SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — The third stop on the Association of Surfing Professionals North America Pro Junior Series, the ASP Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior, saw current regional ratings leader Evan Geiselman, 16, lead an elite field of international ASP Pro Junior surfers through to the semifinals, Tuesday, states an ASP press release.
Joining Geiselman in the semifinals were Kaua‘i’s Dylan Goodale and Tyler Newton, among the eight surfers remaining hoping to take home the title. Americans Evan Thompson, Conner Coffin, Nat Young and Andrew Doheny, as well as Hawai‘i’s Kiron Jabour make up the rest of the field.
Punting massive aerials in clean two-to-three foot surf at the famous break of Lower Trestles in San Clemente, Calif., Geiselman posted some of the day’s highest scores.
Dramatic upsets also unfolded during the Oakley Pro Junior action when current ASP Dream Tour rookie Jadson Andre, 20, and local San Clemente talent Kolohe Andino, 16, were eliminated due to interferences.
Several international ASP Pro Junior standouts competing in the Oakley Pro Junior are looking to hone their competitive skills prior to entering the main event, the ASP PRIME 6.0 Lowers Pro, while the regional standouts are hungry to capitalize on the valuable ratings points towards qualification for the inaugural ASP World Junior Tour.
Geiselman relied on above-the-lip surfing to stamp his authority on the field with a variety of massive aerials on the steep Lowers lefthanders to take out a remarkable Quarterfinals heat victory over international prodigy Gabriel Medina, 17, who was a Round 1 standout, and Hawaiian Granger Larsen, 20.
“Gabriel (Medina) went crazy in his first heat and I didn’t really have the best opener and I just got mad,” Geiselman said. “Then I saw that I was surfing against Gabriel and I thought, ‘alright, I’m going to have to do some pretty big stuff,’ and that’s what I did. Luckily I kept getting those lefts and it just worked out. I knew I was going to have to do big airs if I was going to compete with those guys.”
Geiselman, who is currently leading the hotbed of American talent on the ASP North America Pro Junior Series, is satisfied with his opening performance, but remains focused on the remainder of the Oakley Pro Junior to retain his No. 1 seed.
“This is guaranteed the hardest Pro Junior of the year, so I’m happy to be in the semis,” Geiselman said. “I’ve still got another heat to try and make it through, so I need to stay focused, but I’m really happy with the way that the first day has gone.”
Coffin, 17, relied on striking rail-to-rail power surfing to eliminate reigning ASP Pro Junior Champion Maxime Huscenot, 17, in their quarterfinals bout while topping reigning ASP North America Pro Junior Series Champion Young, 18, who advanced behind Coffin in second.
“That one wave, everyone was paddling for the first one, and I was just hoping there would be one behind it,” Coffin said. “I was just out the back by myself and it was a perfect wave. I got a wave just as good as that one in the heat before and bogged, so I needed to make up for it in that heat.”
