Pac-8 championship, then defeated Loyola and Cal State Los Angeles in four straight games for its fourth consecutive District 8 title.
Roster Rob Adolph, Daryl Arenstein, Craig Barnes, Mark Barr, Tom Bhagwat, Ed Bowman, Marvin Cobb, Tim Coffin, Rich Dauer, Anthony Davis, Terry Dedeaux, William Edwards, Cliff Holland, Brian Hueblein, Ken Huizenga, Steve Kemp, Dennis Littlejohn, Fred Lynn, Denny Martindale, Russ McQueen, Ty Meyer, George Milke, Vince Moll, Dan Olson, Ed Putnam, Jeff Racanelli, Pete Redfern, Jeff Reinke, Randy Scarbery, Rich Simonin, Roy Smalley, Dennis Stahl, Creighton Tevlin.
Link to all of his issued baseball cards - www.tradingcarddb.com/Person.cfm/pid/59270/col/1/yea/0/Cr...
Rexona Girls Pro Junior
ASP 2-Star European Women’s Pro Junior event
Trois Bassins - Reunion Island
April 9-17, 2011
Defay leads Score Board on Day 1 of Rexona Reunion Girls Pro Junior, Quarterfinalists Decided
TROIS BASSINS, Reunion Island (Tuesday, April 12, 2011) – Women’s division in the 2011 Yop Reunion Surf Pro Junior, the ASP 2-Star Rexona Girls Pro Junior kicked-off today in consistent and building five-to-seven-foot (two meter) waves, the twenty athletes battling it out during two consecutive rounds to advance through to the Quarterfinals of the first event of this year’s ASP European Women’s Junior Series.
Much expected for their first appearance in an ASP sanctioned event on Reunion Island, event top seeds and favorites Joanne Defay (St Leu, REU), Canelle Bulard (St Leu, REU) and Justine Dupont (Lacanau, FRA) taking control of the line-up heat after heat. Coming straight from Australia where they were attending an ASP Women’s 6-Star event, the three top guns looked at ease in the consistent surf.
Leading the score board with the event’s best heat result men and women division comprised, former ASP World Junior No. 3 Joanne Defay was able to make the best out of the conditions, going left to unleash spectacular top turns and critical sections’ assaults.
Defay, a former ASP European Women’s Junior champion (2009), is looking to open her 2011 campaign with a blast, having in mind to finish in this year’s European Top 2 if not one the highest step.
Following fellow Reunion-born athlete Defay en route to the Quarterfinals, multi-event winner on the European Junior tour, Canelle Bulard (St Leu, REU) let no chance to her Round 2 opponents posting solid scores and showing promising determination towards a possible win.
Used to travelling around the world to attend ASP Women’s Star and Junior events, Bulard enjoyed competing at home today, the smiling and renowned 16-year-old athlete benefiting from her parents’ support, amongst other.
Answering the Reunion-based assault and flying the Basque flag, experienced Junior competitor Garazi Sanchez (Basque Country, EUK) was able to catch some good lefthanders in Round 2, securing a Quarterfinal ticket where she will battle against fellow Basque native Loiola Canales.
Sole Portuguese in the Final-8 of the Rexona Girls Pro Junior, Maria Abecasis (PRT) stood strong as well against the French contigent, keeping a firm grip on her Quarterfinal qualification where she will meet local top gun Bulard when competition resumes.
With the women already in the Quarterfinals stage of the event, the ASP 2-Star Rexona Girls Pro Junior is getting closing to the business end.
REXONA GIRLS PRO JUNIOR UPCOMING QUARTERFINALS
Heat 1: Joanne Defay (REU) Vs Joanna Giansanti (FRA)
Heat 2: Loiola Canales (EUK) Vs Garazi Sanchez (EUK)
Heat 3: Canelle Bulard (REU) Vs Maria Abecasis (PRT)
Heat 4: Maud Lecar (REU) Vs Justine Dupont (FRA)
John John Florence, the hottest young surfer on the planet today, has continued his winning streak by taking out the ASP Prime rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River today.
Nineteen year old Florence won a hotly contested, all-Hawaiian final against 25 year old Olamana Eleogram, who could not continue his giant-killing dream run after earlier eliminating top seeds Owen Wright and Josh Kerr in the man on man heats.
Florence was clearly the form surfer of the event heading into the final, having consistently recorded 16 point plus heat scores over the week. Florence progressed after an amazing face-off against fellow teen prodigy Kolohe Andino in the Round of 16 late on Friday afternoon. John John made up for loss to Andino in a No Loser round earlier that day with a scorching score of 19.70 featuring the first and only ten point ride of the competition.
The wind died down and the swell began to pulse for the Men’s final after strong offshore winds made surfing in the early morning finals difficult. Eleogram was the first to strike in the 35 minute final, catching a right hander to bank an early score of 6.00. Florence soon responded with a 7.00 point right hander and backed it up straight away with another nice right, nailing an enormous finishing turn to score 7.83.
The final then became a backhand battle between the two natural footers as the lefthander began to offer the best scoring potential in the changing wind. Eleogram went left under priority hitting a number of critical turns to score an 8.83 to take the lead. But that only seemed to make Florence more determined as he aggressively attacked consecutive lefthanders, taking to the air on both waves to land scintillating backside reverse aerials, impressing the judges with scores of 9.43 and 9.33 to take a solid grip on the final by the half way mark with a total of 18.76.
That left Eleogram needing a perfect ride for the win, as Florence continued to put on a jaw-dropping display of new-school innovative surfing. The challenge proved too great for the affable Eleogram, who had to be content with making an ASP Prime final for the first time in his career.
“I was so stoked about being in the final with a good friend, a guy I grew up surfing with as a young kid,” said Florence after he had been chaired up the staircase from the beach by his mates. “Some great waves came through early in the heat and I felt loose and relaxed and hit a few airs. The wind here is just like home and it was pushing into the left for a change and gave me a chance to get up on a couple.” But the cool Florence did admit to some jitters midway into the final. “I started to get nervous with about fifteen minutes left, just thinking this could turn around on me, you just never know.”
The win for Florence continues a hot start to 2012, his rookie year on the ASP World Tour, as he won the season starting ASP 5 star Volcom Pipe Pro at his home beach in Hawaii, before going through to the last 16 at the opening World Tour event at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast earlier this month. It marks a rare streak of form for the Hawaiian prodigy who first rose to prominence on the tour when he became the youngest ever surfer to clinch the coveted Vans Triple Crown at his home breaks in Hawaii at the end of 2011, clinching his place on the ASP World Tour for 2012.
Florence’s performance at this event will go down as one of the most dominant in the event’s history. Florence has collected five of the top ten single wave scores and the top thee two-wave heat totals thanks to his full repertoire. Florence defeated fellow Hawaiian Olamana Eleogram (HAW) in the Final by scoring two 9-point-rides, for mixing huge power gouges with technical aerials.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun this week,” Florence said. “The waves are are a lot like at home, even the wind when it’s good for airs is a lot like Hawaii. The waves have been fun in all of my heats. I’m so stoked to win. This gives me a lot of confidence going into Bells because I hear the waves are similar. I was so stoked to make the Final with Ola (Eleogram) at Margaret River.”
Mark Occhilupo (AUS), 1999 ASP World Champion, although retired from full-time competition decided to come to Margaret River and attempt to win the event for his third time. Occhilupo’s affinity for Margaret River was clear from day one, with surf fans being treated to watching his iconic style and flair as he progressed through the contest. His dream run ended in the last minute of his Semifinal today, when Olamana Eleogram (HAW) posted a 6.50 and took the lead, sending Occhilupo home with an equal 3rd place finish.
“I have had the best time this week,” Occhilupo said. “In that Semifinal I had a pretty bad heat. A wave came at the end that I could have gotten the score on, but I fell. I’m going to go away and keep thinking about that. I’m still beating myself up about it. By the time I get home it will have sunken in and I will be stoked with third. That competitive nature doesn’t ever leave you.”
Courtney Conlogue Goes Back-To-Back At The Telstra Drug Aware Pro Margaret River
Courtney Conlogue (USA), reigning Telstra Drug Aware Pro event champion, today won the event for the second year in a row. Conlogue’s powerful backhand attack is perfectly suited to these powerful South West WA waves. The young Californian dominated the Final against Hawaiian Malia Manuel (HAW), posting two scores in the 8-point-range (out of a possible 10), to etch her name on the winners list once again.
“I was trying not to think about going back-to-back too much because I didn’t want to put pressure on myself,” Conlogue said. “I’m stoked to have gotten two in a row. This place taught me a lot last year and the years before. The first time I came here I lost in the second round and it was quite an embarrassing heat. Going from that to what I’ve done now feels great, and each year I come back I feel like I get to know the waves better and better. Now I’m looking forward to going to Bells because this place is great training for down there.”
TDAP 2012: Men's R48, Heats 1-2
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
John John Florence (HAW) 18.76 def. Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 15.43
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 11.67 def. Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.84
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.13 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 14.37
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 14.83 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 2.34
QF 2: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 17.63 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 16.03
QF 3: John John Florence (HAW) 15.44 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.10
QF 4: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.90 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.93
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.23 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.03
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.90 def Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.40
SF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.67 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.00
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 9.83
QF 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.17 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.17
QF 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.06
QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.26 def. Kirby Wright (AUS) 12.90
For more information, visit www.telstradrugawarepro.com
Creighton James Tevlin
Position: Outfielder
Bats: Left, Throws: Right
Height: 6' 0", Weight: 175 lb.
Born: August 8, 1954 in Los Angeles, California
Creighton Tevlin never made it to the big leagues - he played in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system from 1980 - 1982 with Knoxville and Syracuse.
1973 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS - In 1973, USC again defeated Arizona State in the title game, this time behind an offense that featured outfielder Fred Lynn, shortstop Roy Smalley and third baseman Rich Dauer. It was USC‘s fourth consecutive championship.
