Wild Wild Wave El Fronton Invitational Current Conditions:
Date: December 11, 2010
Contest Start: No
Swell: Northwest 4 to 5 feet
Winds: Light offshores
Texture: Glassy
Weather: Clear Skies
"Everyone's going to want to win the first event. It's going to be a spectacular experience." - Damien King (AUS) describes the nature of the competition.
On this bright sunny morning on the northern coast of Gran Canaria, names of the competitors were drawn from three separate swimfins. One fin held the names of seven former world champions plus current world champ, Amaury Laverne (REU). In another, four talented international riders’ names rest inside the foot pocket. And in the third swimfin, the names of the four of the invited locals who will represent the Canary Islands sit and wait to be drawn.
Every four names called set the stage for essentially a super quarterfinal heat. Each of the 4-quarter final heats will see two world champs, one international rider and one local representative competitor. One by one, names were plucked out the fins and called out by your event host and commentator, Manny Vargas. The names cut through the crisp morning air and echoed off the stone walls…
Heat 1
Red: Damien King (AUS)
White: Uri Valado (BRZ)
Yellow: Pierre Louse Costes (FRN)
Blue: Alejandro Reyes (CNR)
Heat 2
Red: Jeff Hubbard (HAW)
White: Mike Stewart (HAW)
Yellow: Jared Houston (SAF)
Blue: Diego Cabrera (CNR)
Heat 3
Red: Guilherme Tamega (BRZ)
White: Amaury Laverhne (REU)
Yellow: Ryan Hardy (AUS)
Blue: Genesis Reyes (CNR)
Heat 4
Red: Ben Player (AUS)
White: Andre Botha (SAF)
Yellow: Dave Winchester (AUS)
Blue: Yeray Martinez (CNR)
According to Margaret River legend< Ryan Hardy (AUS), "This is one of the most anticipated events of all time. It's similar to the Tahiti Skins event in 2000. It's going to be a spectacle."
With a heat draw filled with this caliber of riders, we will definitely agree with Hardy.
Now that the stage is set, it's only matter of time before one of the greatest bodyboarding events goes down. Competitors continue to stay focused and stay fit and contest organizers are watching the swell maps and wind charts to ensure the optimum conditions for the greatest one-day event of the year…
Check out the Red Bull for daily updates...stay tuned, you DON'T want to miss this one!
