Nike 6.0 Blog

2011 U.S. Open of Surfing: That’s a Wrap

EvanInstrument — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:10:18 GMT

In no uncertain terms, it was a successful week in Huntington Beach at the Nike U.S. Open of Surfing. Crowd attendance records were shattered, on the Nike soundstage bands like Surfer Blood and MGMT put in top-flight performances, the skating and BMX action was insane, 10-time world champ Kelly Slater assumed his rightful top spot, and as for Nike 6.0’s surf squad, the results were nothing short of defining.

The morning of the final broke with Dusty Payne in the water facing Tanner Gudauskas. Needing a positive result at the Nike U.S. Open of Surfing to hold onto his spot on the ASP World Tour, Payne epitomized a man surfing with purpose. Last winter it was a mind-blowing 10-point ride at Backdoor Pipeline that vaulted Payne back on to tour, and while his actions wouldn’t be quite that dramatic this time around, he did post two solid scores to slide into the semifinals.

On the other side of the draw was 17-year-old Kolohe Andino, who’s spent the better part off the week proving that his time his now. Facing a personal hero in Dane Reynolds, the matchup was billed as the ultimate aerial dogfight. And it didn’t disappoint. The two traded waves and above-the-lip blows, back and forth the heat went, and when the spray finally settled it was Andino that edged our Reynolds by a tenth of a point. Shaves don’t get any closer than that.

Moving into the semis, Payne drew Slater, while Andino drew surging West Australian Yadin Nicol. As the remnants of Hurricane Eugene faded, the surf became a little less consistent than it had been the previous two days, and competitors were forced to stalk the lineup like big-game hunters. Unfortunately, neither Payne nor Andino were able to find the scores they were after.

Not to worry, it was still a very successful event for both Payne and Andino, who finished with equal third place results. Payne now shoots up the ratings and will more than likely be on tour come the second half of the year. As for Andino, he proved that he’s more than grown-up enough to run with the big dogs. Considering his quarterfinal finish at the Nike Lowers Pro earlier in the year, and now this, it’s only a matter of time before he joins Payne amongst the elite ranks of the ASP World Tour.

“It’s been a good week,” told Andino at the end of it all. “I would have been stoked to make the final, I was so close, but it’s been an amazing event. Surfing in front of a crowd like this, against the best guys in the world, it’s what you dream about.”

As for the ladies, what’s left to say about Lakey Peterson’s showing this week? On Saturday she took out the women’s pro junior, upsetting “Leave A Message” co-stars Laura Enever, Malia Manuel and Coco Ho. That would be enough statement-making surfing for one event, but she wasn’t done.

Facing 2011 women’s ASP world champion Carissa Moore in the women’s semis, she was undaunted. Surfing with all the vim and vigor she could muster, she blew past Moore into the final. The 16-year-old wildcard was poised to sweep the entire Nike U.S. Open of Surfing, but Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons had other plans, and gleefully played the role of spoiler. In the end Peterson would lose by less than two points, but still she would come away with the confidence and experience that she, like Andino, is ready for prime time.

“I’m stoked with the way this week has turned out,” said Lakey at the end of it all. “It was an honor to surf against Sally and I’m really happy to make the Final in my first World Tour event. Winning yesterday was what I wanted to do, to win in the Juniors and do well in this event. My heat against Carissa felt like no pressure and I just wanted to go for it and I’m just so excited to win that heat. I’ve always wanted to surf against Carissa. She really pushes my surfing to the next level and is an amazing friend.”

As for what’s next? The women’s ASP season has come to a close. Peterson’s looking to keep up with her school studies and put herself on “a couple good surf trips.” No doubt she will continue to progress and take her surfing to the next level in the process.

And the men? “I’m heading to England with my family,” says Andino. “There’s a six-star there, which should be fun.”

And Payne? “I’m heading to Tahiti for the next tour stop. This has been a great result, but I gotta keep the foot on the gas in the next two events.”

