RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL 2010 | ROUND 4 [14.10.2010]Surfers

Gudauskas’ clutch Rodeo at Teahupo'o is ASP folklore but his aerial game erred when it didn’t count in Portugal. Photo: Kirstin/ASP
  
PAYS TO BE A BORE IN ROUND 4
 
BELGAS, Peniche/Portugal | As play resumed overnight at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, tour veteran and nine-time World Champion Kelly Slater appeared to take a more calculated and cautious approach in the ASP’s new non-elimination Round 4.
 
Slater: “You surf a little more relaxed out there but it’s also an opportunity to get a little jump and save your energy for the last day. So it’s nice to get a win in that round.”

With fun-looking two-to-three foot waves on offer at the Belgas backup venue, non-elimination Round 4 lured many of the remaining field to adopt a throwaway ‘expression session’ approach.

It worked for some. In the final heat of the day against Owen Wright and Jadson Andre, Jordy Smith progressed straight to the Quarter Finals via a frontside aerial that was more-or-less a full 360 rotation (watch below).

While Smith didn’t get massive height on the move, he managed to whip his tail round with such power and speed that by the time he landed he was virtually back in the same position he started from.    

He picked up a 9.93 for the wave, which included zero other manoeuvres. Smith: “That score didn’t change my approach much actually, Jadson (Andre) and Owen (Wright) can pull big scores out at any moment.”

During the heat Owen Wright boosted an impressive frontside mute air but wasn’t rewarded by the judges in the same fashion perhaps because, unlikely Smith, Wright had a lot of unutilised wave to work with in the lead up to his single manoeuvre. Also, Smith’s air was launched off a more critical righthand section that required pinpoint timing and execution. Both Wright and Andre were popping moves of the often longer but less steep lefthand walls.

Like Slater, both Adrian Buchan and Jeremy Flores exercised a disciplined and non-nonsense approach to their respective Round 4 Heats. As with Slater, this tact proved successful for the pair and each now advances straight to the Quarter Finals.

Buchan: “I was just focusing on picking good waves and surfing them completely.”

Flores: “As long as I win heats, I’m stoked ... the last few years, I’ve been trying to add airs and fin throws to my repertoire and it hasn’t been working. I’ve moved back to what I do best and it’s been working really well for me. I’m stoked to be in the Quarterfinals and hope I can keep going.”

Forget about your highlight reel, it pays to be a bore in Round 4.

- micholas


Hi-Fi Heat of the Day:



RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL MEN’S ROUND 4 RESULTS:
Heat 1:Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.77, Michel Bourez (PYF) 9.03, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 5.50
Heat 2:Kelly Slater (USA) 13.60, Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.83, Chris Davidson (AUS) 6.08
Heat 3:Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14.07, Travis Logie (ZAF) 13.73, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 10.17
Heat 4:Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.16, Jadson Andre (BRA) 13.57, Owen Wright (AUS) 12.07
 
RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL MEN’S ROUND 5 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1:Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Chris Davidson (AUS)
Heat 2:Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 3:Travis Logie (ZAF) vs. Owen Wright (AUS)
Heat 4:Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)

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