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SWIM, SURF, RUN
Nathaniel Curran bests Floridians at the O'Neill Sebastian Inlet Pro in conditions that called for triathlete-level fitness and huge airs
By:
Terry Gibson
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January 18, 2009
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Through cold, blustery northeast conditions, only the fit survived to the final day,
when conditions changed overnight from overhead slop with a horrendous south current, to clean, playful surf in the 2- to 4-foot range for the fifth annual O'Neill Sebastian Inlet Pro, a four-star WQS event.
"With all of the paddling and running, you have to be in good shape out there, said Jacksonville, Florida's Asher Nolan, who made it to Round 5, adding that, "When I did catch a wave I had fun." |
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Previous
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(That's a typically humble way for Asher to say he paddled hard to stay in place 'til those quick little lefts off third peak came through, whereupon he tore them apart.) Last year's winner, Pat Gudauskas, did not return to defend his title, and the Hobgoods were taking a rest, so there wasn't much unseating to be done. The playing field leveled somewhat, the usual Right Coast suspects, veterans including Aaron Cormican and Nolan, as those who have graced the halls of the WCT like Cory Lopez, Gabe Kling and Ben Bourgeois, came with qualifying points and big checks on their mind. So did Californians Brett Simpson and Nathaniel Curran. Of course, winning at Sebastian is a point of honor for the locals, and a major coup for anyone who hails from outside Brevard County. But the old East Coast/West Coast paradigm has shifted. Through the final, a vibe of well-wishing for underdogs like Cormican and Pro Junior aspirants like Alejandro Moreda and Sebastian Inlet Uber-grom, Blake Jones, prevailed over provincialism. Puerto Rico's Moreda, a 21-year-old far more accustomed to long, clean reef breaks than dumpy beach break, used his rail to make it to the semi-final only to be felled by WCT titans, Lopez, Curran and Bourgeois. To get that far through such a stacked event, young surfers must perform with the paradoxical but optimal mix of disciplined abandon. Using a combination of power surfing and aerial theatrics, Moreda did that just that, until he was confronted by those who've made the Top 44. But his admirable performance was overshadowed in many ways by the even younger Blake Jones. In terms of pure significance, if an event can belong to a surfer besides the winner in terms of individual significance, the glory belonged to the 20-year-old Sebastian local. Jones may not have had to deal with Top 44 experience in the semi, facing Jesse Merle Jones, Brett Simpson and Aaron Cormican, but he spanked all comers up to that point and those three surfers aren't exactly candidates for the half-turn, pat-the-face club. They were three of the most powerful and acrobatic surfers in the event, with heaps of pro contest experience, motivation and determination. In the second semi, Jones finished a strong second behind Cormican, answering "Gorkin's" slashing turns and aerial antics with something as big or bigger. Blake did not pull one punch: no check turns or baby-pat three-to-the-beach bullshit, in any of the final rounds. His landing percentage on big air reverses was upwards of 50/50. The difficulty factor in everything he attempted, and largely pulled, was at the top of the scale. "You've just witnessed one of the finest displays of high-performance, small-wave surfing in competitive history."
-- PT
Twenty minutes into the final, no one on the beach thought that any action could distract from the Jones' performance. Curran was dominating and Cory couldn't get any waves. But leave it to Gorkin to shadow the best performance by a grom in a major event since anyone can remember. Curran, who for as nice and unassuming guy as he is, couldn't buy a fan (besides his lovely girlfriend) at this Florida event. He paddled well north of the others. In solitude, he eviscerated a right, and two of the best lefts of the event. He threw colossal airs to punctuate turns that via the webcast, drew gasps from across the continent. He surfed flawlessly, and showed why he deserves a Top 44 birth by combo-ing the other finalists until the final ten minutes. Then Jones, Cory and Gorkin started catching good waves. Jones stuck an air-reverse that started four feet over the lip. Needing a 9-something and a 6-something, Gorkin attempted a flip, and nearly pulled it. Then the lad from New Smyrna pulled an air reverse followed by the most vicious series of turns you can imagine, stepping off on the sand. With seconds left, and Curran all over him, Aaron caught a left that allowed for a major snap and several wrap backs that he thought was enough. The judges decided it was a couple of tenths shy of the mark, and Cormican graciously settled for second. Announcing the results, PT framed the final succinctly for the crowd, which seemed too stunned by what they'd just witnessed to be abuzz. "You've just witnessed one of the finest displays of high-performance, small-wave surfing in competitive history." MORE SURF NEWS SURFLINE HOME PAGE |