PWA Tenerife World Cup 2011 wrap

by PWA on 21 Jul 2011 The PWA Tenerife World Cup 2011 is has now officially come to a close. Tenerife has returned to the limelight reasserting itself as a haven for wave sailing. Philip Koster and Daida Ruano Moreno have now cemented their authority on the second stop of the 2011 wave tour.

The world’s most incredible wave sailors were blown away by the insane conditions that Tenerife delivered between 14th-20th July. Seven days of mast high waves and howling winds ensured the official competition was completed in record time and the remainder of the days were spent relaxing and enjoying the El Medano wave sailing Mecca.

Philip Koster (Starboard /NeilPryde / Dakine) and Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) secured their second victory on the 2011 world tour, despite attacks from wave sailing demons Dany Bruch (Starboard / Severne / AL 360) and Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard /Severne) in the double elimination, leading to a dramatic end as the sailorshad to confirm their dominance in the nail biting super-finals.

Men’s Fleet

From the outset the crowds on the beach knew they were in for an exciting week as the world’s most radical wave riders hit the water from the word go. Faultless conditions for the opening afternoon of competition allowed the majority of the single elimination to be completed and many dramas to unfold.

Brit, Adam Lewis (Starboard / Point-7) made his debut appearance on the PWA world tour, defeating US wave ripper Kai Lenny (Naish /Naish). Lewis amazed the judges with his super late smacks on the wave,allowing him to pass through his first high pressure heat.

Round two saw many of the top seeded sailors defend their positions and advance into the top sixteen. Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde)ripped apart every wave to advance past high-flying Alex Sanllehy. Koster proved that he wasn’t just a one location wonder, destroying Albert Pijoan with his huge stunts and El Medano wave king Bruch made use of his local knowledge to take down Alessio Stillrich (Fanatic / North / AL360).

Dario Ojeda (Tabou / Simmer / Dakine / MFC) looked to be on a high after his third place finish in Pozo, putting a stop to Peter Volwater’s(Fanatic / MauiSails) advances in the single elimination. Aggressive wave riding from Brazil’s Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde) made sure the face of PWA TV Ben Proffitt (Simmer) returned back to his commentary booth and Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) suffered at the hands of Ross Williams (Tabou/Gaastra).

The highest scoring wave of the day was claimed by Victor Fernandez Lopez (Fanatic / North / MFC). Fernandez Lopez spotted the set wave and went about pulling two astounding vertical cuts backs and a huge aerial off the lip. The judges were blown away by his performance and awarded him two nine's and an eight.

With diminishing wind and waves the sailors were released for the day. The second day of the competition produced another batch of perfect conditions allowing nine hours of back-to-back heats.

Koster kicked off the men’s heats with a colossal double forward loop to provide him with an early advantage over his opponent Swift. Meanwhile Sadie put a stop to Ojeda’s quest in the single with his slick wave riding.

On the other side of the elimination Bruch made use of his local knowledge to defeat Williams. In the first major upset of the day Australian high flier Jaeger Stone (Severne) amazed the judges with his distinctive top turns and control on the waves to sail passed the 2010 wave champion Fernandez Lopez.

Stone and Koster continued with their rampaged in heat 23, both sailors excelled on the waves taking down Seadi and Bruch, landing them a well-earned position in the winner’s final.

Men’s Final

The tide was at the optimum height for the men's winners’ final allowing mast high waves to roll into the competition area. The sailors opened the heat with huge jumps, Koster landed a mammoth stalled double forward loop and Stone stuck a tweaked pushloop. With a jump in the bag the sailors focused their attention on to wave riding.

Stone continued to wow the judges, pulling vertical top turns and two aerials on one colossal wave. Koster replied with an aggressive cut back sending a huge wall of spray into the air and then turning straight into a taka. Confident with his performance Koster entertained the crowds with a one handed and one footed backloop in the closing minutes of the heat. Koster was awarded the single elimination win at the awards ceremony on the beach.

Women’s Fleet

The women took to wave arena as the tide was at it slowest, making the conditions particularly tough. The fleet had to be extremely tactful during their heats to select the best waves and avoid the rocks.

Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne) opened the competition with an enormous forward loop, keen to prove to her competitors that she meant business. Jaggi went on to defeat her opponent Julia Meijer, with a well-chosen wave enabling her to pull three smooth frontside turns.

Eva Oude Ophius (Naish / Naish) sailed her way to victory passed Alice Arutkin (Starboard / North) with a clean set of wave ride sand a forward loop of her own.

First to fall victim to the rocks was Heike Reimann(Hot Sails) in her heat against Fanny Aubet (JP / NeilPryde). Both sailors focused on their wave riding which saw them quickly lose ground downwind. Aubet made a narrow escape over the rocks; however Reimann wasn’t quite so lucky,catching her fin and rendering her unable to complete the heat and therefore granting Aubet an easy pass into the next round.

The most impressive wave riding in the women’s fleet came from Nayra Alonso (Fanatic / Severne). Alonso stole the show with a display of aggressive cut backs and accurate wave selection, guaranteeing the judges awarded her with maximal points and her entry into the second round.

The sisters Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne)and Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) dominated heats 21, 22 and 23 defeating Aubet, Alonso, Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North) and Jaggi)respectively to earn them entry into the winner’s final.

Jaggi and Alonso were left to battle each other for valuable third place in the losers’ final. Jaggi opened the heat with her trademark forward loop, whilst Alonso focused on her super smooth wave riding. Alonso took the advantage in the final few minutes of the heat, landing a clean forward loop and selecting a huge wave to ride all the way to the inside,securing her third place finish.

Women’s Final

Tenerife witnessed a familiar sight on the PWA world tour, as the Moreno twins went head to head in the final. Iballa held the advantage in the opening few minutes of the heat, landing a stalled forward and then moving quickly onto a large wave to pull three aggressive turns. Both twins displayed an exceptional level of control of their equipment and made use of the whole competition area to land the largest jumps and select the finest waves.

After her initial backloop crash, Daida pulled her performance back,picking out a mast high wave and landing two frontside aerials. She then focused on her jumps and landed an enormous stalled forward loop to take the victory.

Men’s Double Elimination

Eager to take advantage of the epic conditions the judges continued directly into the double elimination providing the sailors with the opportunity to cover up any mistakes made in the single and boosts their overall scores.

The standout sailor from the men’s fleet was Alex Mussolini (Tabou / Gaastra). The exceptionally talented Spaniard sailed through seven incredible heats to earn himself a position in the top six. Mussolini’s ability to select the finest waves and perform perfect wave 360s and takas saw him defeat Camille Juban (Gun / MFC), Klaas Voget (Fanatic / Simmer / MFC),Proffitt, 2010 wave champion Fernandez Lopez, the wild Moroccan Boujmaa Guilloul (Starboard / Severne / Mystic) and finally a really close heat against Campello.

In the heat against Campello, the Venezuelan launched into action with a double forward loop, and quickly moved on to work on his wave scores, Mussolini struggled to find a ramp to launch off but stole the show with his epic wave riding. With no jump points, Mussolini was at a disadvantage throughout the heat, it came down to the final minute before he landed a perfect one handed and one footed backloop to secure the victory with a 5-0 decision from the judges.

The double elimination also observed Marcilio Browne(Fanatic / North / MFC), Kenneth Danielsen (F2 / Simmer / MFC / Mystic) and McKercher (Starboard / Severne) dominate in their opening three heats of the double elimination earning them all thirteen place finishes.

The wild Moroccan Guilloul earned himself his highest ever finish in a PWA competition, working his way through three heats to raise his position to seventh. Guilloul impressed the judges with his super tweaked pushloops and his relaxed wave style on the wave.

With just a few remaining heats to complete the judges waited until the conditions were premium on the third day.

The men’s fleet kicked the day off with Mussolini taking on his close friend Bruch. Mussolini was hoping to continue with his rampage through the double elimination, however Bruch had other plans. Bruch opened the heat with a one-footed backloop, then picked up a wave and pulled three vertical top turns. Mussolini secured a solid wave score-nailing wave 360 but he was unable to find a jump ramp allowing Bruch to take the win with a 4-1 decision from the judges.

