The 2008 Van's Triple Crown of Surfing

No heat sheet necessary

The Work Horse

For the 2007 Reef Hawaiian Pro defending champ, Hale‘iwa isn’t an arena of nostalgia, so much as it is a project. Just one of the many projects this young man must undertake to make a living and find success as a pro surfer. Meet the humble Kauaian Roy Powers. Roy went into the Triple Crown with the realization that—without some sort of divine intervention—he would not qualify for the ’09 Dream Tour. But dashed dreams do not faze professionals like Roy. He knows that to keep what is quite possibly the greatest job in the world (to be paid to surf), it takes discipline, hard work, and it must be treated like a job.

“Why do we even come to the North Shore? I mean, it’s crowded, and yeah, the waves are good, but we could stay in Kaua‘i for that.” Roy continues, “It’s to get the photos. The more photos we get and the more we further ourselves in the industry, the more we get paid.” That’s right, you heard it from a pro: Surfing is work. An unreal job to say the least, but anyone on the WQS knows that it’s only a small minority of the greater surfing majority that actually pulls down an above-average earning from the deal. Anyone can get sponsored, but a box of free clothes, sunglasses and surfboards won’t pay the bills, let alone the mortgage.

Regardless, Roy still thinks he’s got “the greatest job on earth,” and that “the next four months [on the North Shore] are work months…not vacation.” Even Roy’s training and preparation seems specialized and professional. He, along with ’CT buddy, Fred Patacchia, train with Dustin Dillburg on Kaua‘i, a certified chiropractor and doctor of Chinese medicine. But when it comes down to the horn, Roy just relaxes and goes with the flow. “I try to have no stress, have a beer, not think too hard, and just enjoy myself out there,” he says.

Speaking of work, the way the 45 rolled over for Slater halfway through the year—calling sour grapes along the way—is a far cry from any definition of “professionalism” you’ll find in any other sport. Many Dream Tour competitors were skipping contests of their choosing solely because the number-one spot was no longer attainable. As the consummate professional, Roy passionately condemns the act. “To be a mainstream sport, this can’t happen,” say Powers emphatically. “Guys don’t pull that shit in the NBA or NFL when they feel like it. Guys are trying to qualify all year. So when you’re on it, you have to think, ‘I’m here and I need to give it my best shot every single time I’m out there.’”
For professional surfing to maintain its validity as a mainstream sport (which, if treated so brings more money to the competitors), then skipping contests “because Kelly won the title again” cannot happen. The events cater to international audiences and fans that want to see guys like Andy Irons blow it up in their hometown. Word to the wise: Take a tip from Roy and get back to work. —Beau Flemister


*Ed Note: Going into the Triple Crown, Roy wasn’t seeded to qualify for
the ’09 World tour, but as of press time, Roy’s sitting pretty with an “unofficial” seat on the 45 as Bruce Irons has publicly stated that he will be retiring at the end of the ’08 season, opening up one more spot for Roy on next year’s Tour.

It’s Good to be King

In the 1960s, a prepubescent, underdeveloped kid became the stuff of legends by throwing his hundred-pound frame over the lip at what was then regarded as one of the most feared and ferocious waves on the planet. The kid was Jeff Hakman and the wave was Sunset Beach. Through the years, his balls-to-the-wall approach to Sunset would earn him a deity-like reputation in the surf world along with the ubiquitous moniker, “Mr. Sunset.”
Fast-forward some forty-odd years and it appears that Sunset has produced a new “Mr.” But this time the gods picked a big boy to hold the reins in the form of power surfer extraordinaire Pancho Sullivan. With four career victories at Sunset—his most recent coming in the form of the Xcel Pro—and a seemingly uncanny mastery of the peak, Sullivan has cemented himself a reputation as the man to beat out at the Queen of the North Shore. Following the second stop of the Triple Crown, the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing, we sat down with Sullivan to get his take on Sunset and the Triple Crown.  —Jeff Mull

FSM: Do you remember the first time you surfed Sunset?
Pancho Sullivan: Growing up, I surfed every part of the reef at Sunset, from Shore’s to Val’s Reef and Sunset Point. My first surf in true Sunset was when I was about 13 years old. I was so far on the shoulder I could see who was walking in and out of Kammies market. It took me about and hour and a half of sitting and shivering before I finally got the courage to move to the inside bowl. It was the best feeling ever. I was hooked for life.

FSM: As this was your last year as a full-fledged competitor, did your win earlier in the year at the Xcel Pro have some special meaning?
Pancho: I don’t think any event win or contest really has much meaning in the scheme of life. I was just enjoying riding one of my favorite waves in the world. I really don’t put much emphasis on competitive accolades as a source of deep meaning in my life. It was a blessing to earn some money to support my family but what was meaningful to me was the fact that I was surfing at home and my wife and children and family were there at the beach supporting me and sharing the joy that I get from riding waves. It was very special in that sense.

