Che Stang : photo ASP Rowland/Covered Images

O'Neill World Cup of Surfing

ASP WQS 6 Star Prime Men's Event
Sunset Beach Oahu Hawaii
25 November - 6 December 2007

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SURFERS BATTLE SUNSET BEACH AS STORMY CONDITIONS TEST O'NEILL WORLD CUP

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 29 November, 2008 : - - Sunset Beach, Hawaii - Sunset Beach turned it's back on competitors in the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing today, replacing yesterday's clean perfection with stormy 10- to 12-foot waves, blustery winds and rain squalls. Positioning, wave selection and equipment choice were paramount for competitors to succeed in the tough conditions.

The last 12 heats of round two were held today, with the earliest heats experiencing the best of the conditions before strong north-east winds ripped up the break. Organizers called it a day at around 1pm and expect to resume with men's competition again tomorrow morning as big surf continues. The swell was still rising at the end of competition.

California's Tanner Gudauskas was one of the standouts today, a major feat given the typical San Clemente small wave conditions he's more accustomed to. Today's shore break alone was bigger than most days in Southern California, but Gudauskas admits he revels in the opportunity to tackle the power.

Jarrad Howse : photo ASP Rowland/Covered Images

Torrey Meister : photo ASP Kirstin/Covered Images

"This is definitely my favorite event," said Gudauskas, 20. "I've been surfing in it for the last three years, I love big waves and I want to do well." Gudauskas shared the lineup with seasoned Hawaii competitor Evan Valiere, Brazil's Yuri Sodre and fellow Californian Che Stang (Carlsbad). Tanner and Yuri advanced out of the heat.

"I tried to see what Evan Valiere was doing because he's my favorite goofy foot surfer out here," said Gudauskas. "So, I kind of came off what he was doing and followed suit. "There's tons of good guys in this event so it's just an honor to be in it. To do well is even better."

Australia's Jarrad Howse was another solid performer today. He advanced in first place along with seasoned campaigner Sunny Garcia (Hawaii). "I went out there this morning, tried a bigger board and ended up snapping it, so, I had to downsize to my 7-footer," said Howse, 29. "But I figured it was the right size, it turns really well and I know this board the best. I had such a fun time out there and I'm really happy.

Gavin Gillette : photo ASP Kirstin/Covered Images

"This is up there with the hardest, just everything about it: wave selection, not getting caught by the sets, then actually riding the waves. It's so much bumpier and windier than it looks. I just sort of stayed nice and compact and held on. "It takes me around a week to get used to riding a 7-foot board. We never ride these really in Australia unless you live in West Oz, Victoria or something. I've been here over a month and I've been working on how to turn these bigger ones, put my weight behind it and give it some."

When competition resumes with the round of 96, the next batch of seeded surfers will enter the mix, including last week's Haleiwa finalist Jihad Khodr (Brazil), current world No. 11 Fred Patacchia (Hawaii), Tim Reyes (Huntington Beach, CA), and Daniel Ross (Australia).

The O'Neill World Cup of Surfing is the second of three stops that comprise the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. It is also the final World Qualifying event on the 2008 ASP World Tour. To examine surf updates for the coming days, visit official forecasters Wetsand.com .

Check the Live Coverage 

www.oneill.com
www.aspworldtour.com
www.triplecrownofsurfing.com

Previous reports:
# 1 : Marcus Hickman dominates O'Neill World Cup, Sunset
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

About Triple Crown of Surfing:
The $815,000 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing consists of the Reef Hawaiian Pro, Haleiwa, Nov. 12-23 (6* WQS, men and women), the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing, Sunset Beach, Nov.24-Dec.6 (6*WQS men), The Roxy Pro, Sunset Beach, Nov.24-Dec.6 (WCT women), the Billabong Pipeline Masters (men), Pipeline, Dec. 8-20 (WCT); and the Billabong Pro Maui (women), Honolua Bay, Maui, Dec. 8-20 (WCT). In addition to $815,000 in prize money, which includes a $10,000 bonus for both the men's and women's Vans Triple Crown champions, the men's champion will also receive a custom, one-of-a-kind Nixon tide watch featuring over two-carats of diamonds and valued at over $10,000.

About ASP:
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing's undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the Foster's ASP World Tour, the ASP Women's World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world's best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

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Jody Wilmott / Vans Triple Crown of Surfing

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