Ledges Pro Day 1 Report

posted by Keith Sasaki on 29th December 2006

December 27, 2006
Kahalui, Maui, USA

Sunny skies, variable winds and a clean three to four foot swell greeted competitors and spectators on hand for day one action of the Water Channel Ledges Pro, at Kahalui Harbor, on the picturesque island of Maui.

Competition for the day featured Amatuer action being held in the Kahalui Harbor as conditions at the events primary location, Ledges, were less than favorable with rising tides.

Some good early round performances from Zach Zane, Greyson Waller and Travis Calvon. The wave in the Harbor comes out of deep water, doubles up and creates a perfect peak with a long open faced left and a one maneuver right hand bowl which contestants used more than once as their personal launching pad.

Finding himself in the finals after a commanding performance was local favorite Kingsley Ruiwa who ended the day with highest score combination totaling 15.67 out of a possible 20 points. Also making the final was Enoka Huesing who easily cruised through, Reese Yonehiro and James Gilleran moved through as well.

Setting the pace was Enoka Huesing with a big forward into a clean roll. Reese Yonehiro followed suit and busted a clean blackflip and before the international panel of judges could enter their scores, James Gilleran busted one of the cleanest ARS's of the day, scoring an average of 7 points. Kinglsey Ruiwa found his version of an ARS and cleanly landed in the pit. Gilleran elected to let everyone else jock for position and elected to find a smaller but super clean second scoring wave and basically seal victory with six minutes remaining. Heusing continued his radical, yet easy going style and had to be content with a second place showing. Closing the heat was Ruiwa and Yonehiro who also had flashes of brilliance but couldn't find two strong waves to make the difference.

A rise in swell is predicted for tomorrow (Thursday 28 December) which will tentatively see Drop-knee and Women's action as well as the Open Men's Pro Division.

The Water Channel Ledges Pro is the fifth and final stop of the USBA Championship Tour and also awards crucial points towards the IBA Tour which will end its season at Pipeline, following the Water Channel Ledges Pro.

This event is made possible thanks to sponsors The Water Channel, Body Glove Bodyboards, The Foam Company, Insane Cycle Imports and Rockstar Games.

For further information, please contact [email protected] for further details!

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