Billabong’s Hodei Collazo Wins ASP 6-Star Quiksilver Pro Portugal
RIBEIRA DILHAS/ERICEIRA, Portugal (Sunday, October 24, 2010) Billabong’s Hodei Collazo (EUK) 26, claimed the ASP 6-Star Quiksilver Pro Portugal defeating good friend, Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) 25, in a high scoring final. This win It’s Hodei’s best result of his career.

This is an amazing feeling and I cant describe how it feels to win an event like this”, said Hodei “I have never gone further than the quarters, so to be in the final with my best friend and to win it is the best thing that has happened to me.

Hodei continued his excellent run on the final day beating ASP WT member Jeremy Flores (FR) in the quarter and Leonardo Neves (BRA) in the semi-finals.

I have had so much support from all the people here and also from all the people at home. It is really special and I want to say thanks to all of them for their support. I have taken the whole event heat by heat and tried not to think about my opponents and just focus on my surfing and the work ahead to be done.

The Zarautz resident notched up solid international performances as a junior, including a victory at the Billabong Pro Junior 6 years ago in Ericeira. After four years touring on the ASP Star and Prime Series, this win will help boost his confidence before heading to the WQS 6-Star Islas Canarias Santa Pro end of October.

Congratulations Hodei!

Quiksilver Pro Portugal Final Result
Hodei Collazo (EUK) 16.67 Def. Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) 16.47

Quiksilver Pro Portugal Semi-final Results
Heat 1: Hodei Collazo (EUK) 15.43 Def. Leonardo Neves (BRA) 11.33
Heat 2: Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) 10.17 Def. Marc Lacomare (FRA) 5.23

Quiksilver Pro Portugal Quarter-final Results
Heat 1: Hodei Collazo (EUK) 13.00 Def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 10.27
Heat 2: Leonardo Neves (BRA) 8.10 Def. Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 7.16
Heat 3: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 11.67 Def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 8.93
Heat 4: Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) 16.90 Def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 15.84

Matt Wilkinson wins the ONeill Cold Water Classic California 2010 as Shaun Cansdell takes the ONeill CWC Series win and $50,000

ONeill Cold Water Classic California. October 18 – 24, 2010

Santa Cruz, California October 23, 2010 Matt Wilkinson has won the ONeill Cold Water Classic California ahead of Tonino Benson in an action packed day, which saw Australian Shaun Cansdell take the ONeill Cold Water Classic Series title for 2010 as well as the $50,000 that comes with it.

I am pretty happy, said the Australian winner Matt Wilkinson. I have never won a QS event, he said. Well, I won a One Star event when I was 16 or 17. It was the first QS I ever did. Ever since then Ive been getting seconds and thirds and stuff, so to get that monkey off my back, Im frothing. I am just stoked with this week.

In a closely fought final in 4-foot waves in the pouring rain at Steamer Lane, Tonino and Matt traded the lead throughout the heat at this ASP Prime event.

I was just stoked to be in the final, said Tonino. There are so many good surfers here. I am just happy to be here.

Matt Wilkinson had earlier disappointed local crowds who were braving the afternoon rain to support their local hero, Nat Young, by defeating him in the semi finals.

Nat Young has three titles in a row here at this event: once CWC winner, and twice junior winner. But this year it was not to be: I am really disappointed not to have made it to the finals, said Nat as the local crowds consoled him.

In an emotional morning, Shaun Cansdell came down to watch the heat of Dion Atkinson the one man standing in the way of him and the ONeill Cold Water Classic Series victory and the $50,000 that comes with it.

To tell you the truth I actually didnt want him to do well, said Shaun. I just really wanted the $50,000. I would have loved him to get into the semis but I would have probably have gone grey by then.

Surrounded by friends Shaun watched anxiously as Dion Atkinson was beaten by eventual winner Matt Wilkinson.

I was really nervous, said Shaun. I was spinning out. I had to go get water. I thought I was going to pass out. It changes my life for sure, he said. Last year I didnt really compete. I stayed at home and just had a few casual jobs and stuff to earn money, he said. This will make a big change. I have a little bit of a plan for the money. I want to make sure I am smart with it.

