tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17366487542581020732024-03-13T12:41:39.665+10:00Peter 'Joli' WilsonPeter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-26515159761781702612013-10-18T17:36:00.001+10:002013-10-18T17:36:39.114+10:00Ottz Nails it in Portugal<a href="http://www.aspworldtour.com/surfers/mens-profiles/kai-otton/">Kai Otten</a> has just nailed his maiden World Tour event at Supertubos in Portugal. He took on the newly crowned ASP Rookie of the Year <a href="http://www.aspworldtour.com/surfers/mens-profiles/nat-young/">Nat Young</a> in a wave starved final and found enough scoring waves to secure the win of the <a href="http://live.ripcurl.com/portugal-home-2013.html">Rip Curl Pro</a>.<br />
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Kai has been on the tour since 2007 and was actually Rookie of the Year in his first year but the results have not come easy. Over the past 12 months things has come together for the goofy footer, a new sponsorship with Reef and a new quiver of Al Merrick's under his feet. There have been a lot of close heats over the past 12 months too, very frustrating for Kai but last night in Portugal that was all forgotten when he held the trophy above his head and was drenched in champagne.<br />
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“It’s the weirdest feeling ever, I just can’t comprehend it,” an
ecstatic Otton said. “I really want to dedicate it to my Granddad, he
passed away the year I qualified and never saw me on tour so this is for
him. It seems like this event was a little bit of a grind, every heat
the tide changed so dramatically you never really knew what was going to
happen!”<br />
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Kai had forced the 2013 World Tilte race to hawaii when he kncoked out ratings laeader Mick Fanning in the quater finals. The World Title could have been warpped up at the Rip Curl Pro but Kai's win and Mick's loss meant that for the second year running it's going to be a two horse race at Pipe with between kelly Slater , who is going for his 12th and Mick Fanning as ratings leader going for his 3rd. A nail biting finish is guaranteed.<br />
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The Billabong Pipeline Masters is final stop on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour, Mick Fanning and <strong><a href="http://www.aspworldtour.com/surfers/mens-profiles/kelly-slater/" target="_blank">Kelly Slater</a></strong> remain in contention for the World Title. Following
Fanning’s fifth place in Portugal, Slater must win the
Pipe Masters to surpass Fanning for the ASP World Title. If Slater is to
win the event, Fanning must place 3rd or better to claim the title for
himself. <br />
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Kai, who now sits at No. 7 on the ASP WCT rankings following the
victory, has been one of the most consistent surfers in 2013 and his
road to victory in Portugal saw the Australian take on the
world’s best surfers. The goofy-footer was unstoppable on the final day
of competition, defeating Hawaiian prodigy <strong><a href="http://www.aspworldtour.com/surfers/mens-profiles/john-john-florence/" target="_blank">John John Florence</a></strong> two-time ASP World Champion and current rankings leader <strong><a href="http://www.aspworldtour.com/surfers/mens-profiles/mick-fanning/" target="_blank">Mick Fanning</a></strong> and reigning ASP World Champion <strong><a href="http://www.aspworldtour.com/surfers/mens-profiles/joel-parkinson/" target="_blank">Joel Parkinson</a></strong> en route to the final.<br />
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“One of the things that has changed for me this year is my girlfriend
being pregnant, I’m pretty excited about that,” siad Kai after the win. “It’s
unbelievable, it’s the next chapter I’m really looking forward to. It’s
amazing to have all of the support, all my home town of Tathra, my Mom
and Dad who supported me all of my career. To get here is kind of a
pinnacle for me.”<br />
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The win has been a long time coming but it is fully deserved. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kai pulling in at Teahupoo earlier this year. photo: joliphotos.com</td></tr>
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Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-10279088397361058372013-10-16T16:57:00.000+10:002013-10-16T17:00:15.041+10:00Big News from the new Association of Surfing Professionals <hr />
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Big news for pro surfing today with the new ASP making the first of what is probably many announcements about coverage of the 2014 professional surfing. <a href="http://www.aspworldtour.com/2013/10/15/asp-international-announces-landmark-agreements-with-espn-youtube-and-facebook/">Professional Surf League</a> is the name that is covering the Men's and Women's ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) events plus the ASP Big Wave World Tour<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhl4nyiWP92WITHsKfc8woFqpMGfuabMlB9ZonIdXNxFgr8at9jXznS1GlOG5Bi23S-3XRFPPwK-0TFkiIR2meJ1PJZwzWSYPzD9K3B3CbJLXJ-MrjFmyD_1BtLVsM0Lz7kp9t0YMjOW1-/s1600/Joel+Parkinson+Joli_TRD4579.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhl4nyiWP92WITHsKfc8woFqpMGfuabMlB9ZonIdXNxFgr8at9jXznS1GlOG5Bi23S-3XRFPPwK-0TFkiIR2meJ1PJZwzWSYPzD9K3B3CbJLXJ-MrjFmyD_1BtLVsM0Lz7kp9t0YMjOW1-/s640/Joel+Parkinson+Joli_TRD4579.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joel Parkinson cruises through a perfect wave at Teahupoo. Photo: joliphotos.com</td></tr>
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Here's the Press release from the ASP:<br />
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LOS ANGELES, California/USA (Tuesday, October 15, 2013) – Association
of Surfing Professionals (ASP) International is pleased to announce
media/distribution agreements with ESPN, YouTube and Facebook across the
linear broadcast, digital and social media spectrums. Each agreement
will commence in 2014 to help celebrate and grow the sport of surfing
worldwide. Today’s announcements mark the first national and global
media deals in the history of professional surfing.<br />
ASP events enhanced by the media deals include the 26 elite tour events
across men’s, women’s and big wave arenas in Australia, Brazil, Fiji,
Indonesia, Tahiti, USA, France, Portugal, Chile, Peru, South Africa,
Spain and Mexico. Since 1976, ASP has annually crowned the undisputed
world surfing champions in a sport that hosts more than 120 million fans
worldwide as well as the recently-identified number one sport fan for
sponsor consideration and loyalty in the U.S., according to findings by
global research firm Repucom.<br />
“Professional surfing is a truly global sport which demands media
distribution partners with significant reach. Our newly announced
partners have tremendous presence in the innovative media arena and,
together, they build the foundation for the ASP media platform,” Paul
Speaker, ASP CEO, said. “I personally believe surfing is one of the most
dramatic and dynamic sports on the planet and it’s an honor to work
with tremendously inspirational athletes in bringing their feats and
stories to the public.”<br />
“I find it very fitting that the rebirth of professional surfing in
2014 will be broadcast within the ESPN family of networks and back on
ABC as they were the first to support surfing on television back in
1962,” Speaker continued.<br />
ESPN teams up with ASP as the exclusive U.S. domestic broadcaster for
professional surfing in 2014 as part of a three-year agreement to
showcase the sport’s elite events. The rights deal will allow surfing
fans to see highlight shows immediately following the events.<br />
“ESPN is thrilled to be working with the ASP as the U.S. domestic
broadcast partner for professional surfing,” Tim Reed, ESPN Global X
senior director, Content Strategy and Sports & Competition, said.
“We look forward to showcasing the excitement, energy and incredible
skills of professional surfers touring the world under the ASP banner.
The talent and experience that is being aggregated at the ASP make this a
very exciting time for professional surfing as well as a great
opportunity for ESPN to extend its X Games brand into professional
surfing.”<br />
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Respective international linear broadcast deals will be finalized and announced in the coming weeks.<br />
The ASP YouTube channel, along with the rebuilt ASP website which will
embed this content via the YouTube player, will exclusively provide fans
with more than 3,000 hours of programming, including 26 live streamed
events annually across the men’s ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), the
women’s ASP WCT and the ASP Big Wave World Tour (BWWT). For the first
time in the sport’s history, the ASP YouTube channel will enable fans
around the world to go to one global destination to view surfing
digitally.<br />
“ASP is committed to putting the world’s best surfers on the world’s
best waves,” said Claude Ruibal, Global Head of Sports Content, YouTube.
