Um, so the Surfer Poll Awards went down last week in Anaheim.  We weren’t there this year but we fully expected Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore to be rewarded for their great seasons last year.  After all, the awards are supposed to honor the best surfers from the last season, not right now.  Turns out we were wrong…

Anyway, it’s great that “Bustin’ Down the Door” won two awards.

We’ve gotten a few releases about the awards, so read on for those — you will also see the full results…

Dane Reynolds also won something.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF AT THE 2008 SURFER POLL AND VIDEO AWARDS PRESENTED BY SUZUKI AUTO

DANA POINT, Calif. (Sept. 10, 2008) — The masses have spoken and once again Kelly Slater and Sofia Mulanovich reign supreme in the ultimate annual election. The two accepted their awards last night at the 2008 SURFER Poll and Video Awards presented by Suzuki Auto at The Grove in Anaheim, California. The venue was packed to the brim, with several being turned away at the door due to a record-breaking over-capacity crowd. The other big winner of the night, claiming both “Movie of the Year” and “Documentary of the Year,” was “Bustin’ Down the Door” featuring surf legends Shaun Thomson, Peter “PT” Townend, and Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew.

The action began outside on the red carpet with celebrity sightings including Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness, Miami Ink’s Tim Hendricks, musical guest Mickey Avalon, Prison Break’s Dominic Purcell, Charger football legend Junior Seau and former Major League Baseball pitcher David Wells, alongside all the big-name pros. FUEL TV was on hand filming for an upcoming broadcast, which will feature highlights from the night and classic “Point Break” dead presidents reenactments. Hosted again by the dynamic duo of Sal Masekela and Benji Weatherly, the evening stayed true to its roots of irreverent commentary and soul-stirring highlights from all of the year’s best surf movies and action.

“SURFER Poll is by the people and for the people – which makes it unique,” proclaimed Masekela in his fifth consecutive year greeting the SURFER Poll audience. This sentiment was echoed throughout the night as Poll Award winners accepted their trophies with humble acceptance speeches thanking their fans for voting and their sponsors for supporting. “It’s pretty cool to have the readers of the magazine like what I’m doing,” said Taj Burrow upon claiming sixth-place in the Poll, which awards the top 10 men and top five females honors based on SURFER readers’ voting.

Special guest presenters for the evening and for the Video Awards portion of the show included: South African icon Shaun Thomson, who presented Kalani Chapman with “Best Tube Ride” for “Second to None;” former World Champion Sunny Garcia, who presented “Best Male Performance” to fellow Hawaiian Clay Marzo for “Just Add Water;” SURFER Photo Editor Grant Ellis, who presented “Photo of the Year” to Scott Aichner; new SURFER Editor Joel Patterson, who presented “Boost Breakthrough Performer” to Nathaniel Curran; and legendary filmmaker Bruce Brown, who presented “Movie of the Year” to the “Bustin’ Down the Door” crew.

While most of the names in the Poll remained consistent, only shuffling in order, two surfers made their debut. In the women’s Poll, 16-year-old phenom Coco Ho claimed the No. 5 spot and accepted her award modestly stating: “It’s an honor to be standing here with my heroes and friends,” and giving a shout out to best friend, Carissa Moore, who snagged third in the Poll for the second year in a row. In the men’s Poll, ASP World Tour rookie and aerial dynamo, Dane Reynolds, made an impressive first showing in the No. 3 spot. Reynolds also walked with the “Best Maneuver” award for “Dude Cruise.”

A testament to just how impressive Reynolds is, Kelly Slater, upon accepting his monumental 14th Poll focused heavily on giving props to the young up-and-comer.  “Dane Reynolds is the best surfer in the world by far,” said Slater. “Surfing has advanced to where it should be right now and Dane is proof of that. Sitting back and watching surfing today [at the Boost Mobile Pro] made me really proud.”

Completing the event’s “firsts,” Dave Rastovich was presented with the first-ever “Agent of Change” award for the work he is doing with Surfers for Cetaceans. He launched the nonprofit in 2004 to help support the protection and conservation of dolphins, whales, and other marine wildlife, and is truly making a difference among the surfing community and beyond. Surfers for Cetaceans and Surfrider’s “Save Trestles” campaign were the two beneficiaries of this year’s VIP table sales, which raised $16,000 for the two organizations to share.

