YOUNG GUNS CAUSE BIG UPSETS AT HONDA U.S. OPEN TRIALS DAY 2

Hey what`s up. My schedule comming up is amazing. For the rest of February and March, i`ll be back and forth between the North Shore of Oahu for shooting photo`s and being at home on the Big Island for catching up on school. I graduate Highschool on March 20th. So stoked! The NSSA Hawaiian Regional Championships will start March 25 till March 28. They will be held at Kewalo Basin in Honolulu, Oahu. The night Regionals ends, I fly to Indonesia for two weeks to go on a boat trip to the Mentawai Islands. It`s gonna be so sick! I went there last summer on another boat trip and it was the funnest trip ever. Im going to indo to film for the new RVCA surf movie comming out next summer. Im going also with one of my other sponsor`s Etnies who is putting on the trip. Surfer Magazine`s elite staff photographer Jason Kenworthy will be on the boat shooting photo`s of us to do a story in Surfer Magazine from out trip. Also Fuel Television is going to be with us documenting our trip for "The making of the Video" in one of their shows. The boat trip ends on the 11th of April. I go home after it. The sickest thing ever is that i`ll be on the boat for my 18th b-day. The boys are gonna rage that day for sure!!

I`m out here on the North Shore for the Monster Energy Pro. Got featured on the homepage of the Billabongpro.com website yesterday.

I just got featured in the February issue of Transworld Surf. Check out the piece here:

Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
6th – 12th December, 2004 - Papenoo, Tahiti

Live webcast, daily results, info and complimentary photos available via:
www.quiksilver.com
www.isasurf.org
www.surfingaustralia.com.au

Desperation stakes as the world’s best juniors fight it out at Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in Tahiti.

Fierce international rivalries have escalated between the world’s best junior surfers on day five of the week-long Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships being held at Papenoo Beach, Tahiti. With surfing’s most prestigious junior surfing titles on the line, competitors from more than half-a-dozen nations including notorious rivals USA, South Africa, Australia and Brazil found themselves embroiled in ruthless tactical encounters in a desperate bid to secure qualifying round berths.

South Africa’s defending U/16 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Champion Jordy Smith found himself on the receiving end of the most physical confrontation of the day, as he worked hard to preserve his second place position in the dying moments of his heat against Brazilian champion Thiago Pickler, Hawaiian champion Casey Brown and fellow South African Klee Strachan.

Brown, a runaway heat leader who secured the day’s highest scoring ride, a 9.0 point ride punctuated by two searing forehand arcs, watched as his opponents paddled each other about the lineup in a game of cat and mouse. Pickler, spurred on by parochial screams from his team watching from shore, required only an average score of 6.00 points to advance but the experienced South African refused to give him an inch and ultimately progressed behind Brown in second place.

“I knew he was in third and capable of getting a score so we were sitting on top of each other and paddling, then he started grabbing my arm and dunking my head under the water,” explained Smith afterward. “I said, ‘Hey, if you’re going to do that, I’m going to fight you when we get back on the beach’. Then he cooled off and said ‘It’s only a competition’ and that kind of thing. There was no way I was going to back down.”
Australians Julian Wilson and Matt Wilkinson applied a more subdued approach in their 20 minute encounter, splitting their waves and alternately blocking threats from the USA’s Marty Weinstein and Rudy Palmboon (South Africa). Both Wilson and Wilkinson secured good early scoring rides effectively giving them control of the heat. With time ticking away a late surge by Weinstein, sitting in third place, proved fruitless with both Aussies eventually finishing nearly four points ahead of him and Palmboon on 12.66 and 12.37 respectively.
“There was no way we were going to let that guy get through,” said Wilson. “They would’ve done the same thing to us if it was the other way around. Tactics are important, especially here (at Papenoo). The way the waves peak up everywhere, you could be sitting close to a guy and they can still get a wave so you’ve virtually got to paddle right on top of them.”

