Big Upsets On Day Four Of The O'Neill Cold Water Classic 2006

Big upsets went down as the conditions at Steamer Lane continued to improve at day four of the O'Neill Cold Water Classic presented by Jeep.  The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) four-star event narrowed it down to the final 32 competitors in the men's event before moving into the opening round of the ASP Oakley Pro Junior National Championships.

The round of 64 saw some huge upsets with the surprise eliminations of Gabe Kling (St. Augustine, Fla.) and Patrick Gudauskas (San Clemente, Calif.), currently ranked 7 and 25 respectively on the ASP WQS ratings.  Also going down were local standouts Peter Mel (Santa Cruz, Calif.) and Kieran Horn (Santa Cruz, Calif.).

As the final event of both the ASP North America men's tour and the Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series presented by Jeep, the O'Neill Cold Water Classic saw huge dramas unfold today as the ratings shifted in the Trifecta points race.  Nate Yeomans (San Clemente, Calif.) held on in his round of 64 heat today to overtake previous Trifecta ratings-leader Dustin Cuizon (Ewa Beach, Haw.).  Yeomans muscled his way through a star-studded heat that included Evan Valiere (Kilauea, Haw.), Mike Todd (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and an on-fire local Josh Mulcoy (Santa Cruz, Calif.).

"I'm super psyched to pull ahead for the $10,000," Yeomans said of his new spot at the top of the Trifecta ratings.  "There're still a few heats to go and though the money is a great bonus, I'm really focused on doing well in the event.  A good result here would give me a ratings boost for an assault next year - my goal is the ASP World Championship Tour."

Should Yeomans finish ahead of remaining Cold Water Classic competitor Nathaniel Curran (Ventura, CA), he will win the 2006 Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series title.  Curran needs to finish second or better in the Cold Water Classic to overtake Yeomans.  The Trifecta, in association with Action Sports Group (ASG) and the ASP, will award the overall points-winner a bonus of $10,000, a second-place bonus of $3,500 and a third-place bonus of $1,500, now that no single competitor has the opportunity to win all three events for the $33,333.  Though Cuizon is out of contention for first place he could still collect part of the prize for second or third place.  For more information on the Macy's Trifecta Surf Series visit www.catrifecta06.asglive.com. 

The Oakley Pro Junior ASP North America Championships, running in conjunction with the O'Neill Cold Water Classic, kicked off this afternoon with the opening round of 48.  Dion Atkinson (Seaford, AUS) went absolutely ballistic in his first heat, netting a 9.50 and a 9.70 for the highest heat total of the event, resulting in a 19.20 out of a possible 20.  "This event has been my first time surfing Steamer's and I absolutely love it," Atkinson said. 

Mason Ho (North Shore, Haw.) dazzled spectators this afternoon with his fully-committed surfing garnering him a 9.77 out of a possible 10, executing a massive four-foot aerial maneuver before flowing into a series of slashes.  "Having all your friends up on the point is so motivating," Ho said.  "They're all screaming for you to do something big, and the waves are so good right now, you can just go out and really push it."

Source: O'Neill

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