Complete SURFER Poll and Video Award results:

Coors Heavy Water
Ian Walsh (The Life)

Worst Wipeout
Mark Healey (The Life)

Best Tuberide
Kalani Chapman (Second To None)

Best Female Performance
Stephanie Gilmore (Somewhere)

Best Male Performance
Clay Marzo (Just Add Water)

Best Maneuver
Dane Reynolds (Dude Cruise)

Best Cinematography
Waterman

Best Documentary
Bustin’ Down the Door

Movie of The Year
Bustin’ Down the Door

Boost Breakthrough Performer
Nathaniel Curran

Photo of the Year
Scott Aichner

Agent of Change
Dave Rastovich

Breakthrough Filmmaker
Matt Beauchesne

SURFER Poll Men
   1. Kelly Slater
2. Mick Fanning
3. Dane Reynolds
4. Joel Parkinson
5. Andy Irons
6. Taj Burrow
7. Bruce Irons
8. Rob Machado
9. Bobby Martinez
10. CJ Hobgood

SURFER Poll Women
   1. Sofia Mulanovich
2. Stephanie Gilmore
3. Carissa Moore
4. Layne Beachley
5. Coco Ho

Check www.surferpoll.com for complete details from the event including images and video.  See highlights on FUEL TV on October 27 in the “Meet & Brotatoes” Monday night special block at 8pm ET/PT. Check www.fuel.tv for additional airdates and times.

Special thanks to the sponsors of the 2008 SURFER Poll and Video Awards: Suzuki Auto, FUEL TV, Red Bull, Boost Mobile and Coors.

QUIKSILVER SURFERS PICK UP FOUR WINS AT 2008 SURFER POLL AWARDS

(Huntington Beach, Calif.) September 11, 2008 – Quiksilver congratulates team-riders Kelly Slater, Clay Marzo, Dane Reynolds and Mark Healey for first-place nods in categories for Best Male Performance, Best Maneuver and Worst Wipeout at the 2008 SURFER Poll and Video Awards presented by Suzuki.  Slater was once again voted into the top-spot in the poll, while Marzo picked up Best Male Performance for his role in “Clay Marzo: Just Add Water”.  Dane Reynolds locked in Best Maneuver for his sick sections in “Dude Cruise” while Mark Healey was lauded for continuing to chase shacks despite suffering Worst Wipeout on film in “The Life”.

The 36th Annual SURFER Poll award show was held on Tuesday, September 9 at the Grove of Anaheim, and was attended by top industry executives, pro surfers, celebrities and other notables.  Slater’s win Tuesday brings his tally of SURFER Poll awards to 14 in the year he is expected to win his ninth World Title.

Upon receiving his award the surf legend focused on praising the up-and-comer Reynolds, “Dane Reynolds is the best surfer in the world by far,” said Slater. “Surfing has advanced to where it should be right now and Dane is proof of that. Sitting back and watching surfing today [at the Boost Mobile Pro] made me really proud.”

For all up-to-date information on Quiksilver team-riders’ activities, and Kelly’s quest for number nine, please visit www.quiksilver.com and be sure to sign up for the Mountain Wave blog.

For additional coverage of the 2008 SURFER Poll Awards check out www.surferpoll.com.

ROXY PROFESSIONAL SURFERS TAKE HOME TOP HONORS AT THE 2008 SURFER POLL AWARDS
Sofia Mulanovich Claims #1 Spot for the Fourth Consecutive Year, With Young Gun Carissa Moore Claiming Her Second Consecutive #3 Ranking

Huntington Beach, Calif. – (September 11, 2008) – History repeated itself at this year’s SURFER Poll and Video Awards with Roxy team rider Sofia Mulanovich winning top female surfer for the fourth year in a row, her sixth SURFER Poll award altogether. Roxy’s young superstar Carissa Moore scored the #3 spot for the second consecutive year.

The 36th annual SURFER Poll and Video Awards is recognized as the most powerful voice in the surf industry because the list is determined by the people, those that love the waves. Roxy rider Mulanovich won her first #1 SURFER Poll award in 2005, and remains on top ever since. In addition, Mulanovich took home two awards in 2006 for Best Documentary and Best Female Performance in a Surf Film for “Sofia – A Documentary.”

“I am so stoked to have won the SURFER poll,” said Mulanovich, via video.  “It’s special because it is an award decided by the votes of surfers from around the world, which is the group that matters most in the end. To win the top honor four years in a row is so amazing, I can’t thank everyone who voted for me enough.” Currently Mulanovich is competing aggressively at the Billabong Girls Pro Rio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sofia Mulanovich was not the only Roxy girl making waves at this year’s award ceremony. Sixteen-year-old “Queen of the Groms” Carissa Moore nailed the #3 spot for the second consecutive year.  Over the past five years Carissa Moore has captured the surf world by storm with her incredible talent and vibrant personality.  Amassing a fan club that includes Kelly Slater, who said, “she’s a refreshing face of humility and kindness.  And she’s arguably one of the best ever at her age, in any sport.”  Moore thanked her fans and her father for the support given to her.

Sofia Mulanovich, the world’s first Latin American surfing champ, and Carissa Moore are proud members of the Roxy surf team.  Leaders both in and out of the water, they embody the spirit and heritage of the Roxy culture.