Troy went undefeated en route to the championship (only the second time a CWS winner had been unbeaten since 1961). The first three victories were against Harvard, 4-1; Texas, 4-1; and Arizona State, 3-1. The next game, and the highlight of the CWS, was USC’s incredible 8-7 victory over Minnesota — one of the greatest comebacks in NCAA history in any sport. Going into the bottom of the ninth, the Trojans had been held to just one hit and were being shut out, 7-0, by Gopher pitcher and longtime major leaguer Dave Winfield. But Troy sent 11 men to the plate, coming up with eight singles, a sacrifice fly and a stolen base (as well as three Minnesota errors) to score eight runs and win the game. Pinch-hitter Ken Huizenga led off the ninth with a single and then his sacrifice fly tied the game at seven runs apiece. USC won it on outfielder CREIGHTON TEVLIN'S RBI single.
That vaulted the Trojans into the championship game, where they beat top ranked ASU, 4-3. USC took a 4-0 lead, then held on as lefthander Jeff Reinke, who was on a basketball scholarship at USC, retired the final 11 batters. Huizenga scored a run, had two RBI and made a diving catch to open the ninth inning for the Trojans.
Troy swept Washington State in two games for the second straight year to win its fourth consecutive Pac-8 championship, then defeated Loyola and Cal State Los Angeles in four straight games for its fourth consecutive District 8 title.
Roster Rob Adolph, Daryl Arenstein, Craig Barnes, Mark Barr, Tom Bhagwat, Ed Bowman, Marvin Cobb, Tim Coffin, Rich Dauer, Anthony Davis, Terry Dedeaux, William Edwards, Cliff Holland, Brian Hueblein, Ken Huizenga, Steve Kemp, Dennis Littlejohn, Fred Lynn, Denny Martindale, Russ McQueen, Ty Meyer, George Milke, Vince Moll, Dan Olson, Ed Putnam, Jeff Racanelli, Pete Redfern, Jeff Reinke, Randy Scarbery, Rich Simonin, Roy Smalley, Dennis Stahl, Creighton Tevlin.
TARANAKI, New Plymouth/New Zealand (Thursday, April 28, 2011) – ASP World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) continued to ride her wave of victory to New Zealand, posting another top class performance during Round 1 of the Subaru Pro TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival in Taranaki, today.
After strong winds delayed the start of competition until 1:15pm, Round 1 was completed in great 0.5- meter left-hand waves at Back Beach, that saw no shortage of excellent rides against the snowy backdrop of Mount Taranaki.
Fitzgibbons, fresh off her maiden ASP World Title Tour victory at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in Australia this week, proved her backhand to be as polished as her forehand, netting the highest two-wave heat total of the round, an 18.45 (out of a possible 20.00) to defeat Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) and Pauline Ado (FRA).
“It still feels exciting coming straight off a win at Bells,” Fitzgibbons said. “I feel like my surfing has been on the right track for the last couple of years but I was making a few mistakes. I think I’ve learned a lot from the ins and outs of losing as well as winning so it feels really nice to get another win out here today.”
Driving unprecedented speed off her flawless bottom turns, Fitzgibbons posted the top five individual wave scores of the day, which include her winning 8.95 and 9.50 (out of 10) rides.
“I’m so psyched to be going left, we’ve had Snapper and Bells and we’ve been going right for so long, so it’s a nice change to be looking down the line the other way,” Fitzgibbons said.
Four times ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) shone just as brightly in the wind affected waves, her superb wave selection proving crucial to her victory when she stroked into the best wave of the heat in the dying minutes to unleash a powerful series of backhand snaps on a reeling lefthander for a near perfect 9.00 ride.
“Its actually pretty fun out there, there’s a good little left and it was nice to feel some power in the wave,” Gilmore said. “It’s an interesting experience sitting in the lineup looking at a snow covered mountain but I love it, it’s really raw here and it’s great to be back.”
Gilmore, who has had a relatively slow start to the season, posting equal fifth and third place results at the first two events of the season, now finds herself in the ASP World No. 4 position, and while sealing a victory over Laura Enever (AUS) and Alana Blanchard (USA) today, sighted two of today’s standout girls to beat at this year’s event.
“I think Sally Fitzgibbons and Carissa Moore will be tough to beat this year, the Hawaiian girls are looking really strong and Sally having just come off a win, is looking like the girl to beat,” Gilmore said.
Local surf star Paige Hareb (NZ) attracted a large crowd during her round clash against Chelsea Hedges (AUS) and Tyler Wright (AUS), the ASP Women’s World Title Tour’s only kiwi surfer proving determined to advance in first place.
“I was lucky to get the two better waves of the whole heat,” Hareb said. “I just surfed them and didn’t try too hard, I wanted to get a score under my belt and it paid off. It’s my best result of the season so I’m stoked.”
ASP World Tour rookie Courtney Conlogue (USA) out-surfed tour veterans Silvana Lima (BRA) and Rebecca Woods (AUS), holding nothing back to advance with a pair of excellent 8.00 rides.
“I didn’t know if I’d scored an eight or a six so I just tried to stay busy and keep the exchanges going ‘cos its hard to hear out there,” Conlogue admitted. “I was so ready to surf at 7am this morning but it was called off until lunch time so you’ve just got to be able to turn it off and on, I’m definitely learning that this year.”
ASP World No. 1 and defending event champion Carissa Moore (HAW) joined fellow Round 1 winners by advancing into Round 3 ahead of wildcard Sarah Mason (NZL) and tour veteran Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS).
“The waves were pretty good, but I’m not too psyched with my performance,” Moore said. “I didn’t get too many great waves and only scored two sixes. I wish I could have done a better job but we had some fun waves and at least I’m through.”
The final heat of the day revealed an intense battled between Hawaii’s Melanie Bartels and Coco Ho, the pair exchanging rides with Bartels advancing ahead of Ho by less than a point.
Surfers will reconvene at Fitzroy Beach for the next call at 06.30 tomorrow.
The TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival will be webcast LIVE via www.nzsurffestival.co.nz/
Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.
TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Paige Hareb (NZL) 15.00; Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 7.90; Tyler Wright (AUS) 6.75
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.10; Silvana Lima (PER) 14.10; Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.20
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 12.75; ); Sarah Mason (NZL) 11.30; Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 10.50
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.45; Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 15.53; Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.00
Heat 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.10; Laura Enever (AUS) 9.15; Alana Blanchard (HAW) 3.10
Heat 6: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 13.95; Coco Ho (HAW) 13.40; Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.90
Photo Steve Dickenson / Curl Magazine www.pacificmedia.co.nz
Carissa Moore Wins Billabong Rio Pro, Gilmore Knocked Out of ASP World Title Race
BARRA DA TIJUCA, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (Sunday, May 15, 2011) – Carissa Moore (HAW), 18, has claimed the Billabong Rio Pro, stop No. 5 of 7 on the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title Season, over Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 20, in punchy two-to-four foot (1 metre) waves in a hard-fought Final at Barra Da Tijuca.
The electrifying action of the final day of women’s competition at Barra da Tijuca culminated in dramatic fashion with the world’s best female surfers going toe-to-toe with the highly-coveted 2011 ASP Women’s World Title on the line.
Moore and Fitzgibbons nearly matched scores on their opening accounts, but the young Hawaiian notched a solid 8.10 midway through the heat with polished backhand surfing on a lefthander that proved to be enough to solidify Moore’s third elite event victory of the 2011 season.
“I just went out there and had fun and to me there was no pressure in the Final,” Moore said. “I was just stoked to be in the Final regardless of how I finished. Obviously I’m happy that I won. The girls really didn’t go on those lefts, but they worked out for me today.”
Moore, who marched past local favorite Silvana Lima (BRA), 26, to earn her final berth, appeared in her fifth consecutive final out of the five events held this year and her victory at the Billabong Rio Pro extends her lead on the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title Season over current ASP Women’s World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons.
“I was really nervous that I wouldn’t make the Final because I was up against Silvana (Lima) and she’s the local favorite,” Moore said. ““I’m excited. We have two events left and it’d be nice to just finish really strong.”
Fitzgibbons built momentum throughout the Billabong Rio Pro, winning her non-elimination Round 3 heat before topping ASP Women’s World Tour Rookie Pauline Ado (FRA), 20, and Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 22, but was unable to find the score needed to surpass Moore in the final and continues to trail the Oahu prodigy for the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title.
“It’s a long year and there are a couple of events to go and it has been great here competing in Rio for the first time,” Fitzgibbons said. “Looking into the next few events it’s really going to be about stepping it up and having fun and focusing on my surfing. Hopefully I can get a few more results.”
Moore and Fitzgibbons remain the only two surfers in contention for the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title.
Stephanie Gilmore, reigning four-time ASP World Champion, was lethal in her Quarterfinals heat against Laura Enever (AUS), 19, but was unable to find the score needed to surpass Fitzgibbons in their Semifinals matchup, finishing Equal 3rd overall.
“It was tough work out there,” Gilmore said. “Sally (Fitzgibbons) got a couple and I had some opportunities. I only needed a six and was too deep on that wave that came in at the end. Sally’s in the zone right now.”
Gilmore, who made surfing history by winning four ASP Women’s World Titles in four consecutive attempts, was knocked out of the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title race today, with her failure to advance past Fitzgibbons and into the Final. This historic moment in women’s sport proved emotional for the Australian icon.
“I’m going through so many emotions right now, it’s hard,” Gilmore said. “It’s been a pretty good year and Sally and Carissa (Moore) have been on fire. It’s good for the sport and good for me. I really don’t know what to say.”
Silvana Lima (BRA), 26, put on an impressive performance in front of her hometown crowd to match her best result of 2011. The talented Brazilian finished behind Carissa Moore in their Semifinals matchup and was happy to tie her best result of the season at her home event.
“I’m so excited to have matched my best result in front of my home crowd,” Lima said. “Of course I wanted to make the Final, but I’m so happy with my result and thanks to everyone for all of the support.”
