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Final Results: Dustin Cuizon Wins Body Glove Surfbout Presented by Adio and Eric Geiselman Takes Oakley Pro Junior Title
Mon 1st May 2006 00:00
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – The waves poured in on Saturday, the sun peaked through and competitive spirit abounded for the final day of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) four-star Body Glove Surfbout Presented by Adio and grade-two Oakley Pro Junior. Dustin Cuizon (HAW) collected $10,000 for his first World Qualifying Series (WQS) win, with World Championship Tour (WCT) surfer Luke Stedman (AUS) in second, 2005 Macy’s CA Trifecta Surf Series points winner Asher Nolan (USA) in third, and unofficial event MVP Alex Gray (USA) in fourth. This year’s Oakley Pro Junior saw Eric Geiselman (USA) take the win and $2,500, with Dylan Graves (PRI) in second, Alex Gray in third and Alejandro Moreda (PRI).
“The Body Glove Surfbout just keeps getting better and better, with the younger competitors showing the talent of the next generation of surfers. It was great to have two of our team riders in the final up against such talent,” said a pleased Scott Daly, VP of marketing for Body Glove International. “I want to thank the Lower Trestles community for allowing us to put on this contest. Through the webcast and all of the industry support, we were able to show the world this incredible break while allowing American surfers the opportunity to collect lucrative points on their own turf.”
The final day of competition commenced with the quarter-finals of the Oakley Pro Junior where the top surfers under 20 were absolutely tearing up the water. Eric Geiselman attacked the waves pulling in his first high score of 8.83. Geiselman had to be patient before earning a high 9.33, the wave that secured his position in the next round.
Dylan Graves surfed strong in heat two, with scores of 9.10 and 7.93, giving him a semi-final berth. Alex Gray, riding off the momentum of yesterday’s perfect 10.0 score, continued to deliver in heat three and took the win. He was followed by Alejandro Moreda who also advanced.
When asked about his approach to competing in both the WQS and Junior events, Gray said, “I’m just enjoying myself. The real fun of this whole thing is getting to surf Lowers with a clear lineup. There’s a good vibe on the beach today and I’m trying to take that with me out into the water.”
In the first semi-final heat of the Pro Junior, Eric Geiselman secured a series of high scoring waves to take first in the heat with Dylan Graves advancing to the final in second-place. Alex Gray and Alejandro Moreda dominated in the second heat to also advance to the final.
The final of the Oakley Pro Junior got off to a slow start and concluded with a dramatic finish. With minutes remaining, the day’s “ironman,” Alex Gray was holding onto first until an interference call subtracted crucial points from his score, bumping him to third. Eric Geiselman stepped up with a solid backhand attack for the win and Dylan Graves posted an 8.33 to secure second-place. “The whole day was really fun,” said Oakley Pro Junior Champion Eric Geiselman. “The waves were perfect, and it was a great event.”
The quarter-finals of the Body Glove Surfbout Presented by Adio saw high scores in all four heats. In heat one, Nathan Yeomans and Dustin Cuizon surfed beautiful split peak waves, claiming first and second respectively to advance to the semis. In heat two, looking comfortable after his Junior heats earlier in the day, Alex Gray scored two 8.0’s allowing him to take down San Diegan Austin Ware, WCT rookie Jarrad Howse and WCT standout Damien Hobgood. Heat three saw Asher Nolan and Shane Beschen surf aggressively to advance. Heat four yielded the highest scores of the quarter-finals with Luke Stedman, scoring a 9.5 and 8.03, and Kekoa Bacalso, scoring the second perfect 10.0 of the event.
Alex Gray held nothing back in heat one of the semi-finals, attaining solid scores to win the heat with Dustin Cuizon in the second advancing slot. Goofy-footer Asher Nolan rode his way into the final in the top slot of heat two. Battling for the last spot in the final, Luke Stedman beat out Shane Beschen with a 4.83 and a 8.83 because Beschen was called with an interference.
In the first four minutes of the final, Dustin Cuizon grabbed a good sized wave and posted a strong 9.17, with Asher Nolan and Luke Stedman each throwing up a 7.83. Powering through a back-to-back heat from the Oakley Pro Junior final, Alex Gray was committed to catching one more wave but lost his grab on an aerial, solidifying the lead for Cuizon. “Everyone pushed the level of surfing up today,” said 2006 Body Glove Surfbout Champion Cuizon. “I just tried to surf hard the whole time. I’m glad I got to do it for Hawaii.”