Weinstein, the last remaining American in the U/16 boys qualifying round was then later eliminated in the repercharge in third place behind South Africa’s Josh Schmeitzer and Hawaii’s Tonino Benson. Team mates Travis Beckman, Tanner Gudauskus and Eric Geiselman kept the red, white and blue flying high though, with all three surfers cementing second place finishes.

“As they say in America, my guy Marty got a good ol’ fashioned butt kicking,” explained America’s coach Peter Townend. “We did it to some guys yesterday and we certainly had it done to us today. But hey, you’ve got to protect each other, protect your lead. We’re playing it that way. Everybody’s playing it that way. That’s the game.”

Australia is now the best represented nation in the U/16 boys qualifying semi-finals with three of eight surfers flying the green and gold national colors, with Wilson, Wilkinson and Lincoln Taylor all securing berths. Brazil is represented by two surfers, Jadson Andre and Bruno Rodriques, while South Africa (Smith), Hawaii (Brown) and France (Joan Duru) are each represented by one surfer.

Brazil U/18 Eric de Souza emerged as the star of his team today, avoiding the dreaded ‘do-or-die’ repercharge round after advancing behind Australian Michael Spencer in spectacular form.

De Souza attempted to catch a wave on Spencer’s inside early in the heat and the act was deemed a ‘snaking interference’ by the judges, resulting in the loss of half of one the Brazilian’s two scoring rides. De Souza was then forced to play catch up for the remainder of the heat, frantically kicking about the lineup as he searched for a wining ride. Then with less than two minutes remaining, the Brazilian stroked into one of the larger waves of the morning, bringing his entire squad of cheering Brazilian team mates to their feet. De Souza rode the wave to the death, completing his last big maneuver with aplomb, and earned the highest score of the heat, 7.27 to steal second from South African Josh Redman.

“I’ve never had a heat like that. That was the hardest heat I have ever surfed,” gushed an emotional de Souza afterwards. “I tried to surf my last wave like I was free-surfing and not be nervous. The waves today are a little bit bigger and everything can change when it’s like that. It was the best heat of my life.”

Puerto Rican standout Alejandro Moreda was forced into fourth place behind Spencer, de Souza and Redman respectively, and was visibly disappointed punching his board before leaving the water, but redemption came in the form of an unexpected second place in this afternoon’s repercharge. South African Damien Fahrenfort had Moreda on the ropes then unintentionally blocked a competitor as he tried to return to the beach with only five seconds remaining. Fahrenfort dropped to third, Moreda leapt to second and the Puerto Rican’s hopes were kept alive. Tomorrow he will face Tahitian Tuamata Puhetini, USA’s Jeremy Johnston and Hawaii’s Ola Eleogram.

Brazilian De Souza will next surf alongside fellow countryman and number one Brazilian seed William Cardoso when the pair meets defending U/18 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Champion Ben Dunn (Australia) in a three way qualifying round clash tomorrow. True to the spirit of the day, de Souza sent an ominous warning to the Australian camp stating: “Team Brazil is always together, in the water and on the land. We will be working together.”

Dunn continued to lead the charge for the Australians this morning with all three qualifying round heats being won by Aussies. Dunn advanced comfortably alongside fellow Australian James Wood with the pair forcing Raphael Ayme (France) and Damien Fahrenfort (South Africa) into the repercharge. While Wade Goodall put in a polished performance to finish ahead of Cardoso, Graves and Jeremy Johnston (USA). Spencer’s win in heat three completed the green and gold trifecta.

Heat one of the U/18 girls qualifying round three featured a four-way international match-up between the USA’s NSSA Open Champion Erica Hosseini, yesterday’s Argentinean standout Ornella Pellizari, 2003 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championship finalist Stephanie Gilmore and the youngest competitor in the event, 12 year-old Hawaiian surfing sensation Carissa Moore.