So for now the sun has set on Huntington, the Good Year blimp has sailed off to some other sporting event, the hordes of humans have all gone back to their respective corners, and after a week of near chaos, all is quiet in Surf City.

To watch the final recap of the surf action go to: http://vimeo.com/27591202

KOLOHE LEADS YOUNG SURFERS ON DAY TWO OF NIKE 6.0 LOWERS PRO

Gronamo — Fri, 06 May 2011 05:10:53 GMT

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., May 5, 2011 – The ASP PRIME Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro charged through the Round of 24 with several up-and-comers putting on a show in clean two-to-four foot waves at Lower Trestles in San Onofre State Beach. Surfers competing in the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro are surfing for the crucial points on offer towards their ASP World Ranking.

Jadson Andre (BRA), 21, who earned the highest heat total of the entire Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro event yesterday, returned to form again to earn the day’s highest heat-total of 17.87 out of 20 in a combined effort on both the lefts and rights on offer at Lower Trestles.

“Trestles is one of my favorite waves in the world, and I just love to come down and compete and surf,” Andre said. “When I come here I just enjoy surfing with a few other guys in the water so I’m pretty stoked to do this well in the contest, but I’m trying not to think about scores or the final and just try to catch the best waves.”

Andre, who took the event’s highest single-wave score in yesterday’s competition on his forehand, looked equally impressive on the rights of Lower Trestles today with a 9.10 score for several blistering backside turns.

“It’s just amazing to show that I’ve improved,” Andre said. “My best wave was on my backside in that heat, a 9.10 and I’ve just been working hard on my backside.”

Andre has been the leader of the impressive Brazilian contingent responsible for several of the event’s top scores and is motivated by the camaraderie of his fellow countrymen.

“Everybody knows the Brazilian guys are always supporting each other and I really love it,” Andre said. “There are still so many Brazilians left in the contest and it’s always great to make your heat and see your friends make theirs.”

Kolohe Andino (San Clemente, CA), 17, put on an amazing performance in front of his home crowd to earn some of the event’s top scores in what many are calling the most exciting heat of the day. The young Lower Trestles local detonated a well-rounded combination of massive airs and carves on several rights to take down ASP Dream Tour talent Dusty Payne (Lahaina, HI), 22, in a high scoring affair of 17.50 to 17.03.

“Before the heat, my nerves were running wild,” Andino said. “I had to step aside and focus because I was pretty nervous. Once the heat starts, I start to get a little more comfortable, but actually after I got that 7, I was still nervous because I knew Dusty (Payne) could get a bomb and rip it. I just want to give credit to Dusty (Payne). He’s one of my favorite surfers, and it’s a bummer we came up against each other and I probably had the best heat of my life.”

Gabriel Medina (BRA), 17, continued to issue his string of upsets by reveling in the clean left-handers in his morning heat to defeat local standout and ASP Dream Tour competitor Patrick Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA), 25. Medina issued the day’s highest single-wave score of a near perfect 9.50 out of 10 for a massive layback, a powerful carve and completed the ride with a committed air to overtake Gudauskas in their bout for the win.

“I was outside and the wave just came,” Medina said. “I thought ‘oh my God, I have to rip this wave because I need a score.’ I did that layback first and then a good turn and finished with the air. I’m stoked.”

Medina, who got off to a sluggish start in his heat against Gudauskas, maintained composure in his Round of 24 match-up to show experience beyond his years.

“I feel so good,” Medina said. “I was nervous in the start of my heat and I just don’t know, I just got two good waves. At first I was worried because my feet were slipping off of my board. Luckily I had some wax in my wetsuit and fixed it and got two good waves later in the heat.”

C.J. Hobgood (Melbourne, FL), 31, was one veteran campaigner who capitalized on his experience of the Round of 24’s man-on-man format. The Floridian took to his backhand to lock into two of the heat’s best right-handers to post a solid 17.07 heat total to oust Hawaiian powerhouse Joel Centeio (HAW), 28.