When men’s competition begins, 2010 ASP Rookie of the year Owen Wright (AUS), 21, will surf against Heitor Alves (BRA), 29, and Bobby Martinez (USA), 28, in Heat 1.
A call will be made at 7am local time tomorrow morning for a possible start to men’s Billabong Rio Pro competition.
The Billabong Rio Pro men’s waiting period runs from May 11 through 22 and is webcast LIVE via www.billabongpro.com
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com.
Billabong Rio Pro Final Results:
1 – Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.87
2 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.80
Billabong Rio Pro Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 13.67 def. Silvana Lima (BRA) 10.33
SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.16 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 9.23
Billabong Rio Pro Quarterfinals Results:
QF 1: Silvana Lima (BRA) 13.63 def. Tyler Wright (AUS) 12.27
QF 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 11.50 def. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 9.93
QF 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 12.44 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.97
QF 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 15.10 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.57
Billabong Rio Pro Women’s Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Silvana Lima (BRA) 14.33 def. Paige Hareb (NZL) 9.30
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.63 def. Alana Blanchard (HAW) 10.14
Heat 3: Pauline Ado (FRA) 12.40 def. Coco Ho (HAW) 11.03
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 13.84 def. Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 9.24
Billabong Rio Pro Women’s Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) 12.50, Silvana Lima (BRA) 7.14, Alana Blanchard (HAW) 1.97
Heat 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 11.83, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 11.26, Paige Hareb (NZL) 4.66
Heat 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.17, Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.73, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 8.00
Heat 4: Laura Enever (AUS) 11.66, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 9.00, Coco Ho (HAW) 9.00
ASP Women’s World Title Top 5 (After Billabong Rio Pro):
1. Carissa Moore (HAW) 47,000 pts
2. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 41,650 pts
3. Tyler Wright (AUS) 30,620 pts
4. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 29,350 pts
5. Silvana Lima (BRA) 27,920 pts
Billabong Rio Pro Men's Round 1 Match Ups:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS), Heitor Alves (BRA), Bobby Martinez (USA)
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Adam Melling (AUS), Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS), Alejo Muniz (BRA), TBA
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS), Dusty Payne (HAW), TBA
Heat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), TBA
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA), Julian Wilson (AUS), TBA
Heat 7: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Jadson Andre (BRA), Gabe Kling (USA)
Heat 8: Jeremy Flores (FRA), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA), Tiago Pires (PRT), Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 10: Michel Bourez (PYF), Chris Davidson (AUS), Cory Lopez (USA)
Heat 11: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Taylor Knox (USA)
Photo © ASP / CESTARI
Rexona Girls Pro Junior
ASP 2-Star European Women’s Pro Junior event
Trois Bassins - Reunion Island
April 9-17, 2011
Defay leads Score Board on Day 1 of Rexona Reunion Girls Pro Junior, Quarterfinalists Decided
TROIS BASSINS, Reunion Island (Tuesday, April 12, 2011) – Women’s division in the 2011 Yop Reunion Surf Pro Junior, the ASP 2-Star Rexona Girls Pro Junior kicked-off today in consistent and building five-to-seven-foot (two meter) waves, the twenty athletes battling it out during two consecutive rounds to advance through to the Quarterfinals of the first event of this year’s ASP European Women’s Junior Series.
Much expected for their first appearance in an ASP sanctioned event on Reunion Island, event top seeds and favorites Joanne Defay (St Leu, REU), Canelle Bulard (St Leu, REU) and Justine Dupont (Lacanau, FRA) taking control of the line-up heat after heat. Coming straight from Australia where they were attending an ASP Women’s 6-Star event, the three top guns looked at ease in the consistent surf.
Leading the score board with the event’s best heat result men and women division comprised, former ASP World Junior No. 3 Joanne Defay was able to make the best out of the conditions, going left to unleash spectacular top turns and critical sections’ assaults.
Defay, a former ASP European Women’s Junior champion (2009), is looking to open her 2011 campaign with a blast, having in mind to finish in this year’s European Top 2 if not one the highest step.
Following fellow Reunion-born athlete Defay en route to the Quarterfinals, multi-event winner on the European Junior tour, Canelle Bulard (St Leu, REU) let no chance to her Round 2 opponents posting solid scores and showing promising determination towards a possible win.
Used to travelling around the world to attend ASP Women’s Star and Junior events, Bulard enjoyed competing at home today, the smiling and renowned 16-year-old athlete benefiting from her parents’ support, amongst other.
Answering the Reunion-based assault and flying the Basque flag, experienced Junior competitor Garazi Sanchez (Basque Country, EUK) was able to catch some good lefthanders in Round 2, securing a Quarterfinal ticket where she will battle against fellow Basque native Loiola Canales.
Sole Portuguese in the Final-8 of the Rexona Girls Pro Junior, Maria Abecasis (PRT) stood strong as well against the French contigent, keeping a firm grip on her Quarterfinal qualification where she will meet local top gun Bulard when competition resumes.
With the women already in the Quarterfinals stage of the event, the ASP 2-Star Rexona Girls Pro Junior is getting closing to the business end.
REXONA GIRLS PRO JUNIOR UPCOMING QUARTERFINALS
Heat 1: Joanne Defay (REU) Vs Joanna Giansanti (FRA)
Heat 2: Loiola Canales (EUK) Vs Garazi Sanchez (EUK)
Heat 3: Canelle Bulard (REU) Vs Maria Abecasis (PRT)
Heat 4: Maud Lecar (REU) Vs Justine Dupont (FRA)
BARRA DA TIJUCA, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (Sunday, May 13, 2012) – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 21, has taken out the Billabong Women’s Rio Pro over Coco Ho (HAW), 21, by a score of 14.10 to 14.03 in peaky one-to-three foot (.5 metre) waves at the primary venue of Barra da Tijuca
Event No. 5 of 7 on the 2012 ASP Women's World Championship Tour, the Billabong Pro Rio culminated in a thrilling fashion this afternoon with both Fitzgibbons and Ho exchanging the Final's lead multiple times before the hooter sounded.
In need of a high 7-point ride with just minutes remaining in the heat, Fitzgibbons bashed a blowing lefthander on her backside, notching a 7.93 out of 10 to take the elite win, her second of the year.
“That was so crazy and Coco (Ho) had me on the ropes for sure,” Fitzgibbons said. “I just had my fingers crossed and knew there would be one towards the end. I made a few mistakes and it happens in Finals but I was able to recover there at the end. I’m so excited.”
Fitzgibbons, current No. 2 on the ASP Women’s WCT, has significantly narrowed the gap between her and current ASP frontrunner Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 24, but remained humble in regards to her chase for the 2012 ASP World Title.
“This makes the World Title race more interesting, but thinking ahead, it’s still pretty far to go,” Fitzgibbons said. “There are still a couple of events, but to get a win, it’s an amazing result. To win at Bells too, it’s been an awesome year so far.”
Ho, who was ranked 12th on the ASP Women's WCT ratings before the Billabong Rio Pro, had yet to advance beyond the Quarterfinals this year, but her Runner-Up finish to Fitzgibbons vaults the young Hawaiian to 9th in the world and restores her confidence to appropriate levels.
“This result really opens things up for me,” Ho said. “I’ve been having a really tough year and I’m stoked to get into this Final. This is my best result of the year and this has been an important event for me. Congrats to Sally on her win.”
Carissa Moore (HAW), 19, last year’s Billabong Rio Pro winner and reigning ASP Women’s World Champion, was edged out of a hard-fought battle against Fitzgibbons in their high-scoring Semifinal affair. Both competitors posted big-scores in the dying seconds of the heat, but it was Fitzgibbons who earned the best of the exchange, handing Moore and equal 3rd place result.
“I think we all want to make the Final and it’s disappointing,” Moore said. “I’ve lost to Sally (Fitzgibbons)twice this year and I’ve just got to keep trying in the next couple of events and that’s it.”
Moore, who was dominant over the course of 2011, has yet to find a win this year, but remains focused on attaining a strong performance to end out the season.
“I think it’s been a bunch of things this year,” Moore said. “I think finding the right waves is one thing overall and I need to switch it up and bring something different out.”
Alessa Quizon (HAW), 18, Billabong Rio Pro wildcard, put in an incredible performance at this year’s event, tearing through the world’s best female surfers and finding her way into the Semifinals. Quizon put up a good fight against fellow Hawaiian Coco Ho, but ultimately fell during last minute exchange, finishing with a respectable equal 3rd place finish overall.
“This has been an amazing event for me,” Quizon said. “I had nothing to lose and it’s been a great learning experience for me and I’m happy that I made it to the Semifinals. I could tell that Coco (Ho) was getting the scores that she needed and I was looking for one big score and I just didn’t find it. Sometimes it happens that way.”
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am local time for a possible recommencement to men’s Billabong Rio Pro competition. For all of the LIVE action log on to www.billabongpro.com
The Billabong Rio Pro is proudly supported by Monster Energy Drink and Xperia Sony Smartphone.
The next stop on the 2012 ASP Women's World Championship Tour is the Roxy Pro Biarritz from July 10 - 14, 2012
BILLABONG WOMEN'S RIO PRO FINAL RESULT:
1 - Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 14.10
2 - Coco Ho (HAW) 14.03
BILLABONG WOMEN’S RIO PRO SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Coco Ho (HAW) 14.16 def. Alessa Quizon (HAW) 10.94
SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.47 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.36
CURRENT ASP WOMEN’S WCT TOP 5 (After Billabong Rio Pro):
1. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 38,400 pts
2. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 36,900 pts
3. Carissa Moore (HAW) 30,200 pts
4. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 29,600 pts
5. Tyler Wright (AUS) 28,700 pts
John John Florence, the hottest young surfer on the planet today, has continued his winning streak by taking out the ASP Prime rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River today.
Nineteen year old Florence won a hotly contested, all-Hawaiian final against 25 year old Olamana Eleogram, who could not continue his giant-killing dream run after earlier eliminating top seeds Owen Wright and Josh Kerr in the man on man heats.
