HONOLULU — Kaua‘i grom Alex Smith made his mark on the Monster Energy Pipeline Pro on O‘ahu Saturday. Smith displayed tube-riding perfection in the closing moments of his 20 minute heat to post a perfect 10-point ride. “There were two
HONOLULU — Kaua‘i grom Alex Smith made his mark on the Monster Energy Pipeline Pro on O‘ahu Saturday.
Smith displayed tube-riding perfection in the closing moments of his 20 minute heat to post a perfect 10-point ride.
“There were two guys in my heat that I respected, so I was kind of intimidated,” Smith said. “I paddled out and I was a little nervous because the waves weren’t that good.”
The two guys in his heat were Jason Frederico and Cody Graham, along with Robert Wurlitzer.
“I took a wave and had a really good ride through the end and then I fell,” he said.
At the time he was in second place.
“I knew (Wurlitzer) needed a 3 to beat me and he went on the first wave,” he said.
Then with 10 seconds left in the heat, and one last chance to take the top spot, Smith went for the next set.
“I knew the set was coming but I didn’t think it would be good because it kind of looked like a close-out,” he said. “So I just went and took it slowly. I almost fell but I dropped it and made it through the barrel.”
Smith almost didn’t get to compete, going in as the fourth alternate. He was given a spot in the competition after a few surfers failed to show up.
Waves of around 6 feet were as flawless as the warm winter weather for the first round of action, allowing many international surfers to ease into what are forecast to become monstrous conditions in the coming days.
The Monster Energy Pro is a $75,000 Association of Surfing Professionals sanctioned 4-star World Qualifying Series event, held on the best three days of surf between Friday and Feb. 9.
Smith is back on Kaua‘i now, but will fly back to O‘ahu as soon as he gets word that the competition will continue.
“It could be Friday or Saturday,” he said.
Twenty-four-year-old Peruvian Alvaro Malpartida, a relative unknown at the international Pipeline arena, also made his mark at the Monster Energy Pipeline Pro, stringing together strong back-to-back scores for the highest heat total of the day: 15.75 out of a maximum 20 points.
Surprising eliminations included Pipeline standout Mark Healey and former Monster Energy Pipeline Pro champion Tom Dosland of Maui, who came off second-best to the increasingly inconsistent waves and lack of tube-riding opportunities that came with the onshore winds.
On hand to experience the action the day were Monster Sweepstakes winners from around the nation who won VIP passes to Hawai‘i to be front-row today. Mississippi’s Brandon Lewis, one of several winners in Hawai‘i for the first time, described today’s waves as “the biggest he’d ever seen.”
“These waves are just incredible,” Lewis said in a release. “I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like in a few days time.”
Organizers will reconvene this week to assess conditions.
All the action and results can be found on www.billabongpro.com or www.monsterenergypro.com.
• Lanaly Cabalo, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
