By Mark Rosenberg
Pipe Masters Finals Highlights from Surfing Life on Vimeo.
It’s another pristine day on the sands of the Ehukai Beach Park. Pipeline hasn’t come to the party but Backdoor happily takes centre stage. Sun shines and the crowd fills in. Mainland tourists, crusty old shapers, tattooed braddahs, model-esque women and everyone in between. Gerry Lopez, Mr.Pipeline has flown out from Oregon to be here. “I left Pipeline because I didn’t feel like I belonged here anymore,” he says, “Today, I look around and remember why I miss it.”
I’m sitting on the stairs next to the Volcom house when Shane Dorian strolls past. “I’ve been hanging out with Kelly these past few days,” he says. “I’m not sure if he’ll be on tour next year but I’m sure he wants to finish 2010 with a bang.” Kelly’s in the water against Adrian Buchan. He makes an unmakeable barrel and the dominoes fall. Ace is comboed. The Billabong house erupts. Joel Parkinson is a three times Triple Crown champion. “I’ve had a coffee and champagne in my hand the whole morning,” he says, “I didn’t want to start celebrating too early. Now it’s time to let my hair down.”
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| J-Flo come from behind to take the crown. Pic. ASP |
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| Kieren Perrow was five minutes away from being a Pipeline Master. Pic. ASP/Kirstin |
Taylor Knox can’t find waves against Dane and the chasm between them is apparent when Dane punctuates one pit with a six-foot slob grab. He doesn’t land but amplitude overrules and the beach erupts. Never mind the knee brace, here’s the Dane show. He get’s a 9.33 and advances.
Jeremy Flores v Kelly Slater takes to the water. The Quiktourage aren’t at all torn, like everyone they’re expecting KS to win. A barrelfest ensues and another Kelly milestone looks likely. Jeremy’s been on point all day, but surely can’t dethrone the king? Time’s ticking and J-Flo needs a 7.67. Kelly makes an uncharacteristic priority mistake and Flores nabs a life-raft cylinder. He needs a 7.67. It looks like a high nine. He ducks, drives, weaves, comes out waving ten fingers in the air. 7.93 comes the call. It's an underscore, but the result remains the same.
Jeremy advances to the final and on the beach tells everyone's favourite bro-mentator, GT, that Andy Irons was his inspiration. "Andy was the only one who took it to Kelly. So, when I needed a wave I thought what would he have done. I didn't think about Kelly after that, and I got my wave." Jeremy has Andy's initials and trademark rising sun motif scrawled across the deck of his board. Yesterday Irons brought Dusty the nine point wave he needed to requalify with one second left on the clock. Today AI bundles his old rival Kelly out of the comp. Even when he's not here, Andy's kicking arse and taking names.
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| Dane did his usual, blew minds one hit, barely caught any waves the next. Pic. ASP/Kirstin |
Dane Reynolds and Kieren Perrow are up next. Dane gives his gal a quick kiss, bumps fists with Marine Layer filmer Mini, signs a few autographs, paddles out. The people’s champ. This time however there are no vert ramp lobs. KP calls on experience to once again get oh-so-pitted. “I can’t keep focus for long enough at these event,” says Dane. He’s non-committal about next year but points out he loves competing. He’ll be back.
Twenty minutes later the most unlikely final of the year takes to the water. Two guys who’ve been around for a while yet never made a final in the big leagues. It’s easy to forget Flores is but 22. Kieren is older by nine years, but went Searchabout for a while as Young Gun Jeremy made his name.
KP and J-Flo have the skill set but their names aren’t synonymous with victory. They trade barrel for barrel and KP looks to have it sewn up. Kieren, the wiliest competitor of them all, has it in the bag. He has priority. He can sit on Jeremy, sweat him till the hooter sounds. His entourage make plans to chair him up the beach, five minutes remaining. Those who know what Flores is capable of bite their tongues.
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| Mr. Backdoor at home. Pic. ASP/Kirstin |
A set approaches. Sets this morning have been two wave affairs at best. Jeremy needs an 8.6 and KP can do what he wants. If he thinks he can better his 6.5 and extend his lead he can go, but by doing so he’ll leave the second unknown wave for his opponent. If Kieren figures the wave doesn’t offer Jeremy 8.6 points of value he can let him have it. Kieren … goes … drives … gets shut down. His heart sinks as he surface to see Flores paddling into one of the waves of the day. The Frenchman swings in high and tight, locks his arm in the wall, and goes and goes and goes and emerges in a shroud of spit as the judges touch nines into their screens. France, nay, Europe’s first Pipe Master is chaired up the beach. Euroforce is suddenly, no longer just a cute marketing term. Vive la France. Jeremy est roi.
Visit the link: http://surfinglife.com.au/news/hawaii-2010/5839-2010-billabong-pipe-masters-finals
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