Tahara Aichi : photo Oxbow

Oxbow WLT Japan

ASP WLT Mens event
Akabane Beach, Tahara Aichi Japan
28 July - 2 August 2009

Live Coverage  |  Results/Photos/Videos etc

Lay Day for Yumeya presents Oxbow WLT at Tahara

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 28 July, 2009 : - - Tahara, Japan -- The waiting period for the first of two Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Longboard Tour (WLT) events began this morning with the Yumeya presents Oxbow WLT at Tahara, but unfavorable weather and small surf have forced event officials to call competition off for today.

“Due to adverse weather and small surf we’ve decided to call a lay-day today,” ASP WLT Manager, Al Hunt said. “We’re expecting an increase in swell and are waiting for conditions to improve to start the contest.”

Yesterday’s action saw the top 13 ASP LQS Japan competitors and three local talents battle it out for a spot in the main event and Taiki Mori (JPN) was the victor. The Japanese native will face off against defending ASP WLT Champion Bonga Perkins (HAW), 36, when competition begins.

Also surfing in the Yumeya presents Oxbow WLT at Tahara will be former ASP WLT Champion Phil Rajzman (BRA), 27, American talent Taylor Jensen (USA), 25, Australian Standout Harley Ingleby (AUS), 25, and last year’s ASP WLT runner up Antione Delpero (FRA), 24.

The Yumeya presents Oxbow WLT at Tahara will run from July 28 through August 2, 2009

Check then Live Coverage 

Upcoming Round of 32 Yumeya presents Oxbow WLT at Tahara Heats:

Heat 1: Eduardo Bage (BRA) vs. Dane Pioli (AUS)
Heat 2: Amaro Matos (BRA) vs. Kai Sallas (HAW)
Heat 3: Duane de Soto (HAW) vs. Ben Skinner (GBR)
Heat 4: Matthew Moir (ZAF) vs. Remi Arauzo (FRA)
Heat 5: Ned Snow (HAW) vs. David Kinoshita (JPN)
Heat 6 :Alex Salazar (BRA) vs. Keegan Edwards (HAW)
Heat 7: Jared Neal (AUS) vs. Josh Baxter (USA)
Heat 8: Bonga Perkins (HAW) vs. Taiki Mori (USA)
Heat 9: Antione Delpero (FRA) vs. Nobuhiru Ogashira (JPN)
Heat 10: Carlos Bahia (BRA) vs. Sam Bleakley (GBR)
Heat 11: Phil Rajzman (BRA) vs. Noah Shimabukuro (HAW)
Heat 12: Taylor Jensen (USA) vs. Alexis Deniel (FRA)
Heat 13: Harley Ingleby (AUS) vs. Dylan Macleod (ZAF)
Heat 14: Bryce Young (AUS) vs. Josh Constable (AUS)
Heat 15: Colin McPhillips (USA) vs. Tony Silvagni (USA)
Heat 16: Romain Maunn (FRA) vs. Jeremias da Silva (BRA)

Sam Bleakley's Oxbow World Longboard Tour by Yumeya blog

The rain was incessant today for the Oxbow WLT main event, but the spirit was positive. The waves at Akabane were breaking close to shore with tight, claustrophobic rides, so the decision was made to relocate a short drive east to Long Beach, an open-faced, smoother peeling wave. This was a great call from head judge Perry Hatchet and effervescent Oxbow duo Francois Esmenjaud and Lucas Levezac.

It also echoed the desires of all the competitors, who were aware that in the current small conditions, Long Beach enabled the full repertoire of longboard manoeuvres, using all of the board and all of the wave. Local organiser and surf shop owner Mic Kato explained that the large event podiums could not be erected at Long Beach because it is a turtle nesting ground. However, a smaller, mobile set-up was quickly established along the roadside. Then the light onshores hit, so with a better forecast tomorrow, round one was postponed, offering the competitors, organisers and judges a day of free surfing.

For nearly twenty years the groundbreaking European boardsports brand, Oxbow, has supported many of longboarding’s brightest personalities. Working with the ASP, Oxbow has crowned over ten World Longboard Champions at some of the most stunning surf spots on the planet, such as St Leu and Cabo San Lucas.

This year, Japan and the Maldives form the two-stage Oxbow WLT. Oxbow have an extraordinary surfing team, out in force today, and able to show off their wares without contest pressure. Eduardo Bage, Duane deSoto, Ben Skinner, Bryce Young, Antoine Delpero, Colin McPhillips and Matthew Moir were surfing like champions. They were treating the rolling 3 foot waves like a good sushi chef, with sharp, decisive moves, cutting the water into tasty morsels, leaving a sweet aftertaste.
 
Integral to the history of longboarding is the Young family from Australia. Nat was surfing with poise, showing off his elegant drop knee cutback. Bryce’s sister Nava was also making the most of the conditions, picking off the lefts with grace and style. Nava’s partner is the sensational Californian Taylor Jensen. I watched him on a bigger set perform a crisp and long hang ten, followed by rifling turns all the way to the shoreline, everything linked and coordinated. His ability as an all-round longboarder is outstanding.

These international competitors continue to shape a longboarding of the future while retaining references to great style. They have the talent to rewrite the historical tricks and carving turns, and bring them into the pressure-cooker of the present without awkwardness. These surfers are removing the limits of where longboarding can go, and relish in the mix of approaches it embraces, even in a contest format. That is vital for the sport and there is no better place than Japan to mix the aesthetic established by history with the rule-breaking of a future horizon.

www.oxbowpro.com
www.aspworldtour.com

Previous reports:
# 1 : Oxbow World Longboard Tour to hit Japan and Maldives
# 2 : L’élite mondiale du Longboard rendez-vous du Oxbow
# 3 : Depuis près de 20 ans, Oxbow soutient les plus riders 
# 4 : Japanese trials go off for Oxbow World Longboard Tour

www.oxbowpro.com
www.oxboworld.com
www.aspworldtour.com

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Claire Fuentes / Sam Bleakley

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