LIHU‘E — There were 112 surfers when action began June 14 at the Sponsor Me Hawai‘i Ala Moana Bowls contest on O‘ahu’s South Shore. It was Jason Shibata of O‘ahu’s Off the Wall break who took home Tuesday’s top prize
LIHU‘E — There were 112 surfers when action began June 14 at the Sponsor Me Hawai‘i Ala Moana Bowls contest on O‘ahu’s South Shore. It was Jason Shibata of O‘ahu’s Off the Wall break who took home Tuesday’s top prize and the $5,000 that went with it.
Once the field had been whittled down to 32, a quarter of the participants had Kaua‘i ties and were still vying for a large piece of the $25,000 purse and the recognition such an event can provide.
Zach Arreola, Danny Fuller, Jesse Merle-Jones, Tyler Newton, Roy Powers, Alex Smith, Pancho Sullivan and Evan Valiere had all gotten through 80 of the top local surfers in this Association of Surfing Professionals sanctioned 2-star event.
The amateur and pro surfers were all looking to better their careers, not just with the prize money, but by gaining international ratings points and a spot in the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series.
With the surf cooperating Tuesday, the competitors were back in the water to figure out a winner.
In the end, Pancho Sullivan, less than two weeks away from his 37th birthday, was the final Kaua‘i surfer in the event, as he stepped into the final heat with Shibata, Kai Barger and Casey Brown.
Sullivan moved to O‘ahu at the age of five and has been a mainstay on its famed North Shore, but he was a grom on Kaua‘i’s North Shore, having been born in Haena.
Sullivan made his name during the mid-90s as a freesurfer, continuing to stay close to home and avoid the type of surfing he felt competition was promoting.
He took an early lead in Tuesday’s final, putting up a 6.75 during a small set, but Barger and Shibata then went after the big numbers. Shibata scored an 8.90, followed by a Barger 9.25 to jump in front.
Shibata came back with an 8.0-point ride to take control in the final 10 minutes of the heat. He added an 8.60 in the closing minute as the icing on the cake.
Barger was second with a 15.60, Sullivan scored 11.25 for third and Brown was fourth with a 9.20.
Newton and Smith each advanced with Sullivan out of the Round of 32. Newton advanced with a 14.35, just edging Arreola, who put up a 14.05 but was eliminated.
Smith finished second to Sullivan with a 15.25 to Pancho’s 16.50. In the same heat, Valiere was knocked out with a 13.35 score.
Merle-Jones was one of the early stars with scores of 14.00 and 16.15 in his first two heats.
Fuller’s Round of 32 elimination came in the same heat as the event’s top score, a 17.95 from Makuakai Rothman.
Powers took fourth in his elimination heat, but had some bad luck with the elements as few rides presented themselves. Just one of the four surfers managed to reach double-digits.
