O'Neill Cold Water Classic
Presented by Jeep

ASP 4 Star WQS Mens Event
Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, Calif.
17 - 22 October 2006

Live Coverage  |  Results/Photos/Videos etc

Competition intensifies at the O'Neill Coldwater Classic

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 18 October, 2006 : - - SANTA CRUZ, Calif.  – The O’Neill Cold Water Classic presented by Jeep went off again wednesday morning with the opening heats of round two hitting the water in 1-3 foot waves at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, California.

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) four-star event ran all the way through the second round today narrowing it down to the final 96 competitors in the last event of both the 2006 ASP North America tour and the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series presented by Jeep.

Josh Mulcoy (Santa Cruz, Calif.), capitalizing on his advancement through yesterday’s trials heats, continued in excellent form today blasting his way into round three.

“I think the last time I surfed Steamer (Lane) was last year when I had the jersey on for this event,” Mulcoy said.  “I live on the other side of town so I don’t surf here that much but it’s still home and I feel comfortable out there.  I feel like the momentum from yesterday’s trials heats have helped and hopefully I can make it through a few more.”

The locals continued their domination of the venue today, and as the tide dropped, conditions improved with big scores being dropped on the roping righthanders.

Peter Mel (Santa Cruz, Calif.), renowned for his big wave prowess, continued to show the world that he is the quintessential surfer by dominating his afternoon heat today.  The big man surfed with style, punch and bite, incorporating an exciting blend of full rotational maneuvers with his signature power gouges.

“I have a really good board under my feet and I feel like I’ve generated a good rhythm for myself,” Mel said.  “There are still plenty of rippable waves out there and it’s only supposed to get better as the week progresses.”

Tonino Benson (Kona, Haw.) locked down the day’s highest single-wave score of an 8.50 out of a possible 10 for a blistering series of hacks on his backhand. “It’s a pretty tricky wave to surf backside,” Benson said.  “Sometimes it’s lumpy and sometimes it’s dumpy.  That wave kind of bowled out and I was able to hook a few turns in.”

Tomorrow will see the top-seeded competitors hit the water for rounds three and four.  Among them will be current ratings-leader on the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series presented by Jeep, Dustin Cuizon (Ewa Beach, Haw.).  Cuizon, who took down last April’s Body Glove Surfbout presented by Adio and finished fourth at last month’s Newport Beach Pro presented by Jeep, will be looking for an excellent result here to maintain his lead in the Trifecta.  If he is able to stave off his opponents, the young Hawaiian will be awarded $10,000 prize.

The Oakley Pro Junior (an ASP grade-two event), running in conjunction with the O’Neill Cold Water Classic presented by Jeep, will commence on Friday, October 20th, 2006, featuring some of the best junior competitors (aged 20 and under) in world vying for their last opportunity at qualifying for the prestigious ASP World Junior Championships. 

The top-four finishers on the ASP North America Pro Junior series, along with Alex Gray (Palos Verdes, Calif.) will be sent to the ASP World Junior Championships held in Narrabeen, New South Wales, Australia.  Gray has already secured his entry by being the highest-ranked North America surfer of the WQS who is of junior age – Gray is currently ranked 43rd.

Event organizers and surfers will meet tomorrow morning to assess a possible 8:00 am start at Steamer Lane or a 9:00 am start at backup location Waddell Creek – depending on conditions.

TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE:
8:00 am – 2:40 pm:         Round 3 (96 surfers remaining)         Heats 1 – 16
2:40 pm – 4:20 pm:         Round 4 (68 surfers remaining)         Heats 1 – 4

