An Intimate Study of Mick Fanning
Mick Fanning documented at home in a refreshing, blues soundtracked look at his surfing. Marvel at his technique in slo-mo 4K vision before appreciating how damn fast he goes at normal speed…
Mangoose & Garage Score…
One of the UK’s most promising young bucks, Angus Scotney, went to stay with his bestie, Gearoid McDaid in Ireland for a bit of wave riding adventure. They certainly timed their mission well scoring a bunch of spots firing… The future is bright.
Winter on Mars
Young British surfer Lewis Leadbetter lives on an island off the west coast of Africa. The waves are pretty good. In fact they just had one of the best seasons ever.
Drug Aware Margies Pro Update…
The Drug Aware Pro has been trundling on over the weekend. The women are up to the quarters and the men to Rd4. Big news over the weekend was Taj Burrow retiring from competition, he’ll do Fiji then hang up the jersey to spend time with his new bub and probably knock out a few more epic films before he’s done. Slater, Adriano and Florence all got early showers and Wilko is still going strong, so this ain’t a throwaway result for the prince of the yellow jersey. In the ladies it’s the usual suspects at the sharp end with Riss, Fitz and Steph in the mix. Forecast is apparently not too hot so a few lay days, read that as Margaret’s winery tour days, are looming before things finish off…
WSL PRESS RELEASE
The Drug Aware Margaret River Pro blazed through Women’s Rounds 3 and 4 to narrow the field down to the remaining eight Quarterfinalists.
The third stop on the 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour, the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, saw clean 4 to 6 foot waves (1.5 metre) at Main Break in Western Australia and the usual suspects in terms of WSL Title contenders separated themselves from the rest of the field.
Courtney Conlogue (USA), current WSL Jeep Ratings Leader, continued her dominance at Margaret River against Malia Manuel (HAW) and Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) in the non-elimination Round 3 match-up. Conlogue dropped two solid rides to lock in a 15.33 two-wave combined score. Manuel challenged Conlogue with a 7.33, but could not find the 8.04 required to defeat Conlogue. Van Dijk attempted some high risk maneuvers, but was not able to land the rides to complete the scores.
“For me I think of Round 3 as an elimination round just because you have to go to Round 4 and that round is sudden death,” said Conlogue. “If you end up having a bad heat and someone has a great heat, you are packing up and going home. With the Title you do not want to have any 9th place finishes as long as you can, so alleviating those Round 4s are crucial.”
Round 3 Heat 4 witnessed an all-Australian match-up between the current World No. 2 Tyler Wright (AUS), Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), six-time World Champion, and local favorite Bronte Macaulay (AUS). Wright squeaked through the Quarterfinals with a buzzer-beater win against Gilmore. Needing a 5.23, Wright answered with a 5.30 to send Gilmore to Round 4.
“I thought I was borderline during that heat and it turns out I was,” Wright said. “There was nothing else that came through, so even if I did not get it, I gave myself an opportunity and I was stoked that I did get it. It was very inconsistent.”
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) was sent to battle in elimination Round 4 against Sage Erickson (USA). Gilmore knocked out Erickson with two solid 8-point rides, giving her a 2.36 lead over Erickson’s 14.74 two-wave combined score. Erickson will leave Margaret River with a 9th place finish. Gilmore will advance to the Quarterfinals.
“I need to be aggressive to win these heats now,” said Gilmore. “Powerful and aggressive is the aim from now on. When I am out there I am feeling aggressive, but then when I watch the replays I think differently. It is always interesting when you watch back and get a different view of what it was, but at the same time, I am just doing my thing but definitely adding more aggression.”
Carissa Moore (HAW) barely came through Round 3 Heat 3 against Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) and Sage Erickson (USA). Erickson got off to a quick start by securing the first two rides of the heat, but Buitendag and Moore swept passed Erickson in the dying minutes. Buitendag threw up a massive 9.40 ride to take the second position, while Moore secured two 8-point rides to advance to the Quarters.
“I ended up catching a couple of waves there at the end, but for a while there I was thinking that I would have to surf another round,’” Moore said. “I just figured that there was a ten minute lull and something had to come through and luckily it did. Even if it didn’t, I was just ready to give it my best shot and go down kicking and screaming.”
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) blazed through the opening heat of Round 3 against Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) and Laura Enever (AUS). Fitzgibbons earned a solid 15.50 two-wave combined score, leaving a healthy gap between Weston-Webb and Enever. Fitzgibbons will move on to the Quarterfinals.
“Being first heat is always tough,” Fitzgibbons said. “You really have to have that energy level up and it has been a great morning. I’ve been up for a while and the legs and energy felt great. I tried to control the heat with those lully conditions and away we went. I am stoked to be into the Quarterfinals.”