Florence was clearly the form surfer of the event heading into the final, having consistently recorded 16 point plus heat scores over the week. Florence progressed after an amazing face-off against fellow teen prodigy Kolohe Andino in the Round of 16 late on Friday afternoon. John John made up for loss to Andino in a No Loser round earlier that day with a scorching score of 19.70 featuring the first and only ten point ride of the competition.
The wind died down and the swell began to pulse for the Men’s final after strong offshore winds made surfing in the early morning finals difficult. Eleogram was the first to strike in the 35 minute final, catching a right hander to bank an early score of 6.00. Florence soon responded with a 7.00 point right hander and backed it up straight away with another nice right, nailing an enormous finishing turn to score 7.83.
The final then became a backhand battle between the two natural footers as the lefthander began to offer the best scoring potential in the changing wind. Eleogram went left under priority hitting a number of critical turns to score an 8.83 to take the lead. But that only seemed to make Florence more determined as he aggressively attacked consecutive lefthanders, taking to the air on both waves to land scintillating backside reverse aerials, impressing the judges with scores of 9.43 and 9.33 to take a solid grip on the final by the half way mark with a total of 18.76.
That left Eleogram needing a perfect ride for the win, as Florence continued to put on a jaw-dropping display of new-school innovative surfing. The challenge proved too great for the affable Eleogram, who had to be content with making an ASP Prime final for the first time in his career.
“I was so stoked about being in the final with a good friend, a guy I grew up surfing with as a young kid,” said Florence after he had been chaired up the staircase from the beach by his mates. “Some great waves came through early in the heat and I felt loose and relaxed and hit a few airs. The wind here is just like home and it was pushing into the left for a change and gave me a chance to get up on a couple.” But the cool Florence did admit to some jitters midway into the final. “I started to get nervous with about fifteen minutes left, just thinking this could turn around on me, you just never know.”
The win for Florence continues a hot start to 2012, his rookie year on the ASP World Tour, as he won the season starting ASP 5 star Volcom Pipe Pro at his home beach in Hawaii, before going through to the last 16 at the opening World Tour event at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast earlier this month. It marks a rare streak of form for the Hawaiian prodigy who first rose to prominence on the tour when he became the youngest ever surfer to clinch the coveted Vans Triple Crown at his home breaks in Hawaii at the end of 2011, clinching his place on the ASP World Tour for 2012.
Florence’s performance at this event will go down as one of the most dominant in the event’s history. Florence has collected five of the top ten single wave scores and the top thee two-wave heat totals thanks to his full repertoire. Florence defeated fellow Hawaiian Olamana Eleogram (HAW) in the Final by scoring two 9-point-rides, for mixing huge power gouges with technical aerials.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun this week,” Florence said. “The waves are are a lot like at home, even the wind when it’s good for airs is a lot like Hawaii. The waves have been fun in all of my heats. I’m so stoked to win. This gives me a lot of confidence going into Bells because I hear the waves are similar. I was so stoked to make the Final with Ola (Eleogram) at Margaret River.”
Mark Occhilupo (AUS), 1999 ASP World Champion, although retired from full-time competition decided to come to Margaret River and attempt to win the event for his third time. Occhilupo’s affinity for Margaret River was clear from day one, with surf fans being treated to watching his iconic style and flair as he progressed through the contest. His dream run ended in the last minute of his Semifinal today, when Olamana Eleogram (HAW) posted a 6.50 and took the lead, sending Occhilupo home with an equal 3rd place finish.
“I have had the best time this week,” Occhilupo said. “In that Semifinal I had a pretty bad heat. A wave came at the end that I could have gotten the score on, but I fell. I’m going to go away and keep thinking about that. I’m still beating myself up about it. By the time I get home it will have sunken in and I will be stoked with third. That competitive nature doesn’t ever leave you.”
Courtney Conlogue Goes Back-To-Back At The Telstra Drug Aware Pro Margaret River
Courtney Conlogue (USA), reigning Telstra Drug Aware Pro event champion, today won the event for the second year in a row. Conlogue’s powerful backhand attack is perfectly suited to these powerful South West WA waves. The young Californian dominated the Final against Hawaiian Malia Manuel (HAW), posting two scores in the 8-point-range (out of a possible 10), to etch her name on the winners list once again.
“I was trying not to think about going back-to-back too much because I didn’t want to put pressure on myself,” Conlogue said. “I’m stoked to have gotten two in a row. This place taught me a lot last year and the years before. The first time I came here I lost in the second round and it was quite an embarrassing heat. Going from that to what I’ve done now feels great, and each year I come back I feel like I get to know the waves better and better. Now I’m looking forward to going to Bells because this place is great training for down there.”
TDAP 2012: Men's R48, Heats 1-2
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
John John Florence (HAW) 18.76 def. Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 15.43
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 11.67 def. Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.84
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.13 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 14.37
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 14.83 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 2.34
QF 2: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 17.63 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 16.03
QF 3: John John Florence (HAW) 15.44 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.10
QF 4: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.90 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.93
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.23 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.03
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.90 def Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.40
SF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.67 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.00
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 9.83
QF 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.17 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.17
QF 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.06
QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.26 def. Kirby Wright (AUS) 12.90
For more information, visit www.telstradrugawarepro.com
Rexona Girls Pro Junior
ASP 2-Star European Women’s Pro Junior event
Trois Bassins - Reunion Island
April 9-17, 2011
Defay leads Score Board on Day 1 of Rexona Reunion Girls Pro Junior, Quarterfinalists Decided
TROIS BASSINS, Reunion Island (Tuesday, April 12, 2011) – Women’s division in the 2011 Yop Reunion Surf Pro Junior, the ASP 2-Star Rexona Girls Pro Junior kicked-off today in consistent and building five-to-seven-foot (two meter) waves, the twenty athletes battling it out during two consecutive rounds to advance through to the Quarterfinals of the first event of this year’s ASP European Women’s Junior Series.
Much expected for their first appearance in an ASP sanctioned event on Reunion Island, event top seeds and favorites Joanne Defay (St Leu, REU), Canelle Bulard (St Leu, REU) and Justine Dupont (Lacanau, FRA) taking control of the line-up heat after heat. Coming straight from Australia where they were attending an ASP Women’s 6-Star event, the three top guns looked at ease in the consistent surf.
Leading the score board with the event’s best heat result men and women division comprised, former ASP World Junior No. 3 Joanne Defay was able to make the best out of the conditions, going left to unleash spectacular top turns and critical sections’ assaults.
Defay, a former ASP European Women’s Junior champion (2009), is looking to open her 2011 campaign with a blast, having in mind to finish in this year’s European Top 2 if not one the highest step.
Following fellow Reunion-born athlete Defay en route to the Quarterfinals, multi-event winner on the European Junior tour, Canelle Bulard (St Leu, REU) let no chance to her Round 2 opponents posting solid scores and showing promising determination towards a possible win.
Used to travelling around the world to attend ASP Women’s Star and Junior events, Bulard enjoyed competing at home today, the smiling and renowned 16-year-old athlete benefiting from her parents’ support, amongst other.
Answering the Reunion-based assault and flying the Basque flag, experienced Junior competitor Garazi Sanchez (Basque Country, EUK) was able to catch some good lefthanders in Round 2, securing a Quarterfinal ticket where she will battle against fellow Basque native Loiola Canales.
Sole Portuguese in the Final-8 of the Rexona Girls Pro Junior, Maria Abecasis (PRT) stood strong as well against the French contigent, keeping a firm grip on her Quarterfinal qualification where she will meet local top gun Bulard when competition resumes.
With the women already in the Quarterfinals stage of the event, the ASP 2-Star Rexona Girls Pro Junior is getting closing to the business end.
REXONA GIRLS PRO JUNIOR UPCOMING QUARTERFINALS
Heat 1: Joanne Defay (REU) Vs Joanna Giansanti (FRA)
Heat 2: Loiola Canales (EUK) Vs Garazi Sanchez (EUK)
Heat 3: Canelle Bulard (REU) Vs Maria Abecasis (PRT)
Heat 4: Maud Lecar (REU) Vs Justine Dupont (FRA)
ITAUNA BEACH, Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro / Brazil (Wednesday, May, 25, 2011) – The ASP World Prime Coca-Cola presents Oakley Saquarema Prime was begun in good waves at Wednesday at Itauna beach. The first call at 7am was observed in near flat conditions. However, in the second call at 11:30am, the low-tide brought clean and consistent 3-5 ft. (1-1.5 meter) waves which increased in size throughout the day with light winds. Feeling right at home in the peeling lefthander point break, current No. 20 in the ASP World Ranking, Jadson Andre (BRA), scored the day’s highest heat-wave total with an 18.20 out of a possible 20 points.
On his first wave, he started off with a floater and connected it with a huge full rotation air to earn a solid 9.17 points. On his second wave, he began with a big front side punt, followed by several cutbacks all the way to the shore, for a 9.03 to punch in the day’s highest scores; only to be topped by Raoni Monteiro (BRA) in the following heat.
“This event is really important for me,” said Jadson Andre. “Not just because it’s a Prime, but also because it’s being presented by my sponsor (Oakley), so I really want to do well here.”
When asked about how easily he won his heat by using his aerial attack, Jadson commented: “Actually the conditions aren’t that great for throwing airs because the wind is blowing sideways, away from the lefts. But I’ve got a magic board, I feel confident and I’ve got a special way of setting up aerials when the wind is like this. I just let the board follow the wind and the wave. Everything went right and I’m happy to begin this event well.”
Raoni Monteiro (BRA), who lives in Saquarema, threw a powerful backhand hack with total commitment and a high degree of difficulty to get the event’s highest single-wave score, a 9.40 out of 10. “I had some good scores, so I tried to catch the biggest waves of the set because they were really good, opening-up and with a nice face,” said Monteiro.
On the day’s highest single-wave score, Monteiro said: “That high score came off of a left that opened up well and I made that first turn the way the judges like to see them, by really blowing-out the tail. Afterwards, I just kept surfing powerfully until the end of the wave.”
