Tapped Into The Waves By TERRY “TAPPA” TEECE
Two-time world junior champion Jack Freestone has thrived in clean 1.2m waves at Maroochydore to capture the inaugural Hinano-Sunco Jeep Pro-Am.
Freestone grabbed the $2000 first prize defeating Sunshine Coast local Blake Wilson in the final. Wilson was in great form in the semis taking down former world tour competitor and current Queensland champion Nathan Hedge.
He had a two-wave total of 15.60 (out of a possible 20) while Wilson scored 9.67. Wilson was unable to repeat his semi-final form in the finale of the $5400 event.
Freestone advanced to the final after beating North Shore Boardriders member Joe Schwarz 16.3 to 7.83.
“Unfortunately for Blake, he had the final in the semi-final,” said Robbie Sherwell, the event organiser and a former elite tour member.
“Jack Freestone in the end showed a little bit too much class, and the fact is he’s a star of the future.”
Sherwell was delighted to see Wilson perform so well.
He said it was a tragedy that a competitor of Wilson’s class was forced to abandon his dream of making the World Championship Tour because of a lack of support. He hopes to stage more events like the Hinano-Sunco Jeep Pro-Am to give surfers like Wilson more opportunity.
Sherwell said the event would be staged again next year.
“It has just been an absolute success. We’re extremely happy,” he said.
“The sponsors are looking at the possibly of running more events this year and we’re really looking at next year being bigger and better.”
A circuit already exists in Queensland which has been running for over 10 years, the “Chiko Queensland Championship Circuit”, where Mitch Parkinson won the MP Classic two weeks ago, and the Alley Classic is next weekend. This does only leave the Sunshine Coast with one round of the four, and thus they would like to see more events up there. It is a hard call at the moment as money for events has been hard to come by lately.
It is good to see more events, especially up at the Sunshine Coast.
Oney Anwar takes out the Mentawai Pro
Palm Beach Boardrider Oney Anwar has won the Mentawai Pro in barreling 4-5 foot Lance’s Right. Anwar defeated Garut Widiarta by a narrow margin – 16 points against 15.50 – in the final. Oney is from Lakey Peak on the Island of Sumbawa, and a graduating student of Palm Beach Currumbin High School. Also a top young man.
“To win this event is so important to me. Garut is a really good surfer. We’ve been team-mates for a long time and gone on a lot of trips together. The final just came down to who got the really good waves. I just feel really lucky right now”, Oney said.
Widiarta, the lightning fast goofyfooter from Kuta Beach in Bali, was also very in form all day and certainly deserved his finals berth.
“I heard a lot of talk about how it was going to be a disadvantage for the goofies out at Lance’s Right, but I felt like it was really good for me as a goofy going backside, especially when the tide gets low, you can really wind up and do some big hacks”, he tells.
The 2013 Mentawai Pro was the first-ever Premium Grade Asian Surfing Championship event, and the first event of the 2013 tour season, with the top 16 ranked ASC surfers competing against eight international invitees.
A perfect start to the season in the world’s surfing Mecca of the Mentawai Islands, this event has truly set the benchmark for quality waves in exotic locations. Every surfer wants to go there.
If only … someone want to give me a free holiday … I’ll write a story for the Weekly and try not to rub it in too much.
