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The ASP Grade-4 Nike 6.0 Pier Pressure Pro Junior presented by Jack's Surfboards, held June
28th-29th on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier in Huntington Beach,
CA, got off to a sunny start on Sunday, before Southern California’s infamous
“June Gloom” made an appearance on Monday for the finals. But the grey marine
layer was fitting, as onshore waist-high lines warbled over the outside HB Pier
sandbar, before reforming on the coveted inside for quick, last-ditch closeout
hits.
After placing 2nd in the prestigious NSSA Nationals Open
Men’s division on Saturday, Jacksonville Beach, FL, 17-year-old Evan Thompson rode
his wave of newfound confidence to make the biggest Right Coast splash at the
Pier Pressure. Evan T. kept pace with Californian stars like Cory Arrambide and
Dillon Perillo throughout the event, before winning his low-scoring semifinal
via a 6.0 and a 3.75, earned for an explosive backside attack. But in the
final, Evan struggled through what looked like a dribbly East Coast winter day,
struggling to find his rhythm as Hawaiian standout and fellow Billabong
teamrider Keanu Asing dominated the heat.
“These conditions remind me of home,” Thompson told the ASP.
“It’s small and mushy, and it’s really a dogfight for waves out there.” Wearing
his trademark light grey wetsuit, Thompson engaged in plenty of paddle battles
with the other finalists, which also included Perillo and Chase Wilson, but Evan
could only muster up a combined 10.20 score. “There weren’t many waves, and
everyone was scratching for them when they came,” he said. “I guess I’m pretty
used to it, the small waves and the bumpiness, but it’s hard for everyone. No
matter how good you are it’s really hard.”
Yet Evan T. was more than happy to walk away from the
mainland U.S.A.’s only Grade-4 Pro Junior event of the year, pocketing a
whopping $1800 and a valuable 1825 points, which propelled him to 10th in the ASP’s North America Pro
Junior Series ratings. “I’m super stoked to have made the final in a Grade-4,”
Thompson said. “It’s hands down the biggest event of the whole year, and to
make this final you’re guaranteed to walk away with so many points. To make the
final in this event is really hard; there are so many good guys, I never
thought I would have made it.”
The next highest East Coast performer at the Nike 6.0 Pier
Pressure was Virginia Beach, VA’s, Philip Goold, who was edged out of a tight
semifinal in the heat’s dying seconds by eventual winner Asing. Fellow Vah
Beacher Michael Dunphy, Emerald Isle, NC, tube hunter Hunter Heverly, Evan’s
older brother Cody Thompson, and New Smyrna Beach, FL, golden child Evan
Geiselman were all put out in the quarterfinals.
For photos, videos,
and full results, visit www.nike6pierpressure.com. For updated ASP North
America Pro Junior Series ratings, visit www.aspnorthamerica.org.
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