by Ed Temperley on Friday 28th September, 2012 84392 Views
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Kelly Slater missed his flight after misplacing his passport, had only a few minutes sleep, and won his heat comfortably. "Well I didn't back-up my result in Fiji with on in Tahiti," Slater said. "It's tough at this level. There's no doubt about that. I always enjoy France though. I've been coming here for so long that it really is like another home for me and I feel really comfortable out there. I was surfing on that same quad I surfed in the Final at Lowers last week and it's been feeling really good so if it stays like this I may stay on it."
© 2013 ASP/CestariMick Fanning, current number 1, was totally dominant in the tricky conditions. "In these kind of conditions, one wave can change the heat and you just hope you're on that one," Fanning said. "When they come through, there are great, little barrels to be had. France always has very strong wildcards so you want to avoid them at all costs. Winning in Round 1 is a start."
© 2013 Lucia GriggiDane Reynolds got two quick scores on the board and backed it up with a plus 6 to win a heat. "The waves were pretty fun out there when they came through," Reynolds said. "It's nice and spread out so Joel (Parkinson) and Bede (Durbidge) were kind of down on their own peak and I was up on my own peak which is always nice. I'm not much of a hassler. Competition is fun for me and I don't put pressure on myself to do well. I do like to see how I perform in this environment though and that's why I do these."
© 2013 Lucia GriggiPattty G, John John and Pupo looked a tough call for Pat who hasn't managed to make a heat despite surfing well in every event. "I absolutely froth to come here" said a very happy Pat Gudauskas after grabbing the scores needed and bullying JJF out of the heat by sticking to him like glue in the final minutes. "A Round 1 win is definitely preferred, I feel like I've been surfing well this season but the results haven't been coming. I have always had a great time in France and I'm really comfortable out here. I'm hoping to post two big results here before the tour heads back to California."
© 2013 Lucia GriggiJadson suddenly discovered his winning way, depositing the Brazilian maestro, Adriano, into Round 2. ""I'm so happy to get through Round 1," Andre said. "I'm not thinking about the ratings. I'm just going out there to have fun, catch a lot of waves and hopefully that means I win. That's my goal for this event - to focus on having fun."
© 2013 ASP/CestariTaj threaded a million tubes (and made a couple) to vindicate Mickey Picon's decision to start. "First heat of the morning is always a gamble," Burrow said. "You don't have a reference from the other heats and you're not sure what the judges are going to throw. Lucky for me, the conditions this morning were fun little barrels and it always feels great to get through Round 1. There are some really dangerous wildcards in this event so I'd much rather be watching Round 2 than in it." As the tide pushed up the wave quality improved but the swell was dropping and consistency tailed-off. As a rule when a swell drops you are waiting for the less frequent peak waves, i.e. the ones with scoring potential, allowing the smaller ones to roll under you. It was the kind of day most surfers would be happy to launch themselves over the edge when they saw the ease with which the pros managed to race towards the exit, however, up close and personal it looked a far trickier proposition.
© 2013 Lucia Griggi84392 Visits -
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