"We're committed to delivering the world's best viewing and interactive
experience to amplify these incredible performances, turning the ASP
YouTube channel to a daily destination for a world of surfing fans.”<br />
Facebook will serve as the primary social platform partner for ASP with
the relationship focusing on fan engagement. Repucom research findings
showed the number one sport fan using social media throughout the world
are surfing fans, including a characteristic of being six times more
likely to engage in social media than the general public. The ASP will
use Facebook to engage its rapidly-growing global fan base around
surfing, both via broadcasts and connecting fans to the athletes
themselves.<br />
"We will be working closely with Facebook and Instagram as the primary
social platforms to enhance our broadcast programming – bringing the
tribe of surfing fans from around the world closer to the action they
love, the athletes they follow and the sponsor brands they support,”
Speaker said.<br />
With the start of the 2014 season, fans will experience the future of
professional surfing with the convergence of the production, marketing,
media, social and sponsorship initiatives under the ASP banner for the
first time in the sport’s history. The 2013 season is serving as a
transitional year, with new management building programs and
partnerships for the rebirth of professional surfing in 2014 when a new
look, tone and feel as well as consistent and top-of-class programming
will showcase the world’s best surfers in the world’s best waves. To see
a preview of the new ASP, go to <a href="http://www.aspworldtour.com/2014/" target="_blank">www.aspworldtour.com/2014</a><br />
The 2013 ASP World Championship Tour is currently in Portugal for the Rip Curl Pro which runs through October 20, 2013.<br />
For more information, log onto <a href="http://www.aspworldtour.com/" target="_blank">www.aspworldtour.com</a></div>
Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0Teahupo'o, French Polynesia-17.8472222 -149.2672222-17.8623367 -149.2873922 -17.8321077 -149.24705219999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-52941624880843882162013-03-06T17:44:00.000+10:002013-03-06T17:44:04.759+10:00Australian Surfing Awards - Hall of FameHi from Gold Coast,<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stephanie Gilmore being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Photo: joliphotos.com</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />It’s been a busy couple of weeks with two big awards ceremonies and the hype surrounding the first WCT events of the year, the Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Pro’s here on the Gold Coast.<br /><br />This gallery is all about the 50 year Anniversary of <a href="http://www.surfingaustralia.com/">Surfing Australia</a> and the <a href="http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Australian-Surfing-Awards-2013/G0000sj7XoiFKtuQ/I0000LpH8ndEnJSM">Australian Surfing Awards</a> which incorporate the Hall of Fame Awards It was a black tie function held in the Darling Harbor region of Sydney attended by Australia's surfing royalty, politicians and leading industry figures.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Richards and Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan. Photo joliphotos.com</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />Four times World Champion Mark Richards was named Australia’s Most Influential Surfer 1963-2013. The Top 10, in order of votes received from the public and the Hall of Fame members, was: Mark Richards, Simon Anderson, Nat Young, Michael ‘MP’ Peterson, Midget Farrelly, Tom Carroll, Layne Beachley, Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew, Mark Occhilupo and Bob McTavish.<br /><br />Five times Women’s World Surfing Champion, Stephanie Gilmore was inducted into the Hall of Fame as well as receiving the award as Female Surfer if the Year while 2012 World Surfing Champion Joel Parkinson was the Male Surfer of the Year. <br /><br />I was honored to take out the <a href="http://www.surfingaustralia.com/news-details.php?id=3338">Nikon Surf Photo of the Year </a>award with a shot of Mark Healey’s surfboard stuck in the lip of the a Cloudbreak monster shot during that massive swell last June. It’s the second time in four years that I’ve received the Award and I can tell you I was stoked.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter 'Joli Wilson-The proud owner of a new Nikon D4. Photo by mrsjoli </td></tr>
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<br /><br />Here’s the list of awards handed out during the night:<br /><br />2013 AUSTRALIAN SURFING AWARDS WINNERS<br /><br />Australian Surfing Hall of Fame Inductee: Stephanie Gilmore<br />Australia’s Most Influential Surfer 1963-2013: Mark Richards<br />Male Surfer of the Year: Joel Parkinson<br />Female Surfer of the Year: Stephanie Gilmore<br />Rising Star: Jack Freestone<br />Waterman of the Year: Jamie Mitchell<br />ASB Surfing Spirit Award: Misfit Aid<br />Peter Troy Lifestyle Award: Bob Smith<br />Surf Culture Award: The Reef - by the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Tura New Music<br />Simon Anderson Club Award: Kirra Surfriders Club<br />Nikon Surf Movie of the Year: Storm Surfers 3D<br /><a href="http://mynikonlife.com.au/">Nikon Surf Photo of the Year</a>: Peter ‘Joli’ WilsonPeter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com1Sydney NSW, Australia-33.8674869 151.20699020000006-34.712017900000006 149.91609670000005 -33.0229559 152.49788370000007tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-46594777074710773842013-03-06T17:04:00.000+10:002013-03-06T17:04:32.077+10:00The Boys Get Busy.Hi from Snapper Rocks,<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery-slideshow/G0000mzmL8C3a8Hk/?start=">Dane Reynolds blowing the tail out at Rainbow Bay.</a> Photo by <a href="http://joliphotos.com/">joliphotos.com</a></td></tr>
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<br />A lay day was called for the <a href="http://quiksilverlive.com/progoldcoast/2013/home.en.html">Quiksilver Pro</a> and the Roxy Pro here on the Gold Coast today so it’s given me a chance to sit down at the computer and catch up with a bit of photo editing. <br /><br />The first heats of the year are out of the way in both the Men’s and Women’s WCT with a few surprise results recorded. Parko finished a nail biting 0.03 points behind <a href="http://www.out2brunch.com/">Matty Wilkinson</a> in their first round heat yesterday while Kelly Slater, riding a tiny five fin board, struggled to get going early before finally getting the board to do what he wanted and nailing the win.<br /><br />Jody Smith threw his big frame around for a convincing heat win while <a href="http://www.medina10.com/">Gabriel Medina</a> won his heat on a twisted ankle before rushing off to hospital for tests and x-rays.<br /><br />We’ve got a cyclone (Sandra?) brewing off the mid north coast of Queensland which could send swell our way later this week. Hopefully this time around it will be waves and not the cyclonic weather that have smashed our sand banks, especially at Snapper, and giving us weeks of onshore winds and flooding rains.<br /><br />I’ve loaded images into this Gallery from the last few days action and lifestyle and will continue to add images as the action unfolds. Tomorrow’s call is at 6.30 am and there is even a chance the heats could run at Kirra after three days at Rainbow Bay and Greenmount.<br />Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0Snapper Rocks, Qld, Australia-28.166151208847676 153.54217729296874-28.194147208847678 153.50183679296873 -28.138155208847675 153.58251779296876tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-26447974767090390462013-02-25T10:55:00.001+10:002013-02-25T10:55:07.996+10:00A-Frame Photography - Joli Wins Again - 2013 Australian Surfing Awards<a href="http://aframephoto.blogspot.com/2013/02/joli-wins-again-2013-australian-surfing.html?spref=bl">A-Frame Photography - A Surfing and Ocean Related Stock Photo Agency: Joli Wins Again - 2013 Australian Surfing Awards</a>: 2013 Nikon Photo of the Year Congratulations are in order for Peter "Joli" Wilson as he captured the Nikon Photo of the Year for th...Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-64926236769015891022013-02-15T20:15:00.000+10:002013-02-15T20:15:28.946+10:00 Dane’s about to rock them.<b>Dane Reynolds scores a wildcard entry into the 2013 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast</b>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dane Reynolds and girlfriend Courtney before a heat at the Quiksilver Pro France where he finished 2nd behind Kelly Slater</td></tr>
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The announcement yesterday of Dane Reynolds receiving a wild card entry into next month’s season opening <a href="http://quiksilverlive.com/progoldcoast/2013/">Quiksilver Pro </a>at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast no doubt sent shivers through a lot of the ASP’s new Top 34.<br /><br />Reynolds didn’t enjoy the grind of touring the world competing in WCT events when he was a member of the Top 34 but he does love competing and it shows when he turns up at an event, competing as a wildcard and goes about winning heats.<br /><br />He cut a swath through the <a href="http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/Quiksilver-Pro-France-2012/G0000W9VVuSxCB8w/">Quiksilver Pro in France</a> last year, finishing second to good friend and mentor Kelly Slater and all but ending any hopes that Mick Fanning had of a 2012 World Title along the way. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNN-sHKZyQH56BOAfixwb8pv6pfxGWh1wnBVgWwvVocr2fBqjXs1GBtaGNhRz1-Y64xNSh_pDNnSvIqcPkpEc9sLWIhp_GF27Ckv-xDkuOMcCN_m7Ka0sbmTlKzug-h6maxMFiXEYorkNW/s1600/dane-reynolds-joli-FX5853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNN-sHKZyQH56BOAfixwb8pv6pfxGWh1wnBVgWwvVocr2fBqjXs1GBtaGNhRz1-Y64xNSh_pDNnSvIqcPkpEc9sLWIhp_GF27Ckv-xDkuOMcCN_m7Ka0sbmTlKzug-h6maxMFiXEYorkNW/s640/dane-reynolds-joli-FX5853.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dane getting shacked in the beach breaks of Hossegor France.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />Reynolds was the Vans Wilds card for the whole of the Vans Triple Crown in Hawaii last season and while he didn’t get close to winning an event like he did in France he certainly caused a few headaches for his fellow competitors along the way. An equal ninth at the <a href="http://vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com/billabongpipemasters2012">Billabong Pipe Masters</a> in testimony to that.<br />With virtually no ratings points to his name Reynolds will likely draw either the new world champ and hometown hero, Joel Parkinson or the #2 seeded surfer, 11 times world champ Kelly Slater.