So the ASP is dead. It’s breathed its last. It is an ex umbrella organisation for pro surfing…
From the ashes of the ASP shall rise the World Surf League. Yes. We know it’s an awful name. But the tour is US centric now so we just have to deal with the cheese.
And get used to calling it the WSL as opposed to the ASP World Tour. WSL sounds a bit like weasel but there you go. Anyhoose. Here’s the guys and gals that made the cut for the first year of the WSL. May it be filled with barrels.
**PRESS RELEASE BELOW**
The 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour season has come to a close, with Brazilian phenom Gabriel Medina clinching his inaugural men’s title and Australian sensation Stephanie Gilmore claiming a sixth women’s title.
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) will become the World Surf League (WSL) in 2015, delivering the athleticism, adventure and competitive drama of the world’s best surfers in the world’s best waves from around the globe.
The 2015 elite men’s Championship Tour (CT) will be contested by the WSL Top 34, made up of the top 22 finishers on 2014 CT season, the top 10 finishers on the 2014 Qualifying Series (QS) and two WSL wildcards.
2014 Top 22 CT:
Gabriel Medina (BRA)
Mick Fanning (AUS)
John John Florence (HAW)
Kelly Slater (USA)
Michel Bourez (PYF)
Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Adriano de Souza (BRA)
Taj Burrow (AUS)
Josh Kerr (AUS)
Kolohe Andino (USA)
Owen Wright (AUS)
Nat Young (USA)
Julian Wilson (AUS)
Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Bede Durbidge (AUS)
Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Kai Otton (AUS)
Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
Freddy Patacchia Jr. (HAW)
Jadson Andre (BRA)
2014 Top 10 QS (minus double qualifiers from CT):
Matt Banting (AUS)
Wiggolly Dantas (BRA)
Adam Melling (AUS)
Italo Ferreira (BRA)
Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Keanu Asing (HAW)
Dusty Payne (HAW)
Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Brett Simpson (USA)
Ricardo Christie (NZL)
WSL Wildcards: C.J. Hobgood (USA) and Glenn Hall (IRL)
The 2015 elite women’s Championship Tour (CT) will be contested by the WSL Top 17, comprised of the top 10 finishers on the 2014 CT, the top six finishers on the 2014 QS and the WSL wildcard.
2014 Top 10 CT:
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
Tyler Wright (AUS)
Carissa Moore (HAW)
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
Malia Manuel (HAW)
Lakey Peterson (AUS)
Bianca Buitendag (ZAF)
Johanne Defay (FRA)
Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Laura Enever (AUS)
2014 Top 6 QS (minus double qualifiers from CT):
Silvana Lima (BRA)
Coco Ho (HAW)
Sage Erickson (USA)
Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)
Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW)
Alessa Quizon (HAW)
So. As you know Mick Fanning stole a march on his fourth world title yesterday in Portugal. With Gabriel Medina throwing his toys out the pram and Slater’s uncharacteristic loss to Aritz it’s all to play for coming in to Pipeline. The scenarios below lay out who needs what. It is, in essence, Medina’s to lose. If he bungles it in the early rounds then it becomes a duel between Fanning and Slater. History would favour Slater in such a scenario. But Medina is no North Shore slouch. Even with limited experience at Pipe he has already made the quarters there. It’s going to be a fascinating tussle. Assuming the locals let the ASP run the event with the only two local wildcards…
If Medina finishes 2nd or better at the Billabong Pipeline Masters, he will clinch the 2014 ASP World Title.
If Medina finishes 3rd at the Billabong Pipeline Masters, Fanning will need to win the event and Slater will be out of contention.
If Medina finishes 5th at the Billabong Pipeline Masters, Fanning will need to win the event and Slater will be out of contention.
If Medina finishes 9th at the Billabong Pipeline Masters, Fanning will need to finish 2nd or better and Slater will be out of contention.
If Medina finishes 13th or 25th at the Billabong Pipeline Masters, Fanning will need to finish 3rd to win or 5th to send the title race into a one-heat “surf-off” between himself and Medina.
If Medina finishes 13th or 25th at the Billabong Pipeline Masters, Slater will need to win the event.
PLAYA DE SAN JUAN, Teguise / Lanzarote – Canary Islands (Saturday, September 27, 2014) – Luke Dillon (GBR) 19, and Tessa Thyssen (GLP) 17, have won the inaugural ASP 2-Star Teguise 2014 Franito Pro Junior in 2-to-3-foot surf at the pristine San Juan pointbreak.
Dillon came out victorious of an exciting final against Miguel Blanco (PRT) 18, in which the two surfers battled in multiple exchanges on back-to-back waves to deliver an action-packed 35-minute bout. His polished, radical backhand attack got Dillon the winning edge with an excellent 8.27 to seal the deal.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable to win here in front of everybody,” an ecstatic Dillon said. “This is like my second home and I had all my family and friends here. This is a major European contest and I’m over the moon to get the win today. I’ve been training here for five or six weeks, and I’ve been coming here for years so I’d say I know the wave pretty well and that helped me a lot.”