ONEILL COLD WATER CLASSIC SERIES RATINGS 2010

1	Shaun Cansdell	Australia	6169
2	Stuart Kennedy	Australia	6090
3	Dion Atkinson	Australia	4933
4	Royden Bryson	South Africa	4844
5	Glenn Hall	Ireland	3279

FACTS AND FIGURES:

FIVE events exploring the edges of the world over four continents.

FIVE challenging, quality waves all in extreme and not to mention cold conditions.

FIVE ASP events in rugged and unique locations in the depths of nature.

March 23 28, 2010 TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA 6-star

April 13 19, 2010 THURSO, SCOTLAND 6-star

July 26 30, 2010 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA 4-star

October 9 – 15, 2010 TOFINO, CANADA 6-star

October 18 – 24, 2010 SANTA CRUZ, USA PRIME 6-star

2009 Cold Water Classic Series Winner ($50,000): Blake Thornton

SUPERTUBOS, Peniche/Portugal (Thursday, October 14, 2010) Kelly Slater (USA), 38, former nine-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 1, has collected his 44^th elite tour victory, besting current ASP World No. 2, Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, to take out the Rip Curl Pro Portugal in glassy three-to-five foot (1.5 metre) waves at Supertubos.

Event No. 8 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Portugal played a vital role in the hunt for the 2010 ASP World Title and was privy to some of the most high-performance surfing the world has ever seen.

Although composed and relatively under-the-radar throughout the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, Slater struck stealthily in the Final, locking in two solid backhand waves in the shifting conditions, and staving off a late charge from the young South African.

It was actually a pretty slow Final with neither of us getting any waves of consequence, Slater said. I was trying to stay busy but neither of us could get a solid wave. I actually nearly ended up reaching my wave maximum out there so I kind of had to slow down and try to wait for waves that mattered. Jordy (Smith) has all the talent in the world and hes capable of getting a score at any time. It wasnt over until the horn blew.

En route to an unprecedented 10^th ASP World Title, the iconic Floridian moves one step closer to clinching, with a strong possibility of doing so in the upcoming event.

Its obviously a very big deal for me, Slater said. If it happens, it will be a major accomplishment for me in my life. Im fortunate to have an amazing circle of friends around me: my girlfriend Kalani, Belly (Stephen Bell), Travis (Lee) and a bunch of others. Todays win puts me another step closer and well see what happens in Puerto Rico.

Smith fought valiantly throughout the 40-minute Final, posting the highest single-wave score of a 7.10 of a 10 for a backhand Superman air, but was unable to find a worthy backup score.

I guess I felt a little out of rhythm in the Final, Smith said. I was able to notch up one good one, but couldnt find a backup. Thats the way it goes sometimes. Im still happy with the result and the way my year has gone so Im just staying positive and well see how we end up.

The last one remaining in the hunt for the 2010 ASP World Title, Smith acknowledges the tall feat that lies ahead and is philosophical when discussing the remainder of the season.

Ive had a blast here in Portugal, Smith said. Weve had some really fun waves. I was stoked to be in the Final with Kelly (Slater). Im stoked to be in the race still with him. Hes someone Ive looked up to my whole life and its an honor to be up there in the rankings next to him. Im looking forward to the next event and hope we get some more fun wedges.

Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, reigning ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 3, bowed out of Rip Curl Pro Portugal competition in Round 3 of competition, and with Slaters victory today, has also bowed out of the 2010 ASP World Title Race.

The 2010 ASP World Title Race will head towards Puerto Rico for the next stop on the ASP Dream Tour.

Jeremy Flores (FRA), 22, matched his best result of the year today, posting an Equal 3^rd at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal. Unable to overtake a rampaging Smith in their Semifinal bout, Flores remained content with his result, moving from 20^th to 15^th on the ASP World Title Race rankings.

Its been a good contest for me for sure, Flores said. Ive been readjusting my approach to surfing and focusing on the things that work best for me. I think it helped a lot here in Portugal and Im stoked with moving up on the rankings. Hopefully I can get some more good results before the year is out.