<br /><br />“As a wildcard you’re automatically the lowest seed in the contest so you get a really tough draw in the first three rounds which makes it really exciting but really difficult,” he said. “Joel would definitely be a fun heat but I like to surf against Kelly too.”<br /><br />The draw for the Quiksilver Pro wont be worked out until the results of the Trials are known because the other wildcard will go to the winner who may or may not have a higher seeding points than Reynolds. The Quiksilver Pro Trials will run on March 1st, the day before the beginning of the waiting period for the Quiksilver Pro.<br /><br />Reynolds is a crowd favorite partly for his enigmatic reputation and also for his devil may care attitude which results in some of the craziest moves ever attempted in contests. he sent the internet into melt down last November when he pulled off an amazing snap to reverse at <a href="http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/Hawaii-2012-Reef-Hawaiian-Pro/G0000gYFroNJwDgM/C0000n6GqhsmehR4">Haleiwa</a> during the <a href="http://vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com/reefhawaiianpro2012">Reef Hawaiian Pro</a>. Fans will be watching via the webcast or flocking to Snapper Rocks to see what he can do this time around.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5-mtBqGPA9mdnrqIzbbJ4uehUotfbXF3mgvU8Zrz1tQOyvmZL9UCCNVol1uML2aPz4xq2WDPMP_SJZsWb_mPnd0xCbve9y_xbOCGty02wNrHSEtaKHInbDKTgL8VQ3b70N8-lAY0dedL/s1600/dane-reynolds-joli-HX0825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5-mtBqGPA9mdnrqIzbbJ4uehUotfbXF3mgvU8Zrz1tQOyvmZL9UCCNVol1uML2aPz4xq2WDPMP_SJZsWb_mPnd0xCbve9y_xbOCGty02wNrHSEtaKHInbDKTgL8VQ3b70N8-lAY0dedL/s640/dane-reynolds-joli-HX0825.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dane smacking his way through a heat in the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa last November</td></tr>
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<br /><br />Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-33547485756163944682013-02-05T11:54:00.000+10:002013-02-05T11:54:21.267+10:00Andy Irons Ripping Reunion<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_33A-X2mNDN7aTUlGy72Ufsr4C8e7fvrKDT6rvgywsqpyxNOZYC7z8DPKq2TllRqUMrAEBgdu4JVCPH4hX_vlNlfQ9sW7W2BiJlwwUUYQWdbVyuSU7zWhmQSnpmK9iRqRcMfbezGBhG7/s1600/andy-irons-joli-RUQD2897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_33A-X2mNDN7aTUlGy72Ufsr4C8e7fvrKDT6rvgywsqpyxNOZYC7z8DPKq2TllRqUMrAEBgdu4JVCPH4hX_vlNlfQ9sW7W2BiJlwwUUYQWdbVyuSU7zWhmQSnpmK9iRqRcMfbezGBhG7/s640/andy-irons-joli-RUQD2897.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy driving into a roundhouse cutback at St Pierre</td></tr>
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I'd had a request a few days ago for photos of <a href="http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/Reunion-Island/G0000NUdZkKXchks/">Reunion Island</a>
and the last time I was there was for the first Rip Curl Search in
2005. Mick Fanning won the event which was blessed with amazing waves at
St Leu. There were plenty of free surfing going down over the two weeks
too. Going through my shots, Andy Irons with three World Titles in a
row (2002, 2003 and 2004) was the clear standout taking St Leu and St
Pierre apart. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQocxIuVmGXNgd5V-8kUH-1CLZhrF0XEfSthyphenhyphen-zgxnDVxfBSny454xbcQfujoqaL9wAoD2vaE-wIOfZPwTD1DZAHuXUEt44XM4yVzGlRAXqLMfRHqOultHNp7GP5xlR0UNs8q4zRQRubCu/s1600/andy-irons-joli-RUQD0619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQocxIuVmGXNgd5V-8kUH-1CLZhrF0XEfSthyphenhyphen-zgxnDVxfBSny454xbcQfujoqaL9wAoD2vaE-wIOfZPwTD1DZAHuXUEt44XM4yVzGlRAXqLMfRHqOultHNp7GP5xlR0UNs8q4zRQRubCu/s640/andy-irons-joli-RUQD0619.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy smacking a backside bash at St Leu</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0Reunion Island-21.616579336740593 55.546875-37.03424783674059 34.892578 -6.198910836740593 76.201172tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-51109942326139552692013-01-12T13:22:00.000+10:002013-01-12T13:22:31.384+10:00John John Florence signs with Hurley<b>John John's multi million dollar deal with Hurley:</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRS1in9QOKayLSiZGl5RZi7ydGI2rWHPxhwa2dHuefBdm_6h0YilrsNJAcTST9vRPQNozBdFn2foF3iif20-EjMJ1QQfAoHeMC0CwGkVDdonr01vr5xuwzt9GuNcl-AFF_1Hu5lcdBeZg/s1600/john-florence-joli-HX3486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRS1in9QOKayLSiZGl5RZi7ydGI2rWHPxhwa2dHuefBdm_6h0YilrsNJAcTST9vRPQNozBdFn2foF3iif20-EjMJ1QQfAoHeMC0CwGkVDdonr01vr5xuwzt9GuNcl-AFF_1Hu5lcdBeZg/s400/john-florence-joli-HX3486.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John John Florence with a million dollar smile after signing a five year deal with Hurley</td></tr>
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<br /><br />The rumour mill had been grinding for months, starting as far back as September, that there were going to be big changes in the O'Neill surf team for 2013. The base of the rumors was that both Jordy Smith's and John John Florence's contracts were up for renewal and the $ figures were resembling phone numbers that included the area codes.<br /><br />One of the rumors was that Kelly Slater, looking for an heir apparent at Quiksilver, was pushing for John John to join Quik, another was that Vans were going to step up and sign a 100% deal while a late comer to the rumor mill was Hurley. On the Jordy Smith front his name was being linked to Oakley with talk of a 100% deal but that could have slowed when they signed Bruce Irons and a yet to be confirmed World Championship Tour event in Bali around mid June of this year.<br /><br />Florence, who had been riding for his former sponsor, O'Neill, since he was six years old, rode Jaws on the last day of 2012 on a sticker-less board and just over a week later put an end to the rumors when Hurley announced he'd joined their team.<br /><br />Maybe the writing was on the wall back in November during the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Hale'iwa when Hurley management, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Evan Slater and former pro surfer and current VP of Sports Marketing Pat O'Connell were set up in the stands with the Florence camp. A group that included Florence's Mum Alex, brothers Nathan and Ivan and his longtime shaper Jon Pyzel. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEM5OfYVu3Fr0nOoZ_twkYRbSDBI-AmT29vsCaG44la9TJPpsYSKxe931j9OOOBqwFhDAcDzzfFJGweRgGgTttyP1TW4jEruqm-HIZzLKzEbwFq8h4BIRHF3vtOF8pD3Bwz3FZim4OuwF/s1600/team-florence-joli-HX3524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEM5OfYVu3Fr0nOoZ_twkYRbSDBI-AmT29vsCaG44la9TJPpsYSKxe931j9OOOBqwFhDAcDzzfFJGweRgGgTttyP1TW4jEruqm-HIZzLKzEbwFq8h4BIRHF3vtOF8pD3Bwz3FZim4OuwF/s640/team-florence-joli-HX3524.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jon Pyzel, Evan Slater, Alex Florence, Nathan Florence, Pat O'Connell and Sunny Garcia share a joke while watching John John in the final of the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa, November 2012</td></tr>
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<br /><br />2012 was Florence's first full year on the ASP World Tour. He defeated Parko in the final of the Billabong Pro Brazil to become the first Hawaiian to win a WCT event since Andy Irons and was in the running for a world title until the O'Neill Cold Water Classic, the second last event of the year, before finally finishing fourth in the world. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWrQn-TG10V-6HaWN9paqt588xIfX_Sa5oHcdEHfxm5HQTBI7GDSipJeiWiyca171SB0RyK52eCyKDFc8cIjBUcx0Iv1bNjChWnWsO7ezr0LH0_nDoHrnoVptTa1rAy0GgnXF_rKDjBrM/s1600/john-florence-joli-HX4685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWrQn-TG10V-6HaWN9paqt588xIfX_Sa5oHcdEHfxm5HQTBI7GDSipJeiWiyca171SB0RyK52eCyKDFc8cIjBUcx0Iv1bNjChWnWsO7ezr0LH0_nDoHrnoVptTa1rAy0GgnXF_rKDjBrM/s640/john-florence-joli-HX4685.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John John Florence smacking the top off one during the Reef Hawaiian Pro</td></tr>
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<br />Florence turned 20 in October 2012 and as a teenager he had already racked up a Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title, three wins at Pipe that included a Backdoor Shootout win and two Volcom Pro wins, an ASP world tour victory, a runner-up at the Surfer Poll awards and invites to two of the world's most prestigious big-wave events; the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau and the Redbull Jaws, Paddle at Pe'ahi on Maui. <br /><br />The dollar value of his new sponsorship package with Hurley was not announced with his signing, but solid rumors puts it's worth around 3.5 million dollars annually, which would put him in the top one percent of earners in surf and a deal worth somewhere in the $18 million range over five years. Pretty cool for a 20-year-old.<br /><br /><br />Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-4825409727165296672013-01-11T20:16:00.000+10:002013-01-12T13:25:34.995+10:00Bruce Irons joins the Fox Team<b>Bruce Irons goes to Fox.</b><br />
When Bruce Irons dropped off the pro tour a couple of years ago Volcom told him all he had to do was surf Pipeline whenever it was good. He had a room set up in the Volcom Pipe house and just had to hang around during the winter or fly back from Kauai whenever Pipe looked like breaking. He kept his end of the sponsorship deal for a year or so but seemed to be on hand less and less recently. <br />
Whenever Bruce did surf over the past two years it was always recorded in spectacular fashion, huge Mexico barrels or his tow in session at massive <a href="http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/Teahupoo-Tahiti-Tow-In-Session-2011/G0000i6IPOkKy.ag">Teahupoo</a> in 2011 spring to mind but over the last year Bruce has not been in the surfing limelight.<br />
Like his brother Andy, Bruce has been dealing with some demons of his own which put his sponsorship and relationship with Volcom on a rocky course. There were rumors floating around the surfing industry that Irons was on the verge of signing a 100% deal with Oakley but in early December they changed to Fox.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcI8y2XHhJSHdy8FP23laTNYG3fE9G3p3DaluLu06L6x_msNuIsJbvUpqQw0KM31LqkO4uHYoqAsh9RF46FvaSVf1Hp4P_Exa7uz8lSaCsh5W8BTeb5J7Li016V-98LmIcNTIzzsFgIIH/s1600/bruce-irons-joli-HX6559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcI8y2XHhJSHdy8FP23laTNYG3fE9G3p3DaluLu06L6x_msNuIsJbvUpqQw0KM31LqkO4uHYoqAsh9RF46FvaSVf1Hp4P_Exa7uz8lSaCsh5W8BTeb5J7Li016V-98LmIcNTIzzsFgIIH/s400/bruce-irons-joli-HX6559.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce Irons all decked out in Fox clothing.</td></tr>