The last minute heroics Dillon proved capable of in Lanzarote vaulted the young British surfer up to fourth place on the European rankings, synonym of a coveted ticket for the ASP World Junior, next month in Portugal.
“There’s load of good kids coming up in England so hopefully my win here today just shows that it’s possible for us British surfers too,” Dillon added. “Get a few of you over, concentrate, train a lot and have a laugh and good things will come. That’s what the older guys have told me and that’s what I’m telling the younger kids now. Before I came over I sort of thought it was possible to qualify for the World Junior but for it to come true honestly it’s incredible.”
Portugal’s Blanco, carrying momentum from a couple of big performances in the quarters and semis, started the final off great with solid surfing to take an early lead. In a tight battle for first place, Blanco eventually missed a final opportunity, sitting in the lineup for a long ten minutes but unable to find a big set wave. Runner-up in Lanzarote, the talented regular-footer nets a career high result and looks strong for the 2015 junior season.
“It was a good final, Luke and I had big scores and it was exciting,” Blanco confirmed. “He got the two best waves so I’m a bit disappointed cause I wanted more, but I have one more season in the Juniors so I’ll be coming back for more ! I came close to winning an event twice so that’s my main goal now for sure.”
In an all-Guadeloupean Women’s final, Thyssen and Kim Veteau (GLP) 17, started on medium scores to gradually build towards excellence with powersurfing in a regular vs. goofy opposition. Thyssen on her forehand capitalized on her powerful and stylish snaps to post two solid scores and take the win.
“I was so stoked to surf against Kim in the final because I knew this was the culmination of the whole season,” Thyssen commented. “We didn’t get as many waves as we hoped but we had a good fight and in the end I was lucky to find the two good waves. I concentrated on really pushing the first bottom turn and first snap cause I knew the judges like when we attack the first and most critical section.”
With one victory each under their belt before the final showdown in Lanzarote, Thyssen and Veteau battled not only for the event crown but also for the European Junior title.
“I’m so happy with my season,” Thyssen added. “I won the first and last event this year so it’s definitely satisfying to put together a consistent year. I’m super proud to represent Europe with Kim at the World Junior, I know we’ll both give our maximum and I’m looking forward to the next couple of Junior seasons as well, they should be really exciting !”
Veteau, author of the event’s highest combined heat total of a 17.43 earlier this week, couldn’t unfortunately keep her excellent rhythm into the final heat, missing on the best waves coming through the lineup during the 35-minute heat.
“We had a long lull in the final and I needed a big scores” Veteau said. “I knew I could do it, but I also knew an average wave wouldn’t be enough so I waited and never found a set. It’s a little frustrating, but I’m super stoked for Tessa and I’m happy to qualify for the World Junior too.”
Going head-to-head with Thyssen all-year, Veteau put on a great fight and will be a force to be reckoned with when the season recommences in 2015. The two French Carribean surfers, only just starting their professional careers, carried maturity and fair-play everywhere they competed and will be great role models for the up-and-coming crowd of talent hailing from their native island.
“We’ve competed together and against each other for years with Tessa,” Veteau admitted. “We love where we’re from. Guadeloupe is just starting to show on the global surfing map and we want to represent it the best we can. In the water it can get tense, but out of the water we’re great friends and always supporting each other through highs and lows.”
The ASP 2-Star Teguise 2014 Franito Pro Junior is scheduled from September 24-28, 2014 in Teguise, Lanzarote / Canary Islands, SPAIN. For all results, photos, video highlights and press releases, log on to aspworldtour.com.
The Teguise 2014 Franito Pro Junior is supported by Ayuntamiento de Teguise and Franito Surf School as well as Cabildo de Lanzarote, Rusty, Be Live hoteles and Lineas Romero among others.
TEGUISE 2014 FRANITO PRO JUNIOR MEN’S FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Luke Dillon (GBR) 15.34
2 – Miguel Blanco (PRT) 14.33
TEGUISE 2014 FRANITO PRO JUNIOR WOMEN’S FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Tessa Thyssen (GLP) 14.50
2 – Kim Veteau (GLP) 10.77
TEGUISE 2014 FRANITO PRO JUNIOR MEN’S SEMIFINALS RESULTS:
SF 1: Luke Dillon (GBR) 14.96 def. Andy Criere (FRA) 14.93
SF 2: Miguel Blanco (PRT) 14.50 def. Diego Mignot (FRA) 10.90
TEGUISE 2014 FRANITO PRO JUNIOR WOMEN’S SEMIFINALS RESULTS:
HOSSEGOR/SEIGNOSSE, Southwest Coast/France (Saturday, September 27, 2014) – Les Gardians delivered pristine three-to-four foot (1 – 1.5 metre) waves for the world’s best surfers today as nine heats of the Quiksilver Pro France Round 2 were completed as well as the deciding of the Roxy Pro France Quarterfinalists.
http://youtu.be/G8gVQOH0Jjg
Kelly Slater (USA), 11-time ASP World Champion and current World No. 2, posted an early victory over dangerous wildcard Dane Reynolds (USA) to advance into Round 3. At 42 years of age, Slater continues to push the limits of high-performance surfing and will look to gain ground on current frontrunner Gabriel Medina (BRA) with a big result in France.
