Macy's E Series

Grade 1 ASP Pro Junior Men's Event
Kuhio Beach, Waikiki Hawaii
18 August 2008

Maui's Kai Barger wins Macy's E-Series Junior Pro

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 19 August, 2008 : - - Honolulu - - Maui's Kai Barger, 18, of Haiku, scored the first major junior pro victory of his career at Waikiki Beach today in the $5,000 Macy's E-Series Junior Pro, presented by ASP Hawaii. Against an all-star lineup of Hawaii's hottest juniors, Barger surfed through five rounds to take the honors, winning $2,000 and accounting for top names the likes of Clay Marzo (Maui), Casey Brown (Big Island), and Ha'a Aikau (Oahu) along the way.

Second place today was Sebastian Zietz (20, Kilauea, Kauai); third was 15-year-old Keanu Asing (Ewa, Oahu); and fourth was Albee Layer (Haiku, Maui).

Surf for this one-day event was highly contestable in the 2-3 foot range. However, the afternoon's high tide brought with it inconsistent conditions that emphasized the importance of a solid start to the 30-minute final. Just 13 waves total were ridden during the final heat; all but one were posted in the first 15 minutes before the high tide slowed conditions to a virtual standstill.

With so little surf on offer for the all-important heat of the day and with the carbon copy wave nature of the Queen's surf break, the playing field was so level and the calibre of surfers so close that the win came down to a countback between Barger and Zietz. In the end, Barger won with 12.5 points out of 20 (individiual wave scores of 7.25 and 5.25) to Zietz's 11.9 (7.5 and 4.4).

The critical edge turned out to be Barger's more vertical back-hand attack over that of his three regular-footed rivals. "The thought of winning a pro junior for me was a dream," said Barger. "I've never made a pro junior final. I've watched all my friends win, and finally... I've been hurting for one.

"I think I might have had the slight advantage being backside. When it's so small, you can kind of just throw it up there and it might look a little better to the judges. "I was surprized, actually. I thought I didn't win."

The Macy's E-Series Junior Pro is one of three junior pro events to be held in Hawaii this year and its as a qualifier for the World Junior Championships in Australia in January of 2009.The winner will receive $1,000. The Macy's E-Series Junior Pro was the third and final event of the 2008 Macy's E-Series, staged this summer. The first two events were 1-star World Qualifying Series events as part of the ASP World Tour.

ASP Hawaii and Macy's collaborated to produce the Macy's E-Series, giving Hawaii's pro surfing community a much needed opportunity to win valuable points and prizemoney at home breaks.

Results:  All surfers were from Hawaii.

Final:
1st - Kai Barger (Haiku, Maui) $2,000
2nd - Sebastian Zietz (Kilauea, Kauai) $900
3rd - Keanu Asing (Ewa, Oahu) $600
4th - Albee Layer (Haiku, Maui) $500

Semi-Finals:
H1: Sebastian Zietz, Kai Barger, Casey Brown, Chris Foster
H2: Albee Layer, Keanu Asing, Billy Kemper, Brennan Boudreau

Quarter Finals:
H1: Sebastian Zietz, Chris Foster, Kiron Jabour, Kekoa Cazimero
H2: Kai Barger, Casey Brown, Peyton Chidester, Dege O'Connell
H3: Brennan Boudreau, Billy Kemper, Kyke Ramey, Tyler Newton
H4: Keanu Asing, Albee Layer, Kyle Galtes, Levi Gonzales

Round of 32
H1: Kiron Jabour (Haleiwa), Kekoa Cazimero Waimanalo), Joshua Moniz (Honolulu), Josh Rex (Kilauea, Kauai)
H2: Sebastian Zietz (Kilauea, Kauai), Chris Foster (Kapaa, Kauai), Matt Meola (Paia, Maui), Cassidy Kuakini (Waipahu)
H3: Dege O'Connell (Hana, Maui), Peyton Chidester (Haleiwa), Isaiah Moniz (Honolulu), Keala Naihe (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii)
H4: Kai Barger (Haiku, Maui), Casey Brown (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii), Clay Marzo Lahaina, Maui), Ha'a Aikau (Waimanalo)
H5: Tyler Newton (Princeville, Kauai), Brennan Boudreau, Makai McNamara (Haleiwa), Eala Stewart (Honolulu)
H6: Billy Kemper (Paia, Maui), Kyle Ramey (Koloa, Kauai), Kaimana Jaquias (Lihue, Kauai), Micah Moniz (Honolulu)
H7: Levi Gonzales (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii), Kyle Galtes (Kilauea, Kauai), Derrick Wong (Honolulu), Brandon Kuakini
H8: Keanu Asing (Ewa), Albee Layer (Haiku, Maui), Aaron Swanson (Waianae), Alfred Rice (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii)

Round of 48
H1: Joshua Moniz (Honolulu), Cassidy Kuakini (Waipahu), Sheldon Paishon
H2: Chris Foster (Kapaa, Kauai), Josh Rex (Kilauea, Kauai), Hizon Lin-Kee Jr. (Waianae),
H3: Keala Naihe (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii), Ha'a Aikau (Waimanalo), Koa Smith (Kilauea, Kauai)
H4: Kai Barger (Haiku, Maui), Isaiah Moniz (Honolulu), Nakoa De Coite (Makawao, Maui)
H5: Brennan Boudreau (Makakilo), Micah Moniz (Honolulu),
H6: Kaimana Jaquias (Lihue, Kauai), Eala Stewart (Honolulu)
H7: Brandon Kuakini, Alfred Rice (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii), Jake Davi (Haleiwa)
H8: Aaron Swanson (Waianae), Derek Wong (Honolulu), Dylan Goodale (Kilauea, Kauai), Luke Hitchcock (Kapaa, Kauai)

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