Josh Constable : photo Cazenave/Oxbow

Oxbow Pro World Longboard Championship

ASP WLC Mens Event
Anglet, France
30 April - 6 May 2007

Live Coverage  |  Results/Photos/Videos etc

ROOKIES AND BIG GUNS SHARE HONOURS ON EPIC DAY 2 OF OXBOW PRO WORLD LONGBOARD CHAMPIONSHIP

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 2 May, 2007 : - - Anglet, France – It was another classic day of action-packed surfing as a mix of perennial contenders and young rookies shone in epic conditions at the Oxbow Pro World Longboard Championship.

The 48-man championship event held in Anglet, France will determine the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 2007 Men’s World Longboard Champion. The importance of the event was reflected in the standard of surfing with incredible performances on show in the large, 6 to 8 foot (2 -2.5 metre) offshore, powerful conditions.

The sudden death Round 2 started with the current world champion Josh Constable (AUS) absolutely dominating his opponent, young wildcard entrant Troy Mothershead (USA). Constable used his considerable size and strength, showed no nerves and looked in awesome form.

"I wasn’t too nervous," said Constable after his win. "I mean there is a little pressure being the current world champ and all that, but my first wave was a good one and my plan worked well.”

Harrison Roach : photo Cazenave/Oxbow

Constable scored a solid heat score of 16.25 points out of 20.00 and never looked like losing. "For me it’s unreal to have a little size and to surf at beachbreaks, which I love,” Constable said. “I didn’t feel any nerves and I surfed strong, so right now, it's all good.”

Hawaiian John Snow, the man Constable beat in last year's Oxbow Pro World Longboard Championship final, surfed in the following heat. In this heat Snow was too strong for the trials wildcard Jared Neal (AUS). He surfed incredibly well illustrating that both he and Constable look like favorites for a final berth again this year.

In the first heat of the day young Australian wildcard entrant Harrison Roach put in a performance way beyond his years to win his Round 1 heat and progress straight through to the third round.

His Round 3 heat will be his first ever man-on-man heat, something that the kid from Noosa didn’t seem too concerned about. When asked who he was afraid of surfing against, the 17-year-old responded confidently: "Nobody. I’m just going to go out and do my own thing and hopefully get the waves that count."

Amaro Matos : photo Cazenave/Oxbow

Another rookie and wildcard to progress was French hopeful Antoine Delpero. With a big crowd on hand to watch the local surfer, he didn’t disappoint, mixing some stylish traditional longboarding moves with radical closeout re-entries.

“I’ve surfed around here for a few years and I love this spot,” Delpero said. “It’s powerful and it is one of my favorite spots. I actually felt the pressure more yesterday, but today I caught a really good wave at the very start and from then on had no nerves.” Delpero scored a solid two-wave total of 15.25 out of 20.00 and defeated experienced Australian Grant Thomas.

The best wave of the day, and the whole competition, was a 9.65 scored by Amaro Matos (BRA). Matos took off on a solid set wave and performed a classic soul arch hang ten, before dropping down, moving his feet back, pulling into a barrel and traveling for three seconds through a classic tube. It was probably only a fall right at the end of the wave that cost him a 10-point ride. That wave helped him overcome his opponent Alban Meric (FRA) who is now eliminated from the event.

"Wow, I’m so happy," Matos said. "I was very nervous before the heat and I think so much about this heat, and I asked for God to help me and he helped with that wave. You know I am 41-years-old and my heart is too old for all this kind of thing," Matos laughed.

Antoine Delperho : photo Cazenave/Oxbow 

By late afternoon, with the high tide causing the waves to deteriorate, organizers opted to finish the day with eight heats of Round 2. Conditions are predicted to be similar tomorrow at the fabled beachbreaks of les Cavaliers, so another epic day of longboard surfing will be on offer. For more information go to www.oxboworld.com

Remaining Round 2 match ups
Heat 9: Noah Shimabukuro (HAW) vs Dodger Kremel (USA)
Heat 10: Ben Skinner (GBR) vs David Kinoshita (JPN)
Heat 11: Kekoa Uemura (HAW) vs Keegan Edwards (HAW)
Heat 12: Carlos Bahia (BRA) vs Brett Heimstra (USA)
Heat 13: Roger Barros (BRA) vs Dennis Bourg (USA)
Heat 14: Tom Lloy (USA) vs Joe Aaron (USA)
Heat 15: Jed Morouse (USA) vs Anri Nabeshima (JPN)
Heat 16: Phil Rajzman (BRA) vs Alex Salazar (BRA)

Oxbow Pro World Longboard Championship Results Round 2: Winners progress to Round 3
Heat 1: Josh Constable (AUS) 16.25 d Troy Mothershead 10.25(USA)
Heat 2: Ned Snow (HAW) 15.20 d Jared Neal (AUS) 11.35
Heat 3: Taylor Jensen (USA) 11.00 d Nobuhiro Ogashira (JPN) 7.1
Heat 4: Amaro Matos (BRA) 16.15 d Alban Meric (FRA) 6.0
Heat 5: Jonathan Larcher (FRA) 13.75 d Diego Rosas (BRA) 12.40
Heat 6: Antoine Delpero (FRA) 15.25 d Grant Thomas (AUS) 9.75
Heat 7: Josh Baxter (USA) 12.35 d Michael Detemple (USA) 10.30
Heat 8: Romain Maurin (FRA) 12.35 d Takuji Masuda (JPN) 10.30 

