LIHU‘E — Six Japanese surfers competing at the Burton Toyota Pro in Newcastle, Australia have managed to overcome their initial fears and shock at the devastation to their home country and all are staying on to compete in this event
LIHU‘E — Six Japanese surfers competing at the Burton Toyota Pro in Newcastle, Australia have managed to overcome their initial fears and shock at the devastation to their home country and all are staying on to compete in this event on the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour.
After initial difficulties in contacting their families, all have now made contact and have been reassured all family members have survived, states a release from the ASP.
Many had family who lived in the region worst affected and while many have lost homes, all are safe.
Wako Dai, 19, who resides one hour south of Tokyo, surfed his Round Two heat Tuesday and advanced by placing second in his four-man heat behind Mitchell James.
“I wanted to go home and was really worried, especially when I couldn’t contact my parents but I eventually got through to them. They told me they are alright and all my family are good and they told me to stay here and do what I must do, which is to surf for my career.
“We (the six Japanese competitors) are all thinking of home but we know all our immediate families are safe and well and we are here to compete our best — but still, we’re thinking of home all the time.”
Dai will face Australian pair Nick Vasicek and Dale Lovelock in Round Three when competition resumes Wednesday morning.
Rounds One and Two of the Burton Toyota Men’s Pro were completed Tuesday, along with Round One of the Legendary Pacific Coast Pro Women’s.
Some of the day’s standouts included local surfers Jesse Adam, of Merewether, and Michael Spencer, of Lake Mumorah, along with Brazil’s Caio Ibelli, who was the morning’s top scoring surfer posting a combined two-wave tally of 16.83.
In the Legendary Pacific Coast in association with Commonwealth Bank, Kaua‘i’s Malia Manuel scored a convincing round one heat win. She finished wit a combined two-wave tally of 16 out of 20 to easily advance.
Manuel then won her second heat with a 10.66 total to move into the Round of 24, where she will be in a heat with fellow Kaua‘i rider Alana Blanchard. Blanchard took second in her Round of 48 heat, putting up an 8.83 on her third wave to add to a 4.17 for a 13.00 total.
The twosome will join with the New Zealand duo of Paige Hareb and Wini Paul in their next heat, the top two advancing into the Round of 12.
Other standouts in the Women’s included Ellie-Jean Coffee and recently crowned ASP World Pro Junior Champion Alizee Arnaud from France.
Highly seeded surfers will enter the event Wednesday, which includes ASP World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons, while No. 1 seed in the men’s, Taj Burrow, is expected to begin his campaign on Thursday or Friday.
An excellent outlook for swell heading into the weekend will likely see huge crowds at Merewether with one of the best fields assembled at this event in a long time.
The event is live webcast via www.aspaustralasia.com/live/2011/surfest and the site includes all results and scores. Each day begins around 7:30 a.m.
Story provided by the Association of Surfing Professionals
Reynolds, ASP raising funds for quake victims
LIHU‘E — The Association of Surfing Professionals released a statement Tuesday, giving information about a fund raising effort to benefit victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
American surfer Dane Reynolds is heavily involved in the effort, according to the release issued by the ASP:
“The hearts and sympathies of the ASP family are going to our friends overseas in Japan right now and several of the world’s best surfers are doing their part to help those in need.
Dane Reynolds (USA), 25, while sidelined with a knee injury, has gotten himself in the game in a big way to aid those in Japan.
For the remainder of the week, Reynolds is donating 100 percent of all sales from his label, Summer Teeth, to Japanese Relief Effort via Relief International.
As if that wasn’t enough, the young Californian has also pledged to personally match all sales and donate direct to the fund as well. Big moves from Dane and hats off to the rest of the ASP World Tour surfers for aiding our friends in Japan.
To get your hands on some tasty Summer Teeth threads with 100 percent of the profits going to the Japanese Relief Effort, check out MarineLayerProductions.com or go direct to SummerTeeth.com.”
Juniors pick up titles in Newcastle
Merewether’s Jake Sylvester became the first local surfer since 2002 to win an ASP junior men’s title in his home city.
The 17-year-old defeated Gold Coast surfer Thomas Woods to claim the ASP 4-Star $20,000 Newcastle CHIKO Pro Junior and become the first Novacastrian to have his named etched on the trophy since Travis Lynch won the title nine years ago.
In the junior women’s 2-star $3,000 CHIKO Pro Junior, 16-year-old Niki Van Dijk from Smiths Beach on Phillip Island in Victoria defeated Felicity Palmateer from Trigg Beach in Perth, Western Australia.
