Only registered users can write a comment.
Please login or register.
Translate
| The Op Pro Hawai‘i |
|
|
The Op Pro Hawai‘i Ali‘i Beach Park Nov. 18, 2006 Ten-Minute Man Andy Irons Wins the First Jewel of The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing “I took first in ten minutes,” said an ecstatic Andy Irons after being chaired up the beach by fellow Kauians Kai Garcia and Kala Alexander at the 2006 Op Pro Hawai‘i. The three-time World Champ pretty much won the first jewel of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing in two rides and 600 seconds. The North swell that was bringing 2- to 4-foot surf into Hale‘iwa dropped faster than coconuts in a hurricane. The first day of the men’s Op Pro had to be held at Avalanches (the west-lying outer-reef break that is capable of picking up the north swell) due to the unseasonable lack of waves. Because of the way Hale‘iwa’s reef is situated, North swells never really make it into the Ali‘i Beach lineup with good form. On the final day of the event, surfers competed in the traditional Ali‘i setup, trying to make something happen on the lefts. By the time the 35-minute final rolled around, the set waves were elusive. Wave heights hovered in the chest to shoulder high range with 15 mph trade winds. Talk of a "big-wave El Nino" season quickly died down upon completion of the Op Pro in November, which actually made history as the smallest November for surf in almost 60 years of record keeping by the NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration). The lack of high-performance waves and bump on the wave face didn’t seem to bother Andy, who advanced out of the first semi with France’s Mikael Picon. They took out Aussies Luke Steadman and Joel Parkinson. While Parko failed to advance due to an interference call, Luke had problems staying attached to his board. “He never got over falling off his first wave,” assessed shaper/surfer/coach Ben Aipa from the stands. “He carried that over to his other waves.” The second semifinal was far more personal for the hometown crowd because Hale‘iwa locals and best friends Fred Patacchia Jr. and Joel Centeio squared off. The local boys faced Aussies Mick Fanning and Taj Burrow. Taj squeaked to the finals in second place, but the real battle of the heat was between Joel and Fred. Centeio ended up winning the heat by keeping Patacchia off a high scoring left late in the heat. Fred and Joel’s close friend, Jason Shibata, put it all into perspective: “It is what it is, the boys go out and slug it out,” he said. “It’s a ‘may the best man win’ kind of thing.” Joel Centeio went into the final as the only ‘QS surfer to advance past the quarters, meeting up with ‘CT stars AI, Taj Burrow and Mikael Picon. Centeio kept his winning form, but suffered from two lulls longer than the morning line at Pupukea Starbucks. “It got really slow in the heat, but I’ll take a third place,” said the 23-year-old regular-foot. “I’m so stoked, I just gotta do good at Sunset, and make it to the ‘CT.” Centeio sat in second for the majority of the final until Taj turned it on and captured runner-up position, blowing his tail every chance he got. “I was having fun,” said Burrow. “But it was just so slow out there.” In fact, it was so slow that Andy Irons won the comp and took the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing points lead at the beginning of the heat. Andy took a lousy right and made it look epic, whacking the lip twice and floating the white wash like it was coping at a skate park: 7.5 points. Irons followed it up with a 5.5 on a left, and it was over from there. “It was tough out there,” said the 2006 Op Pro Champ. “But the two scores in the beginning helped me out a lot.” This is Irons’ second victory at Hale‘iwa, and he is set to possibly be the first person to win every jewel of a Vans Triple Crown of Surfing season. AI even claimed that winning all of the events is: “the ultimate dream.” Hopefully, for all of us, Andy’s dream comes true.–Daniel Ikaika Ito Op Pro Men's Results: 1) Andy Irons HI $15,000 2) Taj Burrow AUS $8,000 3) Joel Centeio HI $6,000 4) Mikael Picon FRA $4,000
» No Comments
» Post Comment
|
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|