RESULTS – Day 2

Round 2: 128 surfers left (1st and 2nd advance)
Heat 1: Josh Montgomery (USA) 8.20, Wesley de Souza (USA) 7.90, Sean Taylor (USA) 7.86, Joe Tanaka (JPN) 7.66
Heat 2: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 10.44, Omar Etcheverry (USA) 5.47, Ricky Whitlock (USA) 5.00, Jordan Carter (USA) 0.37
Heat 3: Dede Suryana (IND) 10.66, Sean Hayes (USA) 8.87, Jeremy Sherwin (USA) 7.40, Brandon Guilmette (USA) 3.43
Heat 4: Noi Kaulukukui (USA) 9.07, Chris Drummy (USA) 6.74, Chaz Chidester (HAW) 6.40, Josh Fuller (AUS) 4.40
Heat 5: Ryan Peterson (USA) 14.70, Josh Loya (USA) 9.77, Magnum Martinez (VEN) 7.63, Liam McNamara (HAW) 6.33
Heat 6: Marcus Hickman (HAW) 9.77, Kellen Ellison (USA) 9.50, Jesse Heilman (USA) 5.83, Morgan Faulkner (HAW) 5.63
Heat 7: Che Stang (USA) 14.17, Sean Marceron (USA) 6.94, Matt Myers (USA) 6.70, Sean Marceron (USA) 6.94
Heat 8: Eric McHenry (USA) 13.93, Kahea Hart (HAW) 8.00, Kilian Garland (USA) 6.96, Brandon Ragenovich (USA) 6.24
Heat 9: Dusty Payne (HAW) 13.10, Drew Ventura (USA) 10.77, Alejandro Moreda (PRI) 9.67, Justin Swartz (USA) 8.17
Heat 10: Zach Plopper (USA) 10.67, Kai Ellison (USA) 9.46, Darren Turner (AUS) 9.23, Dylan Slater (USA) 4.80
Heat 11: Tonino Benson (HAW) 13.67, Sterling Spencer (USA) 12.24, John Daniels (USA) 8.00, Shey Yates (USA) 3.17
Heat 12: Josh Mulcoy (USA) 15.33, Eric Geiselman (USA) 11.10, Golden Depesa (HAW) 10.17, Jeremy Ryan (USA) 6.57
Heat 13: Peter Mel (USA) 15.20, Peter Garaway (USA) 12.33, Geoff Brack (USA) 6.90, Josh Dowthwaite (AUS) 4.12
Heat 14: Micah Byrne (USA) 15.40, Adam Virs (USA) 13.34, Ted Navarro (USA) 8.43, Mason Ho (HAW) 8.80
Heat 15: Randy Bonds (USA) 10.20, Granger Larsen (HAW) 7.33, Michael Spencer (AUS) 6.57, Alex Kamkoff (VEN) 3.70
Heat 16: Brandon Roberts (ZAF) 8.97, Mark Matthews (AUS) 8.33, James Athorn (AUS) 7.94, Michael Hoisington (USA) 6.00

Previous reports: # 1 : O'Neill Cold Water Classic contest attracting top surfers # 2 : The O'Neill Cold Water Classic holds SC local trial round # 3 : Locals dominate Day 1 of the O'Neill Coldwater Classic # 4 : Coming soon

About O'Neill
O'Neill is the world's original surf brand.  The family-owned and operated company distributes its products to 85 countries, including more than 2,000 specialty wetsuit and clothing retailers in the U.S.  Consumer information is available at www.oneill.com.

About the Jeep Brand
The Jeep brand's 65-year history of legendary capability has made it synonymous with freedom, adventure, mastery and authenticity. In 2006, the Jeep brand continues to deliver on its promise to provide rugged, versatile, innovative four-wheel drive vehicles with the recently introduced Jeep Wrangler, four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot.

This expansion of the Jeep brand grows its showroom from three to seven sport-utility vehicles following last year's introduction of the Jeep Commander. The other two Jeep vehicles are the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty.

About PRIMEDIA'S Action Sports Group
Reaching more than two million enthusiasts, PRIMEDIA's ASG is the dominant force in the action sports and adventure sports arenas. In addition to SURFER, the ASG publishes leading lifestyle publications such as Surfing, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Bike, Powder, Climbing and Canoe & Kayak. PRIMEDIA's ASG delivers a cutting-edge network of online properties, events and television programming.  Learn more online at: www.actionsportsgroup.net About Macy's West Macy's West, a division of Federated headquartered in San Francisco, operates 174 stores in  seven states and Guam, with annual sales of more than four billion. At Macy's we are committed to supporting the communities where we live and work.  In 2005, we raised and donated nearly $14 million in community support through our fundraising efforts.

About Oakley Inc.
Oakley, Inc. designs, manufactures and distributes high-performance sunglasses, prescription lenses and frames, goggles and technology-enabled eyewear that utilize the company's High Definition Optics(R) (HDO(R)), a collective platform of patented technologies that offer unbeatable optical performance. The company also produces technical and active apparel, footwear and accessories. Trailing-12-month net sales through December 31, 2005 totaled US $648.1 million. Oakley, Inc. press releases, SEC filings and the company's annual report are available at investor.oakley.com.

About the Association of Surfing Professionals The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing.  Crowning surfing's undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the Foster's ASP Men's World Tour (WCT), the ASP Women's World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world's best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.  These regions manage all their respective domestic affairs under the guidance of ASP International, which is located on the Gold Coast of Australia.  ASP International and ASP North America are committed to the progression of surfing and are dedicated to continuing excellent relationships with their surfers, event operators, sponsors and media.  For more information log onto www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org

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