Finding the green room Down Under

RICK FIGNETTI

The Assn. of Surfing Professionals 2004 World Championship Tour

season has started in Australia.

The trials were run in 2- to 4-foot, fun right-handers at Snapper

Rocks on the Gold Coast of Australia. There was one wildcard slot

open into the tour’s $260,000 Quiksilver Pro that was won by

three-time South African national champ Shaun Gossman.

In the opening round of competition, a win puts you in Round 3 and

a loss sets you up to battle in Round 2, where you need a victory or

you’re knocked out. So far, looking good and taking some wins were

world champ Andy Irons, who had a slow start but came on strong in

the end with a clean barrel on a set and some mean carves to back it

up, earning a 9.8, almost a perfect score. Irons was trailing

Quiksilver wildcard Dane Reynolds, the hot up-and-coming Californian

amateur who had quite a heat. His new-school moves were impressive,

but could only get him second.

The matchup for Round 2, in the do-or-die heats, pairs Reynolds

with six-time world champ Kelly Slater. Just by coincidence, Reynolds

and Slater both ride for Quiksilver and board maker Al Merrick. The

two surfers are about 12 years apart, so it could be interesting.

Aussie Taj Burrow, whom some are picking to have a legitimate shot

at the world title the way he’s been surfing, won his heat. As did

another veteran, Mark “Occy” Occhilupo, the 1999 top points overall

tour winner. Last year’s event winner, Dean Morrison, won too. The

United States’ C.J. Hobgood, the 2001 world champ who was back from a

foot injury, tore up his heat, taking down cross-town rival Slater

out in Round 1. Brazilian Victor Ribas edged another Australian

upstart, Joel Parkinson, who has to surf it up again, as does Mick

Fanning, who’s been looking dangerous. The waiting period goes till

March 14 and will run on the best days. The deepest, sickest, longest

barrel will receive a $5,000 extra prize, too.

Up north on Feb. 28, they held the Mavericks big-wave surf

contest. The surf was big time the day before, estimated at

30-feet-plus, but it was stormy and windy. It did clean up a bit on

the day of the even, but it was still pretty bumpy and the swell was

dropping fast, more in the 15- to 20-foot range. The event, run by

“Mav” legend Jeff Clark, has been on hold for the last two years.

Clark said it was on, and the big-wave contingent showed up.

Making it a three-peat performance was Darryl “Flea” Virostko, who

found that big macking wall and streaked it across for the win,

receiving $5,000. Second was Surfing Mag’s Evan Slater, who made an

incredible late air drop and was leading the first half of the final.

Third was big-wave rider Peter Mel, fourth was up north’s Anthony

Tasnick, fifth was local rider Matt Ambrose and sixth was Grant

Washburn, who busted a 10-foot board in half in an earlier heat.

Others that showed up were Hawaiians Brock Little and Garrett

McNamara, Brazilian Carlos Burle, Santa Cruz’s Shawn Barron, who

busted his ear drum out there, and San Clemente charger Greg Long, to

name a few.

That’s it for now, see ya.

* RICK FIGNETTI is an eight-time West Coast champion, has

announced the U.S. Open of Surfing the last nine years and has been

the KROQ-FM surfologist for the last 17 years, doing morning surf

reports. He owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him at

(714) 536-1058.