Chris Davidson (AUS), 33, took it to Slater in the Semifinal bout, putting the champ on the ropes until Slater pulled out an incredible Alley-Oop 360 for a 9.33 in the dying minutes to take the heat. Davidsons Equal 3^rd at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal marks his best result of the season, moving him from 17^th to 13^th on the ASP World Title Race rankings,

What can you do when the King (Slater) pulls something like that? Davidson said. All I could do was salute him. Its been a good event for me, and I felt like I surfed pretty well against Kelly, but when he goes and pulls a 360 Alley-Oop on a nothing wave, its hard to fight back. Hopefully someone can throw a wrench in the works and send the title race down to Pipeline.

Highlights from the Rip Curl Pro Portugal will be available via http://live.ripcurl.com

The next stop on the 2010 ASP World Tour will be the Rip Curl Pro Search in Puerto Rico from October 30 through November 10, 2010.

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL MENS FINAL RESULTS:
1 Kelly Slater (USA) 13.33
2 Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.43

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL MENS SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1:Kelly Slater (USA) 16.03 def. Chris Davidson (AUS) 12.20
SF 2:Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.00 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 10.57

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL MENS QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1:Chris Davidson (AUS) 9.50 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 7.50
QF 2:Kelly Slater (USA) 15.24 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.56
QF 3:Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14.17 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 13.67
QF 4:Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13.70 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 12.50

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL MENS ROUND 5 RESULTS:
Heat 1:Chris Davidson (AUS) 11.84 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 9.94
Heat 2:Damien Hobgood (USA) 11.10 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 10.83
Heat 3:Owen Wright (AUS) 13.40 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 9.73
Heat 4:Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 15.00 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 8.16

ASP WORLD TITLE RACE TOP 5 (After Rip Curl Pro Portugal):
1.Kelly Slater (USA) 58,000 pts
2.Jordy Smith (ZAF) 48,750 pts
3.Mick Fanning (AUS) 41,250 pts
4.Taj Burrow (AUS) 34,000 pts
5.Adrian Buchan (AUS) 33,750 pts

JOSH KERR WINS THE ONEILL COLD WATER CLASSIC CANADA 2010 AHEAD OF ERIC GEISELMAN

ONeill Cold Water Classic Canada. October 9 – 15, 2010

Tofino, Canada October 14, 2010 Josh Kerr has won the ONeill Cold Water Classic Canada 2010 ahead of Eric Geiselman in clean 4ft conditions on another epic sunny day in Tofino.

It was a bit of a slow final, said Josh after his and Erics fourth heat of the day. Youre blood is pumping a lot harder to keep you warm. It takes it out of you, he said. But we are surfing in Canada its a beautiful place. Youre in the mountains but by the beach. Its a trip. I am stoked!

It was great surfing against Eric, said Josh. Hes one of the best new up and coming surfers around. Ive respected that guy for years.

And Eric showed exactly why earlier in a tense semi final heat. Under pressure in the semis Eric pulled out the wave of the event with a spectacular aerial, scoring a 9.10 and going into the final ahead of an on-form Shaun Cansdell.

Much of Tofino shut up shop on this freezing cold but sunny day to hit the beach for the final, despite local hero Peter Devries having been knocked out earlier in the day by eventual winner Josh Kerr.

Im disappointed, but still happy I made it through a few heats, said Peter I was hoping to make it to the quarters. That was one of those little goals I had in my own mind. But losing against Josh theres nothing wrong with that!

Josh Kerr on the other hand wasnt entirely convinced the local community would agree: I came in I was all apologizing to everyone when I came out. I think I should keep a low profile in town this evening.

The ONeill Cold Water Classic Series now moves to its final event of the year in Santa Cruz, California in what is lining up to be a dramatic finale. With Shaun Cansdell having reached the semis here in Canada he now sits top of the rankings ahead of Stuart Kennedy. But still in the running are an on form Glenn Hall as well as Dion Atikinson.

