Steamer Lane Comes Alive On Day Five Of The O'Neill Cold Water Classic 2006
Legendary Steamer Lane was at its best for day five of the O'Neill Cold Water Classic presented by Jeep. Both the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) four-star event and the Oakley Pro Junior North American Championships narrowed their respective competitor fields down to the final 16.
Local standouts Josh Mulcoy (Santa Cruz, Calif.) and Josh Loya (Santa Cruz, Calif.) kept their 2006 O'Neill Cold Water Classic campaigns on track, advancing into the quarterfinals. The two surfers qualified for the event via the local trials and are the strong hometown favorites. "I've surfed seven heats already which is a few more than everyone else," Mulcoy said. "Steamer's is the kind of wave that if you haven't surfed it much before, you could have a difficult time out there. The guys who surf here a lot have a big advantage and having all your friends and neighbors show up never hurts either."
Luke Munro
Luke Munro (Currumbin, Aus.), currently ranked 11 on the ASP WQS, battled the lumpy morning surf and moved through to the quarterfinals. With the top 15 finishers on this season's ASP WQS qualifying for the prestigious Foster's ASP Men's World Championship Tour in 2007, Munro is in good standing. "I've had a pretty good year but I haven't qualified for the WCT yet," Munro said. "A result here would be huge and really give me that confidence I need going into the end of the year."
Nathan Yeomans (San Clemente, Calif.) moved one step closer to clinching the Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series title, advancing through his round of 32 heat. 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. The two will meet in Sunday's first quarterfinal heat of the O'Neill Cold Water Classic presented by Jeep. For more information on the Macy's Trifecta Surf Series visit www.catrifecta06.asglive.com.
The Oakley Pro Junior ASP North American Championships continued this afternoon with the round of 32. As the final event of the 2006 ASP North America Pro Junior series, this contest determines who will represent the region in January's ASP World Junior Championships.
Sterling Spencer (Pensacola, Fla.) and Adam Wickwire (Satellite Beach, Fla.), currently ranked fourth and fifth respectively on the ASP North America Pro Junior ratings going into this event, were surprise eliminations from competition today leaving the door open for a possible ratings shift. The current Pro Junior leader, Eric Geiselman (New Smyrna Beach, Fla.), will surf Sunday in the second quarterfinal heat.
Alex Gray
Dion Atkinson (Seaford, Aus.), although eliminated from the O'Neill Cold Water Classic earlier in the day, smashed his opponents with the day's high heat total of an 18.77 out of a possible 20.
"The waves are much better out there this afternoon than they were this morning," Atkinson said. "I'm pretty disappointed that I didn't advance in the Cold Water Classic, but it's good to go out there and try my luck in the Pro Junior."
The top-four finishers on the ASP North America Pro Junior series, along with Alex Gray (Palos Verdes, Calif.), will gain entry into the ASP World Junior Championships held in Narrabeen, New South Wales, Australia. Gray has already secured his entry by being the highest-ranked North America surfer of the WQS who is of junior age - Gray is currently ranked 43rd. For more information on the Oakley Pro Juniors visit http://surfermag.com/events/oakleyjr06/.
Source: O'Neill
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