The Reef Haleiwa Pro wound down on Saturday, just in time for Benji Weatherly’s "Cowboy’s versus Hillbillies" party at the Turtle Bay, sponsored by his favourite sponsor (with the worst sticker), Bud Light. The Mad Scientist and I bumped into Tahitian Michel Bourez there who was partying as if there literally was no tomorrow, thanks to his win at the contest and subsequent assurance of his place on the WCT.
Time and tide and the WQS wait for no man, however, and the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing is set to kick off tomorrow (it started today, but the surf was flat). The importance of this event cannot be rammed home enough, even if you don’t think that you care. Put it this way: after the next two weeks, there could be no South African surfers on the WCT next year.
Here's the lowdown: according to ASP numbers guru Al Hunt, it looks as if 11,450 points are required to secure a berth on the elite tour next year.
This number could rise - depending on the results of the event - but essentially there are 24 guys outside the top 15 that could possibly qualify.
That’s 40 guys, all the way down to 40th placed Dan Ross, who are in with a shout. If we remove the 16 who will qualify for the fame, fortune and fornication of the WCT, that’s 24 guys whose entire lives will be dictated by wind chop, inconsistent sets, board choice, what they had for dinner the night before and whether or not they’ve been warming up before surfs.
Between us (and because Al Hunt says so), I reckon only 12 of the guys can really do it.
It’s hair raisingly close, so try to visualise yourself eating dinner tonight in one of these guy’s shoes: Dave Weare will need to make one or 2 heats to secure his berth on the WCT. Sunny Garcia needs to make the final to qualify (at Sunset this should be a given the way he’s been surfing this season), Phil McDonald - who is sitting in position 15 - just needs to make one heat to qualify, and could possibly do it if he just gets a third in his four man heat.
Pat Gadauskas, who was leading the tour earlier this year is suddenly in the cold in 16th place, and needs to make at least three heats to qualify. Greg Emslie could conceivably see his 12th place grabbed away from him in one afternoon, despite ripping at Haleiwa and making the quarter finals. Greg has actually slid in the ratings this week, thanks to stellar performances from several lower placed WQS surfers - people like Michel Bourez who timed his peak like a porn star.
Now imagine being out at 15 foot, onshore Sunset, with Sunny, Bruce Irons and Pancho Sullivan in your heat. You need to make it through one more round to make the WCT for 2009… and ask yourself, do you feel lucky punk?
Huh? Do ya?