 

AM Report:

INCREDIBLE WAVES FOR DAY 2 OF OXBOW PRO WORLD LONGBOARD CHAMPIONSHIP

A solid six-to-eight foot swell and clean conditions greeted competitors at les Cavaliers this morning for the Oxbow Pro World Longboard Championship. After yesterday's stormy conditions, today the sun is shining and powerful, crunching rights and lefts are rifling across the triangle sandbank here at Anglet, on the Basque coast of southwest France.

The conditions are worthy of a competition of this importance. With no world longboard tour in effect, the winner of this event will be crowned the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) International 2007 World Longboard Champion.

The remaining eight heats of Round 1 will kick off this morning with organisers hoping to run through to the second round this afternoon. It looks like there will be a full day of incredible longboard surfing ahead of us.

The judges are rewarding those surfers that combine the traditional longboard moves like putting the toes on the nose, with more modern, quickfire manoeuvres. It is a fusion of surfing’s ancient heritage and all the modern day radical advances.

Former world champion and all round surfing legend Nat Young was on hand this morning, both as a patron of the event and also to watch the progress of his youngest son Bryce, who is surfing in the championship.

“The waves are incredible and with this style of surfing you really get to appreciate the style of the surfers. It is not so quick as the shortboard surfing and so you can really take it all in. It’s a beautiful mix.”

With good conditions predicted for the rest of the week there will be plenty of time to appreciate this, “beautiful mix”. And by the end of what should be an epic day’s surfing today, we should have a better indication of just who will be crowned the ASP’s International 2007 World Longboard Champion. Go to www.oxboworld.com for more information.

Heat Draw
Round 1; 1st advances to Round 3, 2nd and 3rd surf Round 2
Heat 9: Ned Snow (HAW), Noah Shimbakuro (HAW), Harrison Roach (AUS)
Heat 10: Harley Ingleby (AUS), Ben Skinner (GBR), Jared Neal (AUS)
Heat 11: Grant Thomas (AUS), Jeremias da Silva (BRA), Michael DeTemple (USA)
Heat 12: Jonas Lima (BRA), Arni Nabeshima (JPN), Takuji Masuda (JPN)
Heat 13: Danilo Rodrigo (BRA), Joe Aaron (USA), Dodger Kremel (USA)
Heat 14: Josh Baxter (USA), Dennis Bourg (USA), Jamie Viudes (BRA)
Heat 15: Tomothee Creignout (FRA), Brett Heimstra (USA), David Kinoshita (JPN)
Heat 16: Romain Maurin (FRA), Eduardo Bage (BRA), Keegan Edwards (HAW) 

Oxbow Pro Video
Day 1 Video
Day 2 Video
Day 3 Video

Interview - Oxbow Pro - Day 3
Takuji Masuda

Oxbow Pro Champs Flash Audio
Download Audio file in French
Download Audio file in English

Check the Live Coverage

Oxbow and Volkswagen have associated this year, 2007, in order to create a personalized line for the FOX. This automobile, aimed at youth, has as its goal to recreate «the universe of surfing in a car.» Oxbow and Volkswagen will take advantage of the Oxbow World Longboard Championship to seal this partnership between their two brands.

Take note of an exceptional evening party on May 2nd, to celebrate the official debut of the Oxbow Fox. HP, official partner of the Oxbow Pro World Longboard Championship 2007, puts its technological expertise to the service of the longboarders, judges and spectators. Portable computers and flat screens will be at the disposition of judges and spectators so they will not miss one single ride. Also, it will be on a particularly stylish HP «special edition» laptop that Laird Hamilton will chat with «internauts» live from Anglet.

Finally, the activity «Shoot & Print HP» will permit longboard fans on the site to immortalize the event and go home with a souvenir photo! An Oxbow/Microsoft gadget, for all fans of surfing throughout the entire world, designed in order to follow the competition without stepping out of their doors!

On the occasion of the Oxbow Pro World Longboard Championship 2007, Oxbow and Microsoft have joined to develop this gadget for Windows Vista. It permits all boardsports enthusiasts to follow -- live -- the highlights of the contest and to be informed of the main results.

Check the Live Coverage

Previous reports:
# 1 : Oxbow World Longboard Champs are coming to Anglet
# 2 : Oxbow to host official ASP World Longboard Tour event
# 3 : Oxbow Word Longboard Championship event overview

# 4 : Oxbow Pro to crown 2007 World Longboard Champion 
# 5 : Trialists vie for wildcards at Oxbow Pro World Champs 
# 6 : Oxbow Pro World Longboard Championship kicks off...  

www.oxboworld.com

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Alexandre Ponot

Longboard - Surfersvillage