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Oxbow World Longboard Champioships - McPhillips Defeats Perkins To Retain Titles
Author: ASP World Tour
Clean 3ft (1m) waves were on offer at La Rocca throughout the morning, ideal for traditional longboarding mixed with modern flair.
McPhillips, who celebrated the birth of his first newborn son Kye James earlier this week, controlled the final for another momentous achievement. Having secured a 9.25 and then another near-perfect 9.4 during the 35-minute decider, his best two-wave total of 18.65 points was the highest of the entire tournament. Given he also posted the best single wave of 9.75 in round three, there’s no denying he dominated the field in Cabo en-route to equally the record of three (1999, ’01 & ’02) world and Oxbow titles set by Rusty Keaulana (Haw) previously.
“Thanks guys,” began McPhillips, surrounded by his father and brother, as well as members of the media on the shoreline. “I’m really stoked. I lucked into a couple of good waves. Anytime you can beat Bonga, it’s a good thing. He’s a hard guy to beat, so I’m really happy.
“I’ve finally got the wave figured out a little more,” he continued of La Rocca’s lineup, having visited the location numerous times. “Today I felt the best out of the whole contest. I’m glad it came together when it counted. This is a good longboarding wave and it worked out well, so thanks to Oxbow for supporting this over the years.
“Oh yeah, 15 grand will definitely come in handy,” he added. “This one definitely goes to Amy (his fiancé) for taking care of my biggest thing ever at home while I was down here doing this. This is for her. Having a child takes the cake, but this is icing on top.”
Perkins, who was leading the ratings following his win at the previous event in France, finished runner-up for the third time in an Oxbow world longboard championship. Despite some great rides, he was left requiring a combination of scores worth 11.16 points against McPhillips and ultimately returned to the beach with more than a minute remaining. Having finished third at Jeffreys Bay last year, the Hawaiian was pleased to go one better in 2002.
“Going into the final I felt pretty good,” said Perkins afterward. “After the first few waves I started catching an edge and I guess I froze up when I needed to shine. You win some; you lose some. It sucks, but what can you do?
“He was surfing good, no doubt,” he added, of his opponent. “Being in the lead for a little while was nice, and being top two isn’t bad either. At least I moved up a notch from last year.”
Equal third today were 2000 ASP & Oxbow world longboard champion Beau Young and fellow Australian Jye Byrnes. Young, who turned 28 this week in Cabo, eliminated Mathew Moir (SAfr) this morning, before contesting a great match with Perkins. The lead swung throughout, and the pair actually tied at the end on 15.95-points. On a best single wave count back, however, the Hawaiian won with an 8.5 in his tally, while Young’s highest score was an 8.0 and he had to settle for the finish as last year.
“I reckon I could have surfed better, but I always think I can,” admitted Young. “I think I did screw up that last wave at the end, and that could have been the difference. That’s life, I guess. Third overall is OK.
“It’s great to be part of the longboard family,” he added. “I love being here watching all my friends surf.”
Byrnes, who finished 2001 rated 4th, was beaten in the dying seconds of his semifinal when McPhillips secured an 8.0 ride. Having eliminated last year’s tour runner-up Jason Ribbink (SAfr) earlier today, he earned the highest placing of any goofy footer at La Rocca in the 2002 event to again finish the season in fourth position.
“It was a pretty close heat and tight at the end,” said Byrnes. “I got stung by a blue bottle at the start, and then it was fairly inconsistent for the first 10-minutes. Gradually I got a couple sets, but I saw Colin get a good one too. My scores just weren’t enough to hold him off, and when I caught my last wave I thought it was going to be it, but Colin got one behind it and surfed it well. He got what he deserved. I’m stoked with third, and being the last goofy foot at a right hand point break.”
Finishing equal fifth in the Oxbow world longboard championships were South Africans Ribbink and Moir, together with Brazilians Jeremias da Silva and Amaro Matos, who were eliminated by McPhillips and Perkins, respectively.
Two expression sessions were also held today, showcasing 12 contestants. Jeremias da Silva (Brz) won the best nose ride, Duane DeSoto (Haw) the best manoeuvre and floater categories, Lucas Proudfoot (Aus) the best off the lip, while Mathew ‘Mouse’ Moir secured the best overall ride.
Official results of the 2002 Oxbow World Longboard Championships
1st Colin McPhillips (USA) 18.65 - US$15,000
2nd Bonga Perkins (Haw) 14.65 - US$9,000
Semifinals (defeated finish =3rd; receive US$4,600)
SF1: Colin McPhillips (USA) 17.0 def. Jye Byrnes (Aus) 15.75
SF2: Bonga Perkins (Haw) 15.95 def. Beau Young (Aus) 15.95
Quarterfinals (defeated finish =5th; receive US$3,000)
QF1: Jye Byrnes (Aus) 16.25 def. Jason Ribbink (SAfr) 6.25
QF2: Colin McPhillips (USA) 15.55 def. Jeremias da Silva (Brz) 12.4
QF3: Bonga Perkins (Haw) 15.25 def. Amaro Matos (Brz) 14.0
QF4: Beau Young (Aus) 15.75 def. Mathew Moir (SAfr) 13.3
Final 2002 ASP World Longboard Ratings
1. Colin McPhillips (USA) 2,060
2. Bonga Perkins (Haw) 2,032
3. Beau Young (Aus) 1,606
4. Jye Byrnes (Aus) 1,376
=5. Sebastein Wilson (Aus); Jonathon Larcher (Fra) 1,210
=7. Amaro Matos (Brz); Mathew Moir (SAfr) 1,182
=9. Duane DeSoto (Haw); Kekoa Uemura (Haw) 1,090
11. Jason Ribbink (SAfr) 1,052
12. David Simons (Aus) 1,050
13. Lucas Proudfoot (Aus) 1,000
=14. Alex Salazar (Brz); Ian Bell (Aus) 980
16. Jeremias da Silva (Brz) 972
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Jesse Faen
Media Director, ASP Int’l
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