Kelly slater wins the last event of the billabong pipe masters while john john florence wins the vans triple crown

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

The ultimate champion of all time, Kelly Slater, wins his seventh Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons this past weekend at what was an incredible day at Pipeline, complete with 13-foot waves. Slater defeated Hawaiian John John Florence in a tight and exciting final and Florence’s second place win earned him the top spot of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.  

During the event, Kelly gave a real show, with exciting heats and incredible demonstrations of his experience at Pipe, which gained him several perfect-10 scores.

“It was a strange final,” expressed Slater. “John John Florence and I waited awhile and neither of us had a good score until later in the competition. I knew it was going to be a sprint and that I was probably at a disadvantage by not having priority in the final, unlike previously when I had the opportunity to catch a ton of waves instead of having to wait. So, I took my time in finding the right wave.”

“The enormous influx of people today is the largest I’ve ever seen in Pipe,” Slater continued. “It’s incredible. I woke up when it was still dark and my friend, Ross Williams, was in my house. We were super stoked to be in Pipe and more so when the waves are good. All the people on the beach, on television and online could watch the event, so it made it that much more exciting.”

“Last year, someone asked me what would excite me during the final years of my career and I said that I would like to compete in a final at Pipe against John John Florence, so it is a very special day today,” said Slater. “But wining is even better. I want to surf against the best surfers in the best waves, that’s why I’m on the tour. I was obviously excited today, especially after Mick Fanning took the title in the quarterfinals. I don’t know what will happen with me in 2014, but I think that I’d be willing to come back for more.”

“Today has been one of the most special days of my life,” Slater went on to say. “It’s a day that I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid...big waves, the perfect western Pipeline angle and a battle in the Pipe Masters. If I had left the sport five years ago, I wouldn’t have enjoyed what I experienced today. I want more days like this, so I’ll definitely be back next year.”

With the Billabong Pipe Masters, the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) drew to a close, with epic conditions as the ideal backdrop for the coronation of Australian Mick Fanning as ASP World Champion. The ASP Top 34 list for 2014 was also completed, with Fanning finishing third overall, surpassed by Florence in the semifinals.

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS FINAL RESULTS

1.    Kelly Slater (USA) - 16.37
2.    John John Florence (HAW) – 15.90

BILLABONG PIPEMASTERS SEMIFINAL RESULTS

     SF 1. John John Florence (HAW) – 18.30, def. Mick Fanning (AUS) – 15.00
     SF 2. Kelly Slater (USA) – 19.63, def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) – 14.84

Mick fanning wins the 2013 asp world tour

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

Australian surfer, Mick Fanning, wins his third world title and reaches the top of the world rankings of the 2013 ASP tour, scoring the points necessary to become champion at this year’s final event of the tour, the Billabong Pipe Masters (in memory of Andy Irons), in a tight competition against Kelly Slater.

Fanning faced the fifth round against American surfer, CJ Hobgood, and the quarterfinals defined his title against compatriot, Yadin Nicol, closing his campaign for this year’s world surfing crown.

In an interview, Fanning referred to the fifth round in his bout with Hobgood: “It wasn’t easy, if you want to win the world title, you have to put everything on the line, which is basically what I did during the full 28 minutes of the heat. I heard all guys whistling on the beach and I knew it was going to be a good year, I waited for the right time and without a doubt, it was a magical moment for me.”

When faced against his compatriot Nicol in the decisive quarterfinals, Fanning found himself at a disadvantage early on against his Australian opponent, who had accumulated a series of high scores in Pipeline. Fanning needed an excellent score in the final moments of the heat in order to achieve his goal. He suddenly dropped in on a second set of waves and rode a tremendously deep barrel before being spit out of the canal. With a crowd of fans and media applauding from shore, Fanning awaited the judgment of his final wave—a 9.70 out 10! The score was just what he needed to win the heat and the highly sought after 2013 ASP World Title.

“The World Title is something that takes an entire year, but sometimes it can feel like it comes down to the final day and the final heats,” Fanning said. “I’m sure I gave my wife and mom, Karissa, enough stress today to last the rest of their lives. I never worried about what I thought or myself. I knew what I had to do and if the opportunity came, I knew I could do it. That opportunity came in both heats today. It’s an amazing feeling. I’ve been having fun all year and to have a day like this in Pipeline makes it that much more special.”

