Billabong Freewave Challenge Winners Announced
Bringing a close to surfings first ever major virtual surf competition, the Billabong Freewave Challenge announced their winners today of the unique contest that was held on Oahu’s North Shore and began Oct. 1 of last year. The results are in, and they come as no surprise to 5ones (we picked the winners a month ago).
Here are the 2007/2008 Billabong Freewave Challenge winners…
Best Performance Ride - If ever a contest was designed with a particular surfer in mind, this would be it. With two jaw-dropping maneuvers, Hawaii’s own Jamie O’brien actually ended up taking the top two spots. His sense of innovation and endless amount of creativity make him one of the most exciting surfers in the world. He leaves everyone wondering what it is he will come up with next, and with his two entries into the challenge he has shown there are really no limits as to what he’s capable of throwing down. O’brien thrives in this type of free surfing competition and is already looking forward to defending his crown at next years challenge, “I think the Freewave Challenge can be the future for free surfing as more and more surfers get into it and post more and more video clips,” added O’Brien. “I think it could be a monster, we could raise some animals. It can inspire surfers to go to the next level. I don’t want to wiggle to the beach, I want to go off — and I think there are a lot of guys who feel the same way.”
Best Tube Ride - While O’brien single-handedly made the Best Performance Ride category a difficult decision, Huntington Beach’s Timmy Reyes was hands down the clear winner for Best Tube Ride. His deep voyage into the belly of a bombing Backdoor beast wasn’t only the the top entry of this contest, but was widely regarded as the wave of the year on the North Shore. Reyes waited three hours on one of the best days of the winter for the perfect barrel to come to him, and it paid off quite well. “There are a lot of good surfers out there who don’t fit into the existing pro tour format,” said Reyes, “and the Freewave Challenge is the perfect way to really show the best surfing going on in the world. I am so stoked to have had the best tube of the winter. It’s something that I have imagined since I was a little kid. To have this happen is incredible to me.”
Top videographers on the North Shore were also acknowledged for capturing the critical moments of the big wave season on tape. O’Brien’s Rodeo was shot by Pete Frieden & Graham Nash and O’Brien’s Freak Out Turn was captured by Kendall O’Brien. The Reyes tube was shot from four angles by Pete Frieden, Tony Heff, Graham Nash, and Marc Beaty of Surfline.
With the very successful completion of the first Freewave Challenge, the details of the next event are now being released. The next event will take place on the Mainland USA from May to September, and all surf breaks on the West, East and Gulf Coasts are eligible for any ride NOT taking place during a regular surfing competition.
Tags: Billabong
Posted by Shaun on Monday, February 11th, 2008 in Surfing.
Related Posts
Recent Comments