The first heat of the day saw currently ranked #11 ASP World Ranking surfer Michel Bourez (PYF), take control of the smaller waves in the beginning of the contest to win by a small margin over Jay Quinn (NZL) who obtained second-place, 11.50 to 11.27 points. Bourez was questionable to partake in the contest due to a shoulder injury in a wipeout during the Brazilian ASP World Tour in Barra da Tijuca last week.
“It’s still really difficult to surf,” said Bourez. “I’d say I’m at about 60% right now, but the ocean helped me out a lot today. The waves weren’t that powerful, which was good for me because I’m still in a lot of pain”.
Another elite surfer who made it directly to the Round of 48 was Australian, Matt Wilkinson. Wilko qualified in second-place behind Nathan Yeomans (USA), eliminating Shaun Joubert (ZAF) and young surfer Caio Ibelli (BRA).
“The waves were really tough during my heat,” said Wilkinson. “I ended up making a bunch of mistakes, but I was still able to qualify. The waves started breaking in different directions and it was a really difficult heat. I hope the next few days bring bigger and better waves so I can surf better than I did today (Wednesday).”
The second heat of the day was an all-international affair, with Marc Lacomare (FRA) getting the day’s first single-wave high score of an 8.5 out of 10 to defeat Yadin Nicol (AUS), Alain Riou (PYF) and Maxime Huscenot (FRA) respectively.
“It’s my first time here in Saquarema,” said Lacomare. “These kinds of waves really suit my style, I like them a lot. So much so that I was able to win the heat with one really good wave which I rode to the end. I like this place a lot. It´s really beautiful and I want to do my best here.”
Heat 3 of the day saw each surfer finish in the 12 point range. Granger Larsen (HAW) who was sitting at #31 of the ASP World Ranking (the first 32 qualify for the elite tour after the mid-season rotation) was eliminated from the event. The closely fought heat was won by Lincoln Taylor (AUS) with 12.90 points and Ben Dunn in second place with a 12.40. Larsen with 12.24 and Chris Waring (USA) with an exactly 12 points were eliminated.
Leading the hunt for the ASP World Tour title, #1 ranked surfer, Adriano de Souza (BRA), was scheduled to surf in the last heat of the day (Heat 12) at Itauna beach. However, due to the setting sun’s diminishing light, the heat will be the first to start off tomorrow (Thursday) at 7am local time against Hodei Collazo (EUK) and fellow Brazilians, Junior Faria and Gilmar Silva.
The Coca-Cola presents Oakley Saquarema Prime 2011 is sponsored by Coca-Cola and Oakley with support from the State of Rio de Janeiro through the Secretary of Sport and Leisure, the City of Saquarema, CCR and the Surfing Federation of the State of Rio de Janeiro.
Photo ASP/Daniel Smorigo
TARANAKI, New Plymouth/New Zealand (Thursday, April 28, 2011) – ASP World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) continued to ride her wave of victory to New Zealand, posting another top class performance during Round 1 of the Subaru Pro TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival in Taranaki, today.
After strong winds delayed the start of competition until 1:15pm, Round 1 was completed in great 0.5- meter left-hand waves at Back Beach, that saw no shortage of excellent rides against the snowy backdrop of Mount Taranaki.
Fitzgibbons, fresh off her maiden ASP World Title Tour victory at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in Australia this week, proved her backhand to be as polished as her forehand, netting the highest two-wave heat total of the round, an 18.45 (out of a possible 20.00) to defeat Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) and Pauline Ado (FRA).
“It still feels exciting coming straight off a win at Bells,” Fitzgibbons said. “I feel like my surfing has been on the right track for the last couple of years but I was making a few mistakes. I think I’ve learned a lot from the ins and outs of losing as well as winning so it feels really nice to get another win out here today.”
Driving unprecedented speed off her flawless bottom turns, Fitzgibbons posted the top five individual wave scores of the day, which include her winning 8.95 and 9.50 (out of 10) rides.
“I’m so psyched to be going left, we’ve had Snapper and Bells and we’ve been going right for so long, so it’s a nice change to be looking down the line the other way,” Fitzgibbons said.
Four times ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) shone just as brightly in the wind affected waves, her superb wave selection proving crucial to her victory when she stroked into the best wave of the heat in the dying minutes to unleash a powerful series of backhand snaps on a reeling lefthander for a near perfect 9.00 ride.
“Its actually pretty fun out there, there’s a good little left and it was nice to feel some power in the wave,” Gilmore said. “It’s an interesting experience sitting in the lineup looking at a snow covered mountain but I love it, it’s really raw here and it’s great to be back.”
Gilmore, who has had a relatively slow start to the season, posting equal fifth and third place results at the first two events of the season, now finds herself in the ASP World No. 4 position, and while sealing a victory over Laura Enever (AUS) and Alana Blanchard (USA) today, sighted two of today’s standout girls to beat at this year’s event.
“I think Sally Fitzgibbons and Carissa Moore will be tough to beat this year, the Hawaiian girls are looking really strong and Sally having just come off a win, is looking like the girl to beat,” Gilmore said.
Local surf star Paige Hareb (NZ) attracted a large crowd during her round clash against Chelsea Hedges (AUS) and Tyler Wright (AUS), the ASP Women’s World Title Tour’s only kiwi surfer proving determined to advance in first place.
“I was lucky to get the two better waves of the whole heat,” Hareb said. “I just surfed them and didn’t try too hard, I wanted to get a score under my belt and it paid off. It’s my best result of the season so I’m stoked.”
ASP World Tour rookie Courtney Conlogue (USA) out-surfed tour veterans Silvana Lima (BRA) and Rebecca Woods (AUS), holding nothing back to advance with a pair of excellent 8.00 rides.
“I didn’t know if I’d scored an eight or a six so I just tried to stay busy and keep the exchanges going ‘cos its hard to hear out there,” Conlogue admitted. “I was so ready to surf at 7am this morning but it was called off until lunch time so you’ve just got to be able to turn it off and on, I’m definitely learning that this year.”
ASP World No. 1 and defending event champion Carissa Moore (HAW) joined fellow Round 1 winners by advancing into Round 3 ahead of wildcard Sarah Mason (NZL) and tour veteran Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS).
“The waves were pretty good, but I’m not too psyched with my performance,” Moore said. “I didn’t get too many great waves and only scored two sixes. I wish I could have done a better job but we had some fun waves and at least I’m through.”
The final heat of the day revealed an intense battled between Hawaii’s Melanie Bartels and Coco Ho, the pair exchanging rides with Bartels advancing ahead of Ho by less than a point.
Surfers will reconvene at Fitzroy Beach for the next call at 06.30 tomorrow.
The TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival will be webcast LIVE via www.nzsurffestival.co.nz/
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.
TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Paige Hareb (NZL) 15.00; Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 7.90; Tyler Wright (AUS) 6.75
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.10; Silvana Lima (PER) 14.10; Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.20
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 12.75; ); Sarah Mason (NZL) 11.30; Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 10.50
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.45; Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 15.53; Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.00
Heat 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.10; Laura Enever (AUS) 9.15; Alana Blanchard (HAW) 3.10
Heat 6: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 13.95; Coco Ho (HAW) 13.40; Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.90
Photo © ASP/ SCHOLTZ
During the first fifty seasons of the San Francisco Giants, only one pitcher won the National League Cy Young Award--lefthander Mike McCormick, who authored a dominant 1967 campaign. The southpaw led the senior circuit in wins, going 22-10 with a 28 ERA in 35 starts and 262.1 innings. He also logged 14 complete games and tossed five shutouts as the league's best pitcher.
China Basin Park, across McCovey Cove or Mission Creek from AT&T Park, features a a waterfront promenade with a 1,500-foot seat wall that is inlaid with markers commemorating every San Francisco Giants team from 1958 through 1999. Each marker displays the names of all players on each year's team along with key achievements and statistics from that season. The park, anchored by McCovey Point, which features a 14-foot statue of Willie McCovey, also features a grassy esplanade, a tee-ball field, and a shoreline walkway.
AT&T Park, located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza in San Francisco's South Beach, has been the home of San Francisco Giants since it was opened by China Basin Ballpark Corp on March 31, 2000. Originally named Pacific Bell Park, then renamed SBC Park in 2003, it was ultimately christened AT&T Park in 2006. Replacing Candlestick Park as the Giants' home, it was Major League Baseball's first privately financed ballpark since 1962.
John John Florence, the hottest young surfer on the planet today, has continued his winning streak by taking out the ASP Prime rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River today.
Nineteen year old Florence won a hotly contested, all-Hawaiian final against 25 year old Olamana Eleogram, who could not continue his giant-killing dream run after earlier eliminating top seeds Owen Wright and Josh Kerr in the man on man heats.
Florence was clearly the form surfer of the event heading into the final, having consistently recorded 16 point plus heat scores over the week. Florence progressed after an amazing face-off against fellow teen prodigy Kolohe Andino in the Round of 16 late on Friday afternoon. John John made up for loss to Andino in a No Loser round earlier that day with a scorching score of 19.70 featuring the first and only ten point ride of the competition.
The wind died down and the swell began to pulse for the Men’s final after strong offshore winds made surfing in the early morning finals difficult. Eleogram was the first to strike in the 35 minute final, catching a right hander to bank an early score of 6.00. Florence soon responded with a 7.00 point right hander and backed it up straight away with another nice right, nailing an enormous finishing turn to score 7.83.
The final then became a backhand battle between the two natural footers as the lefthander began to offer the best scoring potential in the changing wind. Eleogram went left under priority hitting a number of critical turns to score an 8.83 to take the lead. But that only seemed to make Florence more determined as he aggressively attacked consecutive lefthanders, taking to the air on both waves to land scintillating backside reverse aerials, impressing the judges with scores of 9.43 and 9.33 to take a solid grip on the final by the half way mark with a total of 18.76.