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At the opening ceremony of the <a href="http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/Hawaii-2012-Quiksilver-Big-Wave-Invitational-in-Memory-of-Eddie-Aikau/G0000yWF1e.FBM1U">Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau</a> on November 29th, Irons was one of the last Invitees to enter the circle. He came in with a sticker-less board but decked out in Fox clothing. During the speeches he proceeded to sticker out his board with Fox decals making a very public display of his new sponsor. Unlike the John John Florence rumors, there has been no $ amount put on the deal between Fox and Irons.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrORTm_NZK8KMnSR6gBcUVG08E8uOZnHHw1XidRV_Kx3Uk9MW-03V1t71cnjH_rxciEcBIxKTwtLrgltfoySsGyOM1H_2OjBJrtPDRQ_OZYKgkP2J0-GBw5GMU383fNZNMCXcu9wNYg-Z/s1600/makua-bruce-kala-joli-HX5886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrORTm_NZK8KMnSR6gBcUVG08E8uOZnHHw1XidRV_Kx3Uk9MW-03V1t71cnjH_rxciEcBIxKTwtLrgltfoySsGyOM1H_2OjBJrtPDRQ_OZYKgkP2J0-GBw5GMU383fNZNMCXcu9wNYg-Z/s640/makua-bruce-kala-joli-HX5886.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makua Rothman, Bruce Irons and Kala Alexandra at the Opening Ceremony of the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau.</td></tr>
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<br />Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-4678734729810135712012-03-13T16:54:00.000+10:002012-03-13T16:54:26.702+10:00Gabriel Medina Looks Forward to Bells<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXnPKxiQHpwT91VGHkfvlxNbee0Fu-LSxnO__Dm_3YXinINwiJLtP-YyBbw-QT-EQsDmbiTOOP5dAlEKqORXsN-8WTyEy8A_7ALcTlRVJvGdTFU9uRxi_l8XcTedyB6W-VrvEiFQ6a_NU/s1600/gabriel_medina_joli_QX12279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXnPKxiQHpwT91VGHkfvlxNbee0Fu-LSxnO__Dm_3YXinINwiJLtP-YyBbw-QT-EQsDmbiTOOP5dAlEKqORXsN-8WTyEy8A_7ALcTlRVJvGdTFU9uRxi_l8XcTedyB6W-VrvEiFQ6a_NU/s640/gabriel_medina_joli_QX12279.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><b>Wonder Kid has
a contest he’d rather forget:</b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Last year at just
18 years of age Brazilian Gabriel Medina split open a huge hole in the ASP
world tour. As a teenage giant killer, Medina went from young grommet to
full-fledged world title contender in the blink of an eye with two World Tour
wins from four contests.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16.0pt;">At 15 years old
Medina is the youngest surfer to win a WQS event and amazingly had only begun
competing in pro surfing events at 14. Last years ASP mid-year rotation made it
possible for him to jump straight from the WQS and into the 2011 ASP Top 34.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16.0pt;">2012 should be
shaping up as a big year for him but an =25<sup>th</sup> place at the
<a href="http://quiksilverlive.com/progoldcoast/2012/">Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast</a> is not what was expected by him or his fans. What went wrong?
Snapper Rocks can be a tricky place to surf at times especially in less than
ideal conditions. Medina couldn’t find any rhythm in either of his heats and paid
a heavy price being knocked out in Round Two by fellow rookie, Aussie Yadin
Nichol. But there is one thing for certain about the year ahead, Medina wont be
down for long. The <a href="http://live.ripcurl.com/countdown/">Rip Curl Pro</a> at Bells Beach is just around the corner.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-16968537438218356392012-03-13T16:38:00.000+10:002012-03-13T16:40:24.776+10:00Ace Buchan Fires Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 18pt;"><b> A lions roar from
Ace:</b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt;">Adrian Ace Buchan,
the goofy footer with the gnarlest backhand snap on the tour today always
greets you with a smile. When Ace came up against Tour Rookie and fellow <a href="http://www.hurley.com/">Hurley</a>
team rider Brazilian Miguel Pupo in the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast there weren’t too many smiles going around in
or out of the water. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt;">In the battle of
the goofy footers Ace came out on top and moved into the quarterfinals on the
very last wave of the heat. He was wadding to the beach as the final scores
were read out from the judges. Ace’s reaction to his wining ride was far from
the usual smile, more like a lion’s roar and an emotional fist pumping. Ace was
very happy but his normal smile was missing.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-78632820873972886362012-03-09T16:15:00.000+10:002012-03-09T16:15:53.027+10:00On Surfing's Social Merry Go Around.<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="520" width="779"><param name="movie" value="http://joli.photoshelter.com/swf/CSlideShow.swf?feedSRC=http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/G0000EBgeUbGh8t8?feed=json&ppg=200&imgT=casc&cred=iptc">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>On Surfing's Social
Merry Go Around.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">It’s been a busy
couple of months of surfing action both in and out of the water here in
Australia to start 2012.</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">The contest action
kicked off with the Billabong World Junior Championships at Burleigh Heads,
then the Breaka Burleigh Pro, the Australian Open of Surfing at Manly Beach,
Sydney and then it was back to the Gold Coast for the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">On dry land,
Pipeline legend Gerry Lopez, with good friends Wayne Lynch and filmmaker Jack
McCoy were here, having traveled the east coast of Australia doing a ‘Talk
Story’ book signing tour.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Lopez packed out
the Surf World Gold Coast Museum for his night of reminiscing and surf stars
from the past and present were in the audience to listen to this softly spoken
Hawaiian ‘chat’ about surfing and his trips to Australia. He told of his first
meeting with Bob McTavish in Hawaii, when Dick Brewer was just starting to
shape short boards. He also commented on being amazed when he saw Wayne Lynch
surf for the very first time in Australia.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">The audience
ranged from fellow surfing legends, Bob McTavish, Rusty Miller, Cheyne Horan,
David Baddy’ Treloar through to current World tour surfers such as Dan Ross.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">A few days later,
at a gala function in Manly, in conjunction with the Australian Open of
Surfing, Ross Clarke Jones was inducted into the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fsonYG3ruMw">Australian Surfing Hall of Fame</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Clarke Jones’s
acceptance speech was the ‘best’ anyone had heard in the history of the awards.
He started off slowly; a bit nervous, explaining Quiksilver had sponsored him
for nearly 30 years and as he was warming up, he pulled out a pair of shorts
from a plastic bag, the very first pair of Quiksilver board shorts he had ever
received as a sponsored surfer to show the audience. Board shorts he might be
struggling to get into today. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">It didn’t take
long before the big wave hell man wound up ‘roasting’ his tow-in partner, and
former world surfing champion, Tom Carroll who was on stage to hand over the
award.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Ross spoke for
nearly 30 minutes and had the audience hooting with laughter, dead quiet, then
clapping loudly at his stories and thank you. At one stage Ross stopped and
asked, “Seeing as I’m being Inducted tonight, can I be </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">De- ducted if I
don’t stop soon?’’</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">The night also
handed out awards to Owen Wright and Sally Fitzgibbons as Male and Women
‘Surfer of the Year’. Owen’s younger sister, Tyler Wright won the Rising Star
award, Jack McCoy won Nikon Surf Movie of the Year, for <i>Deeper Shade of Blue</i></span><span lang="EN-US"> and former world champ Barton Lynch won
the Surfing Spirit Award for his work with grommets.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Within days, many
of the same group of surfers and industry people were pulling on formal attire
and fancy dress for the ASP World Surfing Awards, held on the Gold Coast just
prior to the Quiksilver Pro, which kicks off to the 2012 world tour. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Surf stars, past,
present and future walked the ‘Blue Carpet’. The unconventional character of <a href="http://www.out2brunch.com/">Matt Wilkinson</a>, better known for his
‘colorful wetsuits’ was dressed in top hat and tails with his ‘date’, filmmaker
Nick Pollet dressed as a drag queen in bright red dress.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">It was a huge
night with Kelly Slater getting his hands on his 11<sup>th</sup> World Title
trophy while Carissa More carried away her first. After the serious proceedings
of trophy giving was done everyone rocked to the Australian rock band,
Wolfmother.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">The next morning
there was change of pace but an event that will have far reaching significance
for a long time to come. In a small ceremony on the top of the Greenmount headland,
overlooking the Quiksilver contest site and the Superbank line up, the
Queensland Governor, Ms Penelope Wensley officially declared the area
encompassing the three Gold Coast point breaks of Burleigh Heads, Currumbin and
Snapper Rocks –Kirra as a <a href="http://www.surfingreserves.org/">National Surfing Reserve</a>; the first ASP world tour
event site to ever be dedicated a National or World Surfing Reserve.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">The Reserve
borders are from 500 meters north of Burleigh Heads headland stretching south
to Snapper Rocks on the Queensland-New South Wales border.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Former world
surfing champions, Mark MR Richards and Pete PT Townsend joined National
Surfing Reserve patron Rabbit Bartholomew at the ceremony.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Kelly Slater, the
groups Global Ambassador and who rates Kirra as one of his most favorite waves said,
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">“I’m very stoked
to be working alongside World Surfing Reserves to lend a voice and help ensure
we honor and recognize the beaches that have brought all of us the lifestyle we
love so much.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Once the
Quiksilver and Roxy Pro’s wrap up, the contest scene moves to Margaret River in
Western Australian for the <a href="http://www.telstradrugawarepro.com/">Telstra Drug Aware Pro </a>Men’s Prime and Women’s Six
Star event and there are a few star-studded names in amongst the heat draw.
