We throw around the term “perfection” a lot more than we should, but sometimes it can actually be defined or quantified. Encountering perfection is memorable, and yesterday will be remembered for quite some time by Sebastian Zietz, who saw the
We throw around the term “perfection” a lot more than we should, but sometimes it can actually be defined or quantified. Encountering perfection is memorable, and yesterday will be remembered for quite some time by Sebastian Zietz, who saw the great Kelly Slater put up two perfect 10 scores in their quarterfinal heat at the Volcom Fiji Pro.
The ASP rookie from Kauai reached the final eight in the elite 36-surfer field before Slater advanced in clinical fashion. Zietz takes the Equal 5th place result and 5,200 world championship points.
His run began with a second place in a three-man opening-round heat, before a victory over Adrian “Ace” Buchan in the second round by a razor-thin margin. Zietz needed to top Buchan’s second score in the closing seconds, which he did in dramatic fashion with an 8.93 just before the horn sounded. That pushed his total to a 17.10, just edging Buchan’s 17.06.
He then took down another Aussie in the third round, narrowly beating Kai Otton, 11.60 to 10.73. The storyline continued during his next head-to-head heat in round five, as Zietz edged Australia’s Taj Burrow, 15.97 to 15.23.
Though the ending was a dose of reality, it was his second straight quarterfinal on the World Tour and will improve his 12th-place standing in the rankings.
Moving from Fiji to Nicaragua, the 2013 Verizon Hawaii Surf Team is off to a great start in its International Surfing Association World Junior Championship title defense.
A few days into the large event, all 12 Team Hawaii members are still in the competition – 11 of them still in the main draw. Kauai’s Koa Smith and Tatiana Weston-Webb have each been dominant to this point. Smith won each of his first two heats in the Boys Under 18 division and moves to the third round, in which his heat will include teammate Josh Moniz. Josh had the division’s best wave to this point with an 8.87 in the second round.
Tati equaled the first round’s best score (16.17) during her Girls Under 18 division opening heat. She then took second in her second heat to advance into the third round.
The ISA event is essentially a double-elimination contest. If a competitor does not take first or second place in their four-surfer heat, they move into the Repercharge bracket. From there, a third or fourth place ends the junior’s event.
The Under 18 Boys – Smith, Moniz, Kaoli Kahokuloa and Kain Daly – are all among the 24 in that division who haven’t yet lost a heat.
Tati is one of just 12 who are unbeaten into the third round of the Under 18 Girls. Teammate Bailey Nagy finished third in the second round, bumping her into the Repercharge heats. Nagy certainly has the ability to still make a deep run, but her margin for error is now nonexistent.
In the Under 16 Boys, the whole crew – Kaulana Apo, Imaikalani DeVault, Seth Moniz and Elijah Gates – are still in the main draw as they prepare for the third round.
As expected, the Under 16 Girls duo of defending Under 18 champion Dax McGill and 2012 finalist Mahina Maeda have been unstoppable. They’ve each won their first two heats and are into the third round unscathed.
With so much still to play out, there is no way to predict the order of the final standings based on the first few rounds. However, Team Hawaii has avoided the early upsets that would have put a real dent in its quest for back-to-back titles.
• ‘My Thoughts Exactly’ appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays in The Garden Island. Email David Simon your comments or questions to dsimon@thegardenisland.com. Follow David on Twitter @SimonTGI