That left Eleogram needing a perfect ride for the win, as Florence continued to put on a jaw-dropping display of new-school innovative surfing. The challenge proved too great for the affable Eleogram, who had to be content with making an ASP Prime final for the first time in his career.
“I was so stoked about being in the final with a good friend, a guy I grew up surfing with as a young kid,” said Florence after he had been chaired up the staircase from the beach by his mates. “Some great waves came through early in the heat and I felt loose and relaxed and hit a few airs. The wind here is just like home and it was pushing into the left for a change and gave me a chance to get up on a couple.” But the cool Florence did admit to some jitters midway into the final. “I started to get nervous with about fifteen minutes left, just thinking this could turn around on me, you just never know.”
The win for Florence continues a hot start to 2012, his rookie year on the ASP World Tour, as he won the season starting ASP 5 star Volcom Pipe Pro at his home beach in Hawaii, before going through to the last 16 at the opening World Tour event at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast earlier this month. It marks a rare streak of form for the Hawaiian prodigy who first rose to prominence on the tour when he became the youngest ever surfer to clinch the coveted Vans Triple Crown at his home breaks in Hawaii at the end of 2011, clinching his place on the ASP World Tour for 2012.
Florence’s performance at this event will go down as one of the most dominant in the event’s history. Florence has collected five of the top ten single wave scores and the top thee two-wave heat totals thanks to his full repertoire. Florence defeated fellow Hawaiian Olamana Eleogram (HAW) in the Final by scoring two 9-point-rides, for mixing huge power gouges with technical aerials.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun this week,” Florence said. “The waves are are a lot like at home, even the wind when it’s good for airs is a lot like Hawaii. The waves have been fun in all of my heats. I’m so stoked to win. This gives me a lot of confidence going into Bells because I hear the waves are similar. I was so stoked to make the Final with Ola (Eleogram) at Margaret River.”
Mark Occhilupo (AUS), 1999 ASP World Champion, although retired from full-time competition decided to come to Margaret River and attempt to win the event for his third time. Occhilupo’s affinity for Margaret River was clear from day one, with surf fans being treated to watching his iconic style and flair as he progressed through the contest. His dream run ended in the last minute of his Semifinal today, when Olamana Eleogram (HAW) posted a 6.50 and took the lead, sending Occhilupo home with an equal 3rd place finish.
“I have had the best time this week,” Occhilupo said. “In that Semifinal I had a pretty bad heat. A wave came at the end that I could have gotten the score on, but I fell. I’m going to go away and keep thinking about that. I’m still beating myself up about it. By the time I get home it will have sunken in and I will be stoked with third. That competitive nature doesn’t ever leave you.”
Courtney Conlogue Goes Back-To-Back At The Telstra Drug Aware Pro Margaret River
Courtney Conlogue (USA), reigning Telstra Drug Aware Pro event champion, today won the event for the second year in a row. Conlogue’s powerful backhand attack is perfectly suited to these powerful South West WA waves. The young Californian dominated the Final against Hawaiian Malia Manuel (HAW), posting two scores in the 8-point-range (out of a possible 10), to etch her name on the winners list once again.
“I was trying not to think about going back-to-back too much because I didn’t want to put pressure on myself,” Conlogue said. “I’m stoked to have gotten two in a row. This place taught me a lot last year and the years before. The first time I came here I lost in the second round and it was quite an embarrassing heat. Going from that to what I’ve done now feels great, and each year I come back I feel like I get to know the waves better and better. Now I’m looking forward to going to Bells because this place is great training for down there.”
TDAP 2012: Men's R48, Heats 1-2
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
John John Florence (HAW) 18.76 def. Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 15.43
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 11.67 def. Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.84
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.13 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 14.37
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 14.83 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 2.34
QF 2: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 17.63 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 16.03
QF 3: John John Florence (HAW) 15.44 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.10
QF 4: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.90 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.93
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.23 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.03
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.90 def Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.40
SF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.67 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.00
TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 9.83
QF 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.17 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.17
QF 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.06
QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.26 def. Kirby Wright (AUS) 12.90
For more information, visit www.telstradrugawarepro.com
World’s Best Surfers Ignite Aproador to Complete Round 1 of Billabong Rio Pro
APROADOR, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (Tuesday, May 17, 2011) – After a week of lay-days, the world’s best surfers tore into consistently changing conditions at the lefthand pointbreak of Aproador to complete Round 1 of the Billabong Rio Pro.
Stop No. 3 of 11 on the ASP World Title Series, the opening day of men’s competition saw ASP Dream Tour veterans earn the day’s top scores while defending event winner Jadson Andre (BRA), 21, made an impressive entrance in the Billabong Rio Pro’s opening round.
Kelly Slater (USA), 39, reigning 10-time ASP World Champion, got off to a strong start to open his Billabong Rio Pro campaign. Slater unleashed two furious tail-drifting backhand turns to notch the day’s highest single-wave score of a 9.00 (out of 10) midway through his bout to overtake ASP World Tour rookie Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, and event wildcard Peterson Crisanto (BRA), 18, after nearly missing the start of his heat.
“That 9 felt good,” Slater said. “I went down to grab my jersey and there was some confusion. By the time I got out, the heat had already started and Julian got that first one. It wasn’t a good start. I knew there were going to be some good ones and I just had to be patient. That one good wave actually let me bottom turn and hit the lip, most of the waves were soft and had a lot of horizontals.”
Slater, who finished runner-up at the Billabong Pro last year, was also quick to admit that several goofy-footers will be tough to beat at the lefthander of Aproador and noted that the natural-footers will need to be especially selective in their wave choice at the Billabong Rio Pro.
“A little left like this is going to play well for goofy footers,” Slater said. “Owen (Wright) and Jadson (Andre) are probably frothing on it and licking their chops ready to go. We (natural footers) have been on our frontside at Snapper and Bells and now it’s their turn. We’ve just got to try and be smart. Mick (Fanning) looked good and there are waves out there to do it, you’ve just got to be smart.”
Taj Burrow (AUS), 32, opened his Billabong Rio Pro campaign with a sharp backhand attack by belting two Arpoador lefthanders to the tune of a 16.83 (out of 20) on his first two waves to earn the highest heat-total of the day. The Australian veteran notched his Round 1 heat win over dangerous Brazilian rookie Alejo Muniz (BRA), 21, and event wildcard Ricardo Santos (BRA), 20.
“It was kind of scary for a second there, right when they decided to start the competition the wind started howling, but then it cleaned up heaps,” Burrow said. “I got two fun ones at the start so I’m happy.”
Jadson Andre, defending event winner, reveled in Aproador’s lefthanders with a combination of aggressive carves and snaps to take a convincing Round 1 heat victory with the support of the Brazilian crowd behind him.
“I’m so happy to be here competing in Brazil and I love Aproador, I feel like a local,” Andre said. “I’ve competed here several times before and have friends here. I know everyone says I should feel pressure as defending champion, but I’m not worried about it. I’m just thinking about the next heat. That’s what I did last year.”
Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, two-time ASP World Champion, slowly built momentum in his opening Billabong Rio Pro heat, eventually igniting two lefthanders by combining a series of seamless backhand turns to notch a 15.07 heat total to advance directly through to Round 3.
“It was tricky trying to find the right one out there, but I watched the heat before and noticed that guys that were doing turns back-to-back were getting scores, so I tried to concentrate on that,” Fanning said. “They weren’t the biggest waves, but they just allowed three turns straight away.”
The Australian talent also expressed the importance of advancing directly through to Round 3 with Brazil’s ever-changing conditions.
“It’s really good to skip as many rounds as possible, especially here in Brazil where it can be really unpredictable,” Fanning said. “I’m stoked to get through Round 1 and I’ll go back and assess what’s going on and hopefully keep going.”
Billabong Rio Pro event organizers will reconvene at Aproador at 7am local time tomorrow morning for a possible Round 2 start.
To watch the Billabong Rio Pro LIVE log on to www.billabongpro.com
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com
Billabong Rio Pro Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) 13.60, Heitor Alves (BRA) 7.67, Bobby Martinez (USA) 7.47
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.84, Adam Melling (AUS) 11.16, Kai Otton (AUS) 7.90
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.33, Ricardo Santos (BRA) 11.17, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.60
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.07, Simao Romao (BRA) 12.36, Dusty Payne (HAW) 11.66
Heat 5: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 8.13, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8.07, Igor Morais (BRA) 6.34
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.17, Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.37, Peterson Crisanto (BRA) 3.84
Heat 7: Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.33, Gabe Kling (USA) 10.66, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 7.90
Heat 8: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.56, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 10.80, Josh Kerr (AUS) 7.43
Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.00, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 11.10, Tiago Pires (PRT) 10.93
Heat 10: Cory Lopez (USA) 11.54, Chris Davidson (AUS) 10.00, Michel Bourez (PYF) 8.57
Heat 11: Daniel Ross (AUS) 14.90, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.67, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 8.96
Heat 12: Taylor Knox (USA) 15.03, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.70, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 8.34
Photo ASP/Scholtz
August 13 is designated International Lefthanders Day by Lefthanders International. It was first observed August 13, 1976. As its name suggests, it is meant to promote awareness of the inconveniences facing left-handers in a predominantly right-handed world. It celebrates their uniqueness and difference, who are from seven to ten percent of the world's population.
People who are left handed use their right brain, which appears to help in geometry, and related subjects. There also appears to be a connection between lefthandedness and intelligence.
Here is the list of top 10 Lefties including me.
www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,19160...
TARANAKI, New Plymouth/New Zealand (Thursday, April 28, 2011) – ASP World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) continued to ride her wave of victory to New Zealand, posting another top class performance during Round 1 of the Subaru Pro TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival in Taranaki, today.
After strong winds delayed the start of competition until 1:15pm, Round 1 was completed in great 0.5- meter left-hand waves at Back Beach, that saw no shortage of excellent rides against the snowy backdrop of Mount Taranaki.
