The WRV
Outer Banks Pro Presented By Hurley Offers Locals Genuine Perspective & More
Money Per
Square Foot Of Wave Than Any Surf Contest In History By Matt Pruett
TURF: $30,000
Wave Riding Vehicles Outer Banks Pro Presented By Hurley; Comfort Inn South,
Nags Heads, NC; September 24th-26th, 2010
ENERGY: “Igor,
come back!” Bet you never thought you’d hear yourself saying those words. The
monstrous-sounding hurricane produced a weeklong bonanza of chunky bowls on the
Outer Banks (depending on your wind appreciation) but was well ghost before
rounds of consequence here at the OB Pro, where a shin-slapping climax stifled
a lot of the action-loving spectator turnout this event usually draws. At Ben
Bourgeois’ urging, however, the post-comp cornhole tourney at Mexicali most
likely went off.
FIRST TIME
AT FIGHT CLUB: South
Florida visionary Mike Bloom’s Western Atlantic Pro Surf Series is now in its
second year. But don’t be dismayed by the word “Western,” as Bloom and company are
utilizing only longtime established events along the Eastern Seaboard and the
Caribbean to give the athletes a makeshift tour where they can, according to
Bloom’s mission statement, “showcase their talent, gain exposure, and bridge
the gap between the top amateur levels and the ASP-sanctioned World Qualifying
Series and World Tour, as well as giving them the opportunity to earn money
along the way.” The 2010 Series includes: the LandShark Pro in
New Smyrna Beach, FL; the East Coast Surfing Championships in Virginia Beach,
VA; the Foster’s Belmar Pro in Belmar, NJ, the Trinidad International Surf Festival
in Trinidad & Tobago, this event, and the upcoming championship finale
— the 10th Annual Jupiter Fall Classic in Jupiter, FL, in November. At
press time, Jeremy Johnston was leading the WAPSS ratings with 3398 points,
with Michael Dunphy trailing at 3146 points, and Jesse Heilman holding down 3rd
with 3074 points. The overall winner gets $10,000.
SLIDE: With all local entrants ousted before
the final day, Old Dominion neighbors Brad Harrell and Philip Goold snipped in
the quarters, and extended Tarheel family members Michael Powell and Fisher
Heverly dropped in the semis, recently minted Belmar Pro champ from Virginia
Beach, VA, Michael Dunphy and defending Outer Banks Pro champ Ben Bourgeois
from Wrightsville Beach, NC, became the sentimental favorites. Riding a
sleek-looking board shaped by Bob Hurley himself in the final, Dunphy’s backhand
was as sharp and lethal as the complimentary coffee at the Comfort Inn South’s
continental breakfast, landing him in 2nd. Meanwhile, Ben’s reptilian forehand flow netted him 3rd.
Daytona Beach, FL, dynamo Jesse Heilman’s low center of gravity was easy on the
eyes style-wise, but he failed to find the ramps that got him through his
semifinal and placed 4th.
“I thought I was gonna be a first-round
clown again,” laughed Asher Nolan on the first day of competition. Needing a
9.2 with one minute remaining, Nolan posted a 9.47, vaulting from 4th to 1st
just like that. Likewise, Asher badly needed a score in the final with time
ticking away. He belted a left to an air-reverse climax for an 8.10, granting
him the victory, which he dedicated to his family back home in Jacksonville.
THE PAIN: According to our research
(please feel free to do your own to refute), the 1st-place prize here, ten
large plus $500 from Oakley for the highest single wave score of each day, was
among the top five richest checks in East Coast surfing history. So why did the
spectator turnout on Finals Day look more like a mid-season ESA-OB District
meet than one of the richest pro Right Coast events ever?
