THE HUMAN BOX CHALLENGE
MARGARET RIVER, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. text by Phil Gallagher
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HERME TAMEGA LAYING OUT THE HEAVY ARTILLERY IN THE EARLY ROUNDS OF THIS YEAR’S HUMAN BOX CHALLENGE WITH A MONSTER BACKFLIP, THAT MANY CALLED MOVE OF THE EVENT. MAIN PIC: MG. • INSET SEQUENCE: GALLAGHER.
BRING 26 OF THE WORLD’S BEST RIDERS TO A WAVE WITH A REPUTATION FOR INTENSE PITS AND PUNCHY END BOWLS, THROW US$20,000 IN FRONT OF THEM, AND YOU’RE GUARANTEED ONE HELLUVA CONTEST. WORLD CHAMP, GUIL-
TYSON WILLIAMS IS NOT AFRAID TO GO. IN EVERY ONE OF THE LAST THREE MACKING CONTESTS HE HAS ENTERED – SHARK ISLAND, TAHITI AND THIS YEAR’S BOX EVENT – HE HAS PUT HIMSELF IN THE HOT SEAT OF SOME OF THE MEANEST WAVES RIDDEN. HE’S COME OUT ON TOP OF THE BEASTS TOO. TY RUNNING DEEP DURING THE SECOND ROUND OF COMPETITION. PHOTO: MG.
hoots and screams echoed from the channel all the way
Today, Margaret River’s hulk of a wave, The Box, was roaring, and so too was World Champ Guilherme Tamega. The Brazilian freak had just launched a mental backflip that stamped
included not some, but all of the world’s best. Everyone from GT
clear to all who witnessed it just how mind-blowing competitive
and Stewart to Hubbard and Rawlins were on deck and frothing. Not
bodyboarding is when run properly. This year’s Human Box Challenge
since the early years of the original GOB World Tour – back in ’95
was not only the first event of the new World Super Tour, it was also the
and ’96 – had so many of the elite congregated to compete. In the
first event of the new millennium to boast a competitor list that
words of Spencer Skipper, it was “good times”.
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SPREAD: A FEW HEATS SAW PRETTY SOLID BOX. AND WHEN THE BIGGER SETS CAME LOCAL STANDOUT SEAN VIRTUE TAPPED INTO HIS LOCAL KNOWLEDGE TO SCOOP INTO ’EM. VIRTUE SETTING HIS LINE FOR BOX’S SQUARE END BOWL. PHOTO: TUNGSTEN/NIKON. INSET SEQUENCE: JASON HAZLE HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY BLAZING IN EVERY ONE OF THE GOB EVENTS HE’S ENTERED OF LATE. THE BOX CHALLENGE WAS NO EXCEPTION. ONE OF TWO DEEP TUBES THE YOUNG VICO WRESTLED ALL THE WAY TO THE CHANNEL. SEQUENCE: TUNGSTEN/NIKON.
back to the car park, located some 500 metres away.
C o m p Fa c t s
with it. Basically all events must have
So instead of competing against just
cash-purse thanks to tour sponsor
The format for professional competi-
a minimum of a two-week waiting peri-
those in their heats, competitors are
Human Shoes!). Simple. This style of
tive bodyboarding has seen so many
od in which two days of competition
battling the entire field. At the close
judging is a favourite with the riders
face lifts of late it’d give Cher a run
must be run. The heat and scoring
of the second round each rider has
due to the fact that they have noth-
for her money. After a lot of deliber-
structures are being run in the popu-
their three best waves from each round
ing to lose in the sense that they don’t
ation and experimentation the GOB
lar style of the Shark Island Challenge.
tallied and a score out of 180 points
have the stress of not qualifying for
board has decided on a simple for-
Every rider is given two chances to
is given. The person with the highest
the next round or heat. In short, they
mula for all Super Tour events. The
impress the judges in four to six-man
score is a rich man (all Super Tour
can go out there and go big for 45
Box event was the first to officially run
heats over two rounds of competition.
events this year boast a fat $20,000
minutes. That’s exactly what they did.
