ASP World Tour: December 2008 Archives

This year Portugal's Tiago Pires set out on his maiden ASP World Tour voyage. By year's end he was suffering from a bulged disk in his neck, more broken boards than he cared to count, and a rightful spot on the 2009 tour. That being said, the good folks at ASP Europe tracked down their superstar and posed a few questions. Here's what they talked about:

Let's start with a look at the season you have been through, surfing on both ASP World Tour and ASP World Qualifying Series.
I think it's been a very positive year for me. I managed to get a few good results for my first year on tour, got through several heats at various events so I am happy with this first experience. I would have preferred to start off the season strong with a couple of good places   because it would have given me a better seeding and probably a better rank in the end. I finish 2008 just outside the requalifying Top 27 guys without even surfing the Pipeline Masters because of that injury so I am definitely satisfied with that rookie season. I knew it was going to be tough doing both tours but it was my plan since Day 1 so I went for it. Lots of travel, lots of heats and a lot of pressure on the WQS events because I really needed to do well at these events.

For the fifth consecutive season, worldwide professional surfing begins in the United States and specifically in Florida with the commencement of the O'Neill Sebastian Inlet Pro Presented by Ron Jon Surf Shop.  The event is scheduled to run between January 11-18 and is once again timed to coincide with the semi-annual Surf Expo show in Orlando.  

The 4-star Association of Surfing Professionals event will feature more than 200 of the best and best emerging surfers in the world as they battle for an $85,000.00 cash purse and valuable points leading to a berth on pro surfing's elite World Championship Tour.

It's easy to forget exactly how angry the sea can be, but one look at Sunset yesterday and it was more than apparent just how mean things can get. With 20-foot bombs hucking one the outside bowl and a freight train current running through the lineup just surviving your heat was a feat in and of itself. But then you throw guys like Mick Fanning and Jordy Smith into the mix and not only do they survive, they absolutely shine. Yesterday at Sunset was, to borrow a bad cliche, a day that separated the men from the boys. Both Mick and Jordy made it through their heats, and now we're down to one more day of competition left. Will the surf be booming like it was yesterday? Only Neptune can tell, but given the luck the Triple Crown has had thus far, I'd say it's a pretty good possibility. Stay tuned as this thing wraps up.