The Association Of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Surfing Event at Trestles 2011 catapulted the sport of surfing.  World Tour Surfing Events take place at premier locations all around the globe.  World famous Trestles has been one of the Association of Surfing Professional's selected location for years.  High performance surfing has entered a new age.

In 2011, there are eleven Professional World Tour events on the calendar.  World Tour event locations are picked for several reasons based on their historical reputations for producing some of nature's highest quality surfing waves.  Major sponsors and political climate also influence the list of locations.  The World Tour destinations include Tahiti, Hawaii, Brazil, South Africa, France, Portugal, and California.  Trestles, a respected break, has been part of the ASP World Tour of Surfing for years..

Trestles is wedged between Orange County and San Diego County, California.   The city of San Clemente is to the north and the city of Oceanside is to the south.    Trestles remains pristine although is being encroached upon by urbanization.  The Trestles experience includes a cobble stone-like rock reef, kelp beds, marine life, river mouth, train tracks, long waves, progressive surfing, and large crowds of surfers.

Pete Townend Trestles 2011

ASP competitions are set to run over a duration of time (Event Window) that will maximize the opportunity to receive swell.  The 2011 World Tour Event @ Trestles had a 7-day window (September 18th-24th).  Surf events used to require a minimum of 4 days  to complete a contest.  With less competitors on the World Tour roll call this year the contest time requirement is down to about 3 1/2 days.  Surfline.com forecasted overcast to sunny skies, cool water, and a decent swell with  clean conditions.  The contest kicked into gear on the 1st day of the waiting period.  Overall the waves ranged from 2 to 4 foot with a couple of days giving way to Classic Trestles conditions.

Surfing, as an organized sport, has officially entered a new era.  Athletes are attempting newer moves in contests constantly.  Most of the newer tricks fall under a newer category: Aerials.  The ASP and World Professional Surfers (WPS) agreed that wave scoring would need to reward the completion of aerials and other newer tricks.  Judges dedicate Focus and Weight on smooth transitions, flow, style, identifiable "Critical Point Maneuvers".  The use of "Instant Replay" has been helping to determine interference calls and in scoring waves.  Instant replay also makes it easier for judges to score simultaneous rides.  LIVE Webcasts have been evolving quickly and are starting to take on a professional feel.  Webcasts are incorporating announcers, guest speakers, multiple camera angles, interviews, statistics.  One of the benefits to fans and viewers is that the webcast serves as a real-time itinerary.  World Tour event prize money has also hit a respectable level that is almost on par with other professional sports. Pete Townend was asked, by Philip Dominguez (ProSurfBlog.com), "What are some of the most significant changes that have occurred in the last decade or two?" Pete responded "The first thing that has changed in regards to the sport is Money.  Guys are now making a million dollars a year" Pet Townend went on to credit competitive surfing for much of the innovation that has taken place.

The 2011 line up of 34 competitors consists of 32 World Tour competitors plus 2 wildcards.  The Roll Call includes some of the Usual Suspects like Kelly Slater (2005, 2007, 2008, 2010 Trestles Winner), Mick Fanning, Taj Burrow, and Bede Durbidge.  The mid-year World Tour competitor rotation has opened the door to newer faces.  The World Tour now features a number of aerialists and innovators such as Dane Reynolds, Josh Kerr, Gabriel Medina, Matt Wilkinson, Jadson Andre and Adriano De Souza.  Dane Reynolds, a West Coast favorite, has been on the injured list for most of the 2011 season.

 

Josh Kerr Air - Trestles 2011

The Trestles 2011 contest was action packed.  Right off the bat, Kelly Slater beat Rob Machado and  Feddy Patachia in Round 1 of the contest, putting fellow competitors on edge and gaining access into round 3 (skipping round 2).  Raising the bar with Slater in the first round were Taj Burrow, Matt Wilkinson, Michel Bourez, Adriano de Souza, Josh Kerr, Brett Simpson, and a few others.  By Tuesday September 20th, Round 3 was in full swing.  The dust had settled and the competitor list shortened from there.  Taj Burrow eliminated Kai Otton from the event in Heat 1.  In Heat 2 of Round 3, it was Adriano De Souza who defeated  Jadson Andre to advance.  Jumping to Heat 4, Heitor Alves knocked out Michel Bourez. Then Josh Kerr edged out Gabriel Medina in Heat 5.  Kelly Slater got his hair wet in Heat 6, where he dominated over Tom Whitaker.

