Australian surfer Owen Wright, a rising star on the ASP World Tour, pulled off a major upset Friday by defeating 10-time world champion Kelly Slater to win the $1-million Quiksilver Pro New York at Long Beach.
But perhaps more impressive is that the gamble to stage the richest-ever surfing competition at a venue not known for its surfing, as preparations are being made for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, paid off on so many levels.
The competition was nearly canceled because of Hurricane Irene, which caused extensive flood damage throughout the area. But it flourished thanks to Hurricane Katia, which remained just far enough offshore to generate the type of large surf New Yorkers rarely witness -- and a raucous crowd jammed the beach each day of the week-long contest to watch the world's best duke it out.
Friday's heats were held in nearly perfect 4- to 7-foot waves that allowed for electrifying performances by Wright and Slater in the 30-minute final. The flashy Australian won largely on the merit of early aerial maneuvers that had Slater in catch-up mode throughout the heat.
The largest crowd of the week was on hand Friday, and if the days leading to the 9/11 ceremonies have been somber, and if Hurricane Irene had dampened spirits, the first-ever elite-level surf contest in New York seemed a welcome and festive reprieve.
"It's obviously a very important week for America, and definitely New York," Wright said. "It's great that the event came together in this fashion and the New Yorkers came out with such huge support. My thoughts are with everyone affected by the 9/11 tragedy this week and hopefully we, the surfers, were able to provide a small bright spot for them while we were here."
Those fans, whether they realized it or not, witnessed what might represent a changing of the guard. Wright, 21, is billed as a future world champion, whereas Slater, 39, is the second-oldest competitor on the tour and likely to slow down or retire in the very near future.
The final was a rematch of last week's final at an event in Tahiti, where Slater prevailed in even larger surf.
This time Wright jumped to a quick lead with opening scores of 7.00, 9.23 and 8.00 in a format that uses a surfer's best two scores for the final result. Slater, who had romped through the quarterfinals and semifinals earlier Friday, could not catch the waves he needed to get past Wright, who later notched an 8.67 and prevailed by a final score of 17.90 to 14.53. His $300,000 payday is the largest in the sport.
Slater, who grew up in Florida and is accustomed to East Coast beach-break waves, still sits atop the ASP World Tour ratings board, with Wright, after his first tour victory, having vaulted into second place.
During the awards ceremony Slater described the contest as "history in the making." He then announced that another contest between New York's "bravest and finest" -- firefighters versus policemen -- has been scheduled for Saturday.
The world's most dominant pro surfer will be rooting for the firefighters, because he has family in that line of work. But clearly, there will be no losers in that contest.
-- Images of Owen Wright and the New York crowd are courtesy of ©ASP/Kirstin
Slater is surfing better than ever, he's not slowing down. Age is a non issue with him. He takes great care of himself.
Posted by: Socrates | Sep 12, 2011 at 08:12 AM
has anyone seen that flare surfing video yet?
Radio Dealer Illinois
Posted by: amanda | Sep 09, 2011 at 05:38 PM