“I just focused in on the rights and it’s completely different than those four-man heats,” Hobgood said. “In the four-man heats, it’s all about getting your waves and building a house and the two-man are exactly opposite. You want to think clearly and focus on what you’re doing. I was able to do that and it was the difference. I’ve got a lot of experience here, so it helps.”

Andre, Andino and Mendes all executed maneuvers worthy of Most Valuable Performance (MVP) status during the day. A video clip of each will be available to view online here. Tomorrow, the surfer with the most Facebook “likes” will earn MVP status and the gold MVP jersey for the day. An MVP will be awarded each day; Dane Reynolds earned the title on day one and Caio Ibelli for day two. Each daily winner will go into a final vote for a chance at $1,000 for the overall win.

Concluding today’s action was the ASP 5-Star Oakley Pro Junior, which ran the first two heats of the Round of 32. The Oakley Pro Junior's ASP 5-Star status will play a crucial role in American surfers’ chances of qualification for the prestigious ASP World Junior Tour.

Both the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior are available via live HD webcast with live video coverage and scoring for all five days of competition with announcers Sal Masekela, Mark Fewell, Dino Andino, Saxon Boucher, Chris Mauro, Brad Gerlach and Jodie Nelson.

The Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro will be televised live in its entirety in Hawaii on Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s Channel 250 and 1250HD. Additionally, the Oceanic Time Warner Cable live feed will be transported to Time Warner Cable’s Los Angeles (Channel 101), San Diego (Channel 411) and Desert Cities (Channel 111) markets from Thursday through Saturday.

Surfing's Top Names Deliver on Day 1 at 6.0 Lowers Pro

Gronamo — Wed, 04 May 2011 02:27:52 GMT

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., May 3, 2011 – The opening day of the ASP PRIME Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro saw several of surfing’s elite put on a show in playful one-to-three foot waves at the historic cobblestone pointbreak of Lower Trestles at San Onofre State Beach in San Clemente, Calif. The first 16 heats of Round 1 were completed today and the contest will continue through Saturday, May 7 before awarding $250,000 in cash and a custom $30,00014-karate gold railroad spike.

Bobby Martinez (Santa Barbara, CA), 28, took top honors in a stacked heat over fellow ASP Dream Tour campaigner Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, Australian Shaun Cansdell (AUS) and local Dane Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA), 25, while posting the day’s highest single-wave score. The lethal goofy-footer tore into a steep lefthander with calculated rail work despite the small conditions to notch a 9.37 out of 10 en route to the day’s second-highest heat-total of 16.04 out of 20.

“Nothing’s easy these days, there are all kinds of good surfers,” Martinez said. “That one 9 was just a good wave. I think I did four turns or something. I really just lined up nice.”

Kekoa Bacalso (Mililani, HI), 25, former elite ASP Top 34 member, returned to competition with a newfound drive to detonate the day’s highest heat-total of a 16.07 after dismantling the fun conditions on offer at Lower Trestles and is hungry to reassert himself as a dominant force among his international peers.

“The waves were fun once you got one of them,” Bacalso said. “I’ve been training hard and getting nuts at home and it’s good to be back. I’m sick of being home and watching these guys on the computer and I want to be a part of it. I got let go from my sponsor at the end of December and it was a good reality check, a good slap in the face, and I’ve been buckling down. I’ve had a lot of time at home to get prepared for this and I’m here to make a statement. I’m not taking it lightly that’s for sure.”

Tanner Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA), 22, earned an impressive come-from-behind victory in his opening heat over Dusty Payne (Lahaina, HI), 22, who advanced in second. The local talent also relied on his forehand to combine several seamless turns on a crisp left to score a 9.00 with three minutes remaining in the heat to launch Gudauskas from last to first.

“I was having fun in that heat, there was no real hassling, so I was stoked,” Gudauskas said. “That wave came to me and I didn’t think it was going to be that good, but it just stood up.”

