ONeill Sebastian Inlet Pro Slated for Jan 12-18
- December 20, 2008
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- By Story/Photos By Ingrid Matta
If you’re an ASP pro, it may be reason enough winter wax coat your board, or if you just appreciate good surfing, it may just be reason to ready the cameras, position the beach gear and plan to head for Sebastian Inlet Jan. 12 – 18, 2009 for the ASP* 4-Star** O’Neill SI Pro.
Few contests on the East Coast promise more: Florida winter waves, an $85,000 cash purse, and valuable points leading to a place on the Association of Surfing Professionals’ elite World Championship Tour. It all starts here for high-level professionals determined, and talented enough to make the tour, making this a top-of-the-list of event to catch early in ‘09.
Presented by Ron Jon, produced by Board Sports Management, and made possible by sponsors who care about surfing, what began in 2005 as a dream, is now a solid event on the world surfing calendar. More than 200 of the most talented surfers from more than a dozen countries are expected to lay footprints in the sand at Sebastian, and aim to claim SI’s infamous peaks. They’re also expected to display the latest boards and techniques, in four-man heats, and 16 heats in a round.
Ten hand-picked surfers will also demonstrate their specialized talents during the Red Bull Tow-At, an event where surfers are propelled into waves while being pulled by a Sea-Doo at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. The tow-at, and the contest have both proven to be indicators of who will take the lead for the coming year in ASP events.
The 2008 champion for this event was Patrick Gudauskas; the 2007 champion was C.J. Hobood; the 2006 champion was Damien Hobgood; and the 2005 champion was Cory Lopez. Past competitors have included Kelly Slater, Tom Curren, Shane Beschen, Josh Kerr, Cory Lopez, Ben Bourgeois, Timmy Curran, Nathaniel Curran, Ola Eleogram, Kai Barger, and Clay Marzo.
Event organizer and head of Board Sports Management, Mitch Varnes, says that pro surfing on a fairly high level had not been at Sebastian Inlet since the early 90s. “When contemplating how to bring pro surfing back, I noticed there was a gap in the tour during the January timeframe which coincided nicely with Surf Expo (in Orlando),” Varnes adds. “So working with the industry, the local community and with the support of Kelly Slater, we were able to create this event that first ran in January 2005.”
While Varnes admits that Cocoa Beach can hold a larger crowd, Sebastian Inlet’s waves are of unquestionable quality. “You always try and pick a venue that will provide the best action and be the best for the athletes,” says Varnes.
Generally, the contest will run from 8a.m. – 4 p.m. each day, but check out the finalized schedule at www.oneillsipro.com.
*The (ASP) Association of Surfing Professionals is the governing body of professional surfing since 1976, and sanctions tours like: Foster’s ASP Men’s World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, the World Qualifying Series, and the World Long boarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP showcases the world’s best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and provides webcasts of its events. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America and South America. For more information about the ASP: www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org.
**A 4-star event is $85,000; a 3-star event is $60,000 and a 5-star event is $110,000. A 4-star event is still a very worthwhile event for emerging pros to attend.