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Overpopulation
and Dre’s pad became the movie
Margaret River is a small and gener-
mecca of Margaret River. At one
ally quiet town, but for about three
point he even considered charging
months of the year the place is
admission fees. By the close of the
swarming with people gearing up to
first week a new batch of fronts had
compete in one of many competitions
developed and patience was begin-
that take place in this special area
ning to be tested. Beer and the
of coastline. Whether it be surfing,
internet became the new saviours.
bodyboarding or longboarding this town takes its fair share of the load.
Lady Luck shows
In a lot of ways it’s similar to Hawaii
Thankfully it wasn’t too long before
in that it is predominantly only good
the computers were turned off and
for three months of the year, and when
the beers returned to the fridge. A
it does get good it gets real good, and
break in the weather with a nice
damn big too. Not all local people
sunny day, offshore winds and per-
are happy to see another comp roll
fect swell showed by day 10 of
into town. It’s not the event that real-
the waiting period and The Box
ly bothers them, rather the fact that
Challenge was called on. It wasn’t
they might miss out on the little
ball-breaking big, but Box doesn’t
things in their town that they have
have to be. A four-to-five-foot chunk
been so accustomed to for so long.
out there will provide you with
Like their park at the check spot or
ample tube to work with and a bowl
waiting a little longer in line at the
big enough to launch Big Kev into
local supermarket for one of the
orbit. It was around this time that it
town’s infamous cheap and heaped-
became clear just how wired the
salad sandwiches. In our case it
organisers had this competition. An
might have been the fact that the
entire fleet of boats filled with judges,
bodyboarders were cleaning up at the
media and competitors banked up
pub and won a hell of a lot of the free
alongside each other in the chan-
beer on offer; or that they were tak-
nel. Even the hooter that signalled
ing home the finest ladies in a town
the start of competition was pretty
were fine women are as common as
flash, much like the big red ones
the chances of finding a gold nugget
your school principal used to chase
in its red, dusty hills.
you back to class.
It wasn’t ball-breaking big, but Box doesn’t have to be. A four-to-five foot-chunk out there will provide you with ample tube to work with … Tested
Hammer time
While Margs might lay claim to one
The mixed field of competitors, both
of the most consistent coastlines in
old-school and new, made things
the world in terms of swell, it isn’t
pretty interesting on the drawcard,
always pretty swell that turns up.
but from the start of the first heat it
First week of the waiting period and
was clear no-one gave a shit who you
the place was being destroyed by
were and what you had done in the
several huge fronts that bore 20-
past. It was about now, and if you
foot seas and 50-knot onshores. It
were going to paddle for a wave
wasn’t long before some of the 26
you better go it because if you pull
competitors (the Top 24 from the
back you’re not only going to lose
the first round’s best tubes. The
site more reassuring than the looks
Super Tour, plus two wildcards)
your position in the lineup, you’ll
proof of just how amped everyone
of disgust and distress that had been
grew restless. For some it was easy
also have enough abuse hurled at
was on this event was in watching
coming from their direction for the
to kill the boredom, just go rent a
you from the channel to scar you for
seasoned competitors like Stewart
past 10 days as huge onshore gusts
video. Or in Andre Botha’s case,
the rest of your heat. Like all of Oz’s
and Tamega go at it as if they were
sent them scampering back to the
rent all the new releases in the town
most famous bodyboarding waves,
back in their early World Title bouts.
shelter and warmth of their trusty
and sit on them for a week. It
The Box is a bitch for a first-timer,
Everyone was hungry.
hire cars upon checking conditions
worked out well for myself, Ben and
just ask Brazil’s Gonzalo Faria and
Toby Player. We were staying right
California’s Jason Bitzer. While a few
Day one done
next-door so a quick in and out
struggled to find rhythm, others like
With the first day out of the way GOB
traded over who stood out for the
meant we would have ourselves a
local boost-boy Sean Virtue and vet-
henchmen Steve Kirkman and Mark
day, but practically everyone had got
new release free of charge, sucker!