Bells Beach is the last stop in Australia for the Rip Curl Pro over the Easter
break so there is plenty of action to continue both in and out of the water.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-36431058272667444242012-03-08T11:27:00.001+10:002012-03-08T11:28:36.189+10:00Stephanie Gilmore wins Roxy Pro Gold Coast<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="520" width="779"><param name="movie" value="http://joli.photoshelter.com/swf/CSlideShow.swf?feedSRC=http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/G00001KuVlOBAjxs?feed=json&ppg=200&imgT=casc&cred=iptc">
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<a href="http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/Roxy-Pro-Gold-Coast-2012/G00001KuVlOBAjxs">Roxy Pro Gold Coast 2012</a> - Images by <a href="http://www.photoshelter.com/c/joli">Peter 'Joli' Wilson</a><br />
<br />
<b>Steph is Back:</b><br />
The first Women’s World Tour event for 2012, the Roxy Pro Gold Coast, is all wrapped up with Aussie girls filling the top four spots. Four times world champ Stephanie Gilmore was back on the podium holding the winners trophy and lighting up the crowd with her infectious smile.<br />
Steph, the local heroine, defeated North Narrabeen’s Laura Enever who was surfing in her first tour final, with a excellent nine point plus wave right on the siren. <br />
Fellow Aussies Tyler Wright and Sally Fitzgibbons bowed out in the semi finals. The tour rookies put in solid performances and it looks like it will be an exciting year ahead for women’s surfing.<br />
Check out all the action in this Gallery. Also check out the latest issue of <a href="http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/8de0dfeb#/8de0dfeb/35">www.18seconds.com.au</a> for a cool multi media interview with yours truly.<br />
The next big event is the Women’s Six Star rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River in Western Australia. I’ll be covering all the action so keep an eye on this blog.<br />
Cheers<br />
Joli<br />
<br />Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-87309048497597266612012-03-06T15:10:00.000+10:002012-03-06T15:47:16.295+10:00Taj Burrow-Back On Top<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Cobject%20classid=%22clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000%22%20width=%22779%22%20height=%22520%22%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22movie%22%20value=%22http://joli.photoshelter.com/swf/CSlideShow.swf?feedSRC=http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/G0000JRR6vfZPI4U?feed=json&ppg=200&imgT=casc&cred=iptc%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22wmode%22%20value=%22opaque%20%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22allowScriptAccess%22%20value=%22always%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22allowFullScreen%22%20value=%22true%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22bgColor%22%20value=%22#aaaaaa%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22flashvars%22%20value=%22f_mtrx=t&f_cap=t&v=20091016&f_smooth=f&f_emb=t&feedSRC=http%3A//joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/G0000JRR6vfZPI4U%3Ffeed%3Drss%26ppg%3D200&f_link=t&f_s2f=f&f_wm=t&f_crp=f&f_2up=f&bcolor=%23CCCCCC&trans=xfade&f_fss=f&f_bbl=f&target=_self&btype=old&cred=iptc&f_bb=t&f_up=f&f_tb=f&f_ap=t&imgT=casc&f_fscr=t&ldest=c&f_l=t&tbs=5000&f_sln=t&bgtrans=t%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3C%21--[if%20%21IE]%3E%3C%21--%3E%3Cobject%20type=%22application/x-shockwave-flash%22%20data=%22http://joli.photoshelter.com/swf/CSlideShow.swf?feedSRC=http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/G0000JRR6vfZPI4U?feed=json&ppg=200&imgT=casc&cred=iptc%22%20width=%22779%22%20height=%22520%22%20%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22wmode%22%20value=%22opaque%20%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22allowScriptAccess%22%20value=%22always%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22allowFullScreen%22%20value=%22true%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22bgColor%22%20value=%22#aaaaaa%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22flashvars%22%20value=%22f_mtrx=t&f_cap=t&v=20091016&f_smooth=f&f_emb=t&feedSRC=http%3A//joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/G0000JRR6vfZPI4U%3Ffeed%3Drss%26ppg%3D200&f_link=t&f_s2f=f&f_wm=t&f_crp=f&f_2up=f&bcolor=%23CCCCCC&trans=xfade&f_fss=f&f_bbl=f&target=_self&btype=old&cred=iptc&f_bb=t&f_up=f&f_tb=f&f_ap=t&imgT=casc&f_fscr=t&ldest=c&f_l=t&tbs=5000&f_sln=t&bgtrans=t%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3C%21--%3C%21[endif]--%3E%3Ca%20href=%22http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/G0000JRR6vfZPI4U?&ppg=200&imgT=casc&cred=iptc%22%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://joli.photoshelter.com/gal-kimg-get/G0000JRR6vfZPI4U/s/779/520%22%20alt=%22%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C%21--[if%20%21IE]%3E%3C%21--%3E%3C/object%3E%3C%21--%3C%21[endif]--%3E%3C/object%3E%3Cbr/%3E%3Ca%20href=%27http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/Quiksilver-Pro-Gold-Coast-2012/G0000JRR6vfZPI4U%27%3EQuiksilver%20Pro%20Gold%20Coast%202012%3C/a%3E%20-%20Images%20by%20%3Ca%20href=%27http://www.photoshelter.com/c/joli%27%3EPeter%20%27Joli%27%20Wilson%3C/a%3E"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="520" width="779"><param name="movie" value="http://joli.photoshelter.com/swf/CSlideShow.swf?feedSRC=http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/G0000JRR6vfZPI4U?feed=json&ppg=200&imgT=casc&cred=iptc">
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<!--<![endif]--><a href="http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/G0000JRR6vfZPI4U?&ppg=200&imgT=casc&cred=iptc"><img src="http://joli.photoshelter.com/gal-kimg-get/G0000JRR6vfZPI4U/s/779/520" alt="" /></a><!--[if !IE]><!--></object><!--<![endif]--></object></a><a href="http://joli.photoshelter.com/gallery/Quiksilver-Pro-Gold-Coast-2012/G0000JRR6vfZPI4U">Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast 2012</a> - Images by <a href="http://www.photoshelter.com/c/joli">Peter 'Joli' Wilson</a><br />
<b>Happy Vegemites</b>
Aussie surfers scored a double victory at Snapper Rocks with Taj Burrow winning the Quiksilver Pro and (former world champion) Stephanie Gilmore winning the Roxy Pro.
“I’m feeling great mate!” said Burrow after defeating Brazilian Adriano de Souza in what was a tense see sawing 35 minute heat battle in front of a packed Snapper Rocks beach.
“I felt like I was in Rio [Rio de Janeiro],” said Burrow about the massive crowd that spilled into the water. “There were so many Brazilians here chanting for Adriano and I was a bit unnerved at first but it got me revved up, and I heard the Aussies bounce back with a really good roar on a couple of my waves, I could actually hear them as I was going through my turns. That’s a pretty special feeling.”
Burrow’s definitely needed some local support after de Souza had opened the final with an eight point ride nailing an air reverse on his very first turn.
“I was freaking after Adriano’s first ride, it’s quite an exclamation mark to come out on the first wave and try an air on your first turn,” explained Burrow later. “He did a sick turn and got eight (points) for just that one turn which is quite intimidating for sure but I knew I could get those scores too, if not better, if I could pick the right waves, but he (de Souza) sure makes it hard for you.”
Adriano de Souza, who had avoided a lot of the contest hype that focused on Joel Parkinson, Kelly Slater and Jordy Smith has come second in this event and would have dearly liked to have won, but Burrow got the better of him again today.
“We’ve met about 10 times now and Taj has won about six times,” said de Souza as he watched Burrow being mobbed by a massive media scrum. “I had the heat of my life against Taj last year and I would have really liked to have had a win today. What can I say, he belongs in the top three or four in the world and he has been knocking on the door (of a world title) for pretty much like 10 years. I’m sure we’ll met again and maybe next time it will be different.”
Both third place getters, Josh Kerr and Jordy Smith would have liked to have the results go differently too.
“If you’d told me a week ago I was going to get a third I would have told you I’d be stoked, “ said Kerr as he watched Burrow and de Souza battle out the final. “I really wish I was out in the final right now,” he continued with a shrug. “I had that heat this morning against Adriano and I really wanted to get through so I’m really disappointed right now, but I’ll take a third.”
Jordy Smith had his own reasons for wanting a win at Snapper Rocks after the news last week of the downgrading of the World Tour event at Jeffreys Bay (to a six star); Smith would have been the defending champion.
“I had an added incentive to win here because they’ve taken JBay (Jeffreys Bay, South Africa) away and I wanted to win one of the right hand point breaks this year.”
Smith was runner up two years ago at the Quik Pro and made the semis twice in the last three years so he was more than a little disappointed about his result.
“@#%*, I’m just really bummed, I wanted to make the final so bad. If you want to win a world title you’ve got to win finals,” he said. “I guess it’s a really good start to the year and now I hope to go and do really well at Bells, hopefully win or make the final at least.”