Fitzgibbons, fresh off her maiden ASP World Title Tour victory at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in Australia this week, proved her backhand to be as polished as her forehand, netting the highest two-wave heat total of the round, an 18.45 (out of a possible 20.00) to defeat Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) and Pauline Ado (FRA).
“It still feels exciting coming straight off a win at Bells,” Fitzgibbons said. “I feel like my surfing has been on the right track for the last couple of years but I was making a few mistakes. I think I’ve learned a lot from the ins and outs of losing as well as winning so it feels really nice to get another win out here today.”
Driving unprecedented speed off her flawless bottom turns, Fitzgibbons posted the top five individual wave scores of the day, which include her winning 8.95 and 9.50 (out of 10) rides.
“I’m so psyched to be going left, we’ve had Snapper and Bells and we’ve been going right for so long, so it’s a nice change to be looking down the line the other way,” Fitzgibbons said.
Four times ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) shone just as brightly in the wind affected waves, her superb wave selection proving crucial to her victory when she stroked into the best wave of the heat in the dying minutes to unleash a powerful series of backhand snaps on a reeling lefthander for a near perfect 9.00 ride.
“Its actually pretty fun out there, there’s a good little left and it was nice to feel some power in the wave,” Gilmore said. “It’s an interesting experience sitting in the lineup looking at a snow covered mountain but I love it, it’s really raw here and it’s great to be back.”
Gilmore, who has had a relatively slow start to the season, posting equal fifth and third place results at the first two events of the season, now finds herself in the ASP World No. 4 position, and while sealing a victory over Laura Enever (AUS) and Alana Blanchard (USA) today, sighted two of today’s standout girls to beat at this year’s event.
“I think Sally Fitzgibbons and Carissa Moore will be tough to beat this year, the Hawaiian girls are looking really strong and Sally having just come off a win, is looking like the girl to beat,” Gilmore said.
Local surf star Paige Hareb (NZ) attracted a large crowd during her round clash against Chelsea Hedges (AUS) and Tyler Wright (AUS), the ASP Women’s World Title Tour’s only kiwi surfer proving determined to advance in first place.
“I was lucky to get the two better waves of the whole heat,” Hareb said. “I just surfed them and didn’t try too hard, I wanted to get a score under my belt and it paid off. It’s my best result of the season so I’m stoked.”
ASP World Tour rookie Courtney Conlogue (USA) out-surfed tour veterans Silvana Lima (BRA) and Rebecca Woods (AUS), holding nothing back to advance with a pair of excellent 8.00 rides.
“I didn’t know if I’d scored an eight or a six so I just tried to stay busy and keep the exchanges going ‘cos its hard to hear out there,” Conlogue admitted. “I was so ready to surf at 7am this morning but it was called off until lunch time so you’ve just got to be able to turn it off and on, I’m definitely learning that this year.”
ASP World No. 1 and defending event champion Carissa Moore (HAW) joined fellow Round 1 winners by advancing into Round 3 ahead of wildcard Sarah Mason (NZL) and tour veteran Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS).
“The waves were pretty good, but I’m not too psyched with my performance,” Moore said. “I didn’t get too many great waves and only scored two sixes. I wish I could have done a better job but we had some fun waves and at least I’m through.”
The final heat of the day revealed an intense battled between Hawaii’s Melanie Bartels and Coco Ho, the pair exchanging rides with Bartels advancing ahead of Ho by less than a point.
Surfers will reconvene at Fitzroy Beach for the next call at 06.30 tomorrow.
The TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival will be webcast LIVE via www.nzsurffestival.co.nz/
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.
TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Paige Hareb (NZL) 15.00; Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 7.90; Tyler Wright (AUS) 6.75
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.10; Silvana Lima (PER) 14.10; Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.20
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 12.75; ); Sarah Mason (NZL) 11.30; Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 10.50
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.45; Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 15.53; Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.00
Heat 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.10; Laura Enever (AUS) 9.15; Alana Blanchard (HAW) 3.10
Heat 6: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 13.95; Coco Ho (HAW) 13.40; Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.90
Photo © ASP/ SCHOLTZ
Carissa Moore Wins Billabong Rio Pro, Gilmore Knocked Out of ASP World Title Race
BARRA DA TIJUCA, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (Sunday, May 15, 2011) – Carissa Moore (HAW), 18, has claimed the Billabong Rio Pro, stop No. 5 of 7 on the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title Season, over Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 20, in punchy two-to-four foot (1 metre) waves in a hard-fought Final at Barra Da Tijuca.
The electrifying action of the final day of women’s competition at Barra da Tijuca culminated in dramatic fashion with the world’s best female surfers going toe-to-toe with the highly-coveted 2011 ASP Women’s World Title on the line.
Moore and Fitzgibbons nearly matched scores on their opening accounts, but the young Hawaiian notched a solid 8.10 midway through the heat with polished backhand surfing on a lefthander that proved to be enough to solidify Moore’s third elite event victory of the 2011 season.
“I just went out there and had fun and to me there was no pressure in the Final,” Moore said. “I was just stoked to be in the Final regardless of how I finished. Obviously I’m happy that I won. The girls really didn’t go on those lefts, but they worked out for me today.”
Moore, who marched past local favorite Silvana Lima (BRA), 26, to earn her final berth, appeared in her fifth consecutive final out of the five events held this year and her victory at the Billabong Rio Pro extends her lead on the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title Season over current ASP Women’s World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons.
“I was really nervous that I wouldn’t make the Final because I was up against Silvana (Lima) and she’s the local favorite,” Moore said. ““I’m excited. We have two events left and it’d be nice to just finish really strong.”
Fitzgibbons built momentum throughout the Billabong Rio Pro, winning her non-elimination Round 3 heat before topping ASP Women’s World Tour Rookie Pauline Ado (FRA), 20, and Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 22, but was unable to find the score needed to surpass Moore in the final and continues to trail the Oahu prodigy for the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title.
“It’s a long year and there are a couple of events to go and it has been great here competing in Rio for the first time,” Fitzgibbons said. “Looking into the next few events it’s really going to be about stepping it up and having fun and focusing on my surfing. Hopefully I can get a few more results.”
Moore and Fitzgibbons remain the only two surfers in contention for the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title.
Stephanie Gilmore, reigning four-time ASP World Champion, was lethal in her Quarterfinals heat against Laura Enever (AUS), 19, but was unable to find the score needed to surpass Fitzgibbons in their Semifinals matchup, finishing Equal 3rd overall.
“It was tough work out there,” Gilmore said. “Sally (Fitzgibbons) got a couple and I had some opportunities. I only needed a six and was too deep on that wave that came in at the end. Sally’s in the zone right now.”
Gilmore, who made surfing history by winning four ASP Women’s World Titles in four consecutive attempts, was knocked out of the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title race today, with her failure to advance past Fitzgibbons and into the Final. This historic moment in women’s sport proved emotional for the Australian icon.
“I’m going through so many emotions right now, it’s hard,” Gilmore said. “It’s been a pretty good year and Sally and Carissa (Moore) have been on fire. It’s good for the sport and good for me. I really don’t know what to say.”
Silvana Lima (BRA), 26, put on an impressive performance in front of her hometown crowd to match her best result of 2011. The talented Brazilian finished behind Carissa Moore in their Semifinals matchup and was happy to tie her best result of the season at her home event.
“I’m so excited to have matched my best result in front of my home crowd,” Lima said. “Of course I wanted to make the Final, but I’m so happy with my result and thanks to everyone for all of the support.”
When men’s competition begins, 2010 ASP Rookie of the year Owen Wright (AUS), 21, will surf against Heitor Alves (BRA), 29, and Bobby Martinez (USA), 28, in Heat 1.
A call will be made at 7am local time tomorrow morning for a possible start to men’s Billabong Rio Pro competition.
The Billabong Rio Pro men’s waiting period runs from May 11 through 22 and is webcast LIVE via www.billabongpro.com
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com.
Billabong Rio Pro Final Results:
1 – Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.87
2 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.80
Billabong Rio Pro Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 13.67 def. Silvana Lima (BRA) 10.33
SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.16 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 9.23
Billabong Rio Pro Quarterfinals Results:
QF 1: Silvana Lima (BRA) 13.63 def. Tyler Wright (AUS) 12.27
QF 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 11.50 def. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 9.93
QF 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 12.44 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.97
QF 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 15.10 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.57
Billabong Rio Pro Women’s Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Silvana Lima (BRA) 14.33 def. Paige Hareb (NZL) 9.30
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.63 def. Alana Blanchard (HAW) 10.14
Heat 3: Pauline Ado (FRA) 12.40 def. Coco Ho (HAW) 11.03
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 13.84 def. Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 9.24
Billabong Rio Pro Women’s Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) 12.50, Silvana Lima (BRA) 7.14, Alana Blanchard (HAW) 1.97
Heat 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 11.83, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 11.26, Paige Hareb (NZL) 4.66
Heat 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.17, Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.73, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 8.00
Heat 4: Laura Enever (AUS) 11.66, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 9.00, Coco Ho (HAW) 9.00
ASP Women’s World Title Top 5 (After Billabong Rio Pro):
1. Carissa Moore (HAW) 47,000 pts
2. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 41,650 pts
3. Tyler Wright (AUS) 30,620 pts
4. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 29,350 pts
5. Silvana Lima (BRA) 27,920 pts
Billabong Rio Pro Men's Round 1 Match Ups:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS), Heitor Alves (BRA), Bobby Martinez (USA)
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Adam Melling (AUS), Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS), Alejo Muniz (BRA), TBA
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS), Dusty Payne (HAW), TBA
Heat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), TBA
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA), Julian Wilson (AUS), TBA
Heat 7: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Jadson Andre (BRA), Gabe Kling (USA)
Heat 8: Jeremy Flores (FRA), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA), Tiago Pires (PRT), Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 10: Michel Bourez (PYF), Chris Davidson (AUS), Cory Lopez (USA)
Heat 11: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Taylor Knox (USA)
Photo © ASP / CESTARI
TARANAKI, New Plymouth/New Zealand (Thursday, April 28, 2011) – ASP World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) continued to ride her wave of victory to New Zealand, posting another top class performance during Round 1 of the Subaru Pro TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival in Taranaki, today.
