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February 22, 2008 Watch out top 44: Tahitian wondergrom Tamaroa McComb is coming to the main event. After overcoming an interference call in his semifinal to nudge out Ry Craike, the 16-year-old Tahitian dominated a final held in fickle three-foot conditions. On paper the trials final had everything an event of its nature should feature: The two locals, Dale Richards [last year's trials winner] and Blake Ainsworth were a leash string length away from a dream tour debut, while Troy Brooks was the recently demoted 44 surfer with a point to prove -- and Tamaroa was the fired up grommet with nothing to lose. The balcony of the Snapper Rocks Surf Club was standing room only in a crowd that was peppered with former pros and members of the Gold Coast's own surfing aristocracy. Not surprisingly the biggest cheers were reserved for the two local guys. Every time either Dale or Blake looked like getting a wave the balcony erupted in a shower of spilt beer and hot chips.

But despite the crowd's enthusiasm they were no match for Tamaroa's warrior-like approach to the final. It seemed every one of his turns was a fully committed combination of body torque and good measured hand jive. One searing forehand carve on his highest- scoring 9.0 wave was particularly memorable. Commentator Ronnie Blakey paid Tamaroa the highest compliment by suggesting it was something like the forehand, carving top-turn Kelly is known for. Meanwhile, as the crowd on the balcony went nuts Kelly himself was inside the surf club masterfully negotiating his way through a challenging private press conference. "Obama or Clinton?" one of the more probing journalists asked Kelly. The eight-time champ didn't dodge the question. " I'm leaning towards Obama," suggested Kelly, at ease with a status that requires him to have an opinion on issues beyond the sport that made him. Back in the water Troy Brooks decided that even if he did lose, his performance wouldn't be forgotten. Brooko, known for his beyond-the-lip-artistry, launched into a huge forehand, tail-twisting no-grab air and landed clean. Brooko is also an adopted Coolangatta son and the move brought the house down. He followed it with a regulation snap and the judges threw down 9.5's straight away. It put Brooko in striking distance with minutes remaining but he stumbled on the wave that was his last chance. At the presentation a nearly speechless Tamaroa could only really utter the word stoked several times. But it came out so emphatically it sounded like a battle-cry- warning to every surfer in the 44. "I'm pretty lazy, so I'm working with a trainer full time to get ready and get my rig in shape." --Taj Burrow So what have the pros been doing to warm up, you may ask? Yesterday D-bah trumped the Superbank today as the venue for the all-time, all-star session. The locals were calling it the best in ten years. As far as beaches go D-bah, just around the corner from Snapper, is a thin crescent of sand jammed between a groyne and a clump of rocks, at the base of a cliff. But the compressed setting gives the place an amphitheatre feel. Although it's usually a series of random slabs, this morning it was split up into two main peaks, one off the groyne and one more central. As reports about what was going down at D-Bah trickled over the hill photographers and surfers madly scrambled to get out there before wind and tide could spoil the fun. Mick Fanning, Bobby Martinez, Dane Reynolds, Dean Morrison, Pancho Sullivan, Clay Marzo, Dion Agius, Bruce Irons, both the Hobgoods and Luke Stedman all found plenty of shade behind the thick, green D-Bah lips. By the time journalists and photographers started assembling for the official press opening of the event the final curtain had fallen on the whole D-Bah stage show. As the photogs happily munched on the perfectly curled free burritos, supplied by the ASP at the launch, there was rigorous debate about who had scored the morning's best barrel. Bobby's no-hands, backhand hummer was a definite contender but in the end Fanning got the nod. The current world champ paddled manically for a side-winding corner that morphed into a hissing six-foot, backdoor pit. Even the typically understated Mick didn't hesitate in calling the morning's waves 'amazing' at the press conference. When quizzed about whether or not he was feeling the weight of world champion expectations Mick didn't seem too phased. "I'm pretty relaxed. I'm just happy to be here having a good time." Taj had decided it was time to do whatever it took to make the most of his talent. "I'm pretty lazy, so I'm working with a trainer full time to get ready and get my rig in shape." Dane Reynolds showed up sporting a healthy mo' and a beatnik philosophy on pro-surfing. "I'm not really going to set goals," he said. "I find if I put pressure on myself like that I don't do as well. I do better if I just think about it when it happens." Meanwhile, while all this talking was taking place Snapper was starting to turn on and Kirra was showing signs of its former glory. Several of the pros spent the afternoon doing long laps - Snapper to Kirra. One set which ran through Kirra featured Mick and Jordy on consecutive waves. No tubetime just scathing forehand carves right in front of the big groyne where a crowd had gathered to watch the passing board-traffic. One surfer absent from the afternoon's proceedings was Andy Irons. The night before Andy was washed straight over the rocks at the back of Snapper. He was reportedly unhurt but pretty rattled by the incident. As the last rays of sunlight creased the Superbank, the five-foot lines were still stacked, the wind offshore and there were happy heads bobbing down the line for as far as you could see. When this place turns on nothing else matters. Not even night. Kommunity Project Trials Final Results 1 Tamaroa McComb (PYF) 16.60 2 Troy Brooks (AUS) 15.75 3 Blake Ainsworth (AUS) 10.90 4 Dale Richards (AUS) 10.70 Roxy Pro Trials Final Results 1 Carrissa Moore (HAW) 15.60 2 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.40 3 Arini Mason (NZL) 13.75 4 Laurina McGrath (AUS) 8.65 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Round 1 Match-Ups Heat 1: Bobby Martinez (USA), Royden Bryson (ZAF), Jihad Khodr (BRA) Heat 2: Dean Morrison (AUS), Daniel Wills (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS) Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Bruce Irons (HAW), Roy Powers (HAW) Heat 4: Pancho Sullivan (HAW), Ricky Basnett (ZAF), Heitor Alves (BRA) Heat 5: Andy Irons (HAW), Frederick Patacchia (HAW), Mikael Picon (FRA) Heat 6: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Leonardo Neves (BRA), Daniel Ross (AUS) Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Neco Padaratz (BRA), Nic Muscroft (AUS) Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS), Michael Campbell (AUS),Tamaroa McComb (PYF) Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Julian Wilson (AUS) Heat 10: Kelly Slater (USA), Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA), Michel Bourez (PYF) Heat 11: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Adriano de Souza (BRA), Ben Bourgeois (USA) Heat 12: Kai Otton (AUS), Travis Logie (ZAF), Aritz Aranburu (EUK) Heat 13: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Dayyan Neve (AUS), Tiago Pires (PRT) Heat 14: Taylor Knox (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS), Jay Thompson (AUS) Heat 15: Damien Hobgood (USA), Luke Munro (AUS), Dane Reynolds (USA) Heat 16: Luke Stedman (AUS), Tim Reyes (USA), Jordy Smith (ZAF) Roxy Pro pres. by LG Round 1 Match-Ups Heat 1: Layne Beachley (AUS), Rebecca Woods (AUS), Serena Brooke (AUS) Heat 2: Samantha Cornish (AUS), Melanie Bartels (HAW), Nicola Atherton (AUS) Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Jacqueline Silva (BRA), Carissa Moore (HAW) Heat 4:Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Rosanne Hodge (ZAF), Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) Heat 5: Silvana Lima (BRA), Megan Abubo (HAW), Julia de la Rosa Toro (PER) Heat 6: Amee Donohoe (AUS), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), Karina Petroni (USA) WCT CONTEST ZONE SURFLINE HOME PAGE