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Delpero Shines Among Hawaiian Dominance at Oxbow ASP World Longboard Championships
Author: ASP World Tour
MAKAHA, Oahu/Hawaii (Wednesday, November 3, 2010) – The Oxbow ASP World Longboard Championships tore through Round 1 today as well as the first four heats of Round 2 with local talent Duane DeSoto (HAW), 33, earning the day’s top scores to lead his fellow Hawaiian standouts while young Frenchman Antoine Delpero (FRA) put on an impressive performance amidst the local domination.
The Oxbow ASP World Longboard Championships is a winner-take-all event, with this year’s winner earning the title of 2010 ASP World Longboard Champion.
DeSoto, who is a perennial standout on the ASP WLT and the top local seed, utilized his familiarity of Makaha to match the day’s highest single-wave score of a 9.00 out of 10 en route to the day’s highest heat-total, a 17.10 out of 20 while winning two heats today.
“The way the winds were switching it could have been sixes out there,” DeSoto said. “This is perfect Makaha. The way the waves have dropped throughout the day and the way it’s lining up makes for great surfing. It’s hitting the reef just right and the water is staying cleaner than this morning.”
The Hawaiian natural-footer is also proud to carry the torch for the Hawaiian locals while competing in front of his friends and family in ideal conditions.
“I’m super psyched to have this at my home break,” DeSoto said. “I’m psyched to get through the two rounds today. Half the other round is surfing tomorrow and I’ve had a warm up this morning and I’m still going today and tomorrow is going to be perfect so I’m psyching.”
Bonga Perkins (Oahu, HI), 38, who is a two-time ASP World Longboard Champion, was another Hawaiian to donate a standout performance at Makaha today by posting one of the day’s highest heat totals of 15.15 in Round 2 to advance through to the Quarterfinals.
“Once it started my muscles were burning, but it took me a good seven minutes to even catch a wave in that heat,” Perkins said. “It was high-tide going low, so I kind of expected it, but it was still a little too long. There were lots of waves this morning too. Throughout the years of surfing these Oxbow events, we’ve often been plagued with small waves, so it’s finally good that we have something overhead. It’s nice to see, it’s nice to surf. ”
Perkins is also reveling in the comforts of competing on his native island of Oahu and hopes he can continue through the rounds at home.
“It’s good to have the home court advantage,” Perkins said. “Not necessarily Makaha, but the same island and I want to represent Hawaii all the way.”
Delpero locked into several long Makaha right-handers and combined classic noserides and seamless rail-to-rail power surfing to post the day’s s highest single-wave score of a 9.00 out of 10 while earning a notable heat-total of 16.90 out of 20.
“It was an awesome start,” Delpero said. “To have two surfers in the water at a wave like Makaha was incredible. We had big powerful waves with a clean wall, I loved it.”
The stylish natural-footer has little experience at the famous righthand pointbreak, but had no trouble navigating his way though several tricky backwash sections which plagued several of his fellow competitors.
“You never know when the backwash is coming,” Delpero said. “It’s on the inside, but when you choose one from the outside you never know. I don’t really know this spot that well, so it’s tough, but I don’t think about it when I’m surfing. I love these types of waves. We have a wave in France that is similar and I’ve been surfing there to practice. It’s a right that is sort of full of water with big walls.”
Delpero, who was been a frontrunner on the ASP WLT for several years now, knows an impressive result at this year’s Oxbow ASP World Longboarding Championships will be no easy task due to the group of local Hawaiians at Makaha.
“The local surfers are impressive and they’re going to try and do whatever it takes to win this title,” Delpero said. “They know this wave so well, so surfing against them will be difficult.”
Event officials will reconvene tomorrow at 7am local time for a possible 8am start.
The Oxbow ASP World Longboard Championships holds a waiting period from October 30 through November 7, 2010.
For live scores, photos info and more log on to http://www.oxbowavesliders.com/
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com.
For complimentary high-res images contact on-site ASP ASP Media Representative Bobby Shadley.
Oxbow ASP World Longboard Championships Round 2 Results: Heat 1: Bonga Perkins (HAW) 15.15 def. Amaro Matos (BRA) 9.80 Heat 2: Phil Rajzman (BRA) 14.05 def. Tony Silvagni (USA) 6.00 Heat 3: Duane DeSoto (HAW) 17.10 def. Colin McPhillips (USA) 4.50 Heat 4: Bryce Young (AUS) 14.05 def. Kekoa Uemura (HAW) 13.75
Oxbow ASP World Longboard Championships Round 1 Results: Heat 1: Bonga Perkins (HAW) 12.25 def. Kino Genki (JPN) 8.30 Heat2: Amaro Matos (BRA) 8.75 def. Nobuhiro Ogashira (JPN) 7.10 Heat 3: Tony Silvagni (USA) 10.65 def. Keegan Edwards (HAW) 8.50 Heat 4: Phil Rajzman (BRA) 11.85 def. Nelson Ahina (HAW) 8.15 Heat 5: Duan DeSoto (HAW) 11.50 def. Josh Baxter (USA) 8.75 Heat 6: Colin McPhillips (USA) 10.75 def. Jackson Close (AUS) 10.40 Heat 7: Bryce Young (AUS) 12.25 def. Jared Neal (AUS) 8.65 Heat 8: Kekoa Uemura (HAW) 10.70 def. Harley Ingleby (AUS) 11.45 Heat 9: Kai Sallas (HAW) 14.15 def. Brad Weare (ZAF) 11.10 Heat 10: Matthew Moir (ZAF) 12.75 def. Alexis Deniel (FRA) 8.45 Heat 11: Eduardo Bage (BRA) 13.25 def. Andre Deca (BRA) 11.15 Heat 12: Rusty Keaulana (HAW) 13.05 def. Ben Skinner (GBR) 12.25 Heat 13: Antoine Delpero (FRA) 16.90 def. James Parry (GBR) 7.15 Heat 14: Alex (Picaruta) Salazar (BRA) 10.75 def. Remi Arauzo (FRA) 6.80 Heat 15: Kekoa Auwae (HAW) 12.00 def. Ned Snow (HAW) 8.75 Heat 16: Taylor Jensen (USA) 10.25 def. Dane Pioli (AUS) 10.00