There were only six heats of action left at the Rip Curl Pro Search contest in Indonesia and all went down today in about four-foot waves meaning the scores weren’t too high for the most part but good enough.

There weren’t many upsets but Dane Reynolds’ ouster at the hands of Daniel Willis (11.00 to 6.67) could be considered a minor one, as was Neco Padaratz knocking out Pancho Sullivan.   There was some controversy around Reynolds’ loss after a high-scoring wave was not counted thanks to an interference call.

Among thesurfers who advanced were Freddy Patacchia, Ben Dunn and Mick Campbell.

Keep reading for a full breakdown of the day’s action along with the full results.  Get more about the contest at the official site.

Dramatic Action as Rip Curl Pro Search Round 2 Completed ‘Somewhere’ in Indo

SOMEWHERE, Indonesia (Friday, August 1, 2008) – The remaining six heats of Round 2 of the Rip Curl Pro Search were completed this afternoon in speedy, low-tide four-foot (1.5 metre) waves at the primary venue “somewhere” in Indonesia.

Stop No. 6 of 11 on the 2008 ASP World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Search went on hold for most of the day before event organizers decided to complete Round 2 in hollow lefthanders, which bore witness to some of the more dramatic performaces of the event.

Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), current No. 22 on the 2008 ASP World Tour ratings, lit a fire this afternoon securing deep tube rides and executing beautiful forehand carves to net a day’s high heat total of a 17.33 out of a possible 20, eliminating Leonardo Neves (BRA) from competition.

“The tide is super low out there right now but these conditions really suit my surfing,” Patacchia said. “I think I managed to pick off the best waves in that heat and they really opened up for me and allowed me to perform. I’m stoked to advance through Round 2 and I’m looking forward to the rest of the event.”

Patacchia will now face Luke Stedman (AUS) in Round 3 when competition resumes.

“I’ve yet to really have a breakout result this season,” Patacchia said. “I feel like I have been building momentum the last two events though and the wave here in Indo is one that I could really do well at. I think the swell is supposed to pick up over the next few days and I hope it does – game on.”

Daniel Wills (AUS), current No. 34 on the ASP World Tour, survived a hard-fought Round 2 heat this afternoon, narrowly eliminating highly-touted rookie Dane Reynolds (USA) from Rip Curl Pro Search competition. In the dying moments of the heat, Wills used a priority tactic to draw an interference on Reynolds, causing the youngster’s triple barrel finale to become nullified.

“No one wants to win heats that way but it’s a competition and that’s how it goes sometimes,” Wills said. “I had a good start to the heat and then held priority for the back half. I should have done my job a little better and stayed on him a bit closer towards the end and I would have been in better position to perform on that wave, but that was my mistake and I had to take off anyway.”

Mikael Picon (FRA), current No. 26 on the 2008 ASP World Tour ratings, overcame the dangerous low-tide conditions this afternoon to advance past 2008 Dream Tour rookie Jay Thompson (AUS) with a solid 16.94 out of a possible 20.

“I lost a bit on skin on the reef on my elbow and my foot and my ass but it was worth it to get through the heat,” Picon said. “It’s so shallow out there this afternoon, but I am very happy to advance through to Round 3. The wave here is good for me on my forehand and I am hoping for a good result here.”

Surfline, official forecasters for the 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search, are calling for an increase in swell during the night and throughout tomorrow.

Event organizers will meet tomorrow morning at 7am to make the call for a potential 7:30am start.

The event will be webcast LIVE via http://live.ripcurl.com/

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

REMAINING RIP CURL PRO SEARCH ROUND 2 RESULTS
Heat 11: Daniel Wills (AUS) 11.00 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 6.67
Heat 12: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 17.33 def. Leonardo Neves (BRA) 9.87
Heat 13: Neco Padaratz (BRA) 11.83 def. Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 8.84
Heat 14: Mikael Picon (FRA) 16.94 def. Jay Thompson (AUS) 10.83
Heat 15: Ben Dunn (AUS) 16.67 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 9.83
Heat 16: Mick Campbell (AUS) 15.00 def. Luke Munro (AUS) 10.67

RIP CURL PRO SEARCH ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS
Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Daniel Wills (AUS)
Heat 2: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Damien Hobgood (USA)
Heat 3: Luke Stedman (AUS) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Royden Bryson (ZAF)
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 6: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Michael Campbell (AUS)
Heat 7: Dayyan Neve (AUS) vs. Tim Reyes (USA)
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 9: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA)
Heat 10: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs. Bruce Irons (HAW)
Heat 11: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Mikael Picon (FRA)
Heat 12: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Ben Dunn (AUS)
Heat 13: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Ben Bourgeois (USA)
Heat 14: Dean Morrison (AUS) vs. Roy Powers (HAW)
Heat 15: Andy Irons (HAW) vs. Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 16: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Chris Ward (USA)

When the event starts, one big name may not be in attendance. Dane Reynolds, currently ranked no. 10 in the world, posted an update on his site saying he was sick and was going to miss at least round one. If he missed it, he would still have a chance to compete in round two.

