Kalani Chapman and Billy Kemper survive Round 2 at Billabong Pipe Masters
Hawaii’s Kalani Chapman and his fellow countryperson Billy Kemper secured their place in the third round at the Billabong Pipe Masters after clinching victory in their respective Round 2 heats that went down at the Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii, on Saturday,
December 8, 2012.
Chapman got the better of Australia’s Adrian Buchan in the first heat to successfully make the Round 3 cut, while bringing the competition to a premature end for his rival in the process.
The second heat saw French Polynesia’s Michel Bourez succumb to Kemper, getting eliminated from the competition as a result while sending the latter through into the next round.
Being the last stop on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour and the third and final jewel on the 30th anniversary Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, Billabong Pipe Masters is easily the most exciting surfing event
of the year, with plenty of glory and rewards on stake.
With six-to-eight foot waves breaking at the primary event site on the opening day of the competition, a heavy dose of thrilling action was promised. The surfers were expected to give it their all to ensure their survival in the contention for the event
title and coveted ASP ranking points.
The first heat of Round 2 pitted event wildcard Chapman against Buchan in a battle for survival, which the former won with quite a convincing margin in the end.
“I just paddled out and knew since the first heat had priority that I wanted to move around and get as many waves as possible. That was my game-plan and it started out really well. I was stoked to get a really good start and I hope it happens every time.”
Both the surfers got off to a modest start, though the local surfer eventually stepped-up to post an impressive 7.67 on the score-board. He soon backed it up with a 6.17-point ride to get to a heat-total of 13.84 points.
Buchan responded with a two-wave total of 10.60 points, which comprised of a 6.83 and 3.77-point ride.
The second heat saw Kemper claim a convincing victory over Bourez after earning an impressive 8.00 off his first business-wave and backing it up with a 1.33-point ride for a two-wave total of 9.33 points.
The French Polynesian surfer only managed to get to a heat-total of 5.04 points, which included a couple of waves in the two-point range, to find himself eliminated from the competition.
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