2008 Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro: Day 1

Surf: Chest to shoulder high and peaky – overhead bombs!
Rounds Held: Mens – the earlies
Nature’s Call: Alright, alright, here’s your stupid south swell
Predicted: Losers stick around the event (there’s just no reason to leave)

You know how early each morning, before the park opens, all the Disneyland employees go ride all of the rides for free with no lines, and the candy is all-you-can-eat, and Mickey and Donald and Goofy come to life and play? You know how that happens? Today was kinda like that at Trestles.

Technically, it was day one of the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro, and a full day of heats was contested. But it was also a Tuesday, and apparently some suckers out there still work on Tuesdays. So with the exception of the competitors themselves, assorted marketing guys and some weird magazine types, Lowers was empty. It was empty to the North. It was empty to the South. And the waves were up.

Not all-time up, but better than you’d find under the average rock. And with a fully-functional, Nike/Red Bull-approved contest site up and running, the beach was turned into a high-tech surf playground for all to enjoy. The only thing missing was the hubbub. Flat-screen LG monitors screening the webcast? Check. X-Box 360’s hooked up with the latest titles? Check. Unlimited Red Bull to sip from the comfort of a giant beanbag chair? Yummy. There were massage tables, a shaded lounge, internet access, and enough product to fill a NikeTown. But the hoards of people crowding the beach and lineups? Hmm…nothing. Where the devil…? Oh, right. Tuesday.

So it was that the (strangely lucky) early rounders spent today reaping the spoils of a deep-pocketed and slightly visionary event sponsor out of Oregon – they make shoes or something. With some pretty big – er, footwear to fill following decades of the legendary Surfbout, Nike is putting their chips on the table of American pro surfing in a big way. They hope to make this contest a six-star for 2009 (one of only two in North America – the US Open is the other), and clearly spared no expense in production. The Nike ID computer station was a particularly nice touch (“Pretty simple – you pick a shoe with the colors and materials you want, and in two weeks it’s at your door,” explained marketing captain Zach Boon). And with the whole 6.0 team seeded into the contest, including young bucks like Nat Young and Koa Smith, the Swoosh’s representation at Lowers this week is absolute.

But there’s another story quietly lurking in Round 5: the highly-anticipated match-up of wildcard Carissa Moore with Adriano De Souza and two other lucky WQS soldiers. Carissa’s a tough draw – for a number of reasons – and her presence will add a little extra flavor to an event that already promises to sizzle.

Anyway, today was awesome – sorry if you missed it. But on the bright side, the waves and the surfing will only improve as the week rolls on. Our advice: stake your claim in the VIP area early and settle down for some serious ripping – and, while you’re at it, enjoy a slice of the high life.

DAY 1 RESULTS:

6.0 Lowers Pro – ASP WQS 4-Star
Round 1: 192 surfers remaining (1st and 2nd advance)
Heat 1: Sebastian Zietz 13.67, Johnny Craft 11.17, Tom Rezvan 10.35, David Giddings 9.67
Heat 2: Alek Parker 13.00, Javier Swayne 9.90, Shane Murray 6.33, Kento Takahashi 6.03
Heat 3: Zach Keenan 12.20, Kawika Stillwell 11.70 Jamie Parkhurst 8.10, Toshiyuki Takatsu 2.17
Heat 4: Peter Mussio 12.26, Chris Drummy 11.90, Kyle Kennelly 9.04, Eddie Lester 6.97
Heat 5: Richie Collins 11.50, Daisuke Suzuki 7.30, Riley Metcalf 6.66, Sage Huls 6.06
Heat 6: Solomon Ortiz 13.60, David Gonsalves 11.00, David Post 9.23, Tommy Bursian 8.40
Heat 7: Jason Collins 17.16, Austin Smith Ford 13.60, Justin Swartz 11.00, Matt Meola 8.26
Heat 8: Nobuyuki Osawa 11.50, Gabriel Escudero 8.83, Jordan Gaudet 7.17, Justin Jones 5.94
Heat 9: Brent Reilly 11.50, Omar Etcheverry 10.83, Leif Engstrom 10.83, Andrew Doheny 10.17
Heat 10: Zach Plopper 10.27, Nick Skawinski 8.77, Ian Rotgans 8.63, Scott Hammonds 7.20
Heat 11: Eric Worley 12.00, Rikiya Kitada 11.67, Dennis Rizzo 9.33, Thomas Petriken 5.20
Heat 12: Dillon Perillo 11.17, Colin Schildhauer 7.63, Masahiro Tooda 6.74, Dallas Peterson 3.26
Heat 13: Roger Eales 11.14, Albee Layer 10.53, Cody Thompson 10.27, Rico Jimenez 3.67
Heat 14: Jensen Callaway 11.50, Matt Myers 9.57, Ben Graeff 7.10 Rory Parker 5.33
Heat 15: Brent Dorrington 15.00, Jason Harris 11.50, Andrew Bennett 9.17, Matt Pagan 6.33
Heat 16: Phillip Goold 12.70, Adam Lambert 12.40, Chase Newsome 10.27, Luke Davis 7.90

Round 2: 160 surfers remaining (1st and 2nd advance)
Heat 1: Sebastian Zietz 13.10, Jacob Kirshenbaum 10.47, Javier Swayne 9.90, Golden Depesa 6.67
Heat 2: Johnny Craft 13.60, Alek Parker 13.34, Brandon Guilmette 10.40, Billy Kemper 9.25
Heat 3: Zach Keenan 15.67, Jesse Heilman 13.23, Chris Drummy 11.43, Tony Adams 11.00
Heat 4: Parrish Byrne 14.43, Peter Mussio 10.96, Kawika Stillwell 9.70, Michael Bailey 8.50
Heat 5: Kiron Jabour 11.10, Richie Collins 9.33, Alex Kamkoff 5.24, David Gonsalves 3.67
Heat 6: Kyle Ramey 16.00, Chris Abad 14.27, Solomon Ortiz 11.23, Daisuke Suzuki 8.60
Heat 7: Shane Beschen 14.33, Jason Collins 13.00, Gabriel Escudero 6.70, Casey Landvogt 6.56
Heat 8: Rylan McCart 14.50, Nobuyuki Osawa 13.87, Austin Smith-Ford 10.37
Heat 9: Brent Reilly 15.00, Adam Wickwire 12.10, Nat Young 11.67, Nick Skawinski 6.17

Reader Comments 

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