Well, it was Sunday, and a lot of Outer Bankers
are real good about getting’ their church on. And after the weeklong ESA Easterns
did the hurry-up-and-wait thing an hour and a half south in Buxton, and Igor already
having crept out of town leaving ankle to knee-high snail tracks as his
imprint, a lot of surfers were just straight over it. WRV is committed to the
concept and the follow-through of the Outer Banks Pro. Believe it. But East
Coast surfers — from well-to-do pros like Bourgeois to the most lowly
feast-or-famine surf rat — have a very slender window to make a name for
themselves… or keep their name relevant. And Hurricane Season offers the
easiest opening, so they’re gonna do whatever they need to do and go wherever
they need to go — be it the next contest, photo shoot, or domestic
tiding. Nonetheless, organizers could have stepped up local grassroots
promotions (flyers, newspapers, radio spots, etc.) a bit to draw the
non-surfing endemic.
THE MAN: Michael Dunphy is a smartass. Big-time. Like, he
pisses people off left and right. Not because the kid is complex and eccentric
and people just don’t know how to take him. But because he’s actually a very
normal young man, and a lot of people are imbeciles with no sense of humor
whatsoever. Surfers have gotten so used to having their asses kissed that any
deviation from the token slurping of their presence, idea, or gimmick is sheer
sacrilege.
But Dunphy’s from VB, dude. Ball-busting is a second language to those guys.
Just ask Wes Laine. Or Jon Kleintop. Or Chris Culpen or Mike Schirmer or Andrew
Meyer or Granger Clark or a dozen other Virginian shredders who only got better
because their best friends told them they weren’t shit. Well, guess what?
Michael Dunphy put all that idol-squishing influence and all that cute-kid-with-a-potty-mouth
swagger into his waterborne technique and is now one of the Right Coast’s most
legit young pros. His stunning win in huge tubes at the Foster’s Belmar Pro
(coupled with runner-ups at the ECSC and Unsound Pro) cemented that. If not for
Asher’s frantically sought 8.10 air-revo here, Dunphy would’ve surely undermined
his boss and made it two for two, because his own 8.5 scoring air-reverse and
backhand backup lost him the big check by a mere tenth of a point, 15.97 -
15.87.
YOU DO NOT
TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB: “Hey Spicoli, what’s with the ‘uno nickel’? Didn’t you just win
five grand last week?” –ESM Assignment Writer Matt Walker, upon seeing Belmar Pro champ Michael
Dunphy paying for his Outer Banks Taco Bar meal with change
FINAL RESULTS OF THE $30,000 WAVE RIDING VEHICLES OUTER BANKS PRO
PRESENTED BY HURLEY
1. Asher Nolan, $10,000 (plus $500 for top score,
9.2, on Day One) 2. Michael Dunphy, $5,000 3. Ben Bourgeois, $3,000 4. Jesse Heilman, $2,000 5. Aaron Cormican, Jeremy Johnston, $1,000 (plus
$500 each for top scores, 9.13 and 9.53, on Days Three and Two, respectively) 7. Fisher Heverly, Michael Powell, $800 9. Kyle Garson, Dean Randazzo, Alek Parker, Ryan
Briggs, $500 13. Cody Thompson, Icah Wilmot, Brad Harrell, Philip
Goold, $400
: ADVERTISMENT :
: ADVERTISMENT :
IN LOVING MEMORY Flagler Beach, FL’s, Haley Watson Honors Her Mother At May Day Memorial Surf Classic
South Carolina’s Cam Richards Steals 12th Annual
Tommy Tant Memorial Classic Men’s Pro Title From Florida Vets; Cody Thompson, Amy Nicholl,
Noah Schweizer, And Dan Worley Also Win Big
VQS
HITS THE JACKPOT AT CASINO PIER Jellyfish Surf Series Winners Include Local Boys
Hammer, Schmidt, Vanaman, And Siganos, Along With Florida Girl Emily Ruppert
DUBIOUS RECORD The WRV
Outer Banks Pro Presented By Hurley Offers Locals Genuine Perspective & More
Money Per Square Foot Of Wave Than Any Surf Contest In History
Sweetwater Leaves It Up To The Grom At Oakley Surf Shop Challenge Mid-Atlantic Regional Qualifier; “Uncle” Andrew Gesler Drives Heritage Win Home In Northeast
By Matt Pruett and Nick McGregor;
Photos by Matt Lusk
