Billy Kemper and Dale Staples emerge triumphant in Round 1 at Vans World Cup of Surfing
Hawaii’s Billy Kemper and South Africa's Dale Staples were able to confirm a spot for themselves in Round 2 (Round of 96) at the Vans World Cup of Surfing, second jewel of the 30th anniversary Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, after claiming top honours
in their respective Round 1 (Round of 128) heats that went down at Sunset Beach in Oahu, Hawaii, on Tuesday, November 27, 2012.
Hawaii’s Evan Valiere finished behind Kemper in the ninth heat to accompany the latter into the next round. French Polynesia’s Alain Riou and New Zealand’s Billy Stairmand rounded out the bottom-two positions, which resulted in their elimination from the
competition.
The tenth heat saw Hawaii’s Myles Padaca secure runner-up place to accompany Staples into the second round. America’s Cory Lopez and Hawaii’s Dege finished in third and fourth place respectively, which consequently removed them from the contention for the
event title.
The challenging giant and even life-threatening waves gracing Sunset Beach on the first active day of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Prime event kept the surfers on their toes, while also making them work extra hard to get their hands on
a couple of decent scores.
The ninth heat saw Kemper adjust to the conditions just well enough to finish on top of Valiere, Riou and Stairmand.
The Hawaiian surfer locked his first business-wave to post a 6.00 on the score-board and went on to back it up with a 5.03-point ride, thus registering a heat-total of 11.03 points.
Valiere successfully extended his life in the event as well after finishing with a heat-total of 9.90 points, which included a 5.23 and 4.67-point ride.
Riou registered a two-wave total of 9.00 points to settle for third place, while Stairmand filled out the bottom spot after finishing with a heat-total of 8.50 points.
The tenth heat saw a slightly better performance being put on display, with Staples find a break during a demanding four-man battle to finish on top.
The South African sensation locked a juicy wave to post an impressive 7.67 points to his account, while backing it up with a 4.70-point ride to finish with a decisive heat-total of 12.37 points.
Padaca finished in second place with a heat-total of 9.83 points, which included a 5.33 and 4.50-point wave. The score took him through into the next round.
Lopez finished third after registering a heat-total of 6.76 points, while O’Connell had to settle for bottom position after finishing with a heat-total of 6.34 points.
The two surfers got eliminated from the competition after putting on an ordinary performance.
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