FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 2006
Final Day of the PWA Aloha Classic Wave Championships presented
by JP Australia
Maui, Hawaii (USA) – Polakow charges back up
through the ranks but has to settle for second place as Josh Angulo
lights up the line up on this, the final day of the 21st Aloha Classic
to be held at Ho’okipa beach park.
The decision was made to run straight through the men’s double
elimination ladder today as there would not have been time to run the
men and women side by side. This meant that Daida Ruano Moreno (North
Sails, Mistral) was not able to make a come back, and that her twin
sister, Iballa Ruano Moreno (North Sails, Mistral) was crowned Women’s
Wave World Champion for the second time in her career.
The men’s ladder saw many nail bitingly close heats in the classic
Ho’okipa conditions. With the waves topping off at about mast
high and light, side offshore winds, all the competitors were notching
up some very high scores indeed.
Kauli Seadi (Naish Sails, Quatro International) made a gallant come
back in his fight for the world title, fighting his way through four
heats but finally met his match once again against Ricardo Campello
(NeilPryde, JP) and Victor Fernandez (Simmer Style, Fanatic). Fernandez
opened the door to his own world title dreams by knocking out Kauli
but then had the wind knocked out of his sails straight away by an amazingly
on-form Campello and Matt Pritchard (Gaastra, Tabou).
Campello stamped his mark on wave sailing today, showing that he is
by no means just an immensely talented freestyler. He pulled off one
of his first ever goiters at Ho’okipa in his first heat today
and then backed it up by doing another one in each of his next two heats.
These spectacular goiters, combined with some very powerful cutbacks
and aerials saw him all the way through to the battle for 4th and 5th
place, where he was finally overcome by the incredible power and style
of JP team mate Jason Polakow (NeilPryde, JP).
Scott McKercher (Severne, Starboard) was obviously not happy to have
been knocked out so early in the single elimination as he set out to
gouge his way through the double. He battled it out alongside teammate
Boujmaa Guilloul (Severne, Starboard), neither man wanting to miss out
on the chance to sail another 12 minutes in the perfect, crowd-free
Ho’okipa conditions. In the end, it was experience that won over
new-school trickery as McKercher and Matt Pritchard advanced ahead of
Guilloul and Traversa.
McKercher was finally stopped in his tracks by two more of the old guard:
Nik Baker (North Sails, Mistral) and Matt Pritchard. Baker was unlucky
in his next heat to get caught on the inside in the fluky winds and
was only able to catch one wave, which was not enough to see him through
the heat. This left Matt Pritchard to face Ricardo in an aerial battle,
which eventually ended up with Ricardo winning.
Once Polakow had started though, everybody thought there would be no
stopping him. He showed his young team mate Campello just how well nearly
20 years of sailing at Ho’okipa has honed his timing and wave
knowledge and sailed though unanimously into his next heat where he
met Levi Siver, never a man to lie down and get beaten at Ho’okipa.
Theirs was a very close run heat with both Polakow and Siver scoring
over 8 points for each of their two counting waves. It was a judgment
call between powerful cutbacks and tweaked aerials but in the end it
was the fluidity, speed and power of Polakow’s turns that won
over Levi’s stylish tweaked aerials.
This left Polakow to face the newly crowned 2006 PWA world champion,
Kevin Pritchard (MauiSails, Starboard). Wanting to come away from the
event with an Aloha Classic title as well as the world title, Pritchard
gave it his all, managing to throw in a clean and stylish backside 360
on his last wave of the heat. Nonetheless, it was again Polakow who
came out on top with the most impressive gouge of the event. He wowed
the spectators by throwing about 20 feet of spray from one of the most
powerful and high-speed cut backs any of the judges could remember seeing
at Ho’okipa.
Josh Angulo had to sit through the torment of watching a truly on fire
Polakow advance through heat after heat on his warpath to meet the ex
Maui local in the final. It just goes to show that nothing can faze
a true champion as he went out there for that heat and gave everything
he had without showing even a hint of nerves. Polakow had the chance
to force a resail of the heat but his timing failed him on one of the
best set waves in the heat and he was thrown over the front, leaving
Josh to catch one more set wave and boost a huge, stylish aerial combined
with a couple of solid turns to take the event win.
With that, the year 2006 comes to a close for the sailors on the PWA
World Tour. We crown a new men’s and women’s world champion,
both of them receiving this prestigious honor for the second time, so
congratulations Josh Angulo for winning the event and Kevin Pritchard
for his world title. Also congratulations to Iballa Ruano Moreno for
taking the event win and her second PWA World Title.
PWA / Richard
Page
IMAGES
FOR RELEASE:
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http://www.pwaworldtour.com/typo3temp/pics/66df9fb97d.jpg
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Photo credits by: PWA / John Carter
EVENT
SUMMARY:
The Aloha Classic is one of the longest running wave sailing events
in the world. Since its inception in 1984, the Aloha Classic has been
the traditional finale of the Pro World tour. The top ranking international
competitors are invited to the Aloha Classic competing side by side
with Hawaii's best. The consistent trade winds and seasonally large
surf make the Aloha Classic the most popular destination for windsurfing
media, spectators and athletes. The Aloha Classic is the crown-jewel
of wave sailing events. Don't miss the 2006, 21st anniversary edition,
November 6-17, at Ho'okipa Beach Park, on Maui, Hawaii.
SPONSORS:
JP Australia • PWA • GO! Airlines • Dakine •
Neil Pryde Maui • Flatbread Company • 20-156 Clothing Company
• Red Dirt Shirt Company • Gillo Sunglasses • Aina
Maui Properties (Claudia Garcia R(S) #298-9257 www.mauiinternational.com)
• Jim Sanders Realty • Billy Jalbert, www.mauirealestate.com
• Jaki Ives • The Point 101.1 • Wet Women •
WindsurfingClassifieds.com • Fred Haywood Realty • Vector
Fins • Ray Masters Studios • Pompei Beach Swimwear •
Hawaiian Island Surf & Sport • Maui Windsurf Company •
Second Wind Surf • Simmer Style Hawaii • Hi-Tech Surf Sports
• H20 Audio • Maui Prince Hotel • Maui Ocean Center
• Jacques Bistro • Cafe De Ami • Anthony's •
Mamas Fish House • Cafe Mambo • Charlies Restaurant •
Starboard International • Windsurfing School of Maui • Pole
Position Reports • Paul Ehman Productions • County of Maui
• Maui Windsurfing Association
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.alohaclassicwindsurfing.com/
EVENT
DIRECTOR: Marc Lefebvre
MARKETING/PR DIRECTOR: Inga Stracke
MEDIA PRODUCTION: Paul Ehman
RACE DIRECTOR: Doug Hunt
PRO DIVISION: Rich Page
For more
information about the event, please email us at: info@alohaclassicwindsurfing.com.
To join our mailing list and keep up to date on the Aloha Classic, please
send a SUBSCRIBE message to: mwalist@iwavesolutions.com.