Watch highlights from the ONeill Cold Water Classic Canada at www.oneill.com/cwc/canada

The ONeill Cold Water Classic California will start on October 18^th

Watch it live at www.oneill.com/cwc/california

ONEILL COLD WATER CLASSIC SERIES RANKINGS (following three events)

1. Royden Bryson (ZAF) 4844


2. Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 4800


3. Shaun Cansdell (AUS) 3903


4. Dion Atkinson (AUS) 3406


5. Greg Emslie (ZAF) 3000

DOWNLOAD THE NEW ONEILL COLD WATER CLASSIC IPHONE APPLICATION Daily highlight videos, all the news and pics from the events as well as local surf conditions straight onto your phone with the new ONeill CWC iPhone App

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/oneill-cwc-2010/id360946269?mt=8

FACTS AND FIGURES:

FIVE events exploring the edges of the world over four continents.

FIVE challenging, quality waves all in extreme and not to mention cold conditions.

FIVE ASP events in rugged and unique locations in the depths of nature.

WEBSITE

www.oneill.com/cwc

www.facebook.com/oneill

twitter.com/oneillcwc

DATES AND RATINGS

March 23 28, 2010 TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA 6-star

April 13 19, 2010 THURSO, SCOTLAND 6-star

July 26 30, 2010 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA 4-star

October 9 – 15, 2010 TOFINO, CANADA 6-star

October 18 – 24, 2010 SANTA CRUZ, USA PRIME 6-star

SUPERTUBOS, Peniche/Portugal (Monday, October 11, 2010) Supertubos turned on today with offshore three-to-five foot (1.5 metre) barrels for the worlds best surfers to sink their fangs into as the Rip Curl Pro Portugal completed Rounds 1 and 2 of competition.

Event No. 8 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Portugal bore witness to the ASP Top 34 redefining progressive beachbreak surfing with a veritable cornucopia of barrels, power turns and aerials.

Adrian Buchan (AUS), 27, current ASP World No. 6, proved the form surfer of the day, netting the events high heat total of an 18.00 out of a possible 20 for a series of deep forehand barrels and powerful turns.

The conditions are pretty hit and miss today with some heats having lulls and others not, Buchan said. We had really fun waves during that heat. It was really consistent and I was able to find a rhythm pretty quick. My equipment feels really good at the moment and Im stoked to come back after a disappointing Round 1 heat yesterday with a strong performance today.

Coming off an Equal 3rd last week in France, Buchan is enjoying a solid momentum throughout the European leg and will look to capitalize through the remainder of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal.

Definitely coming off of a good result in France gives me confidence here, Buchan said. Im having one of the better years Ive had on tour and Im looking to move from strength to strength. Everything is working really well for me at the moment and I love the waves here in Peniche. I would love to come away with a win.

Buchan will take on rookie Dusty Payne (HAW), 21, in Round 3 of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal.

Kelly Slater (USA), 38, former nine-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 1, survived his Round 2 bout against wildcard Bruno Santos (BRA), 27, this morning, dominating the shifting peaks to the raucous cheers of the thousands in attendance.

The Portuguese fans are just so passionate, Slater said. Tiago (Pires) is a national treasure here and every time he paddles out, the whole beach erupts. Its good to see. They love their surfing and that always makes us excited to perform.

Currently hunting down an unprecedented 10th ASP World Title, Slater maintains a focused approach to the job at hand.

I just have to replicate what Ive done so far this season, Slater said. At the moment, Im not in a position where I can afford to get throwaway results. If I want to improve my position at the moment, I have to do better than 9th. So its still super close.

Slater faces Gabe Kling (USA), 30, in Round 3 of competition.

Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, current ASP World No. 2, was another top seed to battle a wildcard today, besting Marlon Lipke (DEU), 26, with a comprehensive forehand attack on the righthanders.

It was pretty challenging in my heat, Smith said. It was hard to pick out the good ones and I kept finding myself out of position. Marlon (Lipke) obviously knows this wave really well, and at this level, everyone is dangerous. I was fortunate to grab a couple of mid-range scores and he was unable to get a decent second score.

Im just having fun and learning as I go, Smith said. Im still young and I have a ways to go before Im at the same level as Kelly (Slater) and Mick (Fanning). The race (ASP World Title) isnt too far apart at the moment, but its not too close either.

