DOWN BY T HE RI V ER 2014 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro
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PHOTO: COREY WILSON
Margaret’s
(Pro tip: Don’t go left)
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EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief | TAYLOR PAUL Managing Editor | BEAU FLEMISTER Assistant Editor | ZANDER MORTON Photo Editor | PETER TARAS Associate Photo Editor | JIMMY WILSON Art Director | CHATO AGANZA Associate Art Director | NOA EMBERSON Online Editor | BRENDAN BUCKLEY
ALL PHOTOS Corey Wilson (unless noted)
WORDS BY Brendan Buckley COVER PHOTO: MICHEL BOUREZ
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THE BATTLE CONTINUES s u r f i n g m a g a z i n e . c om | #tigervsbear
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YOU ARE H ERE # 2 D R U G AWA R E M A R GA R ET R I V E R P R O 07
BEFORE WE BEGIN... SO …THE WCT C O M ES TO WESTERN AUSTRA LI A? That’s right. But it’s been a long time coming, as some type of professional surfing event has been held at Margaret River for over 25 years. We’re not sure how “professional” it was 25 years ago, but we’re certain it was profound. As time went on, Margie’s became a stop on the WQS and eventually made it to the women’s WCT in 2013. Then, obviously, the boys chased the girls there in 2014. Hormones said they would.
W H AT IS U P WIT H T HAT S P ONSOR? Quiksilver, Drug Aware, Rip Curl, Billabong, Hurley…wait, Drug Aware? Huh? Drug Aware is a state-funded program in Western Australia that educates young folks about drugs. They encourage kids to become passionate about a hobby — like surfing — to steer them away from trouble. Because why shoot tar when you can shoot the curl?
GOT IT. BUT WHY AR E WE AT MARGARET R IV E R ? We’ll figure it out...
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2014 DRUG AWARE MARGARET RIVER PRO LON G L IV E THE C O MP The event started on the first day of the waiting period and finished on the last. A lot of good stuff happened in between. Let’s explore.
THE WAVES…
THE WINE...
Were meh. Conditions ranged from chest high, crumbly Mar-
Was outstanding. If there’s one thing Western Aus-
garet River to overhead, crumbly Margaret River to heaving
tralia is known for, it’s the vineyards that infinitely
tubes at The Box! We only got to see the clumsy stepchild of a
sprawl beside her coast. There was no shortage of
WCT event — Round 5 — at Western Australia’s favorite slab,
purple teeth because, to put it simply, a WA sunset de-
but better four heats than none. The majority of the business
mands a glass of Cabernet Merlot.
was conducted down by the River.
T H E F EAR. . . THE WA IT…
Was widespread. If there are two things Western Australia
Was utilized. Lay days were put to good use as the best
is known for, they are the vineyards that infinitely sprawl
surfers in the world romped around the region in pursuit
beside her coast and sharks. People saw them in heats. Peo-
of air sections. The hunt was grand, although hectic, as it
ple saw them in freesurfs. People saw them in their night-
often led to puzzled discussions. Should we surf here? How
mares.
do you think it would be there? But more than anything, it was a collectively enthusiastic, We don’t have to surf Margaret River today!
AN D , LAST LY, T H E SU RF I N G . . . Was on rail. We saw a few good airs in the early rounds (thanks John John, Gabriel and Yadin), but when it got time to separate the 9ths from the 5ths, the judges wanted to see power surfing. Isn’t that what Margaret River is all about?
WHAT ABOUT THE WORLD TITLE? We thought you’d never ask. With two out of eleven events
5th place good? Well, Mick Fanning kept a 5th in his world
in the books, 20-year-old Brazilian Gabriel Medina holds
championship tally last year. And while this is Formula 1 —
onto the lead. He backed up his win at the Quiksilver Pro
not a drag race — Gabby still looks the man with the most
Gold Coast with a 5th place result at Margaret River. Is
horsepower. 09
EARLY THE BEGINNINGS OF A LEGACY…
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ROUNDS
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OR AN EARLY TRIP TO BELLS
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The end of one man’s wave (in this case, Parko’s) marks the beginnings of another’s. It also marks a clusterfuck for the judging panel.
