Patrick Gudauskas : photo Dara Ahmed/ASP Australasia 

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Stab Magazine examines Pat Gudauskas' rodeo clown

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 16 June, 2009 : - - Pat Gudauskas consistently lands rodeo clowns. It was once a move of unearthly acrobatics, but he has turned it into something simple and functional. A neatly hucked punt, body tucked in a ball, elegant rotation. Easy. With 30 seconds remaining in his round-of-32 heat in the Maldives, Gudauskas was in third place requiring a 7.23. He took off, did four mediocre turns and nailed a rodeo.

By free-surfing standards it was a poor example, yet it received tens across the board. He won the heat and eventually progressed to the final where he pulled another, again to perfect scores (though it wasnıt enough to win him the contest, losing to Owen Wright).

Now, letıs get this straight. After three decades of ³three to the beach² on a set wave being the only way to achieve a 10 from the judges, a rodeo clown on a shitty inside runner is now a contender for perfection? This is sensational.

A dramatic precedent has been set. Does this mean a single trick on a smaller wave can now outscore a set wave smashed all the way to the beach? 'I definitely think it can,' says ASP head judge, Perry Hatchett. 'We donıt look at the wave but what you can do on it. Most people can take off on a perfect wave, but to take off on a shit wave and destroy it takes more technical ability.'

The idea behind rewarding a single move as a perfect ride is simple.'Itıs about focusing on the degree of difficulty in the move. Something I try to put through to my judges is that the tube is just one manoeuvre. So if an 8.5 or a 9 can be awarded for a barrel then there is no reason why you canıt drop an 8.5 or a 9 for an aerial.'

Perry says that when he first rewrote the judging criteria back in 2000, and again in 2005, he had hoped we would one day see surfers doing these manoeuvres in contests. Kelly tried one at the Pipe Masters in 2001, but failed. Pat was the first to pull one off in a contest ­ actually, make that two ­ and was rewarded with a pair of tens.

Why have we waited so long? 'It bewilders me,' Perry says. 'Iım not sure why we donıt see more aerials on the CT.'

Get the full story at Stabmag.com

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Jed Smith

Team - Surfersvillage