Smith draws Dean Morrison (AUS), 29, in his upcoming Rip Curl Pro Portugal match.

Brett Simpson (USA), 25, 2010 ASP World Tour rookie struck a brutal blow to Portuguese surfing enthusiasts in the final heat of the day, eliminating sole representative Tiago Pires (PRT), 30, from competition with an impressive display of hi-fi surfing.

The conditions have changed so much since this morning, Simpson said. Weve gone from sucking barrels to really high-performance runners this afternoon. It was really fun but you have to be on your game and adapt pretty quick. Tiago (Pires) is so dangerous in any conditions and he obviously had a lot of support on the beach. Its a bummer to knock him out early, but Im happy to move through to Round 3.

Simpson will take on fellow rookie Jadson Andre (BRA), 20, when competition resumes.

Travis Logie (ZAF), 31, current ASP World No. 34, caused a major upset this morning, eliminating current ASP World No. 5, Dane Reynolds (USA), 25, in Round 2 of competition. The South African goofy-footer adopted a frenzied approach, collecting a bevy of forehand barrel-to-turn combinations, leaving his Californian opponent behind.

Ive had really bad luck this season so far in terms of waves in my heat so it feels really good to get some good waves finally, Logie said. You can never discount Dane (Reynolds) in a heat. I had him on the ropes and gave him a rubbish wave and he turned it into something. Its really good for my confidence and I definitely need to get some results here in the back three events of the year. Its really fun out there.

Logie will battle reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, in Round 3 of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal.

When competition resumes, up first will be current ASP World No. 4 Taj Burrow (AUS), 32, up against Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 22, in the opening heat of Round 3.

Highlights from the Rip Curl Pro Portugal will be available via http://live.ripcurl.com

And follow Hanalei’s adventures on the Rip Curl blog

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL MENS REMAINING ROUND 1 RESULTS: Heat 10: Damien Hobgood (USA) 15.36, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 15.10, Luke Stedman (AUS) 13.27
Heat 11: Bobby Martinez (USA) 16.70, Michel Bourez (PYF) 8.94, Kai Otton (AUS) 6.93
Heat 12: Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.27, Andy Irons (HAW) 14.07, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 10.76

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL MENS ROUND 2 RESULTS: Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.17 def. Bruno Santos (BRA) 7.30
Heat 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.80 def. Marlon Lipke (DEU) 11.63
Heat 3: Travis Logie (ZAF) 16.06 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 8.50
Heat 4: Dean Morrison (AUS) 13.67 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 11.43
Heat 5: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.00 def. Luke Munro (AUS) 6.24
Heat 6: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.16 def. Roy Powers (HAW) 9.03
Heat 7: Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.93 def. Luke Stedman (AUS) 8.23
Heat 8: Kai Otton (AUS) 10.83 def. Andy Irons (HAW) 10.40
Heat 9: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 12.17 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 10.37
Heat 10: Daniel Ross (AUS) 12.03 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 10.17
Heat 11: Chris Davidson (AUS) 12.23 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 11.94
Heat 12: Brett Simpson (AUS) 14.27 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 10.17

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL MENS ROUND 3 RESULTS: Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 2: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 3: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 4: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Tom Whitaker (AUS)
Heat 5: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Taylor Knox (USA)
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Gabe Kling (USA)
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 8: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Heat 9: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 10: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 11: Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 12: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Dean Morrison (AUS)

ASP Top 34 Battle Shifting Supertubos for Round 1 Rip Curl Pro Portugal!

SUPERTUBOS, Peniche/Portugal (Sunday, October 10, 2010) The worlds best surfers battled shifting four-to-six foot (2 metre) rights and lefts at Supertubos as the Rip Curl Pro Portugal commenced competition with the opening nine heats of Round 1.

Event No. 8 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Portugal got underway this afternoon in front of capacity crowds numbering over 40,000 on the beach and the hundreds of thousands online.

Dusty Payne (HAW), 21, 2010 ASP World Tour rookie and current ASP World No. 27, punctuated the days action, posting the highest heat total of the event, a 16.57 out of a possible 20, in the final heat of the day.