While Gilmore commanded the heat with confident and powerful surfing to secure her third consecutive win in Tahiti, a tight battle unfolded for second with all three of her opponents still in contention in the final moments. Moore appeared to have the upper hand with the young natural footer having racked up a series of stylish backhand maneuvers on one wave to score 6.17 out of a possible 10, but Hosseini put in a last ditch effort, scratching into a well shaped lefthander and pulling a powerful frontside cutback, very nearly rotating the fins of her board to face the beach, and earned 4.47 for the single move to leap into second on her two-wave combined heat total and advance.

“I just put everything I had into my last wave because I knew I wouldn’t have time to get back out there and try and beat Carissa with another wave,” explained Hosseini. “Then when I heard the announcers call out my score I was stoked. I couldn’t believe it.”

Jessi Miley-Dyer became the next U/18 girls surfer to win three consecutive heats when she defeated New Zealand’s Airini Mason, Brazil’s impressive Diana Souza and South Africa’s Kate Matthews. The Australian may have lacked the composure of her earlier rounds, yet still managed a comfortable victory as a tight battle for second ensued between Mason and Souza, with Mason ultimately leaving the water just 0.01 of a point in front of the Brazilian.

“I’m so happy, I didn’t come to Tahiti expecting to make the semi-finals so I’m already stoked,” explained 14 year old Mason. “The standard of the girls, especially all the young girls like Carissa and Souza is much better than I thought it might be.”

For Mason the personal best performance in Tahiti already equals New Zealand’s highest placed performer from last year in Durban when Jessica Santovic finished equal 10th. Along with fellow team mate Jessica Santorik’s progression in qualifying round heat three today behind USA standout Karina Petroni, the New Zealand girls are now potentially just two wins away from the all important Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championship finals.

“I’m really pleased with how our girls have done, and they are too. To have two chicks in the semi finals from a little ol’ place like New Zealand, we’re stoked,” said coach James Fowell. “Especially when you consider the standard of the girls, it’s been amazing, really, really high. To be honest, some of the chicks are better than some of the guys I’ve seen this week, seriously. That’s says it all.”

Petroni, who impressed all with yet another victory of her own today, has been watching the progress of the Australians and New Zealanders closely and is anticipating a close battle when she meets Gilmore and Mason tomorrow.

“Their surfing has been incredible, innovative, powerful … their ability is self explanatory,” noted Petroni. “I know I’ve been giving it my all in each heat. Keeping it simple, but placing my turns and staying focused which is probably the best way to approach it. Everything’s on track for me at the moment, I hope to keep getting better and raising the bar every heat.”

Only two days remain in the week-long competition with performances levels lifting through the roof today as all competitors put it on the line. Australia remains as the only nation to have all its surfers still left in the competition.

In the 2004 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship format, all surfers finishing first or second in their heat advance. Those who finish third or fourth in qualifying heats receive another chance via the repercharge rounds, excluding those who finished fourth in either of the first two qualifying rounds (contested on days 1-3). These surfers were immediately eliminated. Any surfer finishing third or fourth in the repercharge rounds three or onwards are also eliminated from competition.

Points are awarded for individual placings in all divisions – U/18 boys and girls, U/16 boys – and accumulated to decide the number one nation.

The ISA (International Surfing Association) was first established in 1964 as the ISF. In 1976 it became the ISA and today represents over 50 national surfing federations from five continents.

The ISA is recognized by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) as the International Federation for all wave riding sports. Its two main events are the ISA World Surfing Games, held every other year since 1964, and the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships held every other year since 1982. The first World Junior Surfing Championships were won by American Tom Curren.

During the 90’s the ISA also run the ISA Pro Junior Tour, a junior tour with prize money, but in 2003 the ISA decided to consolidate all ISA junior events into an annual event with the inaugural annual ISA World Junior Surfing Championships being held in Durban, South Africa.

Surfing America will host the 2005 ISA World Junior Surfing Championships scheduled for Huntington Beach, California in October.

The next World Surfing Games (open men, open women, longboard and bodyboard) will be held in California in 2006.

The elective Executive Committee of the ISA is presided by Fernando Aguerre with the ISA Headquarters located in San Diego California.