When asked about the conditions today he answered with a smile, “It wasn’t perfect Snapper but I’m happy to have beaten Parko out here (Joel Parkinson’s home break). He’s probably beaten me 10 times and I’ve only beaten him three, so I don’t think I’ve got it over him yet, (laughing) but those three times are all out here at Snapper.”
The 2012 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast didn’t have perfect waves and for a lot of the Top 34 surfers it was a nervous start to the year. The tour rookies didn’t really get a chance to shine with the seasoned pros filling the final top eight spots.
Taj Burrow has led the world tour ratings at this stage of the year before, but it’s another long year ahead. He just laughed when asked how he felt about his World Title chances this year?
“Right now, it’s all about rating points and having a few beers with my mates.”Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com2Snapper Rocks Rd, Coolangatta QLD 4225, Australia-28.1630834 153.5493299-28.164833400000003 153.5468624 -28.1613334 153.5517974tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-8981435952475277322010-04-30T12:15:00.006+10:002010-04-30T12:26:07.335+10:00Happy May Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXGVo5mtsC-2NWhBfLPTZg24tQW9uRU5OkDCIdd26Sj_cMfyneOV7G7_b38dyP08pA2c_VHQdcm2SUj-aTb_BOTXLjM1HiPMb9E6dBWrymkm9xJGQRFdD855Zj4LHU5VCpfQiDqVaBSwr/s1600/greenmount_Joli_QV13023.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXGVo5mtsC-2NWhBfLPTZg24tQW9uRU5OkDCIdd26Sj_cMfyneOV7G7_b38dyP08pA2c_VHQdcm2SUj-aTb_BOTXLjM1HiPMb9E6dBWrymkm9xJGQRFdD855Zj4LHU5VCpfQiDqVaBSwr/s200/greenmount_Joli_QV13023.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465751081797991186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDF6jxx4gLwUD2BNvPOhbZ9Z9Am4E9Q3LxBrjJrbyd3eTZwyXz_nZrXULwa61jHYSYxV0XS2xiwmVKSo4oVTal0NqQb25DLeu5q-dFY59QKcDua7UyVcB_2Cjh3p1M4toY68RH77vQXb0/s1600/tweed_bar_Joli_QV13218.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDF6jxx4gLwUD2BNvPOhbZ9Z9Am4E9Q3LxBrjJrbyd3eTZwyXz_nZrXULwa61jHYSYxV0XS2xiwmVKSo4oVTal0NqQb25DLeu5q-dFY59QKcDua7UyVcB_2Cjh3p1M4toY68RH77vQXb0/s200/tweed_bar_Joli_QV13218.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465750452238463762" border="0" /></a><br />It's the last day of April and the surf has returned to the Gold Coast after a week of tiny waves. Cool south westerly winds early and an easterly swell made for some fun conditions this morning. I figure it caught a lot of people by surprise as the line ups were fairly sparsely packed early. The dropping tide made a bit of difference and the news of the 'weekend' swell arriving a day early started to filter out.<br />We've got a long weekend here in Queensland for May Day so today could be a little entre for the next few days. Get out there and enjoy it.<br />Cheers<br />JoliPeter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-7423032172207090862010-04-20T14:36:00.007+10:002010-04-20T15:50:37.165+10:00Chelsea gets her ducks in a row at the Drug Aware Pro<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uH7wpPSx2o6dWDpeZtCvVhJqf2lwQqfJKdsJcXIUYgWPo7c-AR0F1XP9ll_AbTn-kz5VMeHGLMwlCXM31FJ-q7NBuTYAoz8VYl83HW2zbQHU8g1LDILbcskLDzOub-V0kXea02EU6Fps/s1600/chelsea_hedges_Joli_WV3960.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uH7wpPSx2o6dWDpeZtCvVhJqf2lwQqfJKdsJcXIUYgWPo7c-AR0F1XP9ll_AbTn-kz5VMeHGLMwlCXM31FJ-q7NBuTYAoz8VYl83HW2zbQHU8g1LDILbcskLDzOub-V0kXea02EU6Fps/s200/chelsea_hedges_Joli_WV3960.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462082172138407042" border="0" /></a><br />They were calling it Super Sunday, Ladies Day at the <a href="http://www.drugawarepro.com/">Drug Aware Pro </a>and if all the punters around the contest had their money on one person it was that gal, Super Sally. At some stage this week <a href="http://www.sallyfitzgibbons.com/">Sally </a><a href="http://www.sallyfitzgibbons.com/">Fitzgibbons</a> had earned the nick name (a typically Aussie thing) of Super Sally or variations of it. The buzz on the beach on the final day was all about a Super Sal vs Tyler Wright final. Both girls had been ripping and looked headed to the final showdown.<br />Out of the wings emerged the Super Mum, Chelsea Hedges, who had taken a year off the WCT tour in 2008 to have a baby and was now back in the women's contest mix and causing some havoc.<br />She hadn't won a contest since 2007 although she came very close in the WCT final in Portugal last year, which was won by Coco Ho. "I just ran out of steam in that final,' said Chelsea after arriving back on the beach today. '...I wasn't going to let it happen again."<br />Super Sal had racked the highest heat score of the whole contest, both mens' and women's, with an 18.43 points out of a possible 20 in the semis but couldn't repeat it in the final.She tried mighty hard and almost nailed it with her last ride. It put her into the lead but Chelsea had split the peak with her, gone right, and snatched the lead back as the hooter sounded.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9IOaIzYUhXKJHmu4bBTRGwSmeTsGUaS_KDoyWQ-jyMwzKlp4EPTj02E_SMhTcpatu68kqb4hhoyTLuw2u_jNAoQ8ck82ljrPYC1UlqfKaWQnv_DbQVmNsotlUxT9hU1mnuM0YhfA9X1o/s1600/sally_fitzgibbons_Joli_WV3878.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9IOaIzYUhXKJHmu4bBTRGwSmeTsGUaS_KDoyWQ-jyMwzKlp4EPTj02E_SMhTcpatu68kqb4hhoyTLuw2u_jNAoQ8ck82ljrPYC1UlqfKaWQnv_DbQVmNsotlUxT9hU1mnuM0YhfA9X1o/s200/sally_fitzgibbons_Joli_WV3878.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462082184737106850" border="0" /></a><br />The weird thing today was from the quarters on there was one natural footer and one goofy in each heat and to make it even weirder most of the rides were backhand waves. Chelsea had one forehand wave in the final while Sally surfed left the whole time.<br /><br />Just a a foot note, the DNA flow runs deep in OZ. Felicity Palmateer , who made the semi's is a second cousin to former world pro surfer Josh Palmateer while Tyler Wright, who made the other semi, is the brother of Owen Wright. Dad Rob was caddying for Tyler and was stoked to have one of the siblings make it through so far. 'We had one go up and one go down this week," he said after Tyler's quarter final and was disappointed that she didn't go further but "...it's not a bad result for Tyler."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVdMm4N0QG6p-_9O9aTk_z45fY1Wd7IFkVn_QCla8MTKayB1D3r_byPrDk4tCoASy-iWMAogOeTOs5ZakzoOqWHL6dJKAxMyVCW-M0OlyL0beqX663jluL-73G9vVidxoG9L_uCQWwpIV/s1600/chelsea_hedges_Joli_WV4267.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVdMm4N0QG6p-_9O9aTk_z45fY1Wd7IFkVn_QCla8MTKayB1D3r_byPrDk4tCoASy-iWMAogOeTOs5ZakzoOqWHL6dJKAxMyVCW-M0OlyL0beqX663jluL-73G9vVidxoG9L_uCQWwpIV/s200/chelsea_hedges_Joli_WV4267.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462082179380273874" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://espn.go.com/action/surfing/blog/_/post/5015329">Chelsea</a> got all her ducks in a row today and welcomed the win. She reckoned it was a great warm up for Bells which starts next week.<br /><br />That's it from WA, it's been a great week here in <a href="http://www.margaretriver.com/pages/home-page/">Margaret River</a>, the country bush smell is unbelievable and it's a great arena. Good days on the beach with sun and surf and good red wine to top off the end of the days. The <a href="http://www.photoshelter.com/gallery/CowParade-Margaret-River-Western-Australia-2010/G0000ORjTr3LYS_Q">Cow Parade</a> has been a moo'ving experience and we even scored a green flash for our last sunset.<br />We're now headed to Bells later this week.<br />CYA<br />Peter 'Joli' WilsonPeter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-70105010915560489792010-04-20T13:05:00.006+10:002010-04-30T12:13:38.654+10:00Kerr gets high to win the Drug Aware Pro<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1LZkKAnHRbZEinDPQVW0GIPnB4gDbpfAi4dICMzx2ZtmNr8a5P7R8hyphenhyphenjp8pVPyzTXHZ1aGk7GTUrHjRPY0i26N_v9S_TEyay1a3JhbqgQ4ZsMEUdrrPM9A_ODl-LNZu2g9PIOO3g4ouj/s1600/josh_kerr_Joli_WV3036.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1LZkKAnHRbZEinDPQVW0GIPnB4gDbpfAi4dICMzx2ZtmNr8a5P7R8hyphenhyphenjp8pVPyzTXHZ1aGk7GTUrHjRPY0i26N_v9S_TEyay1a3JhbqgQ4ZsMEUdrrPM9A_ODl-LNZu2g9PIOO3g4ouj/s200/josh_kerr_Joli_WV3036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465747880407351746" border="0" /></a><br />Kerrsey, kerrsey kerrsey. That's all I'm hearing right now. It's a couple of hours after<a href="http://www.kerr-azy.com/"> Josh Kerr </a>pulled a joey out of the Kangaroo's pouch by disposing of a 16 point combo in a matter of minutes to win the six star prime <a href="http://www.drugawarepro.com/">Drug Aware Pro</a> at Margaret River . With about five minutes to go Josh pulled two huge airs to score the only perfect 10 point ride of the week. The rights at Margs with the side onshore were providing the perfect ramps for airs. Kerrsey punted again on his next wave to hit the lead, leaving Taj needing over an eight with 90 secs to go.<br /><br /><br />Apparently Taj and Josh had been joking out in the water late in the final about the roll that<a href="http://www.billabong.com.au/team-rider/surf/2/taj-burrow"> Taj Burrow</a> was on. "Yeah I was telling Taj how many points he'd have and how he was killing it in the ratings and how he'd won three contests this year and then he didn't win" said Josh with a laugh." Even the beach commentators were claiming Taj had won 23 heats in a row and won three finals on the way. They were being a bit liberal with the truth cos Taj had lost his first round heat at the Quikie Pro before winning the contest but as Bede Durbidge, who lost to Taj in the semi's reckoned, "Nobody counts first round losses, so technically he has won 23 in a row."<br /><br />If anybody was on a roll this week it was Josh. He beat the current world champ Mick Fanning twice and then took out the World #1 Taj in the final. Maybe a drop of the Margaret River reds (not the kangaroo variety) helped him along in the early rounds but last night he went to bed by 8.30 and was stressing that he wouldn't be able to perform today. An unnecessary worry and if you look at his board preparation for the comp then maybe it just sums up his whole week.