Stop #4 of Hard Rock Cafe Surf Series
Presented by the Hawaii Surfing Association

HSA
Rennicks Oahu, Hawaii
15 - 16 November 2008

Ezekiel Lau Breaks Victory Drought to Win Stop #4 of Hard Rock Cafe Surf Series, Hawaii

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 17 November, 2008 : - - Honolulu -- Ezekiel Lau, 14, of Honolulu, has won stop #4 of the Hard Rock Cafe Surf Series, presented by the Hawaii Surfing Association, to finally break out of a victory drought that spanned 'forever' and qualify for the State Championships.

Surfing at Rennicks this weekend, Lau found himself in a winning groove at his home break to outpoint fellow juniors Kylen Yamakawa, Matty Costa and Buddy Wiggins in 2-foot surf. "I just kept busy, caught every little wave around and tried to get lucky," said Lau about his heat strategy. "I haven't won a contest in forever. It feels great."

Lau boosted tail-free turns and airs without hesitation in the final. He opened  up the heat with an 8-point ride out of a possible 10. The Kamehameha School freshmen also surfed with out a leash in the final, allowing him to surf faster in the small waves. "I usually don't surf out here with a leash anyways and it's tiny," Lau said. "You go faster because there's less drag."

Surfing leash-less helped Lau surf with speed, but it also hindered him in the final. After dominating the whole heat, Lau had an opportunity to solidify his victory on a fast, right breaking wave in the last few minutes. The regular foot was setting up for a huge aerial maneuver when he accidentally caught a rail, fell and lost his board.

"I just did a little check turn off the top and when I came off the bottom I saw the line just stretch," said Lau of his last ride. "I was just going to pump and do a fat air, but I don't know. I think my back foot slipped off. Sickening. Then I lost my board."

Lau was left  standing on the shallow reef, wondering if he just threw away a win. As he swam for his board, the horn blew to end the heat. "I thought that would seal the deal right there," said Lau about his last wave in the final. "I saw Kylen get two good ones so I thought I blew it." Luckily for Lau, his previous two waves, an 8 and a 6, were enough to capture the win.

"This is only my second [HSA] contest [this year]," Lau said. "I only did the two events that were here so I think this bumped me up so I made States."

SHORTBOARD:
Junior Men: Ezekiel Lau; Kylen Yamakawa; Matty Costa; Buddy Wiggins
Men: Davin Jaime; Scott Saito
Menehune 1-A: Finn McGill; Michael Ikalani; Christopher Bluhardt; Klaus Eyre
Menehune 2-A: Seth Moniz; Kaulana Apo;  Elijah Gates; Kalani David
Boys: Isiah Moniz; Coley Yamakawa; Kaito Kino; Josh Moniz
Master: Brice Yamashita; Thomas Spear; Alessandro Costa; Bruce Foley
Senior Men: Shannon Silva; Sheldon Poirier; Stephen O'Brien; Hank Hundhausen
Grandmaster: Kal Faurot; Raymond Shito; Gilbert Perea; Beau Hodges
Open Men: Matty Costa; Davin Jaime; Matthew Oshiro; Thomas Spear
Girls: Kallee Krebs; Dax McGill; Maile Enos Branigan; Nicole Brueffemann
Women: bonnie Campanella; Izumi Baldwin; Mari Sullivan; Susan Nishida

BODYBOARD:
Bodyboard Boys: Micah Liana
Bodyboard Men: James Clancy; Mark Gervacaio
Drop Knee: James Clancy; Mark Gervacio

LONGBOARD:
Menehune Longboard: Micah Liana; Jordan Brueggemann; Klans Eyre; Vincent Starn
Junior Longboard: Nelson Ahina
Men Longboard: Justin Mitsui; Mau Ah Hee; Daniel Teijeiro
Senior Men Longboard:  Alika Willis; Gino Bell; Frederico Algono; Gavin Hasegawa
Girls Longboard: Tracy Pruse; Kelly Graf; Keisha Eyre; Bailey Nagy
Women Longboard: Izumi Baldwin; Dana Tortuga
Legends Longboard: Layton Sun; Lance Ohata; George Matsuda; Wink Arnott
Open Longboard: Nelson Ahina; Mau Ah Hee; Daniel Teijeiro; Gino Bell

STAND-UP PADDLE:
Nelson Ahina; Chris Martin; Alika Willis; Micah Liana

www.hasasurf.org

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