For a full list of competing nations and teams, daily results and complimentary images - a dedicated MEDIA website is accessible via the front page of www.isasurf.org or www.surfingaustralia.com.au and www.quiksilver.com.

This site is designed to service print media world wide - newspapers, magazines and websites will all have unrestricted access to the press releases and complimentary quality digital photo`s.

Three`s A Charm

Team Body Glove walks away from the 2005 NSSA Nationals with three titles.

Wednesday June 29th, 2005

As a national sponsor of the NSSA, Body Glove not only takes pride in being involved, but the fact that year after year the team continues to excel. This contest was no different. As usual, the surf at Lower Trestles was amazing all week and the competitors were taking the surfing to another level. Team Body Glove had a strong presence in all the divisions, but after all was said and done, had taken three titles in three different divisions. Heading it was Casey Brown. The future star from the Big Island annihilated the Lowers lefts with forehand hacks to take the Explorer Juniors championship. Maui team rider Dusty Payne came into the event with high expectations and didn`t disappoint by taking the Explorer Mens title. Another Maui star, Granger Larson, added to the Hawaii trifecta by narrowly defeating fellow team mate Hizon Lin Kee to take the Explorer Boys title. Of course we couldn`t walk away from the event without talking about Ezekiel Lau. A dominant competitor, “Zeke” ripped his way into two separate finals in extremely tough divisions and came away with fourth place in both Explorer Menehunes and Open Boys. Body Glove wants to congratulate all the teamriders and is grateful for all their accomplishments now and in the future.

Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge 2005

HAWAII PRODUCES FOR 2005 QUIKSILVER SURF SHOP CHALLENGE

BIG ISLAND`S LITTLE SURF SHOP PACIFIC VIBRATIONS BLOWS AWAY COMPETITION AT KEWALO`S BASIN FOR INAUGURAL HAWAIIAN QUALIFIER

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, (Huntington Beach, Calif.) August 16, 2005 -- Quiksilver, Inc. (NYSE:ZQK) -- Pacific Vibrations, the little shop from the Big Island of Hawaii, stomped the competition at the inaugural Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge presented by SURFER. After two weeks of no surf, Oahu`s South Shore produced some small Southern Hemi juice at famed Kewalo`s Basin for the nine teams fighting it out for island supremacy. Hawaii`s finest faced off for the opportunity to represent the islands at the 2005 Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge Championships held at Lower Trestles, California, in conjunction with the Boost Mobile Pro presented by Quiksilver, and a $10,000 prize purse.

Round One saw Town and Country`s Surf Factory team blaze an intense hour of high-scoring maneuvers that set the pace and the scale for the entire day ahead. Their 52-point total upped them and 2nd position Pacific Vibrations (50.6) ahead of H.I.C. (39.1) for automatic slotting into the mid-day Finals. In Heat Two it was with a dropping tide that Town and Country`s Surf Shop team rallied a 45.5 win over Kauai`s Tamba Surf Shop (43) and Local Motion (26.8), to move them into Round Two. Heat Three saw Team Boardriders (48.4) go mano-a-mano against Maui`s Hi-Tech Surf Sports (45.6) for the final slot in Round Two. Only two teams would join Pacific Vibrations and T & C Surf Factory. Boardriders and T & C Surf Shop walked the walk for the 4-team Finals berth.

Quiksilver`s Director of Sales for Hawaii, Glen Moncata, sized up the action at the lunch break: We do so many amateur and pro contests in the islands in a year`s time. These kids don`t always get to participate because they`re either alternates or tied down to their jobs at their shops. This event gives all of these kids who have been friends for years and years a great format to compete in.

"Airfare and lodging is part of today`s win," Moncata continued, so they won`t have to think about anything other than going to the Championships at the Boost Mobile Pro in September to kick butt and bring the First Place $10,000 Grand Prize back to the islands. That`s NOT chump change and they won`t have to share it with their boss, either!

