Shane Beschen : photo ASP North America

6.0 Lowers Pro

Oakley Pro Junior

Men's 4 Star WQS Event #12
Grade 2 ASP Junior Men's Event
Lower Trestles San Clemente
29 April - 3 May 2008

Live Coverage  |  Results/Photos/Videos etc

High Performance Start to 6.0 Lowers Pro Day One

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 29 April, 2008 : - - San Clemente -- The 6.0 Lowers Pro commenced competition this morning in clean two-to-three foot surf at Lower Trestles, California and Day 1 saw the famed cobblestone pointbreak play host to some of the most dynamic surfing of the season. The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 4-Star event completed the opening round of competition today as well as the first nine heats of Round 2.
 
Shane Beschen (San Clemente, CA), a four-time past champion of the ASP WQS event at Lower Trestles (1992, 1993, 1996, 2004) and former world runner-up on the ASP World Tour, proved why he is the man to beat at the venue, posting a solid 14.33 out of a possible 20 to advance through to Round 3.
 
“I’m just going out and having fun and want to keep making heats,” Beschen said.  “It looks like some swell is on the forecast too, and I’m looking forward to a good event.” Jason Collins (Santa Cruz, CA) was another standout surfer today, amassing an impressive 17.16 points out of a possible 20 in his Round 1 heat before advancing through to Round 3 (behind Beschen) this afternoon. 
 
“The waves are pretty good today – better than I thought they would be as I thought it would be flat,” Collins said.  “I’m riding a Stretch epoxy and it seemed to be working really well today so hopefully I can keep getting a couple of good waves each heat and have a good event.”
 
Zach Keenan (Cardiff, CA), a veteran campaigner on the ASP WQS, put his years of competitive experience to use today, winning both his Round 1 and Round 2 heats. Keenan dropped an impressive single wave score of a 9.17 out of a possible 10 for a series of blistering rail gouges and will look to the generated momentum to his advantage in Round 3.

Jason Collins : photo ASP North America

 
“I usually have a better seed, but I only did a couple of contests last year,” Keenan said.  “I definitely think it’s important to get into a rhythm early on in an event, especially at a wave like Lowers.  It helps to get into a groove in the earlier rounds to get your form up.  That way you’re able to continue that rhythm in the later rounds when it really matters.”
 
Kyle Ramey (Poipu Beach, HAW), utilizing his progressive blend of new school wizardry, smashed his Round 2 heat choosing the clean Lowers righthanders to unleash his impressive forehand attack. “I’m feeling pretty good, my boards are going good, and the surf is a lot bigger than it has been,” Ramey said. “I’m just going to try to get good waves, go big, do some big turns, and get some good scores in the rest of the event.”
 
Brent Dorrington (Coolangatta, AUS), last season’s Oakley Pro Junior at Lowers Champion, has graduated from the ASP Pro Junior Series onto the ASP WQS, and proved he is ready for the challenge, dominating his Round 1 heat today. 

“I’m feeling good and I’ve got a few good boards right now, so I’m stoked,” Dorrington said. “I really like this wave, and I got a couple of good ones today. I’m just looking to go heat by heat to try and advance through the next rounds.” With Dorrington now competing exclusively on the ASP WQS, a new champion will be crowned in this season’s ASP Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior, which begins competition on Friday, May 2, 2008.
 
In addition to the importance of helping surfers qualify for the prestigious ASP World Tour, the 6.0 Lowers Pro also kick starts the 2008 Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series (an ASP North America Specialty Series).  The event at Lowers will see all three past Trifecta Champions in Asher Nolan (Jacksonville Beach, FL), Nathan Yeomans (San Clemente, CA) and Adam Virs (Ventura, CA) all donning competition jerseys in the coming days so the Surf Series is looking at an explosive start.
 
The ASP WQS 4-Star 6.0 Lowers Pro will recommence tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. with Heat 10 of Round 2. In addition to title sponsor Nike 6.0, the 6.0 Lowers Pro is happy to have support from Red Bull, Oakley, SURFER, SURFING, WaveWatch and FUEL TV.

All 6.0 Lowers Pro action is being webcast LIVE via www.nike6lowerspro.com
 
WaveWatch.com Forecast for Wed., April 30: Wednesday will be another challenging surf day...the mix of onshore winds and bumpy conditions will continue as strong gusts in the outer waters keep the coastal eddy spinning over the inner waters. Surfwise it will be a mix of WNW windswell and leftover S-SW swell through most of the morning.

Expect waist-chest high surf on most of the average waves while the standout sets see some shoulder high+ sets. Conditions will start out a bit sloppier than Tuesday. Look for S winds around 10 knots through the morning.

Those winds shift SW and increase to 10-15 knots by lunchtime and eventually top out around 15-20 knots by the afternoon. There is one piece of good forecast news though...New long-period SW swell (200-220) starts to arrive late in the day, showing mostly on the buoys at first, and then will start to fill in more on Thursday...eventually peaking Friday and into Saturday, (right as the conditions start to improve.)

