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Blake Jones, Eric Geiselman, Dylan Graves, and Brian
Toth were probably all kicking themselves last weekend. While the
twenty-something East Coast quartet chased valuable WQS points at the 6-star
Sooruz Lacanau Pro in Lacanau, France, their respective homebreaks —
Sebastian Inlet, FL; New Smyrna Beach, FL; and Isabela, PR — all lit up
thanks to nearly ideal wave and wind conditions from Hurricane Bill. Of course,
France’s sandbars can pack a solid punch, too, and the Sooruz Lacanau Pro
actually enjoyed some of the best four to six-foot barrels the comp’s seen in
recent years.
As a high profile 6-star, all of the aforementioned
East Coasters except Toth had to surf through the opening Round of 144. Graves
and Geiselman won their concurrent heats, lodging eerily similar 11.20 and
11.27 scores, respectively. Jones, who just started his late-season WQS push in
France, advanced through the first round behind Germany’s Nicolai Von Rupp on
the strength of a 10.76. In the Round of 96, Graves and Geiselman again won
their back-to-back heats, this time with a strong 14.10 and 13.07,
respectively. Jones squeaked by with an 11.84 behind Australia’s Blake
Thornton, before Toth finished 2nd to current ASP World Tour representative
Drew Courtney and advanced with an 11.66.
In the Round of 48, Graves and Geiselman finally met
in the same heat, and Graves dominated the four-man affair with a 16.23.
Geiselman tied Brazil’s Leonardo Neves for 2nd-place with a 12.50, but suffered
the cruel fate of the countback and didn’t advance. Jones and Toth also met in
the same Round of 48 heat, with Toth advancing on an 11.77 2nd-place showing
behind another ASP World Tour surfer, France’s Michael Picon, while Jones could
only muster up a 5.36. In the three-man Round of 24, Graves slipped through
behind California’s Pat Gudauskas with a 12.57, and Toth advanced behind
eventual event winner Joan Duru with a 14.00. In the man-on-man Round of 16,
Graves fell to Geiselman-slayer Leonardo Neves, while Toth beat out Australian
Shaun Gossman with a 15.07. But local hero Duru, who went on to become the
first Frenchman to win at Lacanau in 27 years, ended Toth’s solid run in the
quarterfinals.
No matter, though, especially for Graves and Toth,
who picked up 1375 and 1625 valuable WQS points, respectively. And even though
Hurricane Bill blew by without either of them scoring East Coast shacks, the
rest of the lucrative ASP Europe season awaits. As of press time, the ASP
didn’t have any of their ratings updated, but with Toth moving up from his
previous 45th position, expect a hot and heavy end to the WQS season. Stay
tuned to EasternSurf.com for all the
updates.
For photos, videos, and full results, visit www.sooruzlacanaupro09.com
For updated ASP rankings, visit www.ASPWorldTour.com
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