Winning Shop-team, Pacific Vibrations

The Finals were off and running at 1 p.m., under a beautiful South Pacific afternoon -- air at 85 degrees and crystal clear water a few degrees less than that. Light trade winds, rising tide and a new southwest swell painted a perfect palette for the one-hour battle. With a consistent team and good strategy the Final saw Pacific Vibrations from Kona, Hawaii, dominate leaving their closest competitor 10 points behind. Designated Double Whammy rider Casey Brown ripped the lid off one set wave for a 9.7 (out of a possible 10-point max) that got doubled to the other scoring points. Their total 52 points took them to the top of the leader board with Boardriders in 2nd with 42.4, T & C Surf Factory 3rd with 41.7, and T & C Surf Shop coming in 4th with 35.4.

Pacific Vibrations team rider Makai McMichaels spoke for teammates Casey Brown, Kapena Miranda and Mikey Bruneau with an explosive It was the most fun ever! after the awards and photo session were complete. For me it was the win of my life! said Makai. My teammates really pulled together, Casey was our MVP and we had all these strategies out there (in the lineup) and we just kind of took on to that. Looking forward to that trip to Trestles next month? Definitely! Very excited, I hope my parents will let me quit my day job for a week! I might have to pull an arm and a leg, but we`re going!

The Shop Challenge is supported by a foundation of sponsorship that includes DC Shoes, Sector 9 Skateboards, ASR, Surf Expo, Board Retailers Association (B.R.A.), WaveWatch.com, and now Boost Mobile. This support has combined to make the Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge one of the most successful surf events on the calendar.

Amateur surfers shine at contest

The waves were good and the surfing was better at the Hawai`i Amateur Surfing Association State Championship meet yesterday.

More than 200 of the state`s best amateur surfers competed in the three-day event. The finals in 27 divisions were completed yesterday in 3- to 5-foot waves at the Ala Moana Bowl.

"Every heat you do is really tough," said Casey Brown, who won the open men`s division. "There are so many good surfers from all the islands."

Among the standouts:

• Dusty Payne of Lahaina, Maui, won the prestigious junior men`s division.

The 16-year-old junior at Thompson Academy scored a 9.2 (out of 10) late in the heat to win the first state championship of his career.

"We`re used to competing against each other, but I usually lose to these guys," Payne said. "I was just looking for the open (waves) and tried to do as many maneuvers as I could."

The junior men`s division is for surfers ages 17 and younger, and many of the top entries are expected to turn professional within the next few years.

• Alex Smith of Kilauea, Kaua`i, scored the only perfect 10 of the day to win the boys division (for ages 13 and 14). It was also his first state title.


Dusty Payne of Maui scored a 9.2 late in the heat to win the junior men`s surfing division of the state amateur championship meet.
Bernie Baker • Special to The Advertiser

"I did a floater and almost fell, but then I made it and the wave kept walling up in front of me so I kept going," said Smith, 14.

• Alana Blanchard of Hanalei, Kaua`i, won the girls division for ages 17 and younger. She clinched the heat with a near-perfect 9.3 on her last wave.

"I really needed a wave and so when that one came, I just did as many turns as I could," said Blanchard, 15.

• Brown of Kailua, Kona, placed second in the junior men`s division and won the open men`s division, which is for all ages.

"Dusty (Payne) got me in the juniors so I really wanted to come back and win this one," said Brown, 17. "I`m happy overall. To get a first and a second in this contest is really good."

• Tucker Bontecou of Kailua, Kona, won the boys bodyboarding division for the fourth consecutive year.

"I just try to go out and have fun," said Bontecou, who is 14 and in the eighth grade at Kealakehe Intermediate.

• Proving that the contest was not just for kids, Makani McDonald posted the best total score of the day in winning the masters longboarding division (for ages 30 to 39). McDonald, 36, had a two-wave score of 17.5.

"When I was a kid, I always used to surf in the states," said McDonald, who was raised on Kaua`i. "But this is the first time I won it."

All the top performers earned invitations to the U.S. Surfing Championships later this summer at California.