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The 2008 ASP WQS season is off and running with the completion of the O’Neill SI Pro at Sebastian Inlet, Florida, where Patrick Gudauskas is the No. 1 on the ratings after a brilliant win over a handful of high profile ASP World Tour surfers the likes of C.J. and Damien Hobgood, the Lopez brothers, Gabe Kling and Ben Bourgeois.
Pat’s win after younger brother Tanner’s 3rd place finish in the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships has surely been a dream start for the Gudauskas trio of surfers. Pat’s 2,000 points is a great start to the year and who knows, he may soon be seeded up there with Tanner in the later rounds of the ASP WQS events, courtesy of Tanner’s ASP WJC result.
True ASP WQS tour surfers need to be sure they start off the year and keep on a roll through to the midyear July 11th mark, where the current ratings take over from the 2007 final ratings to decide who gets into what ASP WQS events and which round they are seeded into. A Top 50 spot can mean the difference of a couple of rounds of competition and possible losses in them.
Others to get keeper points were Mike Losness, Nathaniel Curran and Sterling Spencer, which with 1500 or more points will go a long way to their respective 2008 qualifying campaign.
We have also had three major junior events and the Women’s 2008 ASP WQS tour gets underway on the 21st with the Roxy Pro ASP WQS 6-Star at Phillip Island in Australia.
At the Kustom Jetty Junior Pro held at Bells Beach, Australia, Stuart Kennedy and Lee Ann Curren, daughter of the famous Tom Curren, were the winners. Also, at the Ozmosis Nova Junior Pro held at Gunamatta (again in Australia), Craig Anderson and Sally Fitzgibbons, the current ASP World Junior Champ, were victorious.
Meanwhile, across the Pacific Ocean at Sunset Beach, Hawaii the No Fear/Kostal Kaos Pro Junior scored perfect 6-8 feet surf with Kiron Jabour taking out the title.
This coming week at the women’s only Roxy Surf Festival will not only be the ASP WQS 6-Star, but a Grade-2 Pro Junior and 3-Star Longboard event with the top 2 receiving an all-important invite into the Roxy ASP World Longboard Champs at Biarritz in July.
While the girls are on at Phillip Island, the boys are at another event at the famous Burleigh Heads, the Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior. There has been tons of swell on the Gold Coast lately so let’s hope it hangs around for this event.
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