Fantasy Surfer J-Bay Preview
(Tuesday, July 6, 2010)
By Shea Lopez
Before you begin picking your Fantasy Surfer team for the Billabong Pro J-Bay there are two facts that you need to know.
Fact 1: J-Bay will always be one of the best waves in the world, no matter what direction surfing’s progression takes.
Fact 2: J-Bay, unlike Snapper and Trestles, isn't really a world-class wave until the swell becomes well overhead with lines stacked to the horizon.
That being said, J-Bay presents a serious challenge for everyone on Tour, no matter the size. When it’s small, the wave becomes riddled with impossible sections that pinch down on nearly dry rock outcroppings. This is when Taj Burrow with his combination of experience, speed, and dizzying repertoire, becomes the hands-down favorite. If he is able to pull a win out of the bag here, it would put him right back into contention for the World Title.
What everyone shows up hoping for, though, is that all the elements will come together to produce perfect conditions at Supertubes. That’s when the place becomes the ultimate canvas for displaying searing, high-speed carves that set up beautiful barrel sections.
Having a firm grasp of the wave’s many quirks is often the difference between winning or losing your heat, even when the surf is absolutely perfect. That’s why local knowledge—whether it comes from a lifetime of surfing the wave, as Jordy Smith will show, or 20 years of visiting and competing there, as Kelly Slater and Taylor Knox have experienced—gives a small group of surfers a major advantage anytime they put on their jersey, especially against an over-confident rookie class with little-to-zero experience in the lineup. Some of the best performances I've witnessed in this event have come from South Africa’s Sean Holmes while competing in the event as a wildcard. There’s a good chance that Holmes will once again be awarded a wildcard, but regardless of who the wildcards are, you can guarantee that, having come from the deep talent pool of South Africa, they will be capable of major upsets. But, no matter who you are or what you’re rated, it's all about the waves you ride at J- Bay; get on the right one, draw the proper line, and a 10-point ride is always attainable.
Mick and Joel are no strangers to the area, or getting 10-point-rides there for that matter. If one of them is able to put together a string of heats solid enough to become this year’s champion, you will see that surfer step up his game in an attempt to derail Slater’s quest for 10. If either fall short, they’ll be left waiting for another run in 2011, which will probably be the year Dane Reynolds makes his push to win it all.
This year, however, even though he’s put on some brilliant displays of surfing, Dane is still making way too many mistakes to achieve the consistency required to dominate for an entire year, or even an entire event. Normally J-Bay offers only two or three opportunities to get big scores during a 30-minute heat. Dane is much more lethal when the surf allows him six or more chances to get it right.
In what looks to be Kelly’s final year on the World Tour and his last attempt at a 10th World Title, you can expect nothing short of perfection every chance he gets to ride a wave at J-Bay on his highly modified, spot specific, and personally shaped quiver. Which is why, unless something unforeseen happens, he should be the favorite to win at every event on Tour this year.
(Tuesday, July 6, 2010)
By Shea Lopez
Before you begin picking your Fantasy Surfer team for the Billabong Pro J-Bay there are two facts that you need to know.
Fact 1: J-Bay will always be one of the best waves in the world, no matter what direction surfing’s progression takes.
Fact 2: J-Bay, unlike Snapper and Trestles, isn't really a world-class wave until the swell becomes well overhead with lines stacked to the horizon.
That being said, J-Bay presents a serious challenge for everyone on Tour, no matter the size. When it’s small, the wave becomes riddled with impossible sections that pinch down on nearly dry rock outcroppings. This is when Taj Burrow with his combination of experience, speed, and dizzying repertoire, becomes the hands-down favorite. If he is able to pull a win out of the bag here, it would put him right back into contention for the World Title.
What everyone shows up hoping for, though, is that all the elements will come together to produce perfect conditions at Supertubes. That’s when the place becomes the ultimate canvas for displaying searing, high-speed carves that set up beautiful barrel sections.
Having a firm grasp of the wave’s many quirks is often the difference between winning or losing your heat, even when the surf is absolutely perfect. That’s why local knowledge—whether it comes from a lifetime of surfing the wave, as Jordy Smith will show, or 20 years of visiting and competing there, as Kelly Slater and Taylor Knox have experienced—gives a small group of surfers a major advantage anytime they put on their jersey, especially against an over-confident rookie class with little-to-zero experience in the lineup. Some of the best performances I've witnessed in this event have come from South Africa’s Sean Holmes while competing in the event as a wildcard. There’s a good chance that Holmes will once again be awarded a wildcard, but regardless of who the wildcards are, you can guarantee that, having come from the deep talent pool of South Africa, they will be capable of major upsets. But, no matter who you are or what you’re rated, it's all about the waves you ride at J- Bay; get on the right one, draw the proper line, and a 10-point ride is always attainable.
Mick and Joel are no strangers to the area, or getting 10-point-rides there for that matter. If one of them is able to put together a string of heats solid enough to become this year’s champion, you will see that surfer step up his game in an attempt to derail Slater’s quest for 10. If either fall short, they’ll be left waiting for another run in 2011, which will probably be the year Dane Reynolds makes his push to win it all.
This year, however, even though he’s put on some brilliant displays of surfing, Dane is still making way too many mistakes to achieve the consistency required to dominate for an entire year, or even an entire event. Normally J-Bay offers only two or three opportunities to get big scores during a 30-minute heat. Dane is much more lethal when the surf allows him six or more chances to get it right.
In what looks to be Kelly’s final year on the World Tour and his last attempt at a 10th World Title, you can expect nothing short of perfection every chance he gets to ride a wave at J-Bay on his highly modified, spot specific, and personally shaped quiver. Which is why, unless something unforeseen happens, he should be the favorite to win at every event on Tour this year.