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POKE WHO’S FACE?
Is it just us, or did the spade and
club judges really stiff Gabriel Medina on that score?
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Kolohe Andino
put his neck on the line. Unfortunately, it was sent to the chopping block of Round 2 by Gabriel Medina and John John Florence.
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ONLY
WON
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ONE
John John Florence got an 8.5 on this twirl, but Gabriel Medina got his number. A tough start to 2014, as John’s only won one heat this year.
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Miguel Pupo
Gabriel Medina 020
Mick Fanning 021
There were no perfect 10s awarded at Margaret River. But Yadin Nicol got pretty damn close. He also avenged last year’s Pipe loss to Mick Fanning by comboing the champ in Round 3.
imPERFECTION
.
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He has long been the king of surfing. But for a fleeting moment at the Drug Aware Pro, Kelly Slater became the...
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...King of Instagram. 025
PARKINSON’S EASE
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There was a lot of chirping about the judges not leaving enough room for cream and sugar in their scoring of Joel Parkinson. But does this turn look shaky to you?
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Owen Wright
CJ Hobgood and Nathan Hedge
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WHAT TIME IS IT?
Forget the “12 o’clock” reference, it’s time for Owen Wright to get his shit together and advance past Round 3.
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LAY DAYS & *BE CAU S E WAVES D O N ’ T C O ST A DIME
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F R EE SU RFS
*
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Jack in The Box! (Sorry... couldn’t help it.) Jack Robinson
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Black rails, high tails. Kolohe Andino spins a rhyme.
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Bing. Bang. CJ Hobgood, boom.
PHOTOS: CHECKWOOD
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WINE:30 Give it a swirl, now inhale deeply. Really get your nose in there. Owen Wright, a little tipsy.
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Zero gravity? Technically, the earth is still pulling Yadin Nicol back toward its core. Yadin wins the battle, science wins the war.
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Popular culture tells us to be big. It tells us to always stand tall, anchored by our beliefs, and to never slouch. Yet here, Michel Bourez teaches us that a little bit of compromise could go a very long way. 046
GAME OF INCHES
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Josh Kerr and the ollie seen ‘round the world. $10K from GoPro and a fair bit of Internet fame later, it’s still impressive.
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G I RLS
AL L
J U ST WA N NA H AV E F U N… AND W IN.
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Malia Manuel and Carissa Moore 055
SUNSHINE ON A CLOUDY DAY.
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Carissa Moore’s got it. And when it’s cold outside, she’s got a Hurley wetsuit.
Laura Enever
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Sally Fitz
There’s the Laura we know and love
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SF stands for Sally Fitzgibbons and a Semifinal finish. (Also, San Francisco.) Sally’s now 5th in the world.
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Looks like a creamsicle, tastes like a third-place finish. Stephanie Gilmore.
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Finally.
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Actually, wait. Didn’t we see Carissa Moore and Tyler Wright go final-for-final like all of last year?
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Tyler Wright
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It was a hell of a fight, but it was Carissa Moore that would win the Final and...
...subsequently get dropped during her chair-up.
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That’s more like it.
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PHOTO: C. WILSON
PHOTOS: SHERMAN
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4- S E M I S
LATE ROUNDS FASH I O N A B LY S O .
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PHOTO: SHERMAN
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The kind of fins you want to see...
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...the kind of fall you don’t. Miguel Pupo.
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Nothing consensual about this. Yadin Nicol just wouldn’t accept “no” from The Box.
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THE BUSTLE. Look out for turf toe, boys.
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If you put Filipe Toledo in a Box and adorned it with wrapping paper, do you think the Quarterfinals would accept him as a gift? Unfortunately, no. Filipe fell to Parko in Round 5.