eran Box-er Bullet thrived, Bullet
Fordham finally raised their cheeks
at least one good one. Jason Hazle,
It wasn’t long before word got out
clocking up what were easily two of
and pulled a smile. It was a damn
Bullet, Skipp and GT seemed to have
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for each day. Back on land plenty of words were
WITH THE WORLD SUPER TOUR LOOKING BETTER THAN EVER, IT WAS NO SURPRISE TO SEE STEWART GIVING HIS ALL COME COMPETITION TIME. PHOTO: MG.
more votes of confidence that the
only two days remaining in the wait-
rest. All four had clearly got the
ing period the decision to get the
biggest sets of the day. It had been
boats fired up was an easy one. Every-
a big day and an early night beck-
body knew this was their last chance
oned everyone involved, much to the
to impress the judges, and the stan-
THE JUDGING QUARTERS. PHOTO: GALLAGHER.
relief of the local townsfolk.
dard of surfing was reflective of it.
WHAT THE EVENT LOOKED LIKE FROM SHORE. PHOTO: GALLAGHER.
The US$6000 winner’s cheque The big Day
(around $12,000 Aussie at the
Another day passed before Box again
moment) had to have added heat to
woke from her slumber, and when she
the fire too – quite a nice little nest
did she looked even better than she
egg for two days’ work. As each heat
did in round one. It still wasn’t huge,
ended, another would begin, and with
but it was certainly perfect, and with
each several memorable waves would
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FINAL RESULTS FOR THE HUMAN BOX CHALLENGE
1ST BEAU DAY 142.7
3RD JASON HAZLE 138.1
5TH GRAHAME MILLER 136.8
2ND SEAN VIRTUE 139.4
4TH RYAN HARDY 137.2
6TH JOE JORDANOFF 133.7
Massive props must go to Human, Elemenohpee (the official board sponsor of The Box Challenge), the orgainsers and to the township of Margaret River for all their help and support. SPREAD: THE HAPPIEST MAN IN BODYBOARDING AT PRESENT, BEAU DAY RIDING HIS WAY TO
INSET SEQUENCE: COMPETITION FAVOURITE HARDY WASN’T FAR OFF THE PACE WITH IMPRESSIVE SURFING LIKE
HIS FIRST WIN ON THE WORLD SUPER TOUR, AND A FAT CHEQUE. PHOTO: GALLAGHER.
THIS. THE GUY KNOW’S BOX BETTER THAN ANYONE. BOOSTING INTO THE FLATS. SEQUENCE: MG.
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go down. Trying to pick a favourite for the winner’s coin was a lost cause. As the last heat hit the water almost everyone bar the judges had returned to shore to check the action out from the hill, which gives you a clear view of the whole scene. It had become the place where everyone who had already competed hung out and closely watched the other heats to see how their own performances stacked up against the other heats. The end of competition was signalled by the departure of the judges’ boats. No-one had a clue who had won. Unlike every other contest I have ever witnessed where there are a few clear leaders, this event seemed to have none. The local pub made for the preso site, much to the delight of thirsty officials who now knew their job was successfully done. The place was packed with bodyboarders from all around town and even as far as Perth. Even a few of the local townspeople were on deck, probably to take advantage of the free beer that was flowing pre-presentation time. With the top eight brought out on stage things became a little clearer. One by one each man was taken out of the equation until there was just two riders left on stage. Virtue versus Tamarama’s Beau Day. The rest is as follows, if I can remember it rightly: Beau shook his head in disbelief, Virty shook Beau’s hand, and Toby Player ran on stage to hoist Beau on to his shoulders. Long regarded by his peers as one of the most underrated riders in the world, the 24year-old from Tamma had won the biggest contest of his life, the biggest cheque of his life and what a lot of people, including guys like GT, were calling the closest contest they had seen – a total of 16.1 points separating the top eight and a mere 3.3 points between Beau and Virty. Competitive bodyboarding is bigger, better, tighter, faster and stronger. The rest of the night is a loud, drunken, mixed-up bunch of memories. An epic start to the World Super Tour. If the next stop, Shark Island, goes anything like this one you can expect one helluva time.
7TH DAMIAN KING 130.0 8TH ANDRE BOTHA 126.6
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