Its definitely not a walk in the park out there, Payne said. Its hard work out there. I got both of my good scores on my backhand, I think it was easier to jam in two turns on my backhand. Stoked to get through though. Im loving Portugal. The people are really nice and I hope it cleans up tomorrow.

Tom Whitaker (AUS), 31, posted the highest single-wave score of the day, a 9.50 out of a possible 10, for two monstrous backhand bashes on a lumpy lefthander. The score, combined with an earlier 5.17, was enough to relegate former nine-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 1, Kelly Slater (USA), 38, and Bruno Santos (BRA), 27, to Round 2 of competition.

Any kind of lip you could see you had to hit it, Whitaker said. That one had a pretty good line on it and I was lucky that it pushed me out in front at the end. Any time you draw Kelly (Slater), you have to put up big numbers and hes capable of getting 7s or 8s at any moment in any conditions.

Currently serving as the replacement surfer for an injured Joel Parkinson (AUS), 29, Whitakers motivation may differ from those hunting the ASP World Title, but the stylish natural-footer remains hungry for results amongst the worlds elite.

I want to win an event before I hang up my competitive career, Whitaker said. I feel like my surfing is still at this level and Im looking forward to a few more opportunities here. I have to give a shout out to Joel Parkinson, who I heard had his first surf the other day. I hope he rebounds quickly and I look forward to sharing some waves with him in Hawaii.

Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, reigning ASP World Champion and defending Rip Curl Pro Portugal Champion, survived todays trying conditions, favoring his backhand to advance directly through to Round 3.

Its a big washing machine, Fanning said. I dont think it matters what you ride out there, you just have to hang on. The Portuguese people turn out in the numbers and theyre really cool. Theyre just stoked on surfing and thats what were excited about.

Following a win at the last event in France, Fanning is currently ranked No. 3 on the ASP World Title Race rankings, well within striking distance of the leader position in the hunt for the 2010 crown.

Kelly (Slater0 has been on such a roll, Fanning said. I pretty much just need to win events and thats what Im trying to do. Im not concerned with what hes doing at the moment. Im focusing on putting wins on my scorecard.

Jeremy Flores (FRA), 22, current ASP World No. 20, lead the Round 1 European charge today at Supertubos, threading a challenging barrel in the dying moments of the heat to edge out Dane Reynolds (USA), 25, and Dean Morrison (AUS), 29.

Its very difficult out there this morning, Flores said. Its similar to Round 1 in France last week. Its big and unorganized and hard to line up. I was able to find a tricky little barrel there at the end so Im stoked. Its hard though.

Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 22, 2010 ASP World Tour rookie and current ASP World No. 27, scored a major upset today, relegating Portuguese superstar Tiago Pires (PRT), 30, and compatriot Adrian Buchan (AUS), 28, to Round 2 with some inspired backhand surfing.

It was a super tough heat, Wilkinson said. Having Tiago in a heat over here was always going to be tough. There are tens of thousands of people cheering for him as were running down to the water and I just felt a little bit obscure. I love the crowd here though. Theyre a super passionate crew and they want to see their local boy do well.

When competition resumes, up first will be Damien Hobgood (USA), 31, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), 28, and Luke Stedman (AUS), 34, in Heat 10 of Round 1.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 8am to assess conditions at Supertubos for a possible 8:30am start.

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL MENS ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Taylor Knox (USA) 9.60, Luke Munro (AUS) 7.43, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 4.23
Heat 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 9.10, Dane Reynolds (USA) 8.00, Dean Morrison (AUS) 5.50
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) 10.17, Travis Logie (ZAF) 4.33, Brett Simpson (USA) 3.73
Heat 4: Gabe Kling (USA) 14.94, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.07, Adam Melling (AUS) 6.70
Heat 5: Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.67, Marlon Lipke (DEU) 12.10, Daniel Ross (AUS) 8.73
Heat 6: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 14.67, Kelly Slater (USA)13.10, Bruno Santos (BRA) 3.03
Heat 7: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 12.66, Tiago Pires (PRT) 10.00, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 8.30
Heat 8: Owen Wright (AUS) 12.40, Roy Powers (HAW) 6.14, Chris Davidson (AUS) 5.26
Heat 9: Dusty Payne (HAW) 16.57C.J. Hobgood (USA) 11.20, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 8.57

