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OPENING NIGHT
ASP Awards Banquet honors world's best and officially crowns world champs
Photos: Sean Rowland
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February 26, 2010
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It was a night of heartfelt speeches and mutual admiration,
as the ASP officially crowned its 2009 world champions on the Gold Coast last night. 2009 might have been a year of threatened rebel tours, tense ASP meetings and feverish world title races, but there was plenty of love in the room at the Broadbeach Convention Centre. |
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"Steph, I've seen you grow from a young beautiful girl to a strong amazing woman. I'm just really glad I got to know you," Mick said. Of Kelly Slater, the two-time world champ observed, "You're the pinnacle of our sport. You're the Everest and what you've done for us coming through, it's been amazing." Mick also made special mention of men's runner-up Joel Parkinson. "It really means a lot to me Joel, just to call you my friend." And his mum Liz. "She's never been afraid to be out there, but she's really in here," Mick said, putting his hand on his heart. Steph attributed her success in 2009 to focusing on things other than surfing contests. "One of the best things about last year was the traveling. You never know who you're going to meet and what you're going to learn from them," said Steph, showing remarkable maturity for her 22 years. "It was more about paying attention to the really little things along the way. All the little things that were usually irrelevant were really significant. Last year was just full of observing." But Steph wasn't above owning up to some mercenary motivations, in calling for more prize money for the women. "Prize money was never a drawcard until I watched Serena Williams walk away from the Australian Open with a cool $2.2 million. It scratched an itch that I didn't know was there." Men's runner-up Joel Parkinson welcomed his good mate Andy Irons back on tour and predicted big things for the returning, three-time world champ. "It's good to have Andy back on tour. Just throw some fuel on that fire and it will blow up," Joel predicted. Amidst the lovefest, it was left to a couple of predictable sources to inject some levity into proceedings. Dane Reynolds received one of the biggest ovations of the night in accepting the Most Improved award. "So you're saying I sucked before?" Dane quipped. "I hope to improve some more this year, I guess." And Mark Occhilupo made special mention of world tour rookie Owen Wright. "It's good to have someone on tour who's from a different planet." "So you're saying I sucked before?" I hope to improve some more this year, I guess."
--Dane Reynolds, Most Improved
Women's world junior champ Laura Enever gave special thanks to the notoriously brutal North Narrabeen locals for sparing her the worst of their traditional grommet abuse. "Thanks for not putting me in the dog cage like the rest of the groms," she said. And men's world junior champ Maxime Huscenot, from Reunion Island, revealed that he had first learnt to surf during a family holiday to Australia seven years, in a surf lesson with coach Dave Davidson. Someone might have to have a quiet word with Davo about grooming such talented young surfers who then go and knock off our Austrailia's best juniors. Men's WQS champion Dan Ross received a hearty ovation, and the soundtrack tune as he walked on stage summed up his 2009 campaign perfectly. "You know I haven't got a pocketful of cash, but I got a tank full of gas," the hip-hop number blared. Rather less appropriately, women's WQS champ and rookie of the year Coco Ho took the stage to the strains of a charming little ditty by Lilly Allen discussing carnal pleasures. Men's rookie Kekoa Bacalso thanked Jupiters Casino for taking all his money earlier in the night, and Mick predicted Kekoa would soon be the new Occ of the tour. "Everything that comes out of his mouth, you just have to laugh." And in absence, seven-time women's world champ Layne Beachley was given ASP life membership for her contribution to women's surfing. Oddly, amidst all the backslapping and appreciation, that was one of the few references any of our current champions made to their mighty forebears all night. 1989 world champion Martin Potter did a commendable job as MC but if you didn't know your surfing history, there was no indication that this was one of the greatest surfers of the pro era directing proceedings. There was no mention of Pottz's pioneering role in the development of aerial surfing or his mind-blowing freesurfing that helped expand the possibilities for the current generation. There was no reference to other great champions of the past in the audience -- Barton Lynch, Damien Hardman and Cheyne Horan -- no tribute to the foundation work of the pro tour's forefathers: Mark Richards, Rabbit Bartholomew, Shaun Tomson. For 1988 world champion Barton Lynch, it was his first ASP Banquet in 12 years and he was feeling like a bit of a stranger in his own sport. "It's a bit daunting," he admitted. With Rabbit now departed as ASP President, there is no longer any link to pro surfing's roots within ASP. For an organization that spent much of the night trumpeting its grand plans for the future, it seemed a shame they couldn't manage even a quick glance in the rear-view mirror to acknowledge where they've come from. +++ QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS: Heat 1: Dane Reynolds (USA), Roy Powers (HAW), Brett Simpson (USA) Heat 2: Damien Hobgood (USA), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS) Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA), Tiago Pires (PRT), Tanner Gudauskas (USA) Heat 4: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Travis Logie (ZAF) Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS), Marco Polo (BRA) Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Michel Bourez (PYF), Blake Thornton (AUS) Heat 7: Taj Burrow (AUS), Chris Davidson (AUS), Neco Padaratz (BRA) Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS), Kai Otton (AUS), Garrett Parkes (AUS) Heat 9: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), Blake Ainsworth (AUS) Heat 10: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Mick Campbell (AUS), Craig Anderson (AUS) Heat 11: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Drew Courtney (AUS), Dusty Payne (HAW) Heat 12: Taylor Knox (USA), Luke Stedman (AUS), Nathan Yeomans (USA) Heat 13: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Andy Irons (HAW), Jay Thompson (AUS) Heat 14: Kieren Perrow (AUS), Daniel Ross (AUS), Luke Munro (AUS) Heat 15: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), Owen Wright (AUS) Heat 16: Dean Morrison (AUS), Jadson Andre (BRA), Adam Melling (AUS) ROXY PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS: Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Paige Hareb (NZL), Carissa Moore (HAW) Heat 2: Coco Ho (HAW), Rebecca Woods (AUS), Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Bruna Schmitz (BRA), Tyler Wright (AUS) Heat 4: Silvana Lima (BRA), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), Nikita Robb (ZAF) Heat 5: Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Rosanne Hodge (ZAF), Lee Ann Curren (FRA) Heat 6: Melanie Bartels (HAW), Chelsea Hedges (AUS), Amee Donohoe (AUS) MORE SURF NEWS SURFLINE HOME PAGE |