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The Box is not a high-performance wave. But let’s not spoil it and tell Josh Kerr. He’s just having so much fun.
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Jordy Smith surfed The Box for the very first time in his Round 5 heat. It took him a wave or two to figure things out. 080
LEARNING SWERVE
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Josh Kerr, 100 meters away from Margaret River and in a different world.
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It was Parko’s birthday and he could have cried if he wanted to — seriously, the man was visibly upset about having to surf his Round 4 heat at Margaret River.
Birthday Boy
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You win some, you loo‌you lost? Gabriel Medina and stepdad Charles collect themselves after Gabe fell to Kerr in the Quarters. His 5th-place finish still leaves him atop the world rankings.
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On his way to the final Josh Kerr poses the question, Why snap or crackle when you can pop?
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PAUSE
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INHALE
PHOTO: CHECKWOOD
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EXHALE
PHOTO: CHECKWOOD
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FIN VS JOSH KERR
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NAL MICHEL BOUREZ
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Josh Kerr was in his second final ever and he didn’t want to get second in his second final ever. But alas, it was...
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...MICHEL’S TURN
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His rail to carve, his trophy to win.
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So close...
2014 Drug Aware Pro runner up, Josh Kerr. 0102
...now here’s a cigar.
And winner, Michel Bourez. 0103
WCT R A NKI N GS AFTER THE END OF THE 2014 DRUG AWARE MARGARET RIVER PRO
M EN ’ S 01. 02 . 03. 04 . 05 . 06 . 07. 07. 09 . 10 . 11. 11. 13. 14 . 14 . 14 . 17. 17.
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WOME N’ S
Gab r i e l M e d i n a Jo el Pa r k i n s on Jos h Ke r r M ic h e l B ou rez Ke lly S l ate r Ad ria n o D e S ou za N at You n g M igu e l Pu p o Taj B u r row Be de D u r b i d g e M ic k Fa n n i n g C . J . H ob g ood Jo rd y S mi t h Filipe Tol e d o Fre dd y Pata c ch i a J r. M itc h Crews Ju lia n Wi l s on Owe n Wr i g h t
1 7. 1 7. 1 7. 1 7. 2 3. 2 3. 2 3. 2 3. 2 3. 2 3. 2 3. 30. 30. 30. 30. 30. 35.
Adrian B uchan Adam Melling Kolohe A ndino J adson A ndre Kai O tton J ohn J ohn Florence Sebastian Z ietz J eremy Flores Travis Logie D ion Atk inson Tiago Pires Matt Wilk inson A lejo Muniz A rtiz A ranburu R aoni Monteiro B rett S impson Mitch C oleborn
01. 01. 03. 03. 05. 06. 06. 08. 09. 10. 10. 12. 12. 12. 12. 16. 16.
Ca r issa Mo o re Ste p h a n ie Gilmo re Tyle r Wr ig h t Bia n c a Bu ite n d a g Sa lly Fitzg ib b o n s Co u rt n ey Co n lo g u e Ma lia Ma n u e l La key P ete rs o n La u ra En eve r Dimity Stoyle P a ig e Ha re b Co c o Ho P a u lin e Ad o Alessa Qu izo n Jo h a n a n e Defay Ala n a Bla n c h a rd Nikki Va n Dijk
BIGGEST JUMPS
BIGGEST SLUMPS
B e de D u r b i d g e : Jody S m i th : Mic h el B o u rez : F ilip e To l ed o :
Jeremy Flores: Travis Logie: Di on Atkinson: Ti ago Pires:
14 places 11 places 9 places 10 places
10 10 10 10
p la c es p la c es p la c es p la c es
U P N EXT
YO U A R E HER E
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NEXT STOP R I P C U R L P R O B E L LS
D RU G AWA R E P R O MA R GA R ET R I V E R
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thanks for
BOX