This win puts Cuizon in the lead for the Macy’s CA Trifecta Surf Series. The Trifecta was formed in 2005 as part of a three-year plan to strengthen surfing in America by uniting the Body Glove Surfbout presented Adio, the Newport Pro presented by Wavewatch, and the O’Neill Cold Water Classic under one banner. The Trifecta will award Cuizon a $33,333 bonus if he takes first-place in all three events. Should he not take the win in all three events, the Trifecta also awards an overall points-winner bonus of $10,000, a second-place bonus of $3,500 and a third-place bonus of $1,500.
The Body Glove Surfbout Presented by Adio would like to thank all of the sponsors that helped make this year’s contest one of the best in its history. As a part of the ASP North American tour, the Surfbout is supported by Body Glove, Adio Footwear, Oakley Eyewear, Amp’d Mobile and Macy’s West and is pleased to have media support from PRIMEDIA’s Action Sports Group (ASG), publisher of SURFER, SURFING and WaveWatch, as well as The San Clemente Times and FUEL TV.
FUEL TV will telecast the Body Glove Surfbout on June 12, 2006 at 9:30 p.m. For additional FUEL TV airdates and show times, check www.fuel.tv. Check out the Body Glove Surfbout and all of the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series surf spots at www.WaveWatch.com.
About Body Glove
Founded in 1953, Body Glove is a leading, worldwide action sports brand specializing in wetsuits, swimwear, clothing, footwear, accessories and technology accessories. Its contributions to action sports include the Body Glove Surfbout (4 Star WQS event), and continued support of the NSSA National Scholastic Surfing Championships. The company sponsors one of the most respected surf and wakeboard teams in the industry with such powerhouse names as pro-surfers CJ Hobgood, Bruce Irons, Conan Hayes and Holly Beck and wakeboarders Darin Shapiro and Phillip Soven. Through Reef Check, Heal the Bay, SIMA’s environmental fund, and the Surfrider Foundation, Body Glove works to preserve the purity of the waters it loves. Body Glove products are sold in the U.S. by a network of independent retailers. Body Glove is also sold in approximately 50 countries internationally through distributors, sales agents and licensees.
About Adio Footwear
Adio Footwear began in the summer of ’97 with one simple idea: To make the best skateboard shoes possible. We focused on durability, function, and style. Many things stood in the way of these goals, but our relentless efforts and absolute passion for rider designed influenced product prevailed. We have since then added sandals and juniors as categories to compliment an assortment of footwear. Our team includes some of the most influential names in action sports today, including: Tony Hawk, Bam Margera, Shawn White, Taylor Knox, and Tim Curran. Adio has been established as a globally recognized brand and a strong force in the action sports footwear market through our commitment to excellence. www.adiofootwear.com www.adiofootwear.com.
About Macy’s West
Macy’s West, a division of Federated headquartered in San Francisco, operates 174 stores in seven states and Guam, with annual sales of more than $4 billion. At Macy’s we are committed to supporting the communities where we live and work. In 2005, we raised and donated nearly $14 million in community support through our fundraising efforts.
About ASG
Reaching more than two million enthusiasts, PRIMEDIA’s Action Sports Group (ASG) is the dominant force in the action sports and adventure sports arenas. In addition to publishing leading lifestyle publications such as Surfer, Surfing, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Bike, Powder and Canoe & Kayak, PRIMEDIA ASG delivers a cutting-edge network of online properties, events and television programming.
About the ASP
The ASP is the Association of Surfing Professionals. It is the foremost governing body in professional surfing, and boasts the sanctioning of six professional surfing circuits including: the WCT, the WQS, the WLT, the WJC, the WMC and Specialty Events. The ASP has been dedicated to showcasing the world’s best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and challenging locations since 1976. Our organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America. These regions manage all their respective domestic affairs under the guidance of ASP International which is located on the Gold.
Coast of Australia
ASP North America is committed to the progression of surfing and is dedicated to continuing excellent relationships with its athletes, the media and event sponsors. For more information log onto www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org www.aspnorthamerica.org.