FANNING’S 2013 ASP WORLD TOUR RESULTS:

Quiksilver Gold Coast Pro: 3rd Place
Rip Curl Bells Beach Pro: 5th Place
Billabong Rio Pro: 3rd Place
Volcom Fiji Pro: Runner -Up
Oakley Bali Pro: 5th Place
Billabong Tahiti Pro: 3rd Place
Hurley Trestles Pro: 9th Place
Quiksilver France Pro: WINNER
Portugal Rip Curl: 5th Place
Billabong Pipe Masters:

Alas announces that the 2014 latin surf tour will include Stand up paddle surfing and bodyboarding

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

In 2014, the Latin American Surfing Association (ALAS, for its initials in Spanish) will include two additional categories in their tour: Stand Up Paddling (SUP) and the return of Bodyboarding. They will also feature the traditional Open, Women’s, Junior Pro and Longboard categories. Bodyboarding will once again see its share of action on the tour and, thanks to the enormous growth of Stand Up Paddleboarding, Antonio Sotillo and Karin Sierralta have decided to include both divisions next year.

The Bodyboarding and Stand Up Paddling World Championships that have been organized by the ISA have also been a fundamental factor in making this decision.

ALAS President, Antonio Sotillo, expressed: “A few months ago in Margarita, I witnessed the best international bodyboarding and saw the growth of Latin enthusiasm for this sport. With the waves that our circuit has and the bodyboarding talent, we guarantee a show. We also want to support the development of Latin bodyboarding world champions that we see coming up from our continent.”

Meanwhile, when referring to SUP, ALAS CEO, Karin Sierralta, commented: “The tremendous evolution of Stand Up Paddle Surfing, the furor that the sport has brought all across the continent, cried for a Latin circuit. I think that we’ve failed by not bringing it sooner, but better late than never. We proudly announce the creation of this circuit that, without a doubt, will be very competitive and raise our level of SUPing to new standards.”

Although the dates have not yet been confirmed, SUP will share the stage with the Open, while Bodyboarding will have its own dates.

President of Peru, Ollanta Humala, promulgated the regulation of law 27280: The law for the preservation of the Waves

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

After a long, 13-year struggle of tireless claims and protests, the month of December will be remembered as a historic date, not just for Peruvian surfing, but for global surfing as a whole. The President of Peru, Ollanta Humala, passed the regulation of Law 27280, the Law that enforces the preservation of wave spots appropriated for sporting activities in the coastal zones. This new Law will certainly benefit all those that practice surfing in the great country of Peru.

President Humala, accompanied by the Minister of Defense, Pedro Cateriano, and the head of the Peruvian Sporting Institute, Francisco Boza, thanked the athletes for having brought these serious problems to their attention, like the construction of docks and piers that affect the natural breaks of the waves, sometimes causing them to disappear altogether. They assured the permanent presence of the Navy through the General Direction of Captains and Coastguards (DICAPI, for its initials in Spanish) and will also work to resolve the problem of waste that is dumped on the beaches, asking surfers to have confidence in their government.

World Champions, Sofia Mulanovich and Benoit “Piccolo” Clemente, among other athletes were present to witness this historic event in the Peruvian government palace.

“If we lead on the regional and global level of surfing, like the championship achieved in the recent Bolivian Games, why not continue to support a sport that adds value to this country. It’s worth being concerned about this sport,” declared the Head of State.

Our recognition and congratulations to all the surfing pioneers, past and present, and to the National Board Sport Federation that has fought to preserve the marine environment so that the waves are never lost, in order to leave a legacy for future generations. Hopefully this will create a domino effect that would extend throughout the whole world—in Latin America and here in Mexico, where the total opposite occurs, thanks to corruption, greed, passivity, conformity and the lack of organization, as well as the legislators that pass laws to sell the coastline to private investors. Today, one of the most notorious fights is SAVE COLORADA, to halt the construction of a dock in Punta Colorada beach in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.

Photo: Job Francisco Rosales Pacheco