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ISA WORLD SURFING GAMES: MIDWEEK UPDATE
Hobgood, McComb, Aussies keep everyone honest in pumping Portuguese surf
By:
Mike Cianciulli
Photos: All photos: A.J. Neste/Surfing America
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October 14, 2008
9234 visits
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The level of surfing throughout 29 countries falls along a sliding scale.
But that doesn't mean every nation's best aren't ultra-competitive. The beauty of the International Surfing Association (ISA) is that groms surf against icons, hidden talent is revealed and national pride is paramount.
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Bourgeois was the form surfer of the opening rounds but failed to match McComb's tail drifts and multiple rail gouges in the pumping Costa da Caparica, Portugal surf. "Ben's surfing was just really exciting to watch," an anonymous judge told me after Bourgeois posted a 9.5 in each of his first two heats. Bourgeois was joined at the ISA Games by fellow WCTers C.J. Hobgood, Kai Otton and Dayyan Neve. The Americans and the Aussies were having bouts of national pride surface ever since the Billabong Mundaka Pro. And with Hobgood taking that win, the USA came in with serious momentum. "We stayed in Hossegor a few extra days because it was pumping," Hobgood said. "Kai and Dayyan left for the ISA Opening Ceremonies while we got barreled so we've been talking smack on Skype." Hobgood has been the top surfer of the event thus far, with Neve actually bowing into the repercharge rounds after losing his second heat. In the ISA double elimination format, a surfer can still make the finals via the loser's bracket but ends up surfing twice as many heats with no room for error. "Tamaroa McComb could really blow up because he's got a chance to surf against a WCT guy (Ben Bourgeois)."
-- USA Coach Joey Buran before Tahiti's McComb posted two nine-point rides
"I'll probably get to lose a bit of weight now because I'll be surfing so many heats," Neve joked after falling to Mexico's Diego Cadena and France's Simon Marchand in round two. But an upset like this is what makes the ISA unique and gives developing surf nations a glimmer of hope. Cadena and Marchand aren't close to being on the ASP World Tour but now can go home feeling like giant killers. The World Games also feature Womens, Bodyboard and Longboard divisions - all which add into team totals towards International Olympic Committee-recognized medals. Womens WQS Champion Sally Fitzgibbons (who wrapped that title up just past the season's half way point) led the Aussie charge for the females with ease, while most Longboarders and Bodyboarders view this as a chance to gain worldwide exposure. "We only have two events on the ASP World Longboard Tour," commented USA's Taylor Jensen, who won the 2008 U.S. Open. "All the best guys are here, so the level of surfing is really high." And with five days still remaining, the medal podium is only a mirage at this point. After all, this event boasts over 250 surfers from 29 countries competing over eight days through 300 total heats. It's a marathon, not a sprint. MORE SURF NEWS SURFLINE HOME PAGE |