“I’m nervous about each heat now,” Slater said. “The pressure is on me to perform and to win events if I want to catch up to Gabriel (Medina). I’ve been coming to France to surf for 25 years now and I’m about as comfortable as one can get. It’s about adaptability. The tide, waves, wind, banks and general conditions are always changing so you’re never overly confident. The guys who have surfed well here over the years, like Mick (Fanning) and Andy (Irons), have figured that out.”
Mick Fanning (AUS), three-time ASP World Champion and current World No. 4, faced off against a difficult wildcard of his own in Matt Banting (AUS). Banting is the current ratings leader on the ASP Qualification Series (QS) and will likely join the world’s elite in 2015.
“I’m feeling good and focused, but you can never discount the conditions here in France nor an opponent like Matt (Banting),” Fanning said. “Fortunately the waves cooperated and we had good surf for the heat. My surfing is feeling strong and boards feel good, but we really can’t get too far ahead of ourselves.”
John John Florence (HAW) continued to impress with his aerial repertoire and go-for-broke approach to competitive surfing. The Hawaiian executed a number of dynamic and powerful turns to dispatch of Raoni Monteiro (BRA) and advance through to Round 3.
“The waves were super fun for our heat out there,” Florence said. “You never know what you’re going to get in France with the conditions for your heat, but we had really racy righthanders that were good for turns and airs.”
Kolohe Andino (USA), current ASP World No. 9, lost a close Round 1 heat yesterday, but the high-flying Californian put on an impressive display in today’s Round 2 over compatriot Brett Simpson (USA).
“I felt like I got a bit underscored yesterday and there was some debate over whether or not I was completing the maneuvers,” Andino said. “I made sure there was no confusion today. Super fun waves though and hope for more tomorrow.”
Travis Logie (ZAF), current ASP World No. 31, delivered the first upset of the event this morning in eliminating high-rated Nat Young (USA). Logie’s speed-based precision backhand served him well in his advancement into Round 3.
“It’s a crucial part of the season for me,” Logie said. “I’m in need of a result, but I feel confident in Europe and hope to climb the ratings before the leg is finished.”
The Roxy Pro France, Event No. 8 of 10 on the 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP Women’s World Championship Tour, completed Round 4 this morning, locking in the Quarterfinalists for a potential finish tomorrow.
Johanne Defay (FRA), 2014 ASP Women’s World Tour rookie, took on compatriot Pauline Ado (FRA) in front of a passionate home crowd this morning. While her elder opponent found opportunity in terms of waves, it was Defay’s power-based approach that earned her the win.
“The support I have received from home and now at home this year has been very appreciated,” Defay said. “It’s a dream to be surfing at this level in front of my family and supporters and I’m very happy to be into the Quarterfinals.”
Defay was joined by fellow rookie Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) in advancing through to the Quarterfinals.
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), five-time ASP Women’s World Champion, was electric in her Round 4 match-up against Lakey Peterson (USA), putting a hypercharged approach to work in the clean morning conditions.
“Lakey (Peterson) is a tough opponent,” Gilmore said. “We saw her take out Carissa (Moore) last week at Trestles so I definitely wasn’t taking her lightly. Since Trestles, I feel like I’ve been surfing well. I have a good batch of boards with me and I’m feeling more in rhythm. If there’s opportunity for me to gain ground here in France, I want to do it.”
Gilmore will face reigning two-time ASP World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) in the Roxy Pro France Quarterfinals when competition resumes.
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7:30am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.
Surfline, official forecasters for the Quiksilver Pro France, are calling for:
Reinforcing swell due for the weekend holds into Monday before fading into mid next week. Another, potentially stronger, shot of swell is expected for late next week.
Highlights from the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France will be available at ASPWorldTour.com
Quiksilver Pro France Round Results (1st advances to Round 3, 2nd Finishes Equal 25th) :
Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.27 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 11.84
Heat 10: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) vs. Mitch Crews (AUS)
Heat 11: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 12: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT)
Running in conjunction with the Quiksilver Pro France is Stop No. 8 of 10 on the 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP Women’s World Championship Tour, the Roxy Pro France:
Roxy Pro France Round 4 Results (1st advances to Quarterfinals, 2nd finishes Equal 9th):
The all new and improved ASP has got Samsung onboard as a sponsor and they’ve produced something actually pretty cool. Yes it’s an ad but as ‘surfing meets the mainstream’ goes it’s a banging effort.
The WQS event happening now in South Africa has been on fire… Here’s a selection of pics from the ASP.
Filipe Toledo has been on devastating form…
Flip again
Frederico Morais
Jack Freestone
Johnny Gonzalez
Tiago Pires
Timmy Reyes
Torrey Meister
Torrey again…
