TURF: 14th Annual Quiksilver King Of The Peak; Sebastian
Inlet, FL; November 8th-9th, 2009
ENERGY: Relentless onshore winds pounded Brevard County for a
week straight, delivering plenty of unruly swell that heaved and hammered onto
the shores of Sebastian Inlet State Park. With no end in sight for the wind, KOP
Contest Organizer Matt Kechele opted to exploit the juiciest nuggets on Sunday
and Monday — Day One boasted chest to head-high chunks and a straight
east wind, while Monday topped out a bit bigger with a bit more southeast in
the wind, cleaning things up slightly in the lee of the jetty and holding some
of the lefts open longer. Favorable tides on Monday also allowed for shallower
bombs, more makeable sections, and even a few freak barrels.
FIRST TIME AT FIGHT CLUB: Entering its 15th
year and 14th running in 2009 (1996 was canceled due to no surf), surfers from
up and down the East Coast have their calendars marked for November’s trip to
Sebastian Inlet. In addition to drawing the deepest pool of Sunshine State
talent, 11 of the event’s 12 past winners were in attendance, including
Mainland Mex-pat Todd Morcom, 2001 ASP World Champion CJ Hobgood, and nine-time
ASP World Champ Kelly Slater. The only King Of The Peak not present was last
year’s winner Cody Thompson, who was busy placing 3rd at the Grade 3 Oakley Pro
Junior in Santa Cruz, CA. And the out-of-state contingent boasted the likes of
Lucas Rogers, Jeff Myers, Zack Humphreys, and Tommy Bursian — less than
in years past, but as Kech eloquently stated, “We’re in a trying economy, and
guys are looking at $100 a little differently these days.”
SLIDE: The unique skins format always keeps King Of The Peak
action tight — sometimes surfers snag a solid wave right off the bat, but
refuse to claim it, paddle back out, and promptly get skunked. That kind of
level playing field also sometimes leads to big streaks: over
the last three years, Cody Thompson, Eric Taylor, and Jeremy Johnston have won
with commanding six, eight, and seven skins totals, respectively. If you look
at those surfers’ hometowns (Jacksonville Beach, St. Augustine by-way-of Vero
Beach, and New Smyrna Beach, respectively), you’ll also notice that the King Of
The Peak crown has stayed outside of Brevard County longer than the Sebastian
Inlet pecking order would like to see.
On Day One, the North Florida boys looked to dominate
again, with Jeff Crego, Eric Taylor, and Duval darkhorse Corey Sapp winning the
first three skins. ET stumbled in Heat #3 to South Florida ripper Jonathan
Gosman, and after that, Sapp went on a quick roll, racking up three skins
before lunch and even downing perennial finalist Asher Nolan. Two more heats
went by before 2003 champ and power surfer extraordinaire Bryan Hewitson
muscled his way onto the winner’s sheet, igniting a late-afternoon flurry of
action that stayed hot until the 19th and final heat of the day.
Aaron Cormican clinched Heat #11 with a
then-event-high 8.36, and Gorkin’s eyes sparkled as he saw his chance to
strike. But in Heat #13, Blake Jones blasted a massive frontside blowtail in
the dying minutes of the exchange, earning a 7.76 and sending Gorkin packing.
Hewy had two skins in the bag and three more opportunities to exert his
dominance over the lineup, before the decisive momentum shift in Heat #14, when
Melbourne Beach tech wizard Eddie Guilbeau punted an indescribable backside
bigspin/ shuvit concoction that bagged a 6.5, visibly shaking Hewitson and spelling
the end of his Day One run. Blake finished the day tied with Sapp at three
skins each, while Satellite Beach shaper/ surfer/ fireman/ all-around badass CT
Taylor squeaked out two and Inlet test pilot Travis Beckmann unexpectedly used
a barrel to lodge the highest score of the event, 8.83, in Sunday's final heat.
So unlike many KOPs past, Day Two dawned without a
clear frontrunner. Beckmann won the first heat of the day, but fell to North
Florida charger Jody Davis, who quickly racked up his own three-skin total. CT Taylor
managed another win in Heat #4 to form a four-way 1st-place tie, but couldn’t
compete with Guilbeau’s high-flying trickery in Heat #6. Eddie relied on three
more backside air reverse variations — including a shuvit out in Heat #10
for a 7.8 — to take his skins total to four. Then came a quick succession
of falling dominoes: in Heat #9, Gorkin stopped Jody in his tracks, but Gorkin
himself lost in Heat #11 to fellow NSB heavy Jeremy Johnston’s flawless
overhead right, which he crushed with three huge backside blasts for a Day
Two-high 8.56.