After strong winds delayed the start of competition until 1:15pm, Round 1 was completed in great 0.5- meter left-hand waves at Back Beach, that saw no shortage of excellent rides against the snowy backdrop of Mount Taranaki.
Fitzgibbons, fresh off her maiden ASP World Title Tour victory at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in Australia this week, proved her backhand to be as polished as her forehand, netting the highest two-wave heat total of the round, an 18.45 (out of a possible 20.00) to defeat Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) and Pauline Ado (FRA).
“It still feels exciting coming straight off a win at Bells,” Fitzgibbons said. “I feel like my surfing has been on the right track for the last couple of years but I was making a few mistakes. I think I’ve learned a lot from the ins and outs of losing as well as winning so it feels really nice to get another win out here today.”
Driving unprecedented speed off her flawless bottom turns, Fitzgibbons posted the top five individual wave scores of the day, which include her winning 8.95 and 9.50 (out of 10) rides.
“I’m so psyched to be going left, we’ve had Snapper and Bells and we’ve been going right for so long, so it’s a nice change to be looking down the line the other way,” Fitzgibbons said.
Four times ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) shone just as brightly in the wind affected waves, her superb wave selection proving crucial to her victory when she stroked into the best wave of the heat in the dying minutes to unleash a powerful series of backhand snaps on a reeling lefthander for a near perfect 9.00 ride.
“Its actually pretty fun out there, there’s a good little left and it was nice to feel some power in the wave,” Gilmore said. “It’s an interesting experience sitting in the lineup looking at a snow covered mountain but I love it, it’s really raw here and it’s great to be back.”
Gilmore, who has had a relatively slow start to the season, posting equal fifth and third place results at the first two events of the season, now finds herself in the ASP World No. 4 position, and while sealing a victory over Laura Enever (AUS) and Alana Blanchard (USA) today, sighted two of today’s standout girls to beat at this year’s event.
“I think Sally Fitzgibbons and Carissa Moore will be tough to beat this year, the Hawaiian girls are looking really strong and Sally having just come off a win, is looking like the girl to beat,” Gilmore said.
Local surf star Paige Hareb (NZ) attracted a large crowd during her round clash against Chelsea Hedges (AUS) and Tyler Wright (AUS), the ASP Women’s World Title Tour’s only kiwi surfer proving determined to advance in first place.
“I was lucky to get the two better waves of the whole heat,” Hareb said. “I just surfed them and didn’t try too hard, I wanted to get a score under my belt and it paid off. It’s my best result of the season so I’m stoked.”
ASP World Tour rookie Courtney Conlogue (USA) out-surfed tour veterans Silvana Lima (BRA) and Rebecca Woods (AUS), holding nothing back to advance with a pair of excellent 8.00 rides.
“I didn’t know if I’d scored an eight or a six so I just tried to stay busy and keep the exchanges going ‘cos its hard to hear out there,” Conlogue admitted. “I was so ready to surf at 7am this morning but it was called off until lunch time so you’ve just got to be able to turn it off and on, I’m definitely learning that this year.”
ASP World No. 1 and defending event champion Carissa Moore (HAW) joined fellow Round 1 winners by advancing into Round 3 ahead of wildcard Sarah Mason (NZL) and tour veteran Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS).
“The waves were pretty good, but I’m not too psyched with my performance,” Moore said. “I didn’t get too many great waves and only scored two sixes. I wish I could have done a better job but we had some fun waves and at least I’m through.”
The final heat of the day revealed an intense battled between Hawaii’s Melanie Bartels and Coco Ho, the pair exchanging rides with Bartels advancing ahead of Ho by less than a point.
Surfers will reconvene at Fitzroy Beach for the next call at 06.30 tomorrow.
The TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival will be webcast LIVE via www.nzsurffestival.co.nz/
Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.
TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Paige Hareb (NZL) 15.00; Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 7.90; Tyler Wright (AUS) 6.75
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.10; Silvana Lima (PER) 14.10; Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.20
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 12.75; ); Sarah Mason (NZL) 11.30; Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 10.50
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.45; Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 15.53; Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.00
Heat 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.10; Laura Enever (AUS) 9.15; Alana Blanchard (HAW) 3.10
Heat 6: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 13.95; Coco Ho (HAW) 13.40; Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.90
Photo Steve Dickenson / Curl Magazine www.pacificmedia.co.nz
Billabong Rio Pro Returns to Arpoador to See Top Scores in Round 2
ARPOADOR, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (Wednesday, May 18, 2011) – The Billabong Rio Pro returned to Arpoador for the second consecutive day and saw top talent including C.J. Hobgood (USA), 39, and Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, earn the highest scores of Billabong Rio Pro Competition in clean two-to-four foot (1 metre) lefthanders to complete to Round 2.
Stop No. 3 of 11 on the ASP World Title Series, the Billabong Rio Pro not only plays a vital role in deciding the 2011 ASP World Champion, but is also an important event for competitors looking to solidify their position among the elite ranks prior to the midyear cut.
C.J. Hobgood (USA), 31, unleashed his powerful forehand repertoire on Aproador’s lefthanders in the opening minutes of his match-up against dangerous ASP World Tour rookie Julian Wilson while detonating the highest heat-total of the entire event, 16.50 out of 20. Hobgood’s impressive opening rides proved to be enough to take the win over the progressive Australian despite a late-heat press by Wilson.
“That’s what makes those heats fun to surf and it’s exciting to watch,” Hobgood said. “I have so much respect for Julian (Wilson) because these kids can come back so easily no matter what scores they need. I had a good start and had to be comfortable with my performance win or lose. It was exciting and I’m stoked to make it, I have so much fun surfing against these guys.”
Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, current ASP World Title No. 2, stuck to his strategy of waiting for the outside set waves and matched the day’s highest single-wave score of a 9 out of 10 for powerful backhand surfing to eventually eliminate fellow countryman Kai Otton (AUS), 31.
“A strategy is a strategy and I had seen a few waves out there,” Parkinson said. “Yesterday the tide came in and just kind of killed me. The wave is pretty tricky here and it’s kind of a dog fight to try and get a wave.”
Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, rebounded after a close Round 1 loss yesterday and went on an absolute rampage on his backhand in Round 2 to defeat wildcard Ricardo Santos (BRA), 20, with one of the highest heat total of the event, 16.43 out of 20.
“It’s a good rebound after yesterday’s loss and I’m really stoked with my performance out there,” De Souza said. “I just tried to capitalize on Ricardo’s mistake in that heat and was really lucky to find two good waves out there. I’m happy to see all of my friends on the beach, that’s what’s most important for me.”
De Souza used his veteran experience on the elite ASP World Tour ranks to calm the nerves that come along with competing in front of his fans, but the passionate Brazilian still admitted he has high expectations for himself at the Billabong Rio Pro.
“When I started the tour I was only 17 and I would be nervous and make mistakes in my heats,” De Souza said. “I’ve been on tour for six years now and I think the experience helps me stay more relaxed and comfortable. Although I’m relaxed, I really hope I can get a good result this year. I was a little disappointed with my performance last year with the 9th and I want to do better at my home event this year.”
Adam Melling (AUS), 26, put in a deadly performance to eliminate Alejo Muniz (BRA), 21, while matching the highest single-wave score of the event of a 9 and expressed the importance of each heat win with the midyear cut rapidly approaching.
“The cut is lingering all year, so it always feels good to get heat wins” Melling said. “We’ve got the two cuts in one year and it’s on everyone’s mind. It can throw you off or you can also use it to fire you up a bit.”
Michel Bourez (PYF), 25, got the best of a hard-fought battle against Arpoador local and event wildcard Simao Romao (BRA). After several wave-for-wave exchanges, Bourez notched a 6.00 on his last ride in the remaining minutes of the heat to overtake the Brazilian to earn the Round 2 victory.
“Simao surfs really well and he’s from here,” Bourez said. “It was hard for me to find the right waves out there. I finally got some good scores and made my heat. That was really heavy for me because we were really tight and he had the best score. I realized I really needed a good one and that’s when I got the score.”
Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, 2010 ASP World Runner-up, looked uncharacteristically sluggish in his Round 2 heat against event wildcard Peterson Crisanto (BRA), 18, but found the scores needed to keep his Billabong Rio Pro campaign alive.
“I don’t know what was going on, usually I kind of go out there and let loose and I was nursing everything,” Smith said. “I was surfing really careful because I didn’t want to blow the waves I got but I ended up blowing them anyway. I’m happy that I made the heat though.”
The Billabong Rio Pro will return to Barra da Tijuca tomorrow morning for a 7am call for a potential 7:30am start for Round 3. To watch the event LIVE log on to www.billabongpro.com
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com
Billabong Rio Pro Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.67 def. Peterson Crisanto (BRA) 7.10
Heat 2: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11.60 def. Igor Morais (BRA) 10.17
Heat 3: Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.50 def. Simao Romao (BRA) 12.10
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.43 def. Ricardo Santos (BRA) 12.66
Heat 5: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.33 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 11.77
Heat 6: Bobby Martinez (USA) 12.77 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 11.07
Heat 7: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 11.50 def. Gabe Kling (USA) 11.40
Heat 8: Josh Kerr (AUS) 12.74 def. Chris Davidson (AUS) 12.17
Heat 9: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 12.53 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 9.40
Heat 10: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.50 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.70
Heat 11: Heitor Alves (BRA) 12.44 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 10.40
Heat 12: Adam Melling (AUS) 15.00 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 9.27
Upcoming Billabong Rio Pro Round 3 Match Ups:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Cory Lopez (USA)
Heat 2: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA)
Heat 3: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Dan Ross (AUS)
Heat 4: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 5: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Bobby Martinez (USA)
Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 8: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. C.J. Hobgood (USA)
Heat 9: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 10: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Taylor Knox (USA)
Heat 11: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 12: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Photo ASP/Scholtz