Laura Enever (AUS) eliminated Malia Manuel (HAW) in Round 4 to stay alive in the competition. Enever, who has had a slow start to the 2016 season, solidified her first Quarterfinal entry since the 2015 Fiji Pro. Enever secured the win with a buzzer-beater wave to knock out Manuel by only 0.30 points.
“It was back and forth, but I am stoked to put a heat together like that and come back at the end to get the score I needed,” Enever said. “I haven’t been in the Quarters in a long time. Malia and Courtney have been ripping, and I am so inspired by them and how well all the girls have been surfing. This isn’t my type of wave so for me to get a result here is awesome.”
Highlights from the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro will be webcast LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com.
For more information, log onto WorldSurfLeague.com
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Women’s Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.50, Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 8.83, Laura Enever (AUS) 6.00
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.33, Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.63, Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 7.10
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 16.50, Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 15.50, Sage Erickson (USA) 15.23
Heat 4: Tyler Wright (AUS) 11.97, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.94, Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 9.30
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Women’s Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 11.87 def. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 10.90
Heat 2: Laura Enever (AUS) 14.50 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 14.20
Heat 3: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 14.60 def. Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 9.44
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 17.10 def. Sage Erickson (USA) 14.74
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Women’s Quarterfinal Match-Ups:
QF 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) vs. Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW)
QF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) vs. Laura Enever (AUS)
QF 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Bianca Buitendag (ZAF)
QF 4: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Round 4 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Joel Parkinson (AUS), Julian Wilson (AUS)
Heat 2: Nat Young (USA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Heat 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Kolohe Andino (USA), Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Heat 4: Sebastian Zietz (HAW), Caio Ibelli (BRA), Italo Ferreira (BRA)
Dolphins, airs, Slater out again, drama! It’s the Margarets Pro round 2 highlights
A philosophical Kelly
Kelly Slater (USA), eleven-time WSL Champion, was knocked out of the event by 18-year-old injury replacement Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA). Fioravanti upset the competition as he eliminated the CT superstar in Round 2 Heat 3. Fioravanti charged throughout the heat, first solidifying a 7.93 and then backing that up with an 8.67. Slater, with a 13.43, was not able to close the 3.17 point gap to defeat the injury replacement. Slater has struggled on the 2016 CT and has not yet advanced past Round 3 this season.
“Surfing a heat against Kelly has always been a dream of mine,” Fioravanti said. “To actually beat him in a heat is unbelieveable, I am still in shock. These guys are the best surfers in the world so you have to surf one-hundred percent. It is a special opportunity and you do not get these opportunities that much, so I am having so much fun.”
“I did not start out real great,” Slater said. “I had a quick start, but at the end of my wave I could not see because I was in the foam trying to recover, and when I jumped I went straight onto my tailbone right onto a rock. I think what is going on is that when you get a guy like Leonardo who has nothing to lose and gets into the event as an injury replacement, he knows he has to go out there and have fun and be smart. He had a game plan to be on the best waves and it worked out for him.”
Heat 1 saw John John Florence (HAW) face Adrian Buchan (AUS) and injury replacement Sebastian Zietz (HAW) in an intense match-up. All three competitors posted solid rides throughout the heat, including a huge 9.77 by Zietz and a 9.87 by Florence. Florence put together an 18.87 two-wave combined score, leaving Buchan into a combination situation and Zietz to chase a 9.11. Florence ran away with the win and will advance to Round 3.
“I’ve been surfing out here a lot this time around, where in the past couple of years I would come here on freesurf trips before the event and surf everywhere but here,” Florence said. “This year I have really focused on just surfing here. I have been here a bunch of times and surfed this wave quite a bit. I like this wave a lot.”
Although Buchan lost in Round 1 against Florence, he fought hard through Round 2 to defeat injury replacement and former CT charger Dusty Payne (HAW). The two went blow for blow, each exchanging 8 and 9 point rides. Despite Payne earning the highest ride of the heat, a 9.20, he fell only 0.07 points short of advancing to the next round.
“Dusty is a great surfer out here and he has won the event here before,” Buchan said. “He beat me in the Semis that year. As I was getting ready for the heat, I saw the heat draw and knew it was going to be a good heat. We both put down some great scores and I am sure it was one of those ones where it could have gone either way. I am stoked with how I surfed. I feel like I am doing some great surfing and competing really well and enjoying myself.”
The opening heat of the day saw Kolohe Andino (USA) fly through Round 1 to advance to Round 3 after defeating eleven-time WSL Champion Kelly Slater (USA) and Miguel Pupo (BRA). Andino stayed selective throughout the heat to post a 15.70 two-wave combined score. Slater was not able to find the 8.87 point ride to take the lead away from Andino.
