07.03.03
by: Chris Cote EXPN.com
Summer south swells are beginning to tickle the California coast and the water is warming up. Time to dust off that Speedo and squeeze in a few last-minute sessions at the gym.
The Sport of Kings was finally invited to the X party, but tanned bods will be the only bronze at this year's X Games surf contest, to be held in Huntington Beach on August 9th. The event will feature Brad Gerlach's ultra-hot contest format known as "The Game." Two teams of eight surfers will battle in a win-lose format, so gold will be the only hardware distributed at the Games. Surfers will ride four-at-a-time in 20-minute heats. The scores for all eight team members are added together and the highest total score wins.
Think basketball with boards instead of balls, waves instead of wood, and Tim Curran instead of Kobe Bryant. An all-star West Coast team will face a star-filled East Coast squad. The lineups have yet to be finalized, but names like Slater, Hobgood, Machado, Lopez and Knox have been mentioned. The X Games will air August 16 to 22 on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.
Peter Mel took home first place -- and 25 bucks -- at The Red Bull 5X challenge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Speaking of contests, the second Red Bull 5X challenge wrapped up June 13th in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The comp featured five of Santa Cruz's best: Peter Mel, Adam Replogle, Daryl "Flea" Virostko, Shawn "Barney" Barron and Anthony Ruffo. Each competitor threw five bucks into a hat and hit the surf for a 90-minute slash, air and tube festival. The session was filmed, then viewed by the five surfers. The surfers judged each other in five categories-torque, boost, mojo, push and combo. This day was all Peter Mel. For his all-around ripping he won a whopping 25 bucks.
June Sponsor Changes
Rob Machado is keeping time on a Nixon watch. Rob was voted onto the team by current team riders. "Having Rob on the team is great for all of us," said Bruce Irons. "He's one of the best in the world and a perfect addition to Nixon." Says Rob: "I'm really stoked."
Kalani Chapman will ride Rusty Surfboards and clothing for the next three years. Kalani is traveling the world on photo trips.
Dean Morrison has signed a multi-year deal with On A Mission. Dean will be ripping all over the Gold Coast of Australia with help from OAM traction, leashes and boardbags, and he has a signature fin coming soon.
Jun Jo and Sanoe Lake are riding for newly formed Analog Clothing. Analog also sponsors skater Heath Kirchart and snowboarder Marco Frank Montoya.
Adio has added San Clemente air-specialist and all-around ripper Nate Yeomans to its shoe program. Nate joins the hard-charging team of Mike Lossness, Taylor Knox, Tim Curran and Joel Fitzgerald.
Huntington Beach's Jesse Evans can expect free gear and a monthly check from Ambiguous Clothing.
Brad Gerlach is representing Electric eyewear. You could say he's been electrocuted! You could, but we won't.
East Coast ripper Brendan Willem is riding for Split-New Jersey represent!
Tensions were high at the Red Bull 5X ... which lucky surfer would leave $25 richer? Oh, the stress!
A tell-all book about six-time world champ Kelly Slater will hit bookshelves in August. The book, titled Pipe Dreams, chronicles Slater's life, from his humble beginnings in Cocoa Beach to his Baywatch debut to his days with Pamela Anderson. The book was written by Kelly's long-time friend and fellow Floridian Jason Borte.
In other World Champ news -- Andy Irons won the Quiksilver Pro--Japan in late June and boosted his lead in the WCT race to an astounding 960 points after five events. "I'm so happy with how this year's going, but there're a lot left," says Irons. The tour rankings look radical with Mick Fanning in second, Kieren Perrow in third and Joel Parkinson in forth. The next WCT contest starts July 15 at the legendary J-Bay in South Africa. Irons is favored, but in the red-hot right-handers of J-Bay, it's anyone's game.
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