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As the oldest brother of Jacksonville Beach, FL, surfing
family known as “The Thompson Tribe,” Cody Thompson shoulders a lot of weight.
He’s got two younger brothers who look up to him, a vibrant surf community
cheering on his every move, and worldwide attention afforded by his clothing sponsor,
Billabong. But for all his Taj Burrow-like freesurfing accomplishments (Cody
copped ESM’s coveted “Dirtiest
Maneuver” award in our January issue’s 7th Annual ESeMMIES), Thompson has struggled the past three years on the
grueling ASP North America Pro Junior Series competitive circuit.
All that changed on June 7th at the Grade-3 Arnette All Day
Antics Pro Junior, which went down in very Right Coast-like conditions at 56th
Street in Newport Beach, CA. Thompson made his first ASP Pro Junior final in
three years, relying on fluid backhand surfing and explosive closeout smashes
to keep pace with fellow finalists Nat Young, Cory Arrambide, and Keanu Asing.
Thompson dominated the early part of his windy and tide-affected semifinal,
lodging a 5.0 and 7.25 to jump out to an early lead, but Young capitalized on
his forehand advantage to eventually win the exchange. Cody ensured his spot in
the final by displaying solid heat strategy, preventing 3rd-place finisher
Andrew Doheny from catching a scoring wave up until the horn blew.
In the final, Young unfortunately couldn’t be stopped, as
rip currents running along the 56th Street jetty turned the contest zone into a wonky,
Florida-like soup of whitewater, closeout sections, and crumbly shoulders.
Thompson fought valiantly to catch one of the inconsistent set waves, but
ultimately ended up placing 4th in the final with a total score of 8.5. Yet the
strong showing — 1340 points and a cool $1000 — gave Thompson a
much-needed boost in confidence as the 19-year-old takes one last crack at
qualifying for the ASP World Junior Championships. “This is the first Pro
Junior final I’ve made since I was 16,” Thompson told the ASP. “I’ve been in a
slump so I’m stoked to have made it here. I’ve had a really bad year. This is
the first event that I’ve made it out of my seeded round, so to make it to the final
in this one, a Grade-3, is really important to me.”
Another high-placing East Coaster was Emerald Isle, NC,
charger Fisher Heverly, who fell in Thompson’s semifinal. Meanwhile, New York
rising star Balaram Stack and Gulf Coast grom Tayler Brothers did advance
through two rounds each, while New Smyrna Beach, FL, whiz kid Evan Geiselman
lost in the quarterfinals.
For photos, video, and full results, visit www.arnetteprojunior.com.
For updated ASP North America Pro Junior Series ratings,
visit www.aspnorthamerica.org.
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