<br /><br />"I only rode two of my own boards this week,' said Josh '... and I haven't ridden them for over a year. I've been riding everybody elses boards and then today I jumped on a board that I'd never even seen before... (laughing) .... It was a 6'0" and I've only been riding 5'8"s, 5'6"s and 5'5"s for months...it was strange riding 'normal' boards this week and I certainly wasn't prepared for the contest (laughing again) but I've enjoying riding them again."<br /><br />It was Kerseys first ever WQS win. He's won plenty of air shows but never a CT or a WQS. He said later he only came over to the West because <a href="http://www.rusty.com.au/">Rusty</a> were one of the Sponsors and he'd come over to hang out and have fun. He did all that, hung out, had fun and won the whole damn thing.<br /><br />Peter 'Joli' WilsonPeter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-480492759715698662010-04-20T12:50:00.006+10:002010-04-20T15:42:02.172+10:00Last Minute Gasps at the Drug Aware ProHere's a little update from the west.<br />The 'situation' of the day were the last minute gasps. A bit like last night when I was stopped for a random breath test by the local cops. I passed and so did a lot of guys today. So many last gasp waves. Adrian Buchan nailed one in the last seconds and Josh Kerr snuck past <a href="http://www.mickfanning.com.au/">Mick Fanning</a> in their Round of 16. The funny thing is that Josh has beaten Mick twice in this contest; once in the 4 man heats of the Round of 96 and again in the man on man rounds. Air specialist Kerr was joking that Mick beat him in the Boost Air Show last weekend in Sydney and now he's beating him in a 'straight' WQS contest. Maybe it was the local red wine coursing through his veins courtesy of a Rusty sponsors dinner that helped scrap through.<br /><br />Today was a morning of convoys. The word went out that North Point was sure to be going off...a bit like St Patricks day. Hire cars in packs of 4 or 5 were darting all over the place. North Point was packed at first light but the little dirt car park was jammed with locals utes and 4WD's. No hire cars, they were still on the roads looking for a decent wave.<br />The swell was definitely 'pumping', somewhere in the 12' range, but way too south for most of the breaks. A lot of the crew ended up back at the contest watching the action and in the words of one of the surfers... "when the Gudangs (Gudauskas Bros) can't find waves then there aren't any around.'<br /><br />Cory Lopez got everyone 'moo'ing' today. He caught a triple overhead bomb and proceeded to try to emulate Tom Curren's mid 80's wave. Margs was huge when Curren caught a wave and rode it over 250 yards to the river mouth of <a href="http://www.margaretriver.com/pages/home-page/">Margaret River</a>. Cory came very close today, pumping his board at the end but with about 30 yards to go the wave backed off and he had to kick out. The surfers in the competitors tent were all up and riding the wave with him and the event commentators were yelling and laughing as Cory tried to make the river mouth.<br /><br />While Cory was going for glory Sunny Garcia was hiding from the public. He'd tried to pull in on a huge right and got blasted for his trouble. The resulting wipeout disrobed him and tore two fins out of his board.<br />Sunny was stuck in the channel calling for the jet ski while scrambling to get his trunks back from the end of his leg rope. He was joking about it later and laughed when the cold water jokes came out.<br /><br />Who's on form... CJ, Taj, Bede and Cory. Heat of the Round on paper was Josh Kerr and Mick Fanning while the heat to watch was Sunny Garcai and Neco Padaratz. They hadn't met since Pipeline in 2008. This time it was Sunny coming out on top. The swell's dropping and they'll crown a champ tomorrow.<br /><br />Peter 'Joli' WilsonPeter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-85254577002327615902010-03-17T13:10:00.003+10:002010-04-21T13:18:54.483+10:00Margaret River turns it on for the Drug Aware Pro<span style="font-size:100%;">The pics of the <a href="http://www.photoshelter.com/c/joli/img-show/I0000C.IDfzfbYlk">boys smiling</a> at the press conference is because they have<br />all been lent brand new 4WD Lexus Hybrids to cruise down from Perth to<br />Margaret's and go bush bashing for the week.<br />Parko, Bede, Mick Fanning and Occy, who is just here to do stuff for Fuel TV<br />were all handed the keys...what was Lexus thinking.<br />The press conference was pretty funny. Government officials, who are the<br />main sponsors, were trying to be cool and 'surf speak'. 'Pumping' was the word<br />of the day. Everyone tried to use it in context and almost got it right. I<br />was waiting for 'cowabunger' to pop out considering the Margaret River<br />region is hosting the <a href="http://www.photoshelter.com/gallery/CowParade-Margaret-River-Western-Australia-2010/G0000ORjTr3LYS_Q">CowParade</a> an outdoor art display. 80 life size 3D cow<br />canvases 'grazing' a places all over the region. Some pretty fun 'cows' out<br />there including a 'CowaBunga...Hang a Hoof' on the roof of the local pub.<br />It will be pumping this week. Wednesday suppose to be good and Friday is<br />supposed to be triple overhead.<br />Big pack of girls down here including <a href="http://www.alanablanchard.com/">Alana Blanchard</a>......the tour misses<br />her. Maybe she should have been given a special wildcard or we could all<br />hope she re-qualifies for 2011.<br />Dave Macaulay's daughter is doing well here. She is only 17 years old and<br />ripped her heats . Dad was sitting in the channel caddying for her and was beaming<br />after she won her heat.<br /><br />That's about it...except I nearly hit a kangaroo this morning heading to the<br />contest. Just hopped out in front of the car. Yeah they do hang in the<br />streets and the highways here in OZ.<br /><br />Peter Joli Wilson</span>Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-20052307216459396112009-09-08T16:28:00.003+10:002009-09-08T18:12:32.764+10:00Parko heads to the pointy end<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9YMG__htsYxidLtt3Resu7f36oEK1BLorqWNzxazcVY97PCPg3JH6QnFFxwl4b14o2eAQoMyu-fYreD7zbGHOWmqb_g5dxllexcm-F3kT99RhYv75Ew4E6dxKpwEdi4VU8mX7zXY1_Fi/s1600-h/Joel-Mick-Joli-JU7250.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9YMG__htsYxidLtt3Resu7f36oEK1BLorqWNzxazcVY97PCPg3JH6QnFFxwl4b14o2eAQoMyu-fYreD7zbGHOWmqb_g5dxllexcm-F3kT99RhYv75Ew4E6dxKpwEdi4VU8mX7zXY1_Fi/s320/Joel-Mick-Joli-JU7250.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379003905345047746" border="0" /></a><br />Well we’re half way through the year and Parko is the runaway leader on the ASP World Tour. This is probably stating the obvious and if you applied the same scenario to Kelly Slater this time last year then Parko’s first world title would be a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’.<br /><br />Bounce this around the number crunches who follow the ASP world tour and the word is that <a href="http://www.aspworldtour.com/2009/">Parko’s</a> title is not necessarily a certainty. Basically there are five World tour events to go, four back to back over the next eight weeks and ‘anything could happen’.<br /><br />When Joel won in <a href="http://pa.photoshelter.com/c/joli/gallery/Jeffreys-Bay-Billabong-Pro-2009/G0000kndN9l4DKUU/">J-Bay</a> one of the first guys to congratulate him after all the media had disappeared was his good mate Mick Fanning. Mick had been in a similar position to Joel two years earlier and he just gave his friend a big hug and said. “Just one step closer mate.”<br />It was almost as if Mick had conceded that this was going to be another of the ‘Cooly Kids’ chance to hold up the World Title trophy even though Mick, who is rated at #7, is still in the mix for this years title race.<br /><br />The main contenders are probably the Hobgood twins, Taj Burrow and Adriano de Souza. Bobby Martinez would have to be considered an outsider and Kelly who is in the Top 10, but I his own words figures he could be still in the race with a ‘…. mathematical outside chance.’, but not a lot of people are giving him this chance. Beware of the underdog you ask? Well he’s definitely that but the wheels would really have to fall off a few guys’ campaigns ahead of him to even give him a sniff.<br /><br />Will this be Parko’s year? There was an injury scare out of Bali with <a href="http://joelparko.com/">Parko</a> hurting his ankle. Team Parko have down played the injury via Twitter and blogs on his website but there haven’t been many sightings for the past few weeks. Could have a lot to do with the lack of surf on the Gold Coast. We’ve been getting summer Northerlies in winter. It’s a few days into Spring but the surf hasn’t improved much. There have been almost no waves since the end of July on the Gold Coast. Other Ct surfers have been around but they have also been going stir crazy because of the conditions.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.hurley.com/hurleypro/">Hurly Pro</a>, Event #6 on this years tour, is only four days away and you can bet a lot of the Gold Coast crew are already in California trying to get a few waves at Trestles because they haven’t been getting any at home.<br />Will this be Parko’s year? It certainly seems like it at the moment. He’s being in such consistent form since late last year. The 2008 Triple Crown is testament to that and three wins out of five events is nothing to be sneezed at.<br />I’m hitting the road in a few days time with six weeks of contests through Europe on the itinerary. Will I get a shot of Parko holding that world title trophy above his head in the next six weeks… I certainly hope so.Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-1556626290663553392009-08-03T17:01:00.010+10:002009-08-03T18:30:24.696+10:00Joli On Safari<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwTeNTn_U0GdeBni7Nj3OQ8SRcrZ8uoiLQ3yx_BWfbCV6WOLcDTww9Jq2bbeqkJgKxOvdNAf6Sjx3VYcan8eQh2MhdC_ITUmE1OkKLTcuKQ-JARIyjQsQ7atIPEv7OVp1EUHCBzyiuTNF/s1600-h/Line-Up-Joli-JU6748.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 289px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwTeNTn_U0GdeBni7Nj3OQ8SRcrZ8uoiLQ3yx_BWfbCV6WOLcDTww9Jq2bbeqkJgKxOvdNAf6Sjx3VYcan8eQh2MhdC_ITUmE1OkKLTcuKQ-JARIyjQsQ7atIPEv7OVp1EUHCBzyiuTNF/s320/Line-Up-Joli-JU6748.