Ecstatic with his first win Bruch relaxed into his heat against Seadi. Once again the local favorite opened with a monster backloop and then made sure he ripped apart the biggest sets, whereas Seadi wasted a large part of the heat searching earnestly for a suitable ramp. Bruch went about landing wave 360s and well-timed cut backs to provide him with the advantage. With little time left on the clock Seadi began to panic and he started to hunt for waves to ride. Luck was on his ride and he managed to score the best wave in the heat with a backside 360 and three swift turns however it was too little too late and Bruch advanced.

Bruch then went onto challenge Stone to decide who would advance into the final. Bruch was really coming into his own by heat fifty, pulling super aggressive cut backs and sending walls of spray all over the place. Stone was selecting big waves and dominating his first turn but struggling to follow it up with a further maneuver. Consistent Bruch took full advantage of his local knowledge to pull some slick turns on the best waves, allowing him to advance in the final to face the mighty Koster.

Men’s Final

The opening jumps saw Koster rotate around a super-fast double forward loop, and Bruch drop out the sky on two pushloop attempts. Unhappy with his aerials Bruch stormed out the back of the arena and picked up an enormous wave, the local sailor continued with his wave rides throughout the heat outdoing himself with every turn. Koster was struggling to stay upright after his initial smacks. Koster held the advantage with the jumps up until the final minute when Bruch launched into a one-footed backloop. Bruch’s hard work paid off and he was awarded the win with a 2-1decision from the judges.

Having taken down the event leader, Bruch now had to take him on again in a super-final to decide once and for all who would be crowned the event winner.

Men’s Super-final

The duo took to the water once again, enraged by his earlier performance Koster flew around his opening double forward loop landing bolt upright. The sailors picked up waves, but both fell off the back on initiating their maneuvers. Bruch picked up a big wave and dominated it all the way to the beach, Koster replied with his own equally impressive wave. Determined to take the win Koster launched into his second double forward loop but this time landed planning. The judges were amazed by his performance and awarded him the highest scores. Koster was announced the overall event winner at the prizing giving on the beach.

Women’s Double Elimination

The women’s fleet witnessed Arutkin and Japan’s Waka Nishida advance through their initial heats against Julia Meijer and Amanda Beenen (Dakine).

Aubet’s forward in the second round put a stop to Arutkin's further developments in the double elimination and Treboux dominated in her heat against Nishida.

Treboux continued with her rampage in the double elimination playing her consistent card to defeat Reimann and Eva Tsape (F2/North).

The judges witnessed a particularly close heat between Alonso and Jaggi; both of them made use of their experience and selected the finest waves that rolled through. Jaggi held the advantage with her jumps for the majority of the heat; however Alonso's vertical cut backs ensured her rides were awarded higher points. Alonso sneaked through the initial heat of the day with a 3-2 decision from the judges.

Alonso moved on to face Iballa Ruano Moreno. Alonso continued with her incredible wave riding, however the might of Iballa, was too much to fend off as she landed a colossal back loop and selected two perfect waves to ride directly in front of the judges. The doors to the Moreno final were kept closed for Alonso as Iballa advanced.

Women’s Final

The twins Iballa and Daida Ruano Moreno, took centre stage once again and went to work displaying their most impressive moves. Iballa was fired up from her previous win and landed a clean backloop providing her with the advantage. She then went on to select the largest waves in the heat and take the biggest risks, working them frontside all the way to the inside, while Daida was playing it safe pulling her most consistent jumps and tackling the tamer waves upwind. Ballad was awarded for her efforts with the heat win, meaning the pair would have to enter the super-final to decide who would take the event title.

Women’s Super-final

Having seen her sisters’ tactics Daida was ready for battle, she opened the heat a smooth wave ride providing her with the early advantage. Eager to land a backloop Iballa went for six attempts but the ramps weren’t launching her high enough. Daida continued with her wave riding in front of the judges and then secured the heat win with a perfect backloop in the closing seconds.

Super session

The wind and waves continued to hammer El Medano's coastline, providing outstanding competition conditions for the fourth day running. Having completed the official competition in record time, the crowd son the beach were hungry for more action from the world’s most radical wave sailors.

The sailors were swiftly organized into heats of around twenty sailors and allocated twenty minutes perform their most insane stunts. During that time the judges were looking for the most radical wave ride or the highest most impressive aerial maneuver.

