Mark McCarthy dreams of World Title

posted by Gareth White on 7th September 2007

PROFESSIONAL bodyboarder Mark McCarthy, from Richards Bay has taken the International Bodyboarding Association (IBA) World Tour by storm in his rookie year and is currently in second place going into the final stages of the tour.

McCarthy began his campaign on a high note by finishing in second place at the renowned, Human Shark Island Challenge, held at Cronulla Point in Australia. In a closely fought final he was denied victory by an in form Ben Player, from Australia, who currently leads the IBA tour rankings.

The tour then headed towards Chile for the Arica Challenge where McCarthy was unable to relive the joys of Australia and was knocked out of the event in the fourth round. Player went on to win in Arica and claim back-to-back IBA events, greatly increasing his lead in the overall rankings and giving him a considerable advantage.

Next on the agenda was the Movistar Pro, held at Sopelana in Spain, but once again McCarthy's dreams were shattered with an early exit. "The location was amazing, but there weren't waves and I did not do well and got a 16th place. Fortunately for me most of the top 16 did not perform well, but it still set me back to 6th place so I knew I had to do well at the next event if I wanted to stay in contention for the World title and to stay in the top 5," said McCarthy of his performance in Spain.

The Sintra Pro at Praia Grande in Sintra, Portugal was the fourth stop on the IBA World Tour for 2007 and the perfect place for McCarthy to make a comeback. A storm had struck the seaside town just days before the event and contestants were welcomed by clear skies and three to four foot swells to ply their trade.

"It was my first time in Portugal and Sintra is one of the most beautiful towns I have ever been to. The skies cleared up for the contest days, so the atmosphere was great and there was a good vibe between the riders," commented McCarthy on the location.

He added that the event was the best run contest he had ever been to. It is of little surprise that he holds Sintra in such high regard, being that he rode really well and managed to make it to the final heat. With a flock of South African supporters tuning in to the live web cam, McCarthy paddled out with three Brazilians, Uri Valadoa, Magno Oliveira and Luis Villar.

"The conditions were really bad for the final, it was 1 to 2 feet and very inconsistent. After the first exchange of waves Luis picked up a really good looking ride and rode it really well. He scored highly, which rocketed him up to first place where he stayed for the rest of the heat as the waves slowly faded away," added McCarthy about the final.

McCarthy didn't manage to get the winning ride and finished in fourth place, but in doing so gained valuable points. Once again the majority of the top 16 in the IBA rankings failed to perform and McCarthy climbed four places to rest in second place overall.

This year the tour has been thrown a curve-ball, in that it is as of yet unclear as to whether or not organisers will be able to hold the annual Rockstar Pipeline Pro at Pipeline in Hawaii, due to the contest being barred. As a result of these unfortunate circumstances the IBA tour might come to an abrupt end at Confital, in the Canary Islands in December. If this is the case McCarthy will have to perform well at the two remaining events and pray that Ben Player slips up in order to close the more than 700 point gap between them.

"I know that the title race is on and that the points are really close between second to seventh, anything can happen over the next few contests. Nevertheless, it is a real drive for me being in second and with the possibility of only two more contest left on the tour my chances are good," commented McCarthy on his current position.

McCarthy has returned home for a break from the tour and to compete in the upcoming South African Bodyboarding Association Championships, due to take place at the Wedge in Plettenburg Bay from the 24th to the 29th of September.

"After S.A Champs I hope to go to Venezuela to compete in the Bodyboard Pro Festival at Los Caracas Beach, in mid October. Then I will be off to the Canary Islands in November and then Hawaii for December to the end of February," concluded McCarthy.

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