| Photo: Above: Fred Patacchia (HAW), world #19, fresh home from the Samsung Galaxy ASP World Tour and ready for the Hawaiian winter. Photo Courtesy HIC.
Official Qualifier for the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Surf rose all day from 3′ in early morning to 5′ in the afternoon hitting the west bowl. Sunset Beach, Oahu, HAWAII — October 27-November 10 An ASP 4star $95,000 Event The HIC PRO is televised LIVE on Oceanic SURF Channel 250 & 1250HD in Hawaii. Surf News Network HONOLULU – (November 4, 2014) — Top seeds entered the fray today at the HIC PRO at Sunset Beach, led by world #19 Fred Patacchia. Just home from the European leg of the Samsung Galaxy ASP World Tour, Patacchia, 31, sees the HIC PRO as a golden opportunity to fine tune equipment, size up the talent, and prepare for the upcoming Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series, for which this event is the Official Qualifier. Patacchia (Sunset Beach) was up against old friend and former touring pro Joel Centeio (Haleiwa) in their Round 3 clash. Great waves in the 4- to 6-foot range provided plenty of scoring opportunity for both. Centeio got the upper hand in the exchange, but Patacchia was feeling good and both advanced through. “HIC’s an important event,” said Patacchia. “We get to practice on our bigger boards out here at Sunset. Today we’re riding medium sized boards which is a good warmup for Haleiwa. It’s supposed to get bigger this weekend so we’ll be on 7’0″s, it’s just a great warmup. Some of the guys we’ll be surfing against (in the Triple Crown) are out here, also young up and comers from Hawaii, Australia, and Brazil. Its good to go up against them and see what you’ve got, see how you stack up.” In contrast to Patacchia, Kauai’s Evan Valiere, 31, isn’t a touring pro and will rely on a solid performance here at the HIC PRO and his local ASP Hawaii ranking to qualify for the Vans Triple Crown. Valiere is a power surfer with a broad spectrum of talent that makes him a threat at any location, but especially at Sunset and Pipeline. He posted the highest single wave score today: 9.1 out of 10. “I’d absolutely love to win the Triple Crown,” said Valiere. “I think that would be the best thing I could imagine. That’s what I’m here for and it’s really exciting. Given the nature of surfing it’s really hard to get every heat after heat to go your way but it’s a fun game. You’ve got to know your surfboard, and the most important thing is the timing on the wave. That’s something that I think really suits my style and my rhythm… the timing of this wave.” Other standout performers today were Pancho Sullivan, 41, (Sunset Beach), who posted the highest 2-wave heat score of 14.53 out of 20. Koa Smith (Kauai); Maui’s Billy Kemper and Ian Walsh; Australia’s Cody Robinson; and Keoni Yan (Tahiti). Unexpected eliminations included that of Kamalei Alexander (Kauai); former HIC PRO champion Myles Padaca; and big wave charger Koa Rothman (Sunset Beach). Organizers will take a look at conditions first light tomorrow to decide if competition will continue with the final day of action. The HIC PRO has until November 10 to conclude. TODAY’S RESULTS (Surfers are from Hawaii unless noted otherwise) ROUND 2: (Picking up from Day 1. 1st & 2nd advance. 3rd =65th. 4th = 81st) H12: Saxon Lumsden (AUS); Edrick Baldwin; Harrison Mann (AUS); Kekoa Bacalso H13: Vehiatua Prunier (PYF); Andrew Jacobson (USA); Shayden Cruz-Pacarro H14: Dylan Kowalski (USA); Pancho Sullivan; Jacob Szekely (USA); EJ Mitsui H15: Jordin Watson (AUS); Noa Mizuno; Nolan Rapoza (USA); Luke Shepardson H16: Alejandro Moreda (PRI); Matt Passaquindici (USA); Eala Stewart; Ulualoha Napeahi ROUND 3: (1st & 2nd advance. 3rd = 33rd. 4th = 49th) H1: Billy Kemper; Joey Sadoy; Myles Padaca; Mitchell Parkinson (AUS) H2: Ian Walsh; Kalani David; Nils Schweizer; Jerome Forrest H3: Landon McNamara; Hank Gaskell; Tom Dosland; Jake Halstead (USA) H4: Johnny Noris (USA); Imaikalani Devault; Ian Gentil; Koa Rothman H5: Evan Valiere; Jake Davis (USA); Kilian Garland (USA); Mikey Bruneau H6: Keoni Yan (PYF); Eli Olson; Riley Laing (AUS); Kai Barger H7: Koa Smith; Sunny Garcia; Reef McIntosh; Arashi Kato (JPN) H8: Joel Centeio; Fred Patacchia; Jeames Joung (AUS); Chris Foster H9: Cody Robinson (AUS); Wade Carmichael (AUS); Tereva David (PYF); Alex Utal H10: Kaishu Tanaka (JPN); Ty Watson (AUS); Quinn Bruce (AUS); Makai McNamara H11: Dylan Goodale; Kaisa Kawamura (JPN); Edrick Baldwin; Kamalei Alexander H12: Kaimana Jaquias; Mitchell Jeames (AUS); Kekoa Cazimero; Saxon Lumsden (AUS) H13: Pancho Sullivan; Tanner Hendrickson; Jamie O’Brien; Vehiatua Prunier (PYF) H14: Alex Smith; Andrew Jacobson (USA); Dylan Kowalski (USA); Taylor Clark (USA)
About HIC – Hawaiian Island Creations: Hawaii’s biggest and best selection of surf gear – since 1971 HIC has provided Hawaii with quality surfboards, skateboards, clothing and accessories – by surfers, for surfers. Locally owned and operated, the HIC retail chain includes thirteen stores across Oahu, Maui and the Big Island, plus two in Japan. Through a commitment to quality, service and aloha spirit, the brand has built a reputation as an icon of Hawaiian surfing recognized throughout the world. Enjoy the ride! Official HIC PRO event gear: Available at www.hicsurf.com/
About Vans: Vans®, a VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) brand, is the original action sports footwear and apparel brand. Vans collections include authentic footwear, apparel, accessories and snowboard boots that are sold globally in more than 170 countries through a network of subsidiaries, distributors and international offices. VF Outdoor, Inc. owns and operates more than 415 stores of the Vans brand in the United States and internationally, each offering a range of Vans footwear and apparel while communicating the brand’s rich heritage. The Vans brand promotes the action sports lifestyle, youth culture and creative self-expression through the support of musicians, artists and athletes on boards and bikes all over the globe and through progressive events such as the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing®, the Vans Downtown Showdown, the Vans Pool Party, the Vans Warped Tour® and surfing’s most prestigious contest, the Vans US Open of Surfing. Vans, “Off the Wall” Since ’66 facebook.com/vans twitter.com/vans_66 |
