The ASP PRIME Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro saw the Quarterfinalists decided in clean one-to-three foot waves at the iconic cobblestone pointbreak of Lower Trestles at San Onofre State Beach with two San Clemente locals and six Brazilians still in contention for this year’s title.
Also running today was Round 1 and the Quarterfinals of the ASP 5-Star Oakley Pro Junior, which saw the nation’s finest up-and-coming talent battle a handful of top international surfers. Stop No. 7 of 9 on the ASP North America Pro Junior Series, the ASP 5-Star Oakley Pro Junior is the highest rated event on this year’s regional series, offering the most points towards surfers’ qualification campaigns for the elite ASP World Junior Tour.
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Tanner Gudauskas
Photo Credit: Brent Hilleman
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Thiago Camarao (BRA), 22, launched back to form after a sluggish three-man Round of 12 heat to ignite the day’s top scores with a deadly forehand attack on several Lowers right-handers. The progressive Brazilian wasted little time in his campaign against fellow countryman Willian Cardoso (BRA), 25, by dropping a 7.60 and a 9.33 on his first two rides to secure his position in the Quarterfinals.
“I just did the same thing I’ve been doing and just not over-think the heats,” Camarao said. “I went out there for a surf and the water was so cold. I made the mistake of wearing the wrong suit in my last heat, so I had to change it for this one.”
Camarao will face fellow Brazilian Junior Faria (BRA), 24, in the Quarterfinals.
Tanner Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA), 22, returned to the three-man Round of 12 in strong form by taking a heat victory over ASP Dream Tour campaigner C.J. Hobgood (Melbourne, FL), 31, and dangerous up-and-comer Gabriel Medina (BRA), 17, with powerful backhand surfing on the right-handers on offer at Lowers.
“There was so much going on and nothing was being said at the end of the heat,” Gudauskas said. “For the last five minutes I was in panic mode because I knew Gabriel had that good wave with two airs on it and C.J. got a good right. I was just praying that the momentum wasn’t going to shift out there. I got lucky. I swear I don’t know what I’m doing and these rights come to me.”
The San Clemente powerhouse was happy to avoid surfing in the man-on-man elimination Round of 12 to advance into the Quarterfinals and took a serious approach to the three-man non-elimination round.
“These ones are a great opportunity,” Gudauskas said. “It’s not like it’s life or death, but it’s a great opportunity to bypass that fifth round and go into the Quarters where there are a lot more points. I took it super seriously because I know Gabriel and C.J. are super gnarly and we’re all goofy-foot.”
Gudauskas will face off against Heitor Alves (BRA), 29, in the Quarterfinals.
Miguel Pupo (BRA), 19, took a last-minute victory over fellow Brazilian Thiago Camarao (BRA), and American charger Timmy Reyes (Huntington Beach, CA), 28, in the three-man, non-elimination Round of 12. With only minutes remaining in the heat, the innovative Brazilian launched two airs on a steep Lowers lefthander to notch a 9.10 to overtake Reyes for the lead and secure his position in the Quarterfinals.
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Miguel Pupo
Photo Credit: Brent Hilleman
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“I didn’t really think about it, I was just trying to go big,” Pupo said. “I did that first air and then another good section came so I went for another one and I made it, so I’m happy. I love Lowers. When anyone asks me what the best wave in the world is, I say Trestles. The wave is perfect and I enjoy my time here with the good surf and fun on the beach.”
Pupo will battle fellow Brazilian Jadson Andre (BRA), 21, in their Quarterfinals match up.
Heitor Alves, current No. 22 on the men’s ASP World Ranking, was dominant in the men’s ASP PRIME and Star series events last year and the fit Brazilian moved one step closer to the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Final by defeating C.J. Hobgood (Melbourne, FL), 31, in the Round of 12 to advance into the Quarterfinals.
“I was on the World Tour for two years before this year and I learned a lot,” Alves said. “Right now, I have a result and I’m on the World Tour again. I learned a lot last year and I gained a lot of experience in the PRIMES and 6-Stars last year and I feel good.”
Kolohe Andino (San Clemente, CA), 17, who is the youngest Quarterfinalist in the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro, was equally impressive in his Oakley Pro Junior Quarterfinals heat today. The innovative regular-footer took top honors over an impressive list of names including defending ASP World Junior Champion Jack Freestone (AUS), 19, and defending regional champion Evan Geiselman (New Smyrna Beach, FL), 17.
“Evan is one of my best friends, so I wish he got through and Jack (Freestone) has been ripping so it was a fun heat,” Andino said. “It was the first time the three of us have surfed against each other. Jack beat me in Bali. He was getting barreled and I was sitting out on the shoulder, so it’s good to get one back on him here.”
The young local talent is the only surfer still in contention for both the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior titles, but remained humble in his intentions to win both events.
“I’m not thinking about that at all right now,” Andino said. “I’m just taking it one heat at a time and I’m happy that I’ve made it this far.”
Andre, Andino and Mendes all executed maneuvers worthy of Most Valuable Performance (MVP) status during the day. A video clip of each will be available to view online at nike6lowerspro.com/mvp-bracket/mvp-most-valuable-performance. Tomorrow, the surfer with the most Facebook “likes” will earn MVP status and the gold MVP jersey for the day. An MVP will be awarded each day; Dane Reynolds earned the title on day one, Caio Ibilli for day two and Kolohe Andino for day three. Each daily winner will go into a final vote for a chance at $1,000 for the overall win.
Both the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior champions will be crowned tomorrow and the day’s action will be webcast LIVE with live video coverage and scoring.
The Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro will be televised live and in its entirety in Hawaii on Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s Channel 250 and 1250HD. Additionally, the Oceanic Time Warner Cable live feed will be transported to Time Warner Cable’s Los Angeles (Channel 101), San Diego (Channel 411) and Desert Cities (Channel 111) markets from Thursday through Saturday.
For more information about the 6.0 Lowers Pro, visit nike6lowerspro.com. For more about the Oakley Pro Junior, visit oakleyprojunior.com.
The Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of sponsors. A special thank you goes out to presenting sponsors Nike 6.0 and Oakley, co-sponsors Red Bull and Sierra Nevada, media sponsor SURFER Magazine and official forecaster Surfline.com.
Surfline Forecast Overview for Contest Holding Period:
Small Southern Hemisphere southwest swell will continue to offer very contestable surf on Saturday. We’ll also see some small northwest windswell pulse back up slightly. The morning marine layer will also continue, with partial clearing in the afternoon. Wind will remain light.
Surfline Forecast for Fri. May 7th:
Small, longer period SW/SSW swell continues with more 3-4’ waves (waist up to chest-shoulder high+). Inconsistent and lully. Small NW windswell pulses up slightly, causing the surf to be a bit more broken up. Light/variable to light southerly wind in the morning, with overcast skies/marine layer. Light SW/W wind builds for the afternoon as skies clear.
Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Non-Elimination Round of 12 Results:
Heat 1: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 15.83, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 14.54, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 14.14
Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.70, Jesse Mendes (BRA) 13.70, Heitor Alves (BRA) 10.26
Heat 3: Junior Faria (BRA) 13.20, Willian Cardoso (BRA) 12.50, Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 4: Miguel Pupo (BRA) Tim Reyes (USA) 12.80, Thiago Camarao (BRA) 10.80
Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Elimination Round of 12:
Heat 1: Heitor Alves (BRA) 15.60 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 9.23
Heat 2: Jesse Mendes (BRA) 13.53 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.97
Heat 3: Thiago Camarao (BRA) 16.93 def. Willian Cardoso (BRA) 13.57
Heat 4: Jadson Andre (BRA) 15.50 def. Timmy Reyes (USA) 9.33
Oakley Pro Junior Quarterfinals Results:
Heat 1: Dylan Goodale (HAW) 10.77, Tayler Brothers (USA) 9.97, Luke Davis (USA) 9.17, Taylor Thorne (USA) 8.07
Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) 16.10, Jack Freestone (AUS) 14.00, Evan Geiselman (USA) 13.06, Doug Van Mierlo (USA) 9.86
Heat 3: Nat Young (USA) 14.00, Andrew Doheny (USA) 12.53, Dane Zaun (USA) 10.26, Frederico Morais (PRT) 8.63
Heat 4: Keanu Asing (HAW) 12.60, Conner Coffin (USA) 10.63, Victor Done (USA) 10.14, Jacob Halstead (USA) 6.87
Oakley Pro Junior Round of 32 Results:
Heat 3: Evan Geiselman (USA) 13.66, Taylor Thorne (USA) 13.50, Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 12.30, Albee Layer (HAW) 8.27
Heat 4: Kolohe Andino (USA) 15.73 ,Dylan Goodale (HAW) 11.07, Kaito Ohashi (JPN) 10.04, Kaimana Jaquias (HAW) 5.80
Heat 5: Nat Young (USA) 14.56, Victor Done (USA) 11.27, Colin Moran (USA) 8.73, Nick Rupp (USA) 8.63
Heat 6: Andrew Doheny (USA) 11.84, Conner Coffin (USA) 11.17, Dylan Kowalski (USA) 9.74, Ian Crane (USA) 9.67
Heat 7: Keanu Asing (HAW) 7.27, Dane Zaun (USA) 6.83, Chase Wilson (USA) 6.34, Balaram Stack (USA) 6.07
Heat 8: Jake Halstead (USA) 14.04, Fredirico Morias (PRT) 13.63, Caio Ibelli (BRA) 13.00, Nathan Carvalho (HAW) 10.43
About Nike 6.0
The Nike 6.0 brand defines innovation and embodies the creativity of youth, united by action. Nike 6.0 delivers footwear and apparel to support the new generation of action sports athletes who are changing the worlds of surf, snow, moto, BMX, wake and freeski. Their unlimited potential and contagious energy deliver the future through performance and lifestyle. www.nike6.com
About Oakley, Inc.
The global leader in performance sunglasses, goggles and prescription eyewear, Oakley also offers technical and lifestyle apparel, footwear, watches and accessories. The company was created for athletes who see impossibility as just another challenge, and their dedication inspires Oakley to seek out problems, solve with innovation and wrap invention in art. Exceeding the limits of possibility for more than thirty years, Oakley serves the demands of world-class athletes with unbeatable technologies including High Definition Optics® (HDO®). Additional information is available at oakley.com.
About SURFER
In 1960, SURFER Magazine began as the original. After a long history of delivering provocative and insightful editorial features, revealing interviews and award winning state-of-the-art photography, SURFER remains the authoritative voice of the surfing world and thus earned the moniker “the bible of the sport.” The SURFER brand has also grown to include SURFERmag.com, Fantasy SURFER, and a myriad of SURFER message boards. All of these assets combine to make the SURFER network the most current and reliable channel of information to the surf community. The magazine is published by Source Interlink’s Action Sports Group (ASG), which reaches more than 2 million active sports enthusiasts through an integrated network of magazines, online properties, events and television programming. www.SURFERmag.com
About Action Sports Group/Grind Networks
Reaching more than 10 million enthusiasts per month, Source Interlink Media’s Action Sports Group (ASG)/Grind Networks is the dominant force in the action sports and adventure sports arenas. In addition to publishing leading lifestyle publications such as Surfer, Surfing, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Bike, Paved, Powder, Canoe & Kayak, SUP Magazine, Dirt Rider, and ATV Rider, Source Interlink Media’s ASG/Grind Networks delivers a cutting-edge network of online properties such as Fantasy Surfer and Buyers Guides, events and television programming. In addition, ASG/Grind is the exclusive provider of action sports content for Yahoo! Sports through Grind TV and its numerous assets. www.actionsportsgroup.net
About Source Interlink Media
Source Interlink Media is the premier source of special interest media in the United States. With more than 70 publications, 90 websites, 400 branded products, 65+ events, and TV and radio programs, SIM is the largest provider of content to enthusiast communities interested in automotive, action sports, marine and other niche activities. The organization’s strategy is to wholly focus on targeted audiences by leveraging and expanding upon its core market-leading brands through a multiplatform media approach.
Media Contacts:
Dawn Hamilton
KHPR for ASG
310.295.1189
dhamilton@khpublicrelations.com
Monet Quick-Smits
Public Relations
949-370-7083
monet.quick@sorc.com
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