“You have to react really quickly with picking a wave and picking a maneuver,” Andino said. “I wasn’t sure if Kelly was going to go on that first one and then he ended up going. I was stoked he did because it was not that good, but if I would have taken off, I would have gotten an interference, which is not a cool thing to start the heat with.”
After missing the first two events of the 2016 CT due to injury, Alejo Muniz (BRA) is back in action with a win over Kai Otton (AUS) in Heat 8 Round 2. Muniz narrowly pushed ahead of Otton with a 12.23 two-wave combined score. Otton only needed a 6.67 to win the heat, but fell short by only 1.66 points.
“I know that victory was really important to myself, but the real thing was to be here again,” Muniz said. “I missed everyone and I missed wearing the jersey. It has been a personal battle for five months already. I came back to surf two weeks ago and just that feeling to be back in the water was amazing. To be able to be here is such a special moment for me.”
Round 2 saw the 2016 WSL rookie class battle against each other with Caio Ibelli (BRA) against Alex Ribeiro (BRA) in Heat 7, and Kanoa Igarashi (USA) against Ryan Callinan (AUS) in Heat 10. Ibelli and Igarashi will advance to Round 3 after taking out Ribeiro and Callinan, respectively.
Highlights from the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro will be webcast LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com.
For more information, log onto WorldSurfLeague.com
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Remaining Round 1 Results:
Heat 10: Kolohe Andino (USA) 15.70, Kelly Slater (USA) 12.16, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 5.10
Heat 11: Josh Kerr (AUS) 14.93, Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 14.50, Jay Davis (AUS) 9.50
Heat 12: John John Florence (HAW) 18.87, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 15.27, Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 13.20
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: Jeremy Flores (13.00) 14.80 def. Jay Davies (AUS) 14.60
Heat 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.94 def. Jacob Willcox (AUS) 13.73
Heat 3: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 16.60 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 13.43
Heat 4: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 18.06 def. Jack Robinson (AUS) 14.37
Heat 5: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.00 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 17.93
Heat 6: Adam Melling (AUS) 13.84 def. Conner Coffin (USA) 12.63
Heat 7: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 14.74 def. Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 12.83
Heat 8: Alejo Muniz (BRA)12.23 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 10.57
Heat 9: Matt Banting (AUS) 14.90 def. Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 13.30
Heat 10: Kanoa Igarashi (USA) 14.23 def. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 13.64
Heat 11: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 14.50 def. Davey Cathels (AUS) 13.33
Heat 12: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 15.40 def. Keanu Asing (HAW) 13.00
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Men’s Round 3 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. Matt Banting (AUS)
Heat 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 4: Nat Young (USA) vs. Taj Burrow (AUS)
Heat 5: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 8: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)
Heat 9: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Kanoa Igarashi (USA)
Heat 10: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
Heat 11: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Caio Ibelli (BRA)
Heat 12: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Women’s Round 2 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) vs. Keely Andrew (AUS)
Heat 2: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) vs. Chelsea Tuach (BRB)
Heat 3: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Felicity Palmateer (AUS)
Heat 4: Johanne Defay (FRA) vs. Laura Enever (AUS)
Heat 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs. Coco Ho (HAW)
Heat 6: Sage Erickson (USA) vs. Alessa Quizon (HAW)
Taj Burrow to retire
Photo Billabong
Taj has announced he is to retire after 18 years on tour. Taj, 37, won his heat last night but said he had been struggling to keep fitness and focus and felt now was the time to leave the tour.
“I was driving down this morning with a good playlist on and a coffee and I felt so happy and relieved to be making this announcement,” he said.
“The sport has given me so much,” Burrow said. “Years of incredible waves, experiences and friendships that I’ll never forget. The WSL officials and competitors have not only pushed me to be a better surfer but have also become family to me.”
“I just didn’t have my heart in it and when I was losing I was getting just as upset as ever. It just wasn’t adding up, so I thought there’s not a better time to give my spot to someone more hungrier.”
“I felt like I had too much going on. With the birth of my baby there’s been a lot of sleepless nights and I don’t have [former trainer] Johnny Gannon in my corner cracking the whip and I just haven’t been able to keep up,” he said.
“Everything’s been going too fast and I’ve been going into events not prepared. It’s no fun going into events half-assed and not giving it my all, it’s been making me upset and stressed.”
Taj’s last event will by the Fiji Pro
Taj’s first year on tour was 1998.
Taj actually qualified for the tour a year earlier but declined preferring to train.
Taj has 12 world tour titles and is a Pipe Master
He has been a Top 10 finisher 15 years, Runner-Up 1999 and 2007.
Taj was one of the worlds most influential surfers sections in Sabotaj, Montaj, Fair Bits, Hit and Run, Stranger Than Fiction, Trilogy, Still Filthy, showcasing his high performance approach in the air, trade mark tweaks and carves and highly accomplished tube riding.
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