Red Bull Rising: August 2008 Archives

I actually had the previous yesterday afternoon off from surfing. The surf was pretty big, and there were a few big barrels around, but for some reason I felt a little tired and wanted to switch off. I went to the driving range with Clipper and hit a few balls. It felt good to get away, but then again, with golf, it just gives you something else to stress and think about. But it was still fun and then I drove back home, about half hour south from Hossegor,  back to Biarittz and had dinner with my girlfriend Eladie, and had a pretty early night. I slept pretty well, I don't tend to wake up or be too nervous.

Words: Ben Mondy
"Look, it usually takes about four years to make the jump from the WQS to the WCT, even for the best guys." ASP International Head Judge Perry Hatchet, is explaining just how hard it is to make the jump from the world qualifying series (WQS) onto the top tier of the professional surfing, the WCT.

Clint Kimmins, on his first full-time year on the qualifying series, knows that all to well. "Well, there are probably 300 surfers doing the WQS full-time and at the end of the year only the top 15 ranked surfers will go up to replace the 15 surfers who will be relegated from the top tier. So that just shows how difficult it is to crack the elite level."

Words By Ben Mondy
"This is crunch time, it really is make or break, when the surfers will either crumble, or step up and make it count." Red Bull Rising coach Andy King, was squinting into the sun, watching a heat late in the afternoon, as the sun sets, this time, into a swell ridden Atlantic Ocean. It was the first day of the 6-star prime rated Rip Curl Pro, held in the heaving beachbreaks of Europe's surfing capital, Hossegor, France. 

Life on the WQS ain't easy, but things go a hell of a lot smoother when you're winning. And for a guy like Wiggolly Dantes (who arguably has the coolest name on tour), his win this past weekend in England at the 2008 Rip Curl Boardmasters definitely eases the burden.

"I had a great time in England and people were so nice to me all week," Dantas said. "We had great waves at the start and tough ones today but it was always lots of fun. So stoked to get this first title, such a big thing. It is a great confidence boost for the upcoming events."