Kolohe Andino admits feeling relaxed after getting through the first stop on the ASP World Tour
America’s Kolohe Andino admitted that he felt really light on his shoulders after getting done with his first event in the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour this past week.
In an exclusive interview to ESPN, the 17-year-old Californian sensation admitted that heading to Snapper Rocks for his first-ever ASP Dream Tour event Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, he was feeling a lot of pressure. The best surfers
from around the globe were going to be attending the event and considering their huge array of skills and experience, he was clearly at a disadvantage.
However now that the event had wrapped up, he felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
“Uh, yeah I mean I had a lot of pressure on myself to do well in the first event only because it was the first event,” said Andino. “Now that it is done I can sort of sit back and realize that I'm on tour and how happy I should be to a part of the ASP World
Tour.”
The San Clemente-based surfer was pitted against the 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater from America in his very first heat on the elite tour. The Floridian surfer took nearly five minutes to get the better of his inexperienced rival, forcing him to
take a trip to the relegation round.
Andino bounced back strongly in the second round after downing his compatriot Brett Simpson to step into the third round. However, he came across Brazil’s Adriano de Souza in his Round 3 heat. Despite an exciting showdown, Andino eventually ended up succumbing
to his Brazilian rival and therefore got eliminated.
Discussing the things that he had learnt during Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast at Snapper Rocks, Andino said, “This event I learned that they really like tradition surfing. Good carves, big bottom turns and linking all of your manoeuvres effortlessly with a nice
air mixed in somewhere. If I could sum it up into two words, it would have to be "variety" and to be "unpredictability.”
The young Californian sensation will resume his pursuit of the ASP World Title at Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.
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