Taj Burrow Wins Hawaiian Pro 2011
Taj Burrow has claimed his first Reef Hawaiian Pro title in Hawaii to take an early lead on the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing ratings. Runner-up was Adam Melling; third was Adriano De Souza; and fourth was Nat Young. Taj, who has been competing in Hawaii for 15 years, left the field in his wake today, finding a form all his own in the pumping overhead surf. Burrow surfed through four rounds on the final day, and got creative with every heat, strategically building scores with a mixed plate of form-bending tube rides and lip-belting close-out snaps. He eclipsed his challengers in the final, posting a two-wave total of 16.90 out of 20 (9.37 and 7.53).
“I had a good run, it feels good scoring in the 9-point range and it’s hard to do. I just really wanted to win an event here. I am really happy. I love being in Hawaii. I was saying to a few of my friends it is so good to come to Hawaii and sit and make a base for six weeks. We are getting on a plane every other weekend normally, it’s draining. Coming to Hawaii you just get in a good routine, you unpack your bags and you can kind of relax. We train and eat good food and just the whole routine of it all I feel much better then having to skip town every two weeks.”
The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing now moves north to Sunset Beach for the Vans World Cup of Surfing Nov. 25 thru Dec. 6. The forecast for the coming week promises exactly the kind of hefty, challenging surf that the venue is famous for. Sunset has a reputation for separating the men from the boys and is where a bid for the Vans Triple Crown is usually cemented or crushed.
Finals
Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.90 pts
Adam Melling (AUS) 12.60 pts
Adriano De Souza (BRA) 12.50 pts
Nat Young (USA) 6.10 pts
Triple Crown Of Surfing 2011
The Triple Crown of Surfing 2011 will run from November 12 through December 20, on the North Shore of Oahu. This is the most prestigious surfing series in the world, featuring the top rated surfers in some of the largest waves on the planet.
Reef Hawaiian Pro
November 12 to 23 (on the 4 best days of surf in the period)
Haleiwa Ali’i Beach Park
Defending Champion: Joel Parkinson, Australia
Vans World Cup of Surfing
November 25 to December 6 (on the 4 best days of surf in the period)
Sunset Beach
Defending Champion: Raoni Monteiro, Brazil
Billabong Pipe Masters
December 8 to 20 (on the 3 best days of surf in the period)
Banzai Pipeline
Defending Champion: Jeremy Flores, France
While there is no women’s series this year, Hawaii’s newly crowned ASP women’s world champion Carissa Moore will be the only woman to line up against the world class field of more than 200 male athletes. Moore has been granted the ASP Hawaii wildcard into both the Reef Hawaiian Pro and the Vans World Cup. Her performances in extra large surf at Sunset Beach over the past two years earmarked her as a worthy recipient of the wildcard.
Rell Sunn Queen of Makaha
Stories of Rell Sunn: Queen of Makaha
Sunn’s love of surfing began at age 4, and turned into a career as a rider, reporter, and contest organizer. She also free-dived, spearfished, picked limu (seaweed) and ‘opihi (limpets). She was a true child of the ocean, as her Hawaiian middle name “the heart of the sea” implies. This beautiful Hawaiian-Chinese girl with rich brown skin, long dark hair and a near-constant overpowering smile had an effect on people. Her spirit seemed to conquer all and make her universally loved by everyone who came into contact with her. Rell Sunn was an ambassador of surfing, a teacher and a promoter of Hawaiian language and culture. She was overwhelmingly loved.
This book of photos and anecdotes celebrates the multitalented, multiethnic island icon of Rell, and is able to accept her death in 1998 at the age of 47 after a 14-year battle with cancer. It is a wonderfully fitting and very moving testament to Rell’s exuberance with living and beautiful soul.
Jeremy Flores Wins Pipe Masters
Jeremy Flores wins the Billabong Pipe Masters in memory of Andy Irons. In a come-from-behind victory in the last minute over Kieren Perrow, he mkes his first career ASP World Tour victory. Jeremy also had an impressive come-from-behind win over reigning 10-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater in the dying minutes of their semifinals match-up.
Perrow dominated the tricky Backdoor Pipeline conditions throughout the event’s entirety, weaving through several tight barrels to drop some of the event’s top scores including a 9.90 a 9.83 and a 9.70, However the hard-charging Australian saw his Billabong Pipe Masters title slip from his grasp in the final minutes of his match up against Flores.
In the finals, with four-to-six foot backdoor barrels, Jeremy was in need of a solid 8.60 single-wave score in the dying moments, and threaded the needle on a beautiful righthand barrel to earn a 9.37.
“This is such a dream,” Jeremy said. “I’ve been coming to Hawaii for so long and this is my favorite place in the world, the waves, the people, everything. I just knew I couldn’t give up in the Final even though I was behind. It’s the Pipe Masters and it’s everything. I’m so stoked.”
Billabong Pipe Masters Final Results:
1 – Jeremy Flores (France) 14.54
2 – Kieren Perrow (Austrailia) 13.77
