Getting some love from the ASP
YOUNG GUNS CAUSE BIG UPSETS AT HONDA U.S. OPEN TRIALS DAY 2
HUNTINGTON BEACH, California (Saturday, July 21, 2007) – The second day of the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O’Neill saw similar conditions to yesterday with surf in the 1’ to 2’ (0.5 metre) range, however competitors in the men’s, junior’s and longboard divisions stormed ahead displaying surprising abilities in the less-than-ideal surf.
Competition in the Trials for the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star event heated up today as the field narrowed down to the remaining 16 surfers.
Casey Brown (Kona, HI) put the remaining trialists on notice today, while securing the highest heat total of the today’s Trials competition, a 17.00 out of a possible 20. The progressive goofy-footer lit up the tiny peaks with a flurry of speedy, fin-free maneuvers and unmatched power.
“It’s small, but there are still a couple of fun waves out there,” Brown said. “At least it’s glassy and you can still get some turns in. I was just lucky that those waves came to me.”
Brown will join the final 16 trialists tomorrow as they compete for the highly-coveted eight seeds into the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O’Neill which begins Monday morning. Among them are Peter Devries (Tofino, CAN), Tommy O’Brien (Melbourne Beach, FL), Ricky Whitlock (Carlsbad, CA), Josh Fuller (HI), Greg Cordeiro (BRA), Chris Drummy (Newport Beach, CA), Bron Heussenstamm (South Bay, CA), Sean Marceron (Encinitas, CA), Travis Molina (San Diego, CA), Cory Arrambide (Ventura, CA), Granger Larsen (Lahaina, HI), Felipe Ximenes (BRA), Jeremy Johnston (New Smyrna Beach, FL), Kilian Garland (Newport Beach, CA) and Justin Jones (Melbourne Beach, FL).
“I’d be super stoked to get through to the main event,” Brown said. “I’m still in the Pro Junior, but I’m really working on building my seed for the WQS, and to get into the U.S. Open would be a big push for me.”
The ASP Grade-2 Lost Pro Junior also ran today, further narrowing the draw before the finalists are decided tomorrow. With the prestige of competing in front of the capacity crowd next Sunday, the remaining Lost Pro Junior competitors took it up a notch with some hard fought heats.
Junior Faria (Sao Paulo, BRA) caused a big upset today as he eliminated current No. 4 on the ASP North America Pro Junior Series, Travis Beckmann (Vero Beach, FL), from Lost Pro Junior competition.
“The competition here at the U.S. Open is so big – it’s the biggest one I have ever been in,” Faria said. “There are so many people watching on the beach. To be able to compete in front of so many people would be a real honor.”
Hitting the water for the first time today was the Honda U.S. Open of Longboarding, and despite the small surf, some stylish surfing was on display as both young and old competitors battled it out.
Justin Quintal (Neptune Beach, FL), 17, amassed the highest total of the day with a 17.43 out of a possible 20. The young natural-footer impressed everyone with his attractive blend of traditional noseriding and progressive maneuvering.
“I just went out there to have fun and was lucky enough to get a few waves that lined up for me,” Quintal said. “I’m from Florida, so we have lots of surf just like this. I feel pretty comfortable in these conditions.”
Tomorrow’s action will see the finalists decided for both the Lost Pro Junior as well as the Honda U.S. Open of Longboarding, and both groups will compete next Sunday, July 29. The Trials of the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing will also culminate tomorrow with the top eight finishers receiving seeds into the ASP WQS 6-Star event starting on Monday, July 23.
Daily event images will be available to the media. For more information, please contact the ASP North America Media Manager.
The Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O’Neill will begin webcasting this Thursday, July 26, 2007.