FSM: Do you think a ’CT event at Sunset would be a good thing?
Pancho: No! I don’t think any WCT events on the North Shore are a good thing. It excludes to many good surfers from the events. People are going to come to watch the events and the media is going to cover the Triple Crown regardless if it’s a WCT or a WQS or a specialty event. The ASP system of attempting to say as if no one outside that 45th spot is good enough to win a surfing event has proved to be a sham and year after year guys outside the top 45 and even outside the top 200 win events on the North Shore: Johnny Boy Gomes, Myles Padaca, Makua Rothman. WCT events also run man-on-man heats, which violates the rules for water shore permits on the North Shore. Not only is it a violation of the rules but it’s also a waste of a precious natural resource. The guys on the WCT complain like you would not believe about having to surf with three other guys in the water at perfect Pipe. The politics of surfing are pretty obvious, but you won’t find the media doing any deep investigation because they are too busy trying to appease the people buying the bulk of the advertising in their magazines.

FSM: Going into the O’Neill world cup, what was your mindset like? Were you relaxed, frothed, or was it just another day at the office?
Pancho: I was pretty relaxed actually. I was bummed that the surf was so crappy and I expressed how I felt to Randy Rarick. Randy is a businessman and he has his own interest at heart, so when it come to running the events, it’s not always about the performance of the surfing that he cares about. The reality was that if it was a normal day and guys had the opportunity to be free surfing Sunset, there would not have been a single person in the water. Riding a huge board and trimming is not where surfing is at in 2008. The “wow factor” brings people to the beach more than contests do and it helps sell a lot of T-shirts, period.

The Chocolate Factory

The Billabong Pipeline Masters, the third jewel of the Van’s Triple Crown of Surfing and the final event of the ASP World Tour season, is no place for a professional surfer lurking on the ’CT bubble, staring down the arduous task of another year trudging away at beachbreak after beachbreak on the ’QS. The pressure of making a heat at Pipe is stressful enough. Can you image paddling out in 6- to 8-foot dredging barrels with the prospects
of your career hanging in the balance of a 40-minute heat?

Some blokes make it through by the overgrown hairs on their chin, others pack up and head home with their head down, not wanting to think about the nightmarish legwork they will be putting forth on the ’QS to hopefully get back to the Dream Tour. But for the lucky, say, top 15 surfers on the WCT, the only sweating they’ll be doing at Pipe is drawing Jamie O’Brien in a heat.

Fred Patacchia slid into the Pipe event seated at a cool 11th in the ASP Men’s World Tour rankings. The Pipeline specialist, North Shore specialist, golf junkie and summertime secret skatepark surfer has been riding a high since his second place finish at the Rip Curl Pro Search in Bali. Even though he failed to advance out of Round 3, there was no sweat on his brow.

Backdoor was the predominant barrel, Pipe was fickle and chocolaty and Kelly’s shorter shortboard turned over 3,000 heads that showed up to watch the finals in the rain.
With Andy and Bruce officially taking the year off in 2009, save for wild card appearances at Teahupo‘o and Pipeline, Fred cements
the Hawai‘i contingent going into 2009. —Kevin Whitton

From Dreams to Reality

Kaua‘i’s Dustin Barca and O‘ahu’s Kekoa “Bam” Bacalso are the two newest Hawai‘i installments on the Men’s ASP World Tour. Fittingly known as the Dream Tour, for these two up-and-comers it’s a dream come true just to be named amongst the world’s elite.

The WQS is no walk in the park. It takes a lot of time, effort, and funds to be able to trek across the globe to surf in contests that aren’t always held at world-class venues. However, within the ’QS quagmire are a few amazing events with world-class waves, and it’s been said that when the waves are pumping and perfect, the Hawaiians will shine. Bam, Barca, and a handful of other Hawai‘i surfers proved the theory true at the Sri Lanka Pro at Pasta Point in the Maldives. A light ignited at the end of the tunnel for Kekoa and Dustin as they took first and second place. Pasta Point was an excellent start to their year and provided a significant step in the right direction towards qualifying for the ’CT.
Throughout the rest of the year, each had their fair share of good results. Barca made a run for it in the Brazilian leg of the tour, adding a few podium appearances towards his purpose, whereas Bacalso pieced together his profile with scattered results across the globe. Despite their success, fate dictated they wait until the final leg of the season at home in Hawai‘i.

Both surfers needed a strong showing at either Hale‘iwa or Sunset to secure their spot on the 2009 Dream Tour. The wave gods blessed the Reef Hawaiian Pro as Ali‘i Beach hosted some of its most high scoring heats in the history of the venue. Among the in-form surfers were Barca, who made it to the quarterfinals, and Bacalso, who placed third in the event. Bacalso also surfed in a semi-final boasting so many barrels that it’ll be remembered for years.

Finishing strong in Hale‘iwa alone placed Barca at 12th and Bacalso at 9th on the ’QS ratings, relieving them of their limbo status. With nerves eased, both could surf the Sunset contest just for fun while the rest of the ’QS questionables still had clinched stomachs. As for now, rest assured they’re psyching for Snapper in the spring. —Noa Myers