Men’s Fleet Heat 1

Lenny opened the heat with a super-fast backside 360,shortly followed by a succession of takas from Seadi and Voget. Voget picked up a huge wave out the back and quickly secured his lead in the heat with a perfectly timed wave 360. Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity of a life-time Fernandez Lopez stole the show on the jumping front pulling the first double forward loop of the day. Scott McKercher (Starboard / Severne) demonstrated his incredible cut backs on the largest waves of the heat and Francisco Casas Garcia (Starboard / MFC) spent the majority of the heat in the air with his super clean stalled forward loops.

Heat 2

With just twenty minutes to impress the judges, the second men’s heat exploded into action seeing new boy to the tour Lewis spin around a super risky taka on the steepest section of a wave to earn him early points from the judges. Alessio Still rich (Fanatic / North / AL 360) floated around a backloop but was shortly upstaged by Volwater’s perfectly executed one hand and one footed backloop.

Campello picked up two waves and rotated around smooth takas in front of the judges. The action really picked up when Browne flew around a double forward loop, followed by Campello, Volwater, Swift and Martin Ten Hoeve (Point-7) with their own. The heat finished with a final flurry of action as the sailors went for wave 360s, backloops and pushloop in the closing seconds.

Women’s Fleet

Super consistent Jaggi opened the women’s heat will a dry forward loop, closely followed by Japan’s Waka Nishida and Iballa, Iballa continued her dominance in the heat landing backloops and a stalled forward. Tsape was a close rival landing a pushloop off a steep ramp. On the wave front,Beenen clocked up some solid turns however Jaggi picked up the set wave and rode it all the way to the inside blowing the judges away with her slick turns.

Super-session prize winners:

Jumps:

Victor Fernandez Lopez (Fanatic/ North / MFC) - Double forwardloop
Peter Volwater (Fanatic / MauiSails) - Double forward loop
Marcilio Browne (Fanatic / North / MFC) – Double forward loop
Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) – Double forward loop
Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) - Backloop
Evi Tsape (F2 / North) -Pushloop

Wave Rides:

Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde) – Backside 360
Klaas Voget (Fanatic / Simmer / MFC) – Wave 360
Adam Lewis (Starboard / Point-7) - Taka
Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne) – Big wave

For the remaining days the sailors were treated to a day out at the legendary Siam Water Park a round of Golf and two incredible meals in El Medano town centre.

The 2011 Tenerife World Cup Men’s Results:

1st Philip Koster(Starboard / NeilPryde / Dakine)
2nd Daniel Bruch (Starboard / Severne / AL360)
3rd Jaeger Stone (Severne)
4th Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde)
5th Alex Mussolini (Tabou / Gaastra)
6th Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC)
7th Boujmaa Guilloul (Starboard / Severne / Mystic)
7th Dario Ojeda (Tabou / Simmer / MFC / Dakine)

The 2011 Tenerife World Cup Women’s Results:

1st Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne)
2nd Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne)
3rd Nayra Alonso (Fanatic / Severne)
4th Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne)
5TH Laure Treboux (North / Fanatic)
6th Evi Tsape (F2 / North)
7th Fanny Aubet (JP / NeilPryde)
7th Heike Reimann (Hot Sails)

2011 Men’s Wave Overalls: (After two events)

1st Philip Koster(Starboard / NeilPryde / Dakine)
2nd Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde)
3rd Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC)
4th Dario Ojeda (Tabou / Simmer / Dakine / MFC)
5th Daniel Bruch (Starboard / Severne / AL360)
6th Victor Fernandez Lopez (Fanatic / North / MFC)
7th Alex Mussolini (Tabou / Gaastra)
8th Jaeger Stone (Severne)
9th Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde)
10th Marcilio Browne (Fanatic / North / MFC)

2011 Women’s Wave Overalls (After two events):

1st Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne)
2nd Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne)
3rd Nayra Alonso (Fanatic / Severne)
4th Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne)
5th Evi Tsape (F2 / North)
6th Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North)
7th Alice Arutkin (Starboard / North)
7th Fanny Aubet (JP / NeilPryde)
7th Heike Reimann (Hot Sails)

PWA World Tour website