2010 Billabong Pro J-Bay: Shea's Take On Round 1
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Irons, Slater, Reynolds All Shine In Round 1 At The Billabong Pro J-Bay
Today at J-Bay was a perfect example of what the World Tour is all about. You see, for the majority of us viewers the real draw, and what keeps us drooling at our computer screens all night, is the mind-numbing perfect surf. Faced with the daily grind and so-so surf at our local break, we become mesmerized with every perfect wave peeling down the point. The surfers are interchangeable and every surfer’s biggest challenge is to perform equal to the quality of the surf. Any mistakes out there and you stand to be crucified by internet critics across the world, all of which surely mind-surfed the wave to perfection.
Who matched the quality of the surf today? Surprisingly or not, if you compare today's conditions to some of the junk heats so far this year, it was guys who have struggled to get results in 2010. In the first three heats alone, Adam Melling, Andy Irons, and Nate Yeomans all excelled. Andy came out of the gates blazing, scoring a 7.5, and as his heat went on he looked more and more like the 3-time World Champ. For Melling and Yeomans, who had three 33rds, it's now or never if they have any chance in hell of seeing the second half of the season.
Then there's the obvious stars. Dane attempted to throw his heat away, but still found himself on his board long enough to post two big scores. Bobby, Jordy, Kelly, Taj, Kelly, and Mick were all perfect, as perfect as the surf, and that's what we should expect from 2010's group of World Title contenders.
Now, hopefully, these idyllic conditions persist long enough for us to get our fill of J-Bay, as we simultaneously view some smoking heats to witness this year’s lucky winner. Go get some sleep now all you fiends out there; myself included of course.
2010 BILLABONG PRO J-BAY
COMPLETE ROUND 1 HEAT RESULTS
(1st Advances to Rnd 3; 2nd & 3rd Advance to Rnd 2)
Heat 1: 1- Adam Melling, 2- Taylor Knox, 3- Luke Munro
Heat 2: 1- Andy Irons, 2- Jay Thompson, 3- Jadson Andre
Heat 3: 1- Nate Yeomans, 2- Bede Durbidge, 3- Luke Stedman
Heat 4: 1- Dane Reynolds, 2- Marco Polo, 3- Daniel Ross
Heat 5: 1- Bobby Martinez, 2- Jeremy Flores, 3- Blake Thornton
Heat 6: 1- Tiago Pires, 2- Tim Reyes, 3- Adriano de Souza
Heat 7: 1- Jordy Smith, 2- Joan Duru, 3- Tom Whitaker
Heat 8: 1- Kelly Slater, 2- Damien Hobgood, 3- Shaun Joubert
Heat 9: 1- Taj Burrow, 2- Dale Staples, 3- Kieren Perrow
Heat 10: 1- Mick Fanning, 2- Sean Holmes, 3- Roy Powers
Heat 11: 1- Kekoa Bacalso, 2- Neco Padaratz, 3- CJ Hobgood
Heat 12: 1- Fred Patacchia, 2- Tanner Gudauskas, 3- Pat Gudauskas
Heat 13: 1- Matt Wilkinson, 2- Dean Morrison, 3- Michel Bourez
Heat 14: 1- Chris Davidson, 2- Mick Campbell, 3- Brett Simpson
Heat 15: 1- Adrian Buchan, 2- Ben Dunn, 3- Dusty Payne
Heat 16: 1- Owen Wright, 2- Travis Logie, 3- Drew Courtney
2010 BILLABONG PRO J-BAY
COMPLETED ROUND 2 HEAT RESULTS
(1st Advances to Rnd 3; 2nd finishes =33rd)
Heat 1: Adriano de Souza def. Shaun Joubert
Heat 2: Bede Durbidge def. Dale Staples
UPCOMING ROUND 2 HEATS:
Heat 3: Jadson Andre vs. Sean Holmes
Heat 4: Taylor Knox vs. Joan Duru
Heat 5: C.J. Hobgood vs. Tim Reyes
Heat 6: Michel Bourez vs. Blake Thornton
Heat 7: Damien Hobgood vs. Marco Polo
Heat 8: Kieren Perrow vs. Jay Thompson
Heat 9: Roy Powers vs. Neco Padaratz
Heat 10: Tom Whitaker vs. Tanner Gudauskas
Heat 11: Jeremy Flores vs. Brett Simpson
Heat 12: Daniel Ross vs. Dusty Payne
Heat 13: Luke Stedman vs. Drew Courtney
Heat 14: Luke Munro vs. Travis Logie
Heat 15: Pat Gudauskas vs. Ben Dunn
Heat 16: Dean Morrison vs. Mick Campbell
For more on the Billabong Pro J-Bay, visit www.BillabongPro.com