Here’s what Reynolds wrote on his website yesterday.

I was meant to fly out to Fiji last night for the next WCT event that starts tomorrow. Instead I’m stuck at home nursing some kind of illness that nobody can say what it is. It started 2 days ago with some serious chest pain and something restricting my breathing. I went to urgent care and they did an EKG and a chest x-ray. They sent me to the emergency room where they did more of the same, along with some blood tests. At about 3 AM I was discharged without an answer.

Yesterday I was bedridden with some bad flu like symptoms. My brain felt like it was in a deep frier, aches, pain, still some trouble breathing. Hot and cold flashes. Anyways, The point is is that I’m missing the first round in Fiji due to this illness, but if my health improves I’ll fly out tomorrow night and try and catch the second round. So basically, if I’m on your fantasy surfer team, pull me off. Trade me for adriano or something.

dane

(Note to Dane: I ended up dropping you and picking up Joel Parkinson. Sorry)

On a positive note, the event’s defending champ, Damien Hobgood, will be back in action after missing the recently completed Billabong Pro Tahiti.

Check out the official site for the latest info and then read the press release below for more.

The Going Looks Good for the 2008 Globe Pro Fiji

COOLANGATTA, Australia – Just one week after wrapping up competition at Teahupoo in Tahiti, the ASP Top 45 are eyeing promising surf forecasts in Fiji – it looks as if the fourth event on the 2008 ASP World Tour, the Globe Pro Fiji, could get underway the first day of waiting period on Sunday, May 25, 2008.

While the surfers will arrive on the idyllic islands of Tavarua and Namotu on Saturday, May 24, a traditional Fijian Welcome Ceremony and freesurfing will take center stage –official competition cannot commence before Sunday.

“I spoke to the Globe crew who are preparing everything for a likely Day 1 start in Fiji,” Contest Director Steve Roberts said. “They tell me it is flat today but the weather is whipping up and there’s clearly some serious activity in the Tasman Seas so everyone is excited about arriving into some great swell.”

According to the official Globe Pro Fiji forecasters at Wavewatch.com, conditions are expected to be in the double overhead and higher range through the weekend.

“I don’t want to get too excited just yet but apparently Jon Roseman and Dave Clarke are optimistic that Sunday could see Restaurants fire up,” Roberts said. “The last time we surfed the Globe Pro at Restaurants was the Kelly Slater vs. C.J. Hobgood final in some of the best surf ever seen in an ASP event. Between Cloudbreak and Restaurants we’re in for an amazing event in one of surfing’s dream locations and with swell coming, well, let’s get ready for a really special event!”

Damien Hobgood won the event in 2006, and after recovering from a recent shoulder injury, is ready to defend his title next week. (NB: the Globe Pro Fiji was not held in 2007).

“I just started surfing and feels pretty good,” Damien Hobgood said. “My shoulder gets stronger every day and I will be surfing for sure.”

Hobgood was also the defending champion going into last week’s competition in Tahiti, but he had to pull out of the event at the last minute when it was apparent his fractured shoulder had not healed completely.

“It was really hard not surfing Tahiti but I know it was the right decision if I wanted to be able to surf Fiji and the rest of the year,” Damien Hobgood said.

A third of the way through the season, ASP rookie Dane Reynolds (USA) sits just inside the Top 10 as the highest rated tour newcomer of eight. Next in line and 11 spots below him sits South Africa’s Jordy Smith.

“I guess it relieves a little pressure,” Reynolds said. “It’s early in the year though and doesn’t really mean anything yet, I don’t think. I’m happy to be there though.”

Despite his rookie status, Reynolds has competed in ASP World Tour competition in Fiji before.

“I’ve never had much luck at Cloudbreak – I find it pretty tricky although I’ve never had it really good,” Reynolds said. “I love Restaurants though. I actually won the trials out there in 2004.”

A LIVE webcast of the Globe Pro Fiji will be available on www.globeprofiji.com.

Top 10 ASP World Tour Rated Surfers going into the Globe Pro Fiji:
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 2810 points
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 2340 points
3. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 2318 points
4. Andy Irons (HAW) 2196 points
5. Mick Fanning (AUS) 1989 points
6. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 1932 points
7. Taj Burrow (AUS) 1886 points
8. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 1874 points
9. Kai Otton (AUS) 1800 points
10. Dane Reynolds (USA) 1742 points