Fredrick Patacchia talks about competing in 2012 ASP World Tour as injury replacement
Hawaiian professional surfer Fredrick Patacchia conceded that he had mixed feelings about competing in the current season of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour.
In an exclusive interview with Transworld SURF, the 30-year-old Oahu-based surfer admitted that even though battling on the ASP Top 34 was something that one could not help feeling excited about, the fact that he was a replacement for his countryperson and
friend Dusty Payne kept him from feeling too happy about it.
“Dusty’s my buddy and to see a talent like that get hurt early in his career—I’m sure he’ll bounce back 100%—but it’s hard to see things like that,” stated Patacchia.
Payne was slated to compete for the coveted ASP World Title, but an injury at the start of the year put him out of action even before the elite tour got underway. As a result, Patacchia got to compete at the first stop of the ASP World Championship Tour,
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, in Australia as the first alternate. He failed to make much of an impression though, walking away with a 13-place finish.
Patacchia went on to surf in the next three events on the 2012 ASP World Champion Tour as well while Payne sat on the sidelines, giving his injuries more time to heal before getting back in action.
“Dusty’s injury was pretty severe but he’s been nice enough to give me a heads up on what he’s doing and whether or not he’s going to be in the event. So I’ve been getting a good two weeks in advance almost every time,” stated Patacchia.
The Hawaiian surfer underscored the necessity of an injury replacement, contending that there was always a high risk of injury present in elite tour events due to the challenging surf breaks that the contenders had to compete in.
Talking about Billabong Pro Tahiti, the fifth of ten stops on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour, which is scheduled to go down in Teahupo’o, French Polynesia, Patacchia conceded that he will be there with his surfboard, all set to jump in case someone
withdraws from the competition due to an injury during warm up.
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