Red Bull Rising: "Introducing Tim Boal"
By Ben Mondy"It
was a pretty surreal situation, just standing there at the water's
edge, surrounded by a full scrum of spectators and media and the Red
Bull guys, not knowing if I had won the whole event."
That
was Tim Boal, describing pretty accurately what was, by any stretch of
the bizarre, a pretty surreal situation. Tim had already surfed through
four heats today, progressing from the round of 16 all the way through
to final of the Honda US Open.
"Introducing Tim Boal," Andy King has earlier cried, in fierce pride when Tim had surfed with immense flair and huge composure to score a semifinal winning wave with less than ten seconds to go, overcoming home town hero Brett Simpson.
"Introducing Tim Boal," Andy King has earlier cried, in fierce pride when Tim had surfed with immense flair and huge composure to score a semifinal winning wave with less than ten seconds to go, overcoming home town hero Brett Simpson.
But
at the water's edge, with the seemingly the whole surfing world
pressing in around him, Tim still didn't know if he had won his first
ever 6 star WQS final, 15 grand in prize money, a jetski and,
more importantly, 2500 precious qualifying points. For Tim, the most
calm and collected of competitors, it was an intense, emotional
experience. The final had been seemingly anti-climatic affair, with
long lulls and scorable waves as rare as spare patches of sand on
Huntington's beach. Tim had earlier fallen on a wave with about five
minutes to go - if he made that final maneuver the final was his. And
yet with 30 seconds to go, and holding priority, and thus first choice
of wave, he still was in the hunt, needing a 6.27 to win the final.
Then a small wave popped up and Tim rode it to shore, ringing
everything out of it, using his very last ounces of energy after a week
of intense competition to try and get the score.
"You know, Tim has come here to Huntington, pretty much the surf capital of the world, and he's dominated his heats," continued Kingy. "This is the place to show what you are made of - all the spectators, all the industry are here and Tim has showed the surfing world, exactly what he is capable of. It's a huge step."
It was at this stage and with Tim, Kingy the Red Bull Rising team members and about 50,000 people spectators all waiting breathlessly for the announcement of the wave score, that it was announced that the computers had gone down, thus leaving everyone in some type of sick anxiety filled vacuum of expectation.
Eventually and mercifully the word filtered down to Tim that he hadn't quite done enough for the score, giving the victory to his opponent, Nathaniel Curran. "Look, I'm disappointed," said Boal, "as I had my chance to win, but this is a huge result for me and all I'm about is qualification at the end of the year. I'll celebrate then, when I've achieved my goals, when I've made it."
To that end this week has been a massive step in that direction. He jumped 22 places up the ratings to 18th, trailing his best mate and Red Bull Rising surfer Michel Bourez by only ten points, who with a solid result here also moved up to 16th. "Look this is why I picked these surfers for the Rising program, said coach King afterwards. "This is what they are capable of, as surfers, and individuals. We haven't had the results that their ability deserves. So it's a great result for Tim, but its also a wake up call and a kick up the arse for the rest of the guys. This is what they should be doing, this is how good they are."
With that battle cry, the Honda US Open was officially over. There wasn't even time for a celebratory dinner. The surfers were packing and bolting for Japan, where another event, another 2500 points and another opportunity to realize their dreams was on offer. If, like Tim did this week, they grab it with both hands, it will only be a matter of time. I'll let you know how they get on.
"You know, Tim has come here to Huntington, pretty much the surf capital of the world, and he's dominated his heats," continued Kingy. "This is the place to show what you are made of - all the spectators, all the industry are here and Tim has showed the surfing world, exactly what he is capable of. It's a huge step."
It was at this stage and with Tim, Kingy the Red Bull Rising team members and about 50,000 people spectators all waiting breathlessly for the announcement of the wave score, that it was announced that the computers had gone down, thus leaving everyone in some type of sick anxiety filled vacuum of expectation.
Eventually and mercifully the word filtered down to Tim that he hadn't quite done enough for the score, giving the victory to his opponent, Nathaniel Curran. "Look, I'm disappointed," said Boal, "as I had my chance to win, but this is a huge result for me and all I'm about is qualification at the end of the year. I'll celebrate then, when I've achieved my goals, when I've made it."
To that end this week has been a massive step in that direction. He jumped 22 places up the ratings to 18th, trailing his best mate and Red Bull Rising surfer Michel Bourez by only ten points, who with a solid result here also moved up to 16th. "Look this is why I picked these surfers for the Rising program, said coach King afterwards. "This is what they are capable of, as surfers, and individuals. We haven't had the results that their ability deserves. So it's a great result for Tim, but its also a wake up call and a kick up the arse for the rest of the guys. This is what they should be doing, this is how good they are."
With that battle cry, the Honda US Open was officially over. There wasn't even time for a celebratory dinner. The surfers were packing and bolting for Japan, where another event, another 2500 points and another opportunity to realize their dreams was on offer. If, like Tim did this week, they grab it with both hands, it will only be a matter of time. I'll let you know how they get on.
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