Brothers Bruce and Andy Irons may not have won the Vans Triple Crown or World Title, but they still finished in the top 45 for the year to earn a spot in next year’s World Championship Tour. Roy Powers, who
Brothers Bruce and Andy Irons may not have won the Vans Triple Crown or World Title, but they still finished in the top 45 for the year to earn a spot in next year’s World Championship Tour.
Roy Powers, who finished the year strongly with a win at the REEF Hawaiian Pro earlier this month, also earned a spot in next year’s WCT.
This year, Kaua‘i and the surfing community also saw the retirement of Rochelle Ballard. The 36-year-old surfer rose as high as No. 2 in the world rankings in 2004 and collected a number of victories including the Gunston 500, the Billabong Pro at Burleigh Heads and the U.S. Open.
Keala Kennelly took some time off to pursue her acting career but came back to surf in the Billabong Pro Maui. In it, Kennelly pulled an upset when she breezed past world No. 2 Sofia Mulanovich.
Gavin Gillette and Evan Valiere also competed in the professional circuit but finished the year outside of the ASP ratings.
A recap of some of Kaua‘i’s groms will appear in next week’s Surf page.
