BEST SWELL OF THE SEASON PREDICTED FOR BOOST MOBILE PRO

News provided by ASP World Tour on 10 September 2005

The world’s best surfers are now arriving in Southern California, USA, and fittingly, the year’s best swell is predicted to arrive right on their heels in time for round one – a fortune the event has enjoyed since it began four years ago.

The Boost Mobile Pro presented by Quiksilver, will be held at Lower Trestles on the nominated dates of September 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18 and all are extremely excited about the forecast.

Trestles is known as one of the premier high-performance surfing locations in the world and with the Foster’s Men’s World Championship Tour surfers hitting the line-up on Tuesday organizers are hopeful of shoulder-high waves escalating to double overhead bombs by the weekend. Event officials are bracing themselves for conditions similar to the epic Boost Mobile Pro event in 2002.

“I can’t believe the luck that the Boost Mobile Pro has had year after year,” said contest director and former Foster’s Men’s World Tour competitor, Mike Parsons. “The south swell forecasted to hit as the contest develops, looks like it’s going to be the biggest south swell of the entire summer!”

Surfline president Sean Collins was equally as ecstatic: “The Southern Hemisphere is coming together with another great swell for the Boost Mobile Pro next week,” said Collins. “We can expect big fun as there’s a new storm developing below Tahiti this week should deliver a solid overhead swell to Lower Trestles by late Friday, September 16, and will last all the way through to the 18th. If this storm comes together as the charts indicate we should see some solid double overhead waves.”

With the 2005 season already playing host to some of the best surfing ever seen Mark Fewell of Boost anticipates the surfers will lift yet another notch here in the USA as Trestles provides such a tremendous playing field.

“Even at one metre (two to three feet), Lower Trestles is an incredible high-performance wave, especially when you put the world’s best surfers out there,” said Fewell. But with double over head waves, just as in previous years, some of the best surfing of the year will take place at the Boost Mobile Pro.”

Notably absent will be defending Boost Mobile Pro winner, Joel Parkinson (AUS). Last year’s world title runner-up was forced to withdraw from competition in Japan last week when he suffered a medial ligament tear in his left knee while free-surfing prior to the event.

“It is really disappointing that this injury has come right at the start of a month where we have three contests back to back,” Parkinson said. “To not be able to compete in the Boost Mobile Pro event that I won last year is frustrating but I have to accept that I need time to recover and I am working with medical professionals to ensure that I am back to 100 per cent as soon as possible.”

Following doctor’s orders, Parkinson has his knee in a brace and is taking it easy while the ligament heals. It is still uncertain whether he’ll be able to compete in the Quiksilver Pro France at the end of the month, but with the option to discard two event results at his disposal, the current WCT ratings number eight (Parkinson dropped from 5th to 8th after withdrawing from the Quiksilver Pro Japan) is hoping he can heal in time.

“One thing is for certain – I will be so pumped about getting back into the water again after this lay off,” Parkinson said.

Also withdrawing due to injury is, ironically, injury replacement Bernardo Pigmeu (BRA). Guilherme Herdy (BRA) has accepted the replacement spot and the other vacancy will be filled by an additional trials winner. Shane Dorian (USA) and Bobby Martinez (USA) have also withdrawn from the trials and taking their spots will be San Clemente’s own Mike Lossness and Hawaiian Ola Eleogram.