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Jay Quinn | Billy Stairmand | Richard Christie |
With the event getting under way tomorrow around 7.30am PST, I have been busy. Busy riding all the new boards I got under my wing before I flew over here. With my usual magic sticks not performing in no less than pumping Lowers Trestles I had to try the new ones out. Lucky for me, I have some new found love for these boards. Nice and colourful for the judges too…
I must be dreaming some sort of sick and twisted dream. All day today I have been surfing waves that were over head and fun. I am in California. That never happens here!! It’s exciting is what it is. Here’s hoping the swell holds in for the next week or so!
It has been some time since I typed on this very keyboard. My computer had been shacked up in the shop getting some tender loving care. Not too sure why, as it is only 11 months old! However, it is now out and ready to roll back into action again. And just in time.
The next stop on the ASP Prime series is at the picturesque setting of Lower Trestles on Southern California’s coastline. After some above and below average showings at all the events I’ve contested this year I will be looking to put it all together here and get the year rolling. It’s not going to be easy to go and spend a month away from the family. But, it is time to bring it home for my family, my sponsors and most of all, myself.
You can check all the action out at http://www.nikelowerspro.com/ from May 1 Pacific Daylight Time.
So this year in Newcastle I took a different approach. The kind people at britz.com.au have supplied me with a campervan to tour around the Australian leg in. So I’ve taken it upon myself to be a dirty carpark backpacker! Only, I’m doing it in relative luxury.
While only managing a 17th in Newcastle, it still came as a positive event for me. With a couple of big heat totals, before losing toWorld Tour surfers Taj Burrow and Adam Melling in a close heat, I have many positives to carry on through to Margaret River for the Prime event there next week.
Keep your eyes on aspworldtour.com for the link to the live feed for the Drug Aware Pro. Looks like it could be a victory at sea type beginning to the event. So some interesting watching to be had!
Here are some highlights and photos from the week…
A big thank you to Britz Campervans once again. You can rent your own Van at www.britz.com.au
The first ever Australian Open of Surfing went down last week at Sydney’s infamous Manly beach. Lets be honest, the huge set up didn’t do much to hide the size of the surf. The start of the event traveled well in 3ft surf. Come the Open mens, it was more around the 1ft range.
Although the surf didn’t rise at all, the action was still hot. The results showed how small it really was with a good flavour of young hornets rising to the top. Billy Stairmand was one of those, placing 3rd in the mens. A mighty result from the little tacker! Although your old dad took it to his second round heat, his 3rd round was nothing to write home about. So with both myself and Rick out early, Bill had to hold it down for the boys.
We now have 3 weeks before the resumption of the WQS Australian leg in Newcastle and Margaret River. Rick and Bill are back home in NZ for the NZ Circuit event in Gisborne. I have opted for more family time down south of Sydney.
A big thanks to Britz for handing me a camper for the week. It was a great family wagon and I would highly recommend taking one around the country or even for a week trip. You can get yours at www.britz.com.au
All photos were taken from the Australian Open of Surfing website and in no way are credited to suitcasesurfers.com
Kia Ora!!
Hope everyone out there is enjoying the thrills and spills of the new year!!! The weather in Aotearoa has been up and down like a yoyo. One minute its snowing down south, nek minute its 32 degrees and solar flaring left right and centre. I have a splintering headache from a day at the beach but the summer vibes have been flowing.
First off I wanna congratulate ma lil brother Billy for his efforts at the Nationals, making him one up on Jay and I which I must admit grinds my gears just a lil hahaha GO THE KID!!! Love ya bruv
In two days Jay and myself will be starting the two and a half day airport bender which usually leaves you wound up at the end looking like a half-sucked twistie….luckily for jay there is no change lol.
We are off to Fernando Da Noronha which is a tiny volcanic island just off the coast of Brazil. It usually offers some pretty decent waves similar to Piha Bar, maybe just a little bit more of a speedy straighthander and it definitely explodes a bit more on the shallow sand.
It also is one of the most amazing places I have ever been. It is a WWF protected zone as it is home to a number of protected and endangered species. Plenty of secluded bays to get deep on and plenty of super charged ACAI to get high on.
I also can not wait to get back on the Buggyminyip!!!
Stay tuned!!! Its 2012 and we got this!!
Heres a lil clip of Billzy and I from last year, just to jog ya memory.
Churr to Fernando!!
And Chur to you
hey giys. hope everyone has had an amazing summer. all the boys have had a good start to the year. here is a couple clips of the nationals. hope you enjoy. wooohoooo
thanks errrbody
billy the kid
http://www.3news.co.nz/Surfing-champs-crowned-at-Piha/tabid/317/articleID/240168/Default.aspx
Well, the boys have started off with a bang in 2012. Billy has won his NZ National title number 2 in small waves at Piha over the weekend. And proving I am aging like a fine wine, I have won the Senior mens division. In similar performances in both division finals Billy scored 17.10 to combo the field and grab the big cup which I failed to defend. I turned back the clock a few years and surprised myself in closing out conditions with a couple of air reverses to score 17.43 and combo the Over 28′s. In doing so we have kept the trophy in the suitcase surfers cabinet for another year and left only one event in the last two years being won by anyone other than the suitcase surfers in New Zealand!
Now it is time to focus on the upcoming events overseas as myself and Richard head off to Brazil for the Hang Loose Pro Prime event. We’ll be looking to get the form back on track and post some results for all of you watching back home! You can do so where ever you are around the place at www.aspworldtour.com and click on the link to the right of the page!!
Well another year bites the dust. Another year older or, as some might say, another year wiser. It came with a whole mixed bag of things happening in my life. Weddings, funerals, NZ winning the World Cup, results on tour and the birth of my first child.
It was a really good year on the competing front. With two NZ surfers (myself 41 and Richard Christie 43) inside the top 50 surfers in the world at seasons end and another (Billy Stairmand 79) inside the top 100. Due to new the mid year rotation rule being scrapped we will now have to replace all results in our bag to try and qualify for the 2013 World Tour.
On the home front, it was just as successful. I was married at the start of the year to my wife Ashley. And we have had our first child, a boy.
So 2012 has come and is throwing a handful of new challenges at me. Hopefully it rolls on and we all find the success we are striving for year in year out. Thank you to everyone who has followed us through our website and the online coverage from all over the world via ASP live feeds. We hope you will join us again as the suitcase surfers take to the sky again to chase that elusive World Tour spot that NZ so deserves. With your support we shall deliver.
Cheers,
Jay Q
