O'Neill World Cup of Surfing

ASP 6 Star WQS Mens Event
Sunset Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
24 November - 6 December 2006

Live Coverage  |  Results/Photos/Videos etc

LATE FLASH SATURDAY :  No contest today Saturday 2 Decmeber 2006

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 2 December, 2006 : - - 6:38 am - - - - Morning Update - - - - - Contest is OFF - - - - O’Neill World Cup of Surfing OFF today. Surf is 2 to 4 & diminishing, high winds and stormy, poor conditions.  

Please check back on Sunday 3 December at 07h30 local tme

LATE SLATER SURVIVES LOWEST SCORING HEAT OF O'NEILL WORLD CUP OF SURFING

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 1 December, 2006 : - - Sunset Beach, HAWAII - - Eight-time world champion Kelly Slater (Florida) made his long-awaited entrance into the 2006 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Series today, seeded into the fourth round of the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach. But Slater's foray into the event wasn't a smooth one, first arriving late to the beach to find his heat already underway, and then narrowly managing a win of what turned out to be the lowest scoring heat of the competition.

The late start could possibly be attributed to the fact that Slater was performing late into the night last night at a North Shore private benefit concert featuring Pearl Jam. The low scores for all four competitors in the heat were largely the fault of the ocean. A declining swell produced erratic waves today that forced competitors to constantly switch gears and positioning. While take-offs were pitchy, steep and critical, 6-foot waves appeared to vaporize underfoot at times, leaving surfers with low scores.

Slater's heat was the fourth of the morning and all his opponents were present when the day's events got underway at 8am. It didn't take long for competitors to realize that their toughest opposition was going to come from the ocean itself. But for Slater, there was no time for introductions. Tripping his way down the beach and signing his competitor's waiver form on the run, six minutes of the 25-minute heat had elapsed by the time Slater was situated in the lineup. Fortuitously, only one wave had been ridden - a mere 1.0 point ride out of 10 by Pancho Sullivan (Hawaii).

Jordy Smith : photo ASP/Covered Images

Flaws in the waves translated into magnified problems for the pro's. Sullivan, one of the most Sunset-seasoned competitors in the tournament, suffered a series of uncharacteristic wipeouts; Slater also had a few spills and unsuccessful tube-ride attempts,; Nathan Carroll (Hawaii) scratched to score higher than 2.5 but never succeeded, and Ola Eleogram (Hawaii) didn't even manage to post a total of one point - his only ride, way into the heat, posted 0.7 points for basically just taking off. Slater ended up winning the heat with a two-wave total of 7.0 points out of a maximum 20. Sullivan scraped through in second with 5.24 points; Carroll was eliminated with 4.73 points, along with Eleogram's 0.70.

"I was still in my house when the heat started," said Slater. "I didn't have the benefit of even checking out the conditions like the other guys did. On top of that, it's been a kind of a strange season so far to surf, so I'm definitely looking forward to better waves as the events continue."

Eliminations today included that of Kieren Perrow (Australia), who still holds highest single wave score and highest heat score total of the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing's, posted in the second round, despite no longer being in the competition. Also taken down were former Vans Triple Crown of Surfing champion Myles Padaca (Hawaii), Bruce Irons (Hawaii), Haleiwa finalist Joel Centeio (Hawaii), and Mikael Picon (France).

Young South African Jordy Smith, 18 years old from Durban, emerged as the top scorer of the men's heats today with 15.0 points. Earlier this year, Smith made the semi-finals of a World Championship Tour event in South Africa as a wildcard.

Cory Ziems : photo ASP/Covered Images

Just one day of competition remains for the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing. The event has until December 6 to finalize. Organizers and surfers will convene tomorrow morning to determine if conditions are good enough to continue or if they'll choose to wait for the next swell to arrive.

Check out the Results/Photos/Videos etc 

The O'Neill World Cup of Surfing is now at round three stage, with top seeds set to start entering the fray. Multiple World Cup and Vans Triple Crown champion Sunny Garcia will be among them. Joining Padaca in moving through today were Australians Drew Courtney, Nic Muscroft and Dayyan Neve; Mainland American Alex Gray, Brazilians Neco Padaratz, Bruno Santos and Andre Silva; and Hawaii's Sean Moody and Hank Gaskell.

 
Previous reports:
# 1 : O'Neill World Cup of Surfing Kick-off party November 24
# 2 : Prestigious O'Neill World Cup of Surfing gets underway  
# 3 : Myles Padaca in top form at O'Neill World Cup of Surfing
# 4 : O'Neill World Cup of Surfing Sunset, postponed Sunday
# 5 : O'Neill World Cup of Surfing on hold due to lack of swell
# 6 : O'Neill World Cup of Surfing is on hold again Wednesday 
# 7 : O'Neill World Cup: Burrow bows out, Slater to surf Friday

www.oneill.com
www.aspworldtour.com
http://www.triplecrownofsurfing.com/oneill/index.html

About O'Neill: The World’s Original Surf Brand
O’Neill was founded in the bone-chilling waves of Northern California when a young man named Jack O’Neill and his unstoppable passion for surfing found a way to beat Mother Nature at her own game. Back in 1952 Jack pioneered the first neoprene wetsuit and opened the doors (garage door) to his first Santa Cruz surf shop.

While many things have changed since these humble beginnings, Jack’s initial vision to produce functional and innovative board riding continues to lie at the core of everything we do. From the first ever neoprene wetsuit back in 1952, to the world’s first stitchless Boardshorts, and now a range of groundbreaking wearable electronics, innovation continues to be the fuel that powers O’Neill onwards.

The family-owned and operated company distributes its products to 85 countries, including more than 2,500 specialty wetsuit and clothing retailers in the U.S and Australia. Consumer information is available at www.oneill.com

About Vans
Vans, Inc., a subsidiary of VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC), is a leading lifestyle brand for the youth market. Vans® collections, which include active and performance footwear, apparel and accessories, snowboard boots and bindings and the Pro-tec® line of protective gear, are sold in the United States through 150 company owned stores and factory outlets as well as independent retailers. Internationally, Vans sells its goods in approximately 50 countries through a network of distributors, sales agents and foreign offices. Vans supports and promotes the action sports lifestyle through such events as the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing™, the Vans Warped Tour™, and the Vans Cup at Tahoe™.

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