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL MENS REMAINING ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 10: Damien Hobgood (USA), Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Luke Stedman (AUS)
Heat 11: Michel Bourez (PYF), Bobby Martinez (USA), Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 12: Andy Irons (HAW), Jadson Andre (BRA), Patrick Gudauskas (USA)

As storms and wild surf lash the west coast of Vancouver Island, the ONeill Cold Water Classic Canada 2010 goes on hold for the first day of competition.

The ONeill Cold Water Classic Canada

Oct 9 – Oct 15, 2010

Tofino, Canada October 9, 2010 With storms raging through night producing wild winds, pouring rain and massive surf, it was no surprise that the ONeill Cold Water Classic Canada 2010 awoke to a lay day on this first day of competition.

In an area of the world where Storm Watching is an actual pastime, these conditions for the third stop on the ONeill Cold Water Classic Series 2010 have been no surprise.

It was crazy driving across Vancouver Island to get here last night, said Timmy Reyes, who is in Tofino for the first time ever. It felt like there were 100 knot winds, it was like a hurricane, he said. There were trees blowing all over the place and so many leaves in the road. Plus all these waterfalls were coming down from the mountains onto the road. We basically got shacked the whole way coming here!

Julian Wilson – another surfer who is in Tofino for the first time – also added another first to his trip: This is the first time Ive ever worn boots, a hood or gloves in my life, said Julian. Its not as bad as I thought. I was worried it would be really restricting.

He is also the first surfer to clock up a bear sighting on this trip. We saw one as we were driving up here, he said. It was in a town walking across the street as we were driving through. We tried to speed up to get closer to it, but it went off.

I think its an awesome place, said Julian. I chose to come here over Brazil because everyone who came here last year was telling me how amazing it was. And it looks like there will be a lot of swell for the contest, which looks good.

Whilst this first day of the 6 Star ASP contest was called off, contest director Matt Wilson is optimistic about the days ahead: Today was a solid 6 foot, and some of the beaches were not handling it so well, he said. Tomorrow and the days ahead look a bit more promising.

MISHKA LIVE CONCERT!

j.k. livin Artist, Mishka will be performing live in Tofino during the Cold Water Classic. Mishka recently joined the ONeill team as the ECONeill collection ambassador, and will be holding two concerts at the ONeill CWC series this year in both Tofino and Santa Cruz for the final event on the 2010 series.

Thursday, October 14, 2010
Mishka @ O’Neill Cold Water Classic @ Tofino Legion
331 Main Street, Tofino, BC V0R 2Z0 (Canada)
Set: 8:00 PM. 19+

ONEILL COLD WATER CLASSIC SERIES RANKINGS (following three events)

1. Royden Bryson (ZAF) 4844


2. Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 4800


3. Shaun Cansdell (AUS) 3903


4. Dion Atkinson (AUS) 3406


5. Greg Emslie (ZAF) 3000

DOWNLOAD THE NEW ONEILL COLD WATER CLASSIC IPHONE APPLICATION Daily highlight videos, all the news and pics from the events as well as local surf conditions straight onto your phone with the new ONeill CWC iPhone App

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/oneill-cwc-2010/id360946269?mt=8

FACTS AND FIGURES:

FIVE events exploring the edges of the world over four continents.

FIVE challenging, quality waves all in extreme and not to mention cold conditions.

FIVE ASP events in rugged and unique locations in the depths of nature.

DATES AND RATINGS

March 23 28, 2010 TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA 6-star

April 13 19, 2010 THURSO, SCOTLAND 6-star

July 26 30, 2010 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA 4-star

October 9 – 15, 2010 TOFINO, CANADA 6-star

October 18 – 24, 2010 SANTA CRUZ, USA PRIME 6-star

2009 Cold Water Classic Series Winner ($50,000): Blake Thornton