| Jordy Smith scores perfect 10 at the 6.0 Lowers Pro |
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| Friday, 07 May 2010 11:06 |
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The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME 6.0 Lowers Pro saw the event’s top seeds revel in pristine six foot ( 2 meter) conditions at Lower Trestles and the iconic pointbreak played host to world-class performances by several ASP Dream Tour competitors including a mind-blowing display of progressive surfing by current ASP World Title No. 2 Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, who posted the event’s first perfect 10-point ride. With the shift into the ASP One World Rating in tow for the 2010 season, the 6.0 Lowers Pro’s PRIME status attracted over 30 ASP Dream Tour surfers who are out to combat the hottest up-and-coming talent to capitalize on the mass of ratings points on offer at Lower Trestles. Smith went on a tear in the final heat of the day, ripping through several 8-point scores before punting two massive aerials and wrapping up with a committed tail-blow on a single wave to post his perfect 10-point score. The flawless ride was tagged on to his previous high score to solidify the highest heat total of the entire event, an amazing 18.93 out of 20. “The waves have been absolutely pumping all day,” Smith said. “Everyone has been getting pretty big scores today, so to get a 10, it’s pretty overwhelming.” The South African prodigy has been in impeccable form throughout his third year on the ASP Dream Tour and feels that his current standing amongst the elite is due to his growing familiarity of life on the ASP Dream Tour. “I’m feeling good on tour this year,” Smith said. “Mainly, I think I’ve just gone back to being myself. I’ve just been cruising and hanging out with friends a bunch. The first couple of years on tour, I kind of went from being a school kid to being alumni overnight and it was kind of tough dealing with that. I’m just trying to find my feet and it’s all working out for me.” Dane Reynolds (Ventura, CA), 24, went absolutely ballistic in his opening heat, combining massive tail-drifting turns and rail-to-rail power gouges to snag the second-highest single wave score of the event, a 9.47 out of 10 on a lengthy righthand wall en route to posting an impressive 17.54 out of 20 heat total. “The surf is huge out there,” Reynolds said. “For once at Trestles, you’re actually not looking for the biggest waves. I was actually looking for the smaller insiders, it was pretty cool.” Reynolds, who is currently rated No. 6 on the ASP Dream Tour, is enjoying the empty Lower Trestles lineup during his heats while capitalizing on the precious ratings points on offer at the 6.0 Lowers Pro. “It’s nice to be doing an event close to home,” Reynolds said. “I think that’s why I did this contest, to not have to travel and get some waves at Trestles and just go out and surf, really. You want to make your heat just so you can go out there and surf again.” Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY), 28, unleashed a solid performance in his Round 2 heat to take a massive win over three-time ASP World Champion Andy Irons (Hanalei, HI), 31, who advanced in second, Australian ASP Dream Tour surfer Jay Thompson (AUS), 27, and Brazilian talent Marcio Farney (BRA). “I’ve surfed against Andy twice before, once in France and once in Hawaii and he destroyed me,” Gonzales said. “It was great to surf with him and get a heat win. I just tried to focus on my surfing. It’s not often that you get great conditions like this in your heat.” Tom Whitaker (AUS), 30, was another ASP World Title Race surfer to stand tall amongst the elite field competing in the ideal afternoon conditions with lightning fast rail-to-rail power surfing and critical fin wafts to post a convincing Round 2 victory with a 17.25 heat total. “It’s ridiculous how good it is out there right now,” Whitaker said. “I’ve been on the tour for eight or nine years and I’ve never seen it this good. There are just so many waves coming through and the boys can really light up, it’s sick to watch.” The Australian standout is hoping that the south swell will stick around for the remaining days and is out to continue to rip into the perfect Lowers conditions on offer with his fellow ASP Dream Tour campaigners. “Any time a really good event is put on at a world-class place like this you’re going to get the best surfers in the world,” Whitaker said. “It’s not even all about the points, I’m looking forward to having a lot of fun in these conditions and just going out and ripping with everyone.” Tomorrow’s 6.0 Lowers Pro action will begin with the Round of 48 and will be webcast LIVE via www.nike6lowerspro.com For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org 6.0 Lowers Pro Round of 96 Results:
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