What's the heaviest move you've seen pulled in competition?

[Jack Beresford]

Soul surfers beware: if you can't do it with a jersey on it doesn't count! I'd like to hear what the biggest move you've seen in a contest. I saw Gigs do something at the Worlds I still can't fully explain. It was in an early-round heat at the Brazil '94 titles. He rode the wave into the inside shorebreak and, as the wave tubed over to close out, he turned hard off the bottom, penetrated up through the lip and then cranked around in a 360 reentry. I've never seen anything like this since (oh yeah - he won the contest).

[SFKneelo]

or that I've been in/watched many contests...
At the '99 World's in NZ, there were a couple of stand-outs...
The heat in the repos at Puniho, where you, me, Dean Bould and Stewie Irwin...
On paddles back out, I enjoyed your big, committed floaters; Stewie's tight, repeatitive turns under the lip, and Dean's smooth style...
Also in the contest, Matt Gallager also strung together an impressive series of hard top-to-bottom turns. Steen was also ripping hard turns. Nothing bizarre, just hard, solid surfing.
Back to the floaters... for those that have seen Sparrow & Friends, picture the floaters that Simon was pulling in the Maldives. Smooth and committed in the most critical part of the wave.

[Jack Beresford]

Check out how much air Troy Simpson is getting on this wave at last year's worlds. Crazy stuff!


Courtesy:
http://www.shoal.net.au/~rslater/world2set.htm

(it's about half-way down on the left)

[eqKneelo]

In the 1988(???) NSSA, WSA, or USSF finals at Oceanside, Chris Anderson did the most ridiculous roundhouse EVER! He was going right on a solid overhead double up that was about to closeout. He laid into this sick full rail cutback, projected off the bottom into a figure 8, and then instead of hitting the foamball, went all the way around and then straight up into the lip. He was going so fast and the lip was so thick that he was actually upsidedown. He then projected out 4 feet into the flats, corkscrewing upright, and nailed it. The rest of us in the heat looked like this and realized we were all fighting for 2nd.
Sprocky saw it from the beach and still talks about it.[/b]

[Tom Linn]

Picture this- Finals of 1986 World Titles in Newquay, England. 2000 people watching from the beach, TV coverage, the whole nine yards. Finalists are Michael Novacof, Simon Farrer, Chris "Psycho" Consaco and myself. Novacof takes off on a solid double overhead barreling wave, drops in straight to the bottom, lays out the bottom turn and jams straight up the face, goes completely upside down, flipping the heaviest, cleanest El Rollo in kneelo history. He lands it cleanly and continues down the line ripping it up. Needless to say, Novacof won the heat, Farrer second, Psycho third, dead last for me.

[scoop]

tom

nov is a freak....

i learned of him by watching "water slaughter" doing those fabulous barrel rolls....now hes in our club though still in retirement coaching his son Matt hopefully to a level or above that he attained....im nowhere near that standard but surfing with great kneelos (as i had the privilage of doing at the "worlds 02") or the "Simpson " boys at their local break....makes you surf way above your normal level..I once had the privlige of surfing in our local monthly comp when Simon paddled out and blew everyone away...but to him it was a saturday session having fun doing what he does best (he wasnt part of our comp)
just being at the worlds last year and surfing with or just watching Giggs...Albert...Kyle... Baden and the many other great kneelos doing their best.....keeps me doing what i love and hope to support in the future

tony

[Steeno]

This was also a long time ago, think it was 83 or 84, it was the NSW Individual Titles. Andrew Smith, Baden Smiths twin brother was surfing in my semi final, we where surfing at North Narrabeen. Nothing special this day, but typical of Narra had plenty of punch. I will never forget this, he drove straight of the bottom, straight up and and did a complete summersault coming down backwards and spinning around only to bottom turn and of down the line. What also made this special was the look on his face as he had realised what he had just achieved. for months after this I tried and tried and tried to do one. No chance. I was the weirdest wildest kneelo thing I have ever seen. To this day the only person who has come close that I have seen to doing this would be Troy Simpson, doing a rodeo flip and pulling it. but not in a comp.

[Steeno]

Tom
I remember that World Titles in 86 at Newquay, I was living in England about nine miles up the coast from Newquay, working as a lifeguard. I never ventured down to watch though, I wish I did, just to see Nov do that manouvre. I think I was to busy being the only Aussie amongst the lasses.

hehe

[red]

Leash pulling, splashing water in eyes, verbal psych - not the kind of heavy moves you're talking, I guess!

Worst I saw was xxxx run over a fellow competitor (un/intentionally?) to take the heat (rider on wave has unconditional right of way in old competition rules) Heavy

No place for this in new wave /old farts (that means you, Jack!) soul kneeboarding - but heavy hassling, block outs (2 competitors block 1 from getting any waves), etc etc still happen

[Jack Beresford]

Red,

Yeah - sometimes the heaviest moves happen out the back. Not too much lately - we seem to have mellowed a lot in our old age. I miss the good old bumping rails days!

[Ler]

I'll bet there will be some rails being bumbed in November. Everybodys buddies til the horn blows, then its on..

[Jon Manss]

If your from up here the saying goes;
Friendship ends at the high tide mark and you won't know when but you will know why. looking foward to it. Jon