In Heat #12, Virginia Beach native-turned-Florida
Tech student Sebastian Moreno kept Guilbeau from winning his fifth skin, and
Moreno followed with a win in Heat #14 to reach three skins of his own and come
within striking distance. But in Heat #16, Mid-Atlantic workhorse Jeff Myers
snagged an unexpected right at the buzzer that gave him his first skin and
stopped Moreno’s roll. That only left one person who could reach Guilbeau’s
total of four: Day One hero and relative unknown Corey Sapp, who went up in
Heat #17 with a last-ditch chance to win. Guilbeau kept his head in his hands
throughout the heat while his Melbourne Beach cheering squad hooted every time
a surfer fell, and when Alek Parker linked two buttery frontside turns with 2:15
remaining in the heat, scoring a 5.5 to Sapp’s 4.8, the writing was on the wall
and Guilbeau was officially the 2009 King Of The Peak. “It feels weird… it’s
surreal…. I didn’t think it would ever happen,” Eddie stammered when asked how
it felt to not only continue the long, proud Guilbeau/Futch family tradition of
ripping but also bring the KOP crown home to Brevard County. “I’m pretty much
speechless.”
The ESM Airshow
finished up the day, and after a few years of offshore winds and smallish
conditions, the aerial brigade was more than happy to paddle out in overhead
ramps with a strong sideshore wind keeping them aloft; ESM Co-Founders and Chief Photographers Dick Meseroll and Tom Dugan
both said “best Airshow ever!” after the 25-minute final wrapped up. Pungo, VA,
high-flyer Lucas Rogers boosted more than a few soaring no-grab frontside air
reverses for the $325 win, even stopping Kelly Slater in his tracks as The
Champ walked back up the beach to watch one of Lucas’ landings. Fernandina
Beach loc’dog Brady McKenzie stomped a frontside ollie for the $200 2nd-place
finish, and Puerto Rico’s Tommy Bursian executed several air reverses up the
beach for the $100 3rd-place check.
THE PAIN: The kegging conditions claimed more than a few surfboards
— Delray Beach darkhorse Blake Burns snapped his trusty 5’10” Super in a
morning freesurf and was forced to make do with a thick little 5’2” fish in his
overhead, outgoing tide heat. And Satellite Beach grom Chris Tucker, who was
consistently seen punting with abandon up the beach, broke a board in his Day
One heat before rebounding to win one skin on Day Two.
THE MAN: Not only did Eddie win $1040, four skins, a freaky
looking 4’7” triple-winger samurai tail surfboard custom shaped by Kechele, and
the coveted Diamond Dobby Quiksilver King Of The Peak crown and cape, but he
also claimed the Most Experi-Mental Maneuver award for his ridiculous backside
air reverse to shuvit out on Sunday. That means he gets a custom Al Merrick
handshaped specifically for him by Kelly Slater — as if he needed another
sentimental reason to remember the 2009 KOP.
But Eddie was quick to downplay his technical flair: “Those
shuvits are just normal stuff that goes down behind the house when I’m surfing
shorebreak with my friends Marshall Alberga and Sean Tubbs,” Guilbeau said.
“The shuvit should be a mandatory maneuver — if you’re behind the bubble,
it’s a guaranteed 3. But it’s cool to reward going big with tricks, because
it’s what we like to do. When I was growing up, I didn’t care about cutbacks or
throwing spray. If someone did something gnarly, something where somebody said
‘Wow!’, that’s what I wanted to do. It’s cool to let people see it and get it
captured by all the photographers and video guys.”
Eddie’s parents Ed and Jan Guilbeau were also shocked
and thrilled that their son was the new King Of The Peak. Ed muttered “No way!”
more times than I could count, and Jan said that when Eddie called to tell her
about his victory, she replied, “Don’t lie to me, because I’m taking a nap!”
Guess what, Mom? No lie here — as Kech put it, “The young lions went up
against some of the older rail surfers, which was a major contrast in approaches.”
And just in case you think Eddie’s another overhyped pro with too many
victories to his name, dig this: “Yeah, I won in a lull year with only four
skins, but I’m stoked that the totals were spread out and everyone got to win
money. I need money, but so does everyone else.” That’s what we like to call a
true class-act champion.
YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB: “I’m glad I
didn’t walk away empty-handed. And hey VB guys… you’re at home partying while
I’m down here winning your money!” –ESM Airshow champion Lucas Rogers, giving a
friendly shout-out to the hometown boys
“I was impressed to see the event go tech —
power punctuated with progression.” –Event Organizer Matt Kechele, stoked on the
continuing evolution of the Quiksilver King Of The Peak
“A lot of guys went down that could have won, but we
surf here every day, so we should be winning. I was definitely feeling the
hometown love.” –2009 King Of The Peak Eddie Guilbeau, on
bringing the crown back to Brevard County after a three-year lull
FINAL
RESULTS OF THE 14TH ANNUAL QUIKSILVER KING OF THE PEAK
1. Eddie Guilbeau, 4 skins, $1040
2. Blake Jones, Sebastian Moreno, Corey Sapp, CT
Taylor, Jody Davis, 3 skins, $780
3. Travis Beckmann, Aaron Cormican, Bryan Hewitson,
Jonathan Gosman, Alek Parker, Jeff Myers, 2 skins, $520
4. Brady McKenzie, Justin Ellingham, Jeremy Johnston,
Chris Tucker, Jeff Crego, Kyle Garson, Eric Taylor, 1 skin, $260 |
|
ESM AIRSHOW
1. Lucas Rogers, $325
2. Brady McKenzie, $200
3. Tommy Bursian, $100
MOST
EXPERI-MENTAL MANEUVER
Eddie Guilbeau |
