SURFERMAG.COM PRO TOUR UPDATES
The Rip Curl Cup at Hawaii's Sunset Beach enters its official 13-day waiting period today, November 24th. Anticipation surrounds the penultimate event on this year's Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour (WCT), as the race for the 2003 world title nears a climax and surfers battle to lock in a big result and their positions for next year's elite tour.
Following the completion of the men's World Qualifying Series (WQS) yesterday at nearby Haleiwa, all focus now shifts gear to the upper echelon of the sport, with the Rip Curl Cup showcasing the best at one of the world's most testing venues.
Boasting a takeoff area the size of a football field, Sunset's deep-water offshore reef produces waves from four to 15 foot-plus - offering unique rides that test a surfer's fitness, wave selection skills, courage, maneuvering, tube-riding and ability to handle the heaviest imaginable wipeouts.
The withdrawal of 2001 world champion CJ Hobgood (FL, USA), Nathan Webster (Aus) and Pat O'Connell (CA, USA) - all due to injuries - has proved a godsend to local Hawaiian rising star Jamie O'Brien. Together with fellow Rip Curl team rider Pancho Sullivan, the 20-year-old now fills the second wildcard spot directly in the Rip Curl Cup main event.
A one-day Trials event will pit another 21 Hawaiian locals against 10 Rip Curl team members from around the globe, together with reigning three-time ASP World Masters champion Gary Elkerton (Aus). Four surfers who reach the Rip Curl Cup Trials final will then qualify for the remaining spots in the 48-man main event field.
Elkerton, the 1987 event winner at Sunset Beach, is definitely a danger man in the draw, with a wealth of experience at the testing break, though any of the 32 hopefuls could provide the real dramas of the 2003 tournament.
Two of the past four Rip Curl Cup winners were trialists - Hawaiian Myles Padaca in 2001 and Australian Zane Harrison in 1999 - showing the potential impact such surfers can have. Both are again vying for spots in this year's event.
Adding to the Rip Curl Cup spectacle is the extensive web coverage. Live heat scores, video and audio commentary will be provided on www.ripcurl.com, with information available in four different languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
A decision will be made tomorrow morning by 7am (local time), with organizers gearing up for a possible start with the Rip Curl Cup Trials if conditions permit.
The Vans Triple Crown Series features the world's top athletes competing in three championship events in each of the following sports: Skateboarding, Wakeboarding, Surfing, Snowboarding, BMX and Freestyle Motocross. The Series is made possible through the support of Vans, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, Mountain Dew, Ford Trucks, Right Guard Xtreme Sport, Fox Sports Net, Surfing Magazine and NBC Sports.
Further information: www.ripcurl.com / Ph: +1-808-638-5533/8320
Hotline: +1-808-638-5024
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