Gudauskas, who sustained an ankle injury free-surfing in Tasmania, is fired up to be back in the water after nearly six weeks of recovery time.

“I’m just stoked to be surfing in this event,” Gudauskas said. “I’m coming back from my ankle injury and I’m frothing on surfing in general. I injured my ankle in Tasmania and was out for about a month and a half. It was just three days ago that I got back in the water.”

Dane Reynolds (Ventura, CA), 25, returned to competition for the first time in 2011 after undergoing surgery to his knee following a late season injury in 2010. The innovative Californian put on a solid performance to advance out of Round 1 behind Kekoa Bacalso with a 14.33 heat total, but was still cautious about the condition of his knee.

“That was the hardest I’ve pushed it so it might swell up a bit tomorrow,” Reynolds said. “That was a bit different than my normal routine since I’ve started surfing again. Usually I’ll get a good warm up and go catch a couple of waves and today I was around the contest site all day.

There definitely felt like there was less flexibility going.”

Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro wildcard Kolohe Andino (San Clemente, CA), 17, issued the upset of the day by eliminating last year’s event runner-up Chris Davidson (AUS), 33, to advance into the Round of 48.

“I saw that heat draw and was pretty worried because it was a tough heat,” Andino said. “Wiggolly (Dantas) rips super hard, Kai Barger always blows up and Davo (Chris Davidson) is a full veteran. I really wanted to beat Davo because he beat me last year. I had a lot of fun out there though. The waves are really fun and I had the perfect time with the tide so I’m really stoked.”

Andino, current No. 115 on the men’s ASP World Ranking and Lower Trestles local, is still holding three zero-point scores in his score line and knows that a good result at the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro will skyrocket his position on the international standings.

“I’m super excited about getting the points here,” Andino said. “I’m just going to take it one heat at a time, but hopefully I make a few heats. It’s cool to be on your own program when competing at home. You don’t have to worry about traveling with anyone or anything like that so it’s cool.”

Gabriel Medina (BRA), 17, also notched a notable victory to open his Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro account. The Brazilian up-and-comer earned a solid 15.50 (out of 20) heat total with progressive fins-free surfing on his forehand and lightning backhand snaps on his backhand to top current ASP Dream Tour talent Patrick Gudauskas (San Clemente), 25, who advanced in second, Sebastian Zietz (Kauai, HI), 23, and Brandon Jackson (ZAF), 24.

“The waves are kind of small, but it’s fun out there,” Medina said. “It was a hard heat with Pat (Gudauskas) but I just tried to have fun and it worked. I was surfing the left and got a 7 and it is fun, it kind of stands up. I got an 8 and a good right too, so I’m happy.”

Medina, current No. 43 on the men’s ASP World Ranking, is another young talent out to help his cause towards qualification for the prestigious ASP World Title series with a keeper result at this year’s Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro.

“I really want to qualify this year,” Medina said. “I’m really trying to do my best and hopefully I can do it.”

Andino along with Conner Coffin (Santa Barbara, CA), 17, and Reynolds all executed maneuvers worthy of “MVP” status during the day. A video clip of each will be available to view online at nike6lowerspro.com. Tomorrow, the surfer with the most Facebook “likes” will earn MVP status and the gold MVP jersey for the day. An MVP will be awarded each day, with each daily winner going into a final vote for a chance at $1,000 for the overall win.

Running in conjunction with the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro will be the ASP 5-Star Oakley Pro Junior, which will see the 32-man field battle for the vital points on offer towards qualification for the elite ASP World Junior Tour.

Both the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior are available via live HD webcast with live video coverage and scoring for all five days of competition with announcers Sal Masekela, Mark Fewell, Dino Andino, Saxon Boucher, Chris Mauro, Brad Gerlach and Jodie Nelson.

The Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro will be televised live and in its entirety in Hawaii on Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s Oceanic SURF Channel 250 and 1250HD. Time Warner SoCal will air the event from Thursday to Saturday in San Diego and Los Angeles.

For more information about the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro, visit nike6lowerspro.com.

The 6.0 Lowers Pro: Coming Soon

Gronamo — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 22:04:35 GMT

Many of the top names in surfing will hit the famed cobblestones of Trestles on May 3-7, 2011, for the 6.0 Lowers Pro. The stakes: a chance to win the coveted 14-karat solid gold railroad spike, a $40,000 first-place payout, and vital points to maintain their ASP rankings. With an increased prize purse of $250,000, a $30,000 gold trophy, and major Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME points on the line, the 6.0 Lowers Pro will be an event few surfers will want to miss.

Twenty-seven of the top ASP World Title surfers are entered in the 96-man field of the 6.0 Lowers Pro. Standouts include 10-time defending World Champion and current ASP #1 Kelly Slater as well as: #3 Tiago Pires (PRT), #5 Brett Simpson (Huntington Beach, CA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Alejo Muniz (BRA) and Dusty Payne (Wahiawa, HI) and #9 Adrian Buchan (AUS), Michel Bourez (PYF) and Adriano De Souza (BRA). Jadson Andre (BRA)and Julian Wilson (AUS) currently tied at #13, and Dane Reynolds (Ventura, CA), Patrick Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA) and defending 6.0 Lowers Pro Champion Gabe Kling, all tied at #24 are also in the mix.

The 6.0 Lowers Pro is the first of only three PRIME contests in North America. The ASP’s relatively new PRIME designation, the highest possible rating with the most available points, is limited to only a few superior competition venues around the world. The significant points on offer are particularly attractive to competitors in the ASP World Title race who are trying to re-qualify for next year’s Dream Tour.

A bevy of top young talent will also be on hand for the upgraded ASP five-star Oakley Pro Junior, which will run concurrently. The Oakley Pro Junior will see 32 men (20 years and younger) battling for ASP regional ratings points to qualify for the World Junior Tour events. Those to watch include 2010 North American Champion Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA), current North American #1 Kolohe Andino (San Clemente, CA), #2 Conner Coffin (Santa Barbara, CA), #3 Luke Davis (Capo Beach, CA) and #4 Evan Geiselman (New Smyrna Beach, FL). Andrew Doheny (Newport Beach, CA) will be back to defend his big win from last year and the international contingent includes 2010 World Junior Champion Jack Freestone (AUS), Caio Ibelli (BRA), Shaun Joubert (ZAF), Kaito Ohashi (JPN) and Frederico Morais (PRT).

Both the 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior will feature an HD webcast with live video coverage and scoring for all five days of competition with announcers Sal Masekela, Mark Fewell, Dino Andino, Saxon Boucher, Chris Mauro, Brad Gerlach and Jodie Nelson.

For more information about the 6.0 Lowers Pro, visit nike6lowerspro.com.

6.0 Lowers Pro Slams Trestles Next Week

nsw_rga — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:00:14 GMT

All eyes will be pealed to the infamous Trestles break in Southern California next week, May 4 to 8, for the second annual 6.0 Lowers Pro. This high-stakes ASP contest is one of only a few events designated PRIME status and therefore ultra-lucrative points-wise. With that said, 36 elite World Tour surfers are heading out to vie for the esteemed Lowers title and maintain their rankings. And you can bet that 6.0 will be there.

Kai's comin' up.

Keep an eye out for our World Tour standouts Michel Bourez and Dusty Payne repping Tahiti and Hawaii, respectively. Also, Kolohe Andino and Gabriel Medina secured coveted wildcard spots in the pro division, and Nat Young and Kai Barger will be there throwing down, too, vying for high enough rankings to clinch spots on next year’s World Tour.

Michel, looking to upset some World Tour vets.

It’s gonna be an exciting weekend, and we’ll be there at ground zero with daily coverage. See you next week!!

Dusty and Nat—ones to watch!

All photos: Jason Kenworthy