LIHU‘E — Haleiwa’s Flynn Novak went two for two at the Association of Surfing Professionals World Qualifying Series 1-Star Sponsor Me Hawai‘i on Aug. 21 at Ala Moana on O‘ahu, winning his second consecutive professional surfing event there in as
LIHU‘E — Haleiwa’s Flynn Novak went two for two at the Association of Surfing Professionals World Qualifying Series 1-Star Sponsor Me Hawai‘i on Aug. 21 at Ala Moana on O‘ahu, winning his second consecutive professional surfing event there in as many summers.
Novak, 26, clung to victory by the slimmest of margins after a rapid-fire exchange of high-scoring rides between himself, runner-up Solomon Ortiz, from the Big Island, and third-place finisher Dustin Cuizon of Haleiwa, in great head-high waves. Fourth place went to Hanalei’s Roy Powers, the No. 1 seed for the event, who is currently ranked 36th on the top-tier ASP World Tour, according to as ASP press release.
The Sponsor Me Hawai‘i is a $10,000 ASP WQS 1-Star event that offers critical points towards qualification for the ASP World Tour and offers locals a shot at qualifying for the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing this winter.
Falling just short of the finals was 16-year-old Keanu Asing, of Ewa Beach, who turned more than a few heads in his maiden ASP WQS appearance. Asing ended his five-round run in the semifinals to place equal seventh overall, losing to Novak and Powers. En route, he posted the highest single-wave score of the contest with a 9.75 out of a maximum 10 points in the quarterfinals, as well as the highest heat score of the entire competition with an 18 out of a possible 20 points in the round prior to the quarters.
On final statistics, Asing held four of the top 10 wave scores of the contest and three of the top four heat scores of the event. It was felt from shore that this kid thrives on the opportunity to perform in competition, whether it be a local junior event or a world class tournament such as this. In the end, only the ocean and Novak could keep him from reaching the final.
Novak earned $2,500 for his victory. The lone goofy-footer in the 30-minute final, Novak cashed in on any and all tube-riding opportunities that opened up, posting scores of 8.25 and 5.65 for a heat total of 13.9 points. Ortiz went home with $1,000 and 13.65 points. Cuizon, who posted the highest scoring ride of the final – a 9.25 for a blistering succession of backside snaps, earned $800 for his 13.15 points. Powers left with $700 and 9.75 points.
The Sponsor Me Hawai‘i is important beyond the results, counting towards qualification for the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing this winter. Sixteen local Hawai‘i surfers will get a start, determined through a combination of top ASP WQS surfers from Hawai‘i, and top performers from this event and the Xcel Pro at Sunset Beach in November. Flynn is in good stead after his result.
“I couldn’t even believe I made the final,” said a stunned Novak. “I can’t believe this has happened. I knew what it took (to win) from last year, but last year was more about surfing than tactics. I’m stoked to pull it off in hard conditions.”
While the waves were highly contestable throughout the event, strong offshore gusts and occasional long lulls between waves heightened the importance of tactics and and a healthy wave count.
“I’m really happy that Sponsor Me and ASP Hawai‘i put this contest together,” Flynn continued. “We need more of these. Hawai‘i has world class surf and a super deep talent pool.
Final:
1 – Flynn Novak, 26 (Haleiwa, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i) $2,500, 250 ASP World Qualifying Series ratings points
2 – Solomon Ortiz, 29 (Big Island, Hawai‘i) $1,000, 219 points
3 – Dustin Cuizon, 24 (Ewa Beach, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i) $800, 188 points
4 – Roy Powers (Hanalei, Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i) $700, 178 points
Semifinals: 1st & 2nd to Final. 3rd=5th place, 4th=7th place
SF 1: R. Powers, F. Novak,
R. Paulson, K. Asing
SF 2: D. Cuizon, S. Ortiz,
J. Canteio, Kaipo Jaquias
Quarterfinals: 1st & 2nd to semis. 3rd=9th, 4th=13th place
QF 1: R. Paulson, F. Novak,
K. Cazimero, S. Moody
QF 2: K. Asing, R. Powers,
M. Rothman, L. Rios
QF 3: Kaipo Jaquias, S.Ortiz,
P. Sullivan, D. Silva
QF 4: J. Centeio, D. Cuizon,
C. Carroll, Kaimana Jaquias
