SAQUAREMA, Rio de Janeiro  – Itauna Beach cranked open the surf tap with clean four-to-six foot (1 – 2 metre) waves on offer for the third straight day of competition at ASP WQS 6-Star Coca-Cola Saquarema Pro pres. by Rip Curl that saw the event favourites and top ASP WQS campaigners No. 1 Brazilian Jadson Andre and No. 3 Australian Adam Melling advancing with good perfomances.

One of the highlights of the day was Brazilian Pedro Henrique, who got a beatiful barrel in the first heat of the day. Henrique took down top ASP WQS campaigner No. 8 Patrick Gudauskas posting an almost perfect 9.83 score (out of 10.00), with three judges giving him the perfect score (10 points) on his first wave of the heat.

“Ahh great heat without no doubt,”Henrique said. “WQS Tour is always difficult, all heats are strong, if you not get good waves you lose. I just want to thank God for that wave (9.83 points), I saw Trekinho (Marcelo) took an 8.30 on a wave that I almost went, so I knew I had to start well with a high score, and then that perfect wave came to me and it was just a magical wave. That thing bowled up on the inside and I managed to stick with it and come out. I was super stoked because the view was insane – whether I came out or not I was happy.”

Who came close to the new record of Coca-Cola Saquarema Pro pres. by Rip Curl was the American Brett Simpson, who earned a 9.17 from judges with three strong maneuvers, with pressure and speed.

“The waves are really fun, fortunately the waves came on my way,’Simpson said. “On my 9.17 score (out a possible of 10), I was on the spot and the other guy was too deep so I paddled into the wave, did two big turns and a huge floater in the end, that was a great waveThis is my first time here, for sure is the best waves that I always surfed here in Brazil, Fernando de Noronha Island is better but a different type of wave, and here is a great place for a contest and if the waves continues like this will be perfect for us.”

Brazilian Neco Padaratz who finished in second place in the ASP WQS 6-Star event last week in Florianopolis ended in second place in the last heat of the day, moving straight to Round of 24 of Coca-Cola Saquarema Pro pres. by Rip Curl.

read more at ASP

Billabong ISA World Surfing Games

International Surfing Assn.
Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica
1 – 8 August 2009

The Jamaica Surfing Association has announced the surfers selected to represent Jamaica at the 2009 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games to be held in Playa Hermosa Costa Rica. The team will consist of

Open men
Icah Wilmot
Inilek Wilmot
Shane Simmonds
Luke Williams

Open Women
Imani Wilmot
Elim Beckford

Jamaica will be short 2 Open Long-boarders severely limiting Jamaica’s potential point haul but the men are surfing well as are the ladies and will be trying to improve Jamaica’s 27th place World Rank. The team, was selected based on their ranking from the National Open Series as well as on performances in the recently concluded 2009 Suzuki Makka Pro, and will be under the management of JSA President Billy Wilmot.

“This year the World Games will be extremely competitive with each country now being able to select professional athletes for their teams whereas originally the World Games was an amateur event.” Said Mr. Wilmot “This fact has elevated the standard of surfing at the event and has increased tremendously the amount of media attention the Games now attract. Jamaica is always a “media darling” at the games and with our surfers performing really well we are going there to make a statement… Jamaica is here!”

The trip to the event has been made possible through the collaborated sponsorship effort of Insight, Ipath, the Sports Development Foundation, COPA Airlines, Magma, Xtrak, Mailpak, Quashi

original story from surfersvillage

San Juan Capistrano, Calif. – July 16, 2009 – Surfing America, the National Governing Body (NGB) for Surfing in the United States, announced today the PacSun USA Surf Team for the 2009 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games that begin July 31st and run through August 8th in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. The U.S. side will look to improve upon last year’s team silver, though they will be without defending Men’s Champion, CJ Hobgood.

Instead, the Americans will send former ASP World Tour standouts, Ben Bourgeois and Cory Lopez. With over a decade of World Tour experience between them, the injection of these two savvy veterans instantly puts the U.S. side in the middle of the championship debate. Lopez’s barrel riding exploits have been well documented since leaving the Tour and both he and Benny B, who retired from World Tour competition after the 2008 campaign, are well suited to this particular wave-type. Rounding out the PacSun USA Surf Team men’s squad are Austin Ware, who is currently ranked in the Top 10 on the WQS, and Nat Young, the fifth rated Junior in North America, both of whom have proven that they can perform and turn in solid, if not winning, results against top flight competition on the world stage.  Look for all four competitors to not only deliver, but also open some eyes, in the barreling surf at Hermosa.

Currently without a representative on the ASP Women’s World Tour, the United States opted to go with a youth movement on the women’s side. Courtney Conlogue and Sage Erickson are America’s two most heavily touted female surfing prospects, and the ISA World Surfing Games will be a very true indicator as to just how big of an upside each has when they go up against an international field featuring a handful of the Top 16. Conlogue, 16, has shown she can hold her own against the biggest names in the sport and at the highest level – look no further than her eye popping performance at the 2006 Billabong Pro Maui at Honolua Bay – and is the 2009 ISA Girls Under 18 silver medalist. And Erickson, 18, is in the top 15 on the WQS. Clearly, these two products of the American amateur ranks will be out to prove they can produce at the next level.

In the Longboard division, the PacSun USA Surf Team will be represented by Toni Silvagni and Steve Newton. Newton is number three on the Professional Longboard Association (PLA), the North American qualifying series for the ASP World Longboard Tour. Silvagni is also currently ranked in the Top 10 on the PLA this year.

Open Mens

Ben Bourgois

Cory Lopez

Austin Ware

Nat Young

Open Womens

Courtney Conlogue

Sage Ericson

Longboard

Toni Silvagni

Steve Newton

read more at Surfing America