Great groms almighty!
Friday - June 22, 2007
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Pro surfer Dustin Cuizon shows why he’s the ‘king of the air’
at the TC Surf Grom Fest Air Show
Howzit, wave warriors!
We surf in exciting times. The summer of 2007 is proving to be sweet, and it’s still June. We’ve had over a dozen town swells since May, and one good NW for country this month. There have been a number of trade swells to create barrel-fests at Sandy’s and Makapu’u. Plus, every contest-event has been blessed with waves (not a guarantee). Oh, yes, did I almost forget to mention that our weather is the best in the nation?
This week has seen some “bump” on the North Shore and some minor SSE and SSW energy. Wind swells are rising up the scale, too. This means a little something on every corner of the island ... stoked! And it looks like continued high UV (ultraviolet radiation) ratings. Always pack your sunblock with your beach towels and surfboards.
Yesterday (June 21) was International Surfing Day and the summer solstice; great timing for the Kewalos beach cleaup happening Saturday. It’s a perfect weekend to give back to surfing and celebrate long summer days.
Speaking of celebration ... the 10th annual TC Surf Grom Fest at Queen’s Surf last weekend was a high-flying success ... especially for Dustin Cuizon, who reclaims the “Air Invitational.” The youthful groms watched in amazement at how Dustin dusted the competition with his “air-obatics.” Getting above the wave and landing it requires an immense amount of speed and precision. This guy’s a pro for sure, especially when you see who he had to beat.
Mr. Cuizon took home a $1,000 check. Derek Wong, a former Hawaii state champ, took second and earned $500. Third place and a $300 check went to Kawika Stillwell, a multi-time finalist at the air contest. Fourth place and a $200 check went to Tyler Crawford.
Hard to believe it’s been a decade that T&C has been giving the kids 14 and under a chance to have to fun while learning the art of competition. It’s also an awesome weekend with family and friends at the world’s most famous beach. The last day, Father’s Day, included the Board Stories Expressions Session featuring a special parent-keiki tandem division. Even those who did not compete went home winners. KCCN-FM100 deejays stoked out everyone on the beach with prizes from generous surf industry sponsors. Keiki and adults played “non-surfing” games like water balloon toss, and even a PBJ-eating contest. Sweet ... got to eat!
Well, the boys are not back in town ... they’re somewhere in Chile for the fourth event out of 10 on the WCT (World Champ Tour). It’s a place called Arica and its nickname is “The South American Pipeline.” They have a 10- to 15-foot swell forecasted, too. This is the kind of gnarly stuff Andy Irons likes ... plus, he needs to grab a win there to crank his ratings up. A.I. is currently in seventh behind Kelly Slater, Bede Durbidge, Joel Parkinson, Damien Hobgood, Taj Burrow and No. 1 ranked Mick Fanning from Australia. This really looks like Fanning’s year - he’s earned a first, third and second place in the first three events. This puts a lot of points between him and his rivals. But with rivals like Slater and Irons, you don’t even think of “counting your chickens.” This event promises to be more than exciting ... it should be gut-wrenching with adrenaline. Even for spectators ... yes, you can watch it online. I’ll let you know from SURFNEWSNETWORK.COM and 596SURF.
So that wraps up another issue of your MidWeek surf. I hope you’re getting your feet wet and staying stoked! I’ll keep an eye on a big storm forming near New Zealand this week ,which should pump us up near the end of June.
GQ, dropping in 4 U!
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