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Flotsam. Jetsam… Get some!
At least that’s what Tony Silvagni thought when he
looked out at the mess skirting Ocean Beach Pier in California. Wild and wooly 10-
to 12-foot conditions at the ASP’s Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) 2-Star
Ocean Beach PLA Pro prompted organizers to consider halting the event before
the Kure Beach, NC, regularfoot and other competitors spoke up, saying they
were game. Meanwhile, the four women’s finalists of the conjoining Ocean Beach
PLA Pro Presented By Gidget opted not to charge the gnar, instead evenly dividing
the ratings points and prizemoney. But the 23-year-old Silvagni utilized his
amplified froth level to out-surf his male opponents (including three-time ASP
World Longboard Champion Colin McPhillips) and take home his maiden
ASP-sanctioned 1st-place check.
The Ocean Beach PLA Pro represents the first of six
events on the 2010 ASP North America LQS calendar, and Silvagni’s gritty,
rail-to-rail carves and timeless noseriding proved to be the difference, along
with his superior endurance. “I’ve made so many finals and it feels amazing to
finally win an ASP LQS event,” Silvagni told ASP press correspondents. “It’s
always been my goal to start the year out on top and it’s great to finally
accomplish that.”
Silvagni is enjoying his sophomore year on the ASP
World Longboard Tour (WLT) and his senior year at the University of North Carolina
Wilmington (UNCW). His ultimate dream is an ASP World Longboard
Championship, but after tasting his first big victory in San Diego, he still
has a few short-term goals to knock out first. We bugged Tony on his way to the
San Diego International Airport to find out what those goals are:
ESM: Congrats on the win. Is now a good time to talk?
Tony Silvagni: Oh yeah, I have a flight in a half-hour. I got a
big-ass drink in one hand, my phone in the other, a plate of chicken enchiladas
in my lap, and a coffee next to me. I’m ready.
ESM: We can’t assume everyone’s seen the press releases,
so describe the mood of the event.
TS: The results were based on whoever had the most
energy throughout the day. The girls opted not to surf, and a couple of the
guys wanted to cancel the Men’s event, as well. I wanted to keep surfing. It
was a really hectic morning. The surf was huge, breaking all the way out to the
end of the pier, and there was a super high tide. The water actually washed up
over the wall and past the scaffolding at OB Pier, knocked this guy off his
bike, and pushed him all the way into the road. He came up making this funny
barrel pose after getting slammed and dragged all over the concrete. It was
hilarious.
ESM: How important is this victory in the scheme of your
budding career?
TS: This is huge for me. It’s the first LQS win of my
life, and all those guys surf so well. But they couldn’t stop my headstand.
That’s what got me the win.
ESM: Headstand? Seriously?
TS: Nah [laughs]… Don’t write that, I’m just kidding. I didn’t do a friggin’ headstand. Just
trying to be funny.
ESM: Leave that to us, okay? Continue please…
TS: I felt like I surfed really well all weekend. I won
all my heats and posted the second-highest heat total of the day in my
semifinal. Then in the final, I caught a few big ones but didn’t connect all
the way to the beach before falling. But I got my last wave with 45 seconds
left, ended up cross-stepping into a hang-five on the steepest part of wave,
freefell all the way down and landed it, and did another turn for a 7.9 and the
win.
ESM: Was it sweeter to win under such challenging
circumstances?
TS: The waves were hectic, but I just stayed positive. I
didn’t even mind the conditions. I had only been surfing two times in the past
month — once in Puerto Rico and one time at home. The weather’s been so
crazy in North Carolina, like six inches of snow for the first time in ten
years. Plus I’ve been really busy with school at UNCW. I basically had to get
here Friday, then practice enough to get my rhythm going before surfing my heats
on Sunday, because I was seeded into the Round of 32, then catch a Monday
morning flight.
ESM: What was the key to victory?
TS: Not breaking your surfboard. Seven boards were
broken by the time we reached the final. If that happened and you were outside
it would take you at least 12 to 15 minutes to catch one in and get a backup,
and that’s only if you had half a board to paddle in on. Some guys had to swim
in to shore and couldn’t catch up. I just took the rip next to the pier every
time. I’m pretty fit as far as running and swimming a lot. But once you got
away from that pier, you got sucked way down the beach no matter how strong you
could paddle.
ESM: How did you celebrate?
TS: I went out for sushi with Kai Sallas, Noah
Shimabukuro, Brendan White, and Madison Olson. Kept it pretty mellow. Like I
said, I had to fly back home for school the next day.
ESM: So what now, Champ?
TS: I’m going to do all the LQS events for the rest of
the year, as well as the two LWT events. I’m going down to Florida for the
Daytona Beach Longboard Classic, then Costa Rica for another ‘QS contest. I’m
also moving to Hawaii in August to get set up there with my girlfriend. But
first I’ll be getting home at 12:00 a.m. tonight to wake up early tomorrow and
take exams. I need to get that degree before I do anything else.
For updated ASP-LQS
ratings, visit www.ASPNorthAmerica.org or www.ASPWorldTour.com
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