Standouts Raise the Bar at Jeep Body Glove Surfbout
Apr 25 2007 / SAN CLEMENTE, California
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Day Two Greeted with Clean 3 to 4 Foot Waves at Lower Trestles
The ASP WQS 4-Star Jeep Body Glove Surfbout event saw a full day’s worth of competition go down with some of the highest scoring waves of the event as the Surfbout draw narrowed down to 96 remaining competitors.
Chris Abad (Oceanside, CA) produced the maneuver of the event this afternoon with an inverted full-rotation air reverse putting the beach crowd of surfers and spectators on their feet. The incredible ride garnered Abad the event-high single wave score of a 9.60 out of a possible 10 and advancement into Round 4.
“I was just sitting there for ages and wasn’t getting any waves and I was getting really bummed,” Abad said. “Then that right came in and lined up and it just kept going. I was just really lucky that I could let loose on it and I am stoked to get through another round. The set up here at Lowers is so perfect for a competition and I am psyched to be doing well in the event.”
Kilian Garland (Newport Beach, CA) tore apart the glassy afternoon rights and lefts securing an 8.50 and a 7.50 for the day’s high heat total of a 16.00 out of a possible 20. The 20-year old natural-footer looked calm and collected despite drawing a wave-barren heat.
“There weren’t a lot of waves coming through my heat but I got really lucky to pick of a pretty good left and then another decent right,” Garland said. “It’s pretty hit or miss today, but when it comes through, you can really go off. I’m stoked to get through to Round 4 and hopefully can keep going.”
Travis Beckmann (Vero Beach, FL), current ratings leader on the 2007 ASP North America Pro Junior Series, smashed through his afternoon Surfbout heat today despite nursing an injured arm sustained recently in Puerto Rico.
“I was definitely grimacing out there on that one left,” Beckmann said. “It affects the way I surf and I have to ice it and baby it when I’m not in the water. I haven’t gone to the doctor’s yet, but all my friends have been telling me that I’ve just smushed the muscle and bruised the bone really bad.”
As the opening event of the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series presented by Jeep (an ASP North America Specialty Series), the Jeep Body Glove Surfbout will not only award Saturday’s victor with the $15,000 first prize check and valuable ASP WQS ratings points, but also the lead in the three-event series. Following the Surfbout at Lowers, the Trifecta will then move to Newport Beach in September before finishing in Santa Cruz in late October.
Tomorrow will see Round 4 of the Jeep Body Glove Surfbout hit the water for the opening heats at 8am.
- Read pro surfer and Surfbout participant Omar Etcheverry's blog from Trestles