6.0 Lowers Pro – ASP WQS 4-Star

Round 1: 192 surfers remaining (1st and 2nd advance)
Heat 1: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 13.67, Johnny Craft (USA) 11.17, Tom Rezvan (USA) 10.35, David Giddings (USA) 9.67
Heat 2: Alek Parker (USA) 13.00, Javier Swayne (PER) 9.90, Shane Murray (USA) 6.33, Kento Takahashi (JPN) 6.03
Heat 3: Zach Keenan (USA), 12.20, Kawika Stillwell (HAW), 11.70 Jamie Parkhurst (USA) 8.10, Toshiyuki Takatsu (JPN)
Heat 4: Peter Mussio (USA) 12.26, Chris Drummy (USA), 11.90, Kyle Kennelly (USA) 9.04, Eddie Lester (USA), 6.97
Heat 5: Richie Collins (USA) 11.50, Daisuke Suzuki (JPN) 7.30, Riley Metcalf (USA) 6.66, Sage Huls (HAW) 6.06
Heat 6: Solomon Ortiz (HAW) 13.60, David Gonsalves (HAW) 11.00, David Post (USA) 9.23 Tommy Bursian (PRI) 8.40
Heat 7: Jason Collins (USA) 17.16, Austin Smith Ford (USA) 13.60, Justin Swartz (USA) 11.00, Matt Meola (USA) 8.26
Heat 8: Nobuyuki Osawa (JPN) 11.50, Gabriel Escudero (PRI) 8.83, Jordan Gaudet (USA) 7.17, Justin Jones (USA) 5.94
Heat 9: Brent Reilly (USA) 11.50, Omar Etcheverry (USA)10.83, Leif Engstrom (USA) 10.83, Andrew Doheny (USA) 10.17
Heat 10: Zach Plopper (USA) 10.27, Nick Skawinski (USA) 8.77, Ian Rotgans (USA) 8.63, Scott Hammonds (USA) 7.20
Heat 11: Eric Worley (USA)12.00, Rikiya Kitada (JPN)11.67, Dennis Rizzo (USA) 9.33, Thomas Petriken (USA) 5.20
Heat 12: Dillon Perillo (USA) 11.17, Colin Schildhauer (USA) 7.63, Masahiro Tooda (JPN) 6.74 Dallas Peterson (AUS) 3.26
Heat 13: Roger Eales (USA) 11.14, Albee Layer (HAW) 10.53, Cody Thompson (USA) 10.27, Rico Jimenez (HAW) 3.67
Heat 14: Jensen Callaway (USA) 11.50, Matt Myers (USA) 9.57, Ben Graeff (USA) 7.10 Rory Parker (HAW) 5.33
Heat 15: Brent Dorrington (AUS) 15.00, Jason Harris (USA) 11.50, Andrew Bennett (USA) 9.17  Matt Pagan (USA) 6.33,
Heat 16: Phillip Goold (USA) 12.70, Adam Lambert (USA) 12.40, Chase Newsome (USA) 10.27, Luke Davis (USA) 7.90
 
Round 2: 160 surfers remaining (1st and 2nd advance)
Heat 1: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 13.10, Jacob Kirshenbaum (USA) 10.47, Javier Swayne (PER) 9.90, Golden Depesa (HAW)
Heat 2: Johnny Craft (USA) 13.6, Alek Parker (USA) 13.34, Brandon Guilmette (USA) 10.40, Billy Kemper (HAW) 9.25 
Heat 3: Zach Keenan (USA) 15.67, Jesse Heilman (USA) 13.23, Chris Drummy (USA) 11.43, Tony Adams (USA) 11.00
Heat 4: Parrish Byrne (AUS) 14.43, Peter Mussio (USA) 10.96, Kawika Stillwell (HAW) 9.70, Michael Bailey (USA) 8.50
Heat 5: Kiron Jabour (HAW) 11.10, Richie Collins (USA) 9.33, Alex Kamkoff (VEN) 5.24, David Gonsalves (HAW) 3.67
Heat 6: Kyle Ramey (HAW) 16.00, Chris Abad (USA) 14.27, Solomon Ortiz (HAW) 11.23, Daisuke Suzuki (JPN) 8.60
Heat 7: Shane Beschen (USA) 14.33, Jason Collins (USA) 13.00, Gabriel Escudero (PRI) 6.70 Casey Landvogt (USA) 6.56
Heat 8: Rylan McCart (USA) 14.50, Nobuyuki Osawa (JPN) 13.87, Austin Smith-Ford (USA) 10.37
Heat 9: Brent Reilly (USA) 15.00, Adam Wickwire (USA) 12.10, Nat Young (USA) 11.67, Nick Skawinski (USA) 6.17
 
About Nike 6.0:
Welcome to Nike 6.0 … a  multi-action sports brand supporting the next generation. Our mission is simple: Instigate, inspire and elevate the next generation.  The barriers that once existed between action sports have been reduced by those who skate, surf, and ride with equal and inclusive passion. 6.0 is dedicated to this new crop of athletes through our multi-sport team, innovative product, and events. From the streets to the surf, from the dirt to the park, Nike 6.0 symbolizes the creativity and progression inherent in the DNA of action sports. 

 
Previous reports:
# 1 : Nike 6.0 gets behind Trestles WQS for the 6.0 Lowers Pro
# 2 : 6.0 Lowers Pro/Oakley Jr. announce wildcards, top seeds
# 3 : World superstars to hit ASP WQS 4-star 6.0 Lowers Pro
# 4 : Finals day swell, aid for Trestles aimed at 6.0 Lowers Pro  

www.nike6.com
www.oakley.com
www.aspworldtour.com 
www.nike6lowerspro.com
www.aspnorthamerica.org

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