“To surf against Kelly in a final, it’s like a dream come true,” stated Ace Buchan prior to paddling out for the final of the Quiksilver Pro. If you were a betting man you wouldn’t have put a nickel down on Ace to win. History was hardly in Ace’s favor. Had Kelly won he would have clinched his 9th world title and claimed his 40th world tour victory. Instead, in relatively meager, wind-blown conditions, Ace doubled down on every card in his hand, and came up with the biggest win of his career. Hoisted on the shoulders of his mates he rode up the beach with the Aussie flag waving in his hand, and as contest announcer Jake Paterson pointed out, tears streaming down his face. “I don’t what to think right now,” he’d say immediately following the final, obviously still trying to comprehend what he’d just done. “Mate, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

Top Five Moments:

1. I bet you could have figured this one out. Ace besting Kelly was massive. It may be a candidite for Top Five Moment of the 2008 ASP season.
2. Again, Ace gets another nod in the Top Five thanks to his win over Dane Reynolds. Earlier in the day Dane had made the comment that whoever made the final was going to have to surf in four heats and he wasn’t sure he had the endurance to do that. Seems the Californian is as prophetic as he is talented. Ace cruised through their quarterfinal match-up.
3. Right before the final ASP CEO Brodie Carr rhetorically asked a group of media types, “You ready to see some history.” And while skeptics and pundits took this as a sure sign that Kelly was going to get pushed through, sometimes even the boss is wrong.
4. In the last few seconds of the Kelly/Adriano semifinal the two got in a bit of a mix-up. Had the judges not seen things Kelly’s way we would have seen Adriano and Ace in the final. But as they say here in France, c'est la vie.
5. Hot French chicks standing on a scaffolding brandishing the scores after each heat. It was like being at an old-school boxing match.

Most Defining Performance:
By the end of this story you’re going to be damn tired of hearing about Ace, but man, talk about a career day. The champagne was ready to be uncorked, the Quiksilver contingent was in full froth mode, heck, even the press releases announcing Kelly’s title-clinching win had already been written, but then along came a kid named Ace.

Upset of the Day:
Duh, is there any bigger upset to speak of than Ace beating Kelly. On the verge of his ninth world title and 40th career tour win the young lad from Oz stepped up to the plate and did what absolutely nobody on the beach thought he could.

Insight That Would Have Helped Your Team If We’d Only Known:
Umm, picking Ace Buchan would have been some good advice to offer up, but then again, the bloke’s never won a world tour event and hadn’t finished better than 5th all year, who would have thought he’d be such a giant killer.

Talk of the Beach:
Kelly this. Kelly that. Kelly, Kelly, Kelly. There were so many French fans on the beach you could have robbed a bank in Hossegor today and gotten away scot-free.

Wildcard Report:
Seems like this whole story’s about Michel Bourez, but then again, considering who he’s beaten thus far, the dude’s earned the hype. He faces Kieren Perrow in Round 4, so he could very well face one of the Hobgoods in the quarters.

In the Competitor’s Tent W/ Quiksilver Pro Winner Ace Buchan:

What does it mean for you to go up against Kelly Slater?
I used to watch him on tour when I was a kid and never dreamed I would be on tour with him. It’s a pretty amazing situation to be in.
Any secret to beating him?
Na’, I just got lucky.
Are those tears coming down your face?
Oh mate, you have no idea how this feels. It’s amazing. I don’t even know what to say.

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