From Testles and Back to Brazil
Written by: Cory Lopez
From: CORY LOPEZ
Date: Sun, May 8, 2011 at 9:02 PM
Subject: Lower Trestles (Redux)
Nike 6.0 Lower Trestles (ASP 6 Star PRIME)
Final Score = 13th
Finally an event I didn’t have to fly twenty plus hours to get to. I have spent a lot of time in San Clemente over the years. So it’s kinda like home.
The swell forecast was not looking good, but there was a nice North West wind swell before the comp started. While the NW may miss San Clemente, it certainly doesn’t miss San Diego. I did most my warm ups for the comp down south where the waves were really fun. I felt good. Matt Biolos (Mayhem) got me some sick new (Placebo) boards for the comp and I really felt on. A small south did show up just in time for the first day of competition.
My first heat went well as I utilized the fun left handers to get my scores. My second heat.., well, that was a heavy one. I had the “people’s champ”, Mr. Dane Reynolds, rising Brazilian “super star”, Alejo Muniz and Australian, Nic Muscraft. Me and Alejo got off to quick starts, putting up two decent scores each in the first ten minutes. Reynolds was having a shocker, not able to find a wave. For most the heat Alejo and I had control but with around five to go, Nic got back in the game. Now, needing only a six five, I new I had to keep Nic off a good one. The ocean was cooperating nicely going absolutely flat. But then with ten seconds to go a bomb wave lurked up and the battle for it was on. Nic and I paddle battled to the peak. Where we both stood up at the same time he wanted the right and I just wanted to keep him of the wave. We collided in a crisscross with me going down. Luckily for me I was deemed to have been in the right spot for the left and Nic was given the interference.
I was now on to the man on man round against Brazilian, William Cordosa. This would turn out to be a frustrating heat for me. My first wave I felt insane so I just couldn’t wait to catch a good one. I did catch some decent waves but for some reason I just misread them and did the wrong maneuvers in the wrong places on them. At the end I only needed a six point eight to win. I caught a wave hit the lip then did a straight air thinking I would land and then get to hit it one more time. Unfortunately I could not get that one more move as it closed out to fast. My score came in as a six point seven and I lost in a tie breaker.
I misread three waves that heat that could have been my scores. The last wave could have been it with an air, (plus) three (more turns) to finish; but that’s How it goes. Split second decisions and you can’t always make the right one. This is my second tie in the last three events and at Bells I lost by point two (0.02). I am hoping that soon I can be on the other side of some of these close ones. I am currently on a plane to Rio for the next ASP WT event and two 6 Star PRIMES. Three events, one month in Brazil and hopefully I find myself with the results I have been looking for.
Cory
View from the shuttle on the down to lowers.
