Final day, 12th February, 2010

 After an epic trials event and spectacular morning for the Top 32 on Wednesday in a maxing out Sunset Beach, today dawned more manageable for the assembled riders, but still with solid sets coming through, providing the arena for the most spectacular display of riding in the history of stand up paddlesurfing competition.

 6 - 8ft with the occasional bigger sets, the whole fleet was on fire, with explosive turns and barrel rides becoming standard for each heat. Major upsets in the second round included the exit of local favorites Kainoa McGee, Duane DeSoto and Chuck Patterson, while Sunset Beach local Kamaki Worthington was shining in the challenging and unpredictable surf, as was the young Kai Lenny, proving himself amongst the collective of ocean sports legends. Also standing out was Ekolu Kalama from Molokai, Bonga Perkins and Kekoa Uemura from Oahu, charging hard and providing a spectacle for the assembled crowds.

 Kai Lenny - courtesy of Hank Fotos 

As we came to the Semi Finals, the level of competitive, performance surfing was through the roof, and despite some incredible riding, Ekolu Kalama, Bonga Perkins, TJ Saemen and Aaron Napoleon all fell to the hands of the on form Kamaki Worthington, Kekoa Uemura, Frenchman Peyo Iralour and the youth phenom, Kai Lenny.

 Head Judge Leleo Kinimaka introduced the beach start for the Final heat, providing entertainment for the assembled crowds as the riders not only had to focus on the waves, but also the fearsome Sunset Beach shorebreak! What followed was one of the most spectacular finals imaginable, with all riders pulling out the stops to be crowned Champion of the Sunset Beach Pro, presented by Red Nose: Kekoa Uemura was on fire and putting it all on the line, to the point that he also earned the award for the most radical wipeout! Kamaki Worthington, fresh from an epic semi final (where he was presented with the Single biggest move award by Da Hui and a $1,000 for his efforts), was still charging hard, with critical turns and fluid riding at his homebreak. Frenchman Peyo Lizaruzu was still demonstrating his exceptional ability and demonstrating that his position in this prestigious final was more than deserved. But all this talent and performance riding was not enough to stop 17 year old Kai Lenny from dominating from start to finish, with an incredible display of performance riding and event maturity that was way beyond his years. 

 Kai Lenny - courtesy of Hank Fotos

As Champion of the first ever World Championship event, stop one on the Stand Up World Tour, the future is bright for this teenager from Maui. His talent, humble nature and focus has allowed him to take the world by storm and place him firmly at the head of the ratings after the first event, and crowned him the Sunset Beach Pro Champion for 2010. 

 

In between the semis and finals, the Na Kama Kai youth event took place, showcasing Hawaii's most talented youth, but also highlighting the non profit Na Kama Kai that provides ocean sports opportunities for Hawaii's underprivileged youth (see www.nakamakai.com). After an epic showdown, it was Maui's Zane Schweitzer who came out on top, closely followed by Bullet Obra from the Big Island and Connor Baxter from Maui. It is such a special thing to be able to witness the youth, our future, clearly demonstrating that the future of this incredible sport and the Stand Up World Tour is not only secure, but brighter than ever.

 

From Slater Trout winning the Trials event at just 15 years old, to Riggs Napoleon making it into the main event at just 12 and ending with Kai Lenny winning the first ever Stand Up World Tour event here at Sunset Beach, this week has been dominated by the youth, showing that the story is only beginning to be told. We look forward to bringing you the next chapters of this story as we move onto France in May, Tahiti in June and California in October.

 A big thanks goes out to our sponsors Red Nose, Maui Jim, Hulakai and Go AIrlines, Da Hui for their Biggest Move prize and to our supporting sponsors Sunetric, Duke's Waikiki, Turtle Bay Resort, Da Kine, Longboard Lager, Hawaiian Springs Natural Water and Hele wireless internet. We would also like to thank our partners Na Kama Kai, Surfrider Foundation, Stand Up Journal and our media partner, Ocean Paddler TV.

After consulting the advisory board and the riders committee, it was decided to go for it: the goal with the Stand Up World Tour is to showcase the outer limits of the sport and the most visually dynamic and exciting action possible....what better way to do it than put amongst the most talented stand up paddlesurfers in the world out at Sunset Beach in solid, pumping swell.

As the first heats paddled out, tension mounted as some sets breaking out across the Bay came rolling through, washing through the line-out and taking no prisoners. But any thoughts that this would deter the athletes from charging to the best of their abilities and courage were extinguished with Ekolu Kalama's first ride of the day, as he made his way down the line of a solid set, pulling into an impressive barrel on the inside. Spectacular, jaw dropping rides followed from all athletes in the first 3 heats, with a stand out performance by Australia's James Billy Watson, notable riding by Sunset local, Kamaki Worthington, as well an impressive charge by Garrett MacNamara.

During the latter stages of the 3rd heat, the knock on effect of the buoys jumping up to 17 ft at 17 second interval impacted Sunset Beach, with a series of monstrous sets that washed through the Bay and turned the conditions ugly, forcing organizers to cancel for the day and go back to a holding pattern until conditions improve. 

Next call will be at 7am tomorrow morning (Thursday) and keep an eye on the site for the latest updates, information and highlights from the Sunset Beach Pro, presented by Red Nose.

We would like to thank our sponsors: Red Nose, Maui Jim, Hulakai and Go AIrlines, as well as our supporting partners, Sunetric, Da Kine, Turtle Bay Resort,  Longboard Lager, Hawaiian Springs Natural Water, Hele Wireless and Nano Greens. We would also like to thank our media partner Ocean Paddler TV, Surfrider FOundation and Na Kama Kai (please note the Na Kama Kai clinic for Oahu's keiki will take place from 9am on Sunday morning mentored by some of Hawaii's most respected watermen and led by founder, Duane DeSoto)

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