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365633603497356850" border="0" /></a><br />Just returned from a successful trip to <a href="http://pa.photoshelter.com/user/joli"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Jeffrey's</span> Bay</a> in South Africa. Great surf for the <a href="http://www.billabongpro.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Billabong</span> Pro</a> with a strong win for Joel Parkinson but not a lot of great free surfing. Missed a swell by a few days and then hung around after the contest waiting for two bumps on the <a href="http://www.surfline.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Surfline</span></a> swell maps. One came and went without much activity while the second bump provided plenty of surf in the 2 metre range with over 60mm of rain. Not ideal shooting weather. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Shaun</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Tomson</span> was on hand for the second swell but with overcast skies and more rain I ended up heading to the game reserves of <a href="http://shamwari.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Shamwari</span></a> and <a href="http://pumbagamereserve.co.za/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Pumba</span></a> to shoot four legged animals instead of the usual two legged surfing <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">variety</span>.<br />Got nice and close to lots of animals including hippos, elephants, rhinos and lions.<br />The scary thing was that a lioness took a liking to our open <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Landrover</span> and charged us. Came within a metre of leaping into the truck. Scared the hell out of everyone including our ranger, who hightailed it through the bush to get away.<br /><br />One of the elephants got nice and friendly too. Gave us a little 'don't argue' when we got a bit close but it all makes for some interesting photos.<br /><br />Arrived home to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Coolangatta</span> to beautiful winter days and no decent surf. <a href="http://coastalwatch.com/">Bells Beach</a> pumped on the weekend but my bags need to stay unpacked for a few days.Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736648754258102073.post-28899160262066042852009-04-10T15:23:00.006+10:002010-04-20T15:38:35.703+10:00Environmental Impact at Coolangatta: Man Made vs Climate Change with Joel Parkinson.<meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/peterjoliwilson/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>820</o:Words> <o:characters>4677</o:Characters> <o:company>Joli Productions</o:Company> <o:lines>38</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>9</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>5743</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1287</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} p {margin-right:0cm; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0cm; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times;} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.0pt 842.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--StartFragment--><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><o:p></o:p></span> <p><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Kirra Point is the northern limit of the fabled Coolangatta, Queensland's most southeastern town and the home of a long line of "Coolie" surfing legends such as Rabbit Bartholomew, Peter ‘PT’ Townsend, Michael ‘MP’ Peterson and the new Coolie Kids, Mick Fanning, Dean Morrison and Joel Parkinson.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >On Australia’s National Day, January 26<sup>th</sup><span style=""> </span>2009, more than 1500 surfers gathered for a protest paddle out. Their mission was to bring public awareness to the fact that the fabled Kirra Point had all but disappeared due to sand pumping from the mouth of the Tweed River just a few kilometers south.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >The protesting surfers formed the outline of a map of Australia and drew media recognition from all around the world for their plight.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >In days gone by a long lethal ribbon of sand was responsible for Kirra's supertube magic. Swells used to hit the sandbar at a 45-degree angle and suck their way with increasing intensity toward a small groyne off the Surf club and sometimes even past it.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >When the sand was right it was literally sectionless, the barrel forming and reforming like some sort of incredible moving version of a wave machine. Large volumes of water ran down the outside rim of the sandbar, which made paddling back out a grueling proposition; many experienced Kirra surfers just got out of the water at a ride's finish and jogged back along the rim of the point to the jump-off point.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >The loss of Kirra Point has been caused by an excessive build-up of sand that has been pumped and dredged into the Coolangatta Bay over the past 12 years. In this time there have been relatively low levels of storm activity and the sand has not naturally made its way north at the same speed at which it was placed in the bay.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >An increase in the level of sand in the bay by 3–4 metres on average has resulted in a significant widening of the beaches, in some cases by over 150m, the loss of surf quality and an increase in rips<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Currently the sand flow has moved slowly from Coolangatta Bay and into Kirra Beach, which now resembles a desert oasis and a 400-metre walk to the waters edge. After 6 years of sand pumping only 1/8 of the volume has moved north along Gold Coast beaches with the majority of sand volume lodged at Coolangatta and more so at Kirra and especially North Kirra. It’s the biggest pile-up of sand ever seen from Kirra to North Kirra, yet the sand continues to be pumped from the main outlet at Lovers Rock, Point Danger just north of D-bah beach.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">This sand pumping issue is not one caused by Climate Change but a man made problem which current ASP world # 1 Joel Parkinson considers to be the main environmental issue facing his hometown beaches.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">‘Sand pumping,’ says Joel, ‘they’re dammed if they do it and dammed if they don’t. We’ll never have Kirra and Snapper working at the same time while they continue to pump sand. Why are they even pumping sand?’ he asks.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">The original reason sand pumping was put in place was to keep the Tweed River mouth clear of sand so that the local fishing fleet and pleasure craft could cross the sandbar safely. Despite nearly 12 years of dredging and pumping the bar has never been completely clear.<span style=""> </span>Joel jokes that he saw Occy score one of the best barrels he’s ever seen ridden at the bar earlier this year.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Despite Parko considering the sand pumping as the major environmental threat to his surf breaks Climate Change has had an effect on the southern Gold Coast beaches. In late May this year a massive storm ripped apart the beaches causing some of the worst beach erosion in 40-50 years.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Gold Coast beaches from D-Bah in the south all the way to Surfers Paradise in the north suffered massive erosion. The ironic thing was that Kirra and Coolangatta had little damage and the massive sand build up from the sand pumping refused to budge. In the aftermath of the storm the local council used the Kirra sand to replenish some of the destroyed beaches.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">‘It was cool they were able to use some of the excess sand to replenish the other beaches after that big storm hit, commented Parko, ‘… but I reckon at some stage they will run out of sand to pump.’<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">‘They’ve dumped a shit load of sand at D-bah and it hasn’t helped the erosion one little bit. It’s the worst I’ve seen it in all the time I’ve lived there.’ <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>The May storm destroyed the bank at Snapper, exposing rocks and causing deep holes just off the beach.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">‘There’s a hole the size of an Olympic swimming pool out the back of Snapper right now that will take a lot of sand to fill up,’ says Joel. ‘We wont even get Snapper back until that fills up.<span style=""> </span>Climate Change is having a huge effect on our beaches and I don’t know what’s going to happen … they’re going to run out of sand to pump pretty soon. The beaches to the south of the sand pumping jetty are eroding too. What are they going to do? Pump sand south?’<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">As Joel said earlier there doesn’t seem to be one solution to the environmental damage being caused to the Coolangatta beaches. The authorities are dammed if the do pump sand or dammed if they don’t.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Parko reckons, ‘They just need to stop pumping for awhile and let nature settle things down, but we are either going to have Kirra or Snapper but we are never going to have both breaks at the same time.’<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">AS this piece was being written, during the Euro leg of the WCT world tour, Parko got news that, ‘The boys were scoring little low tide barrels behind the Rock at Snapper’. He just laughed when he heard the claim because he reckons it’ll take a long time before either bank, Kirra or Snapper is back to it’s best after the May storm.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Peter 'Joli" Wilson
<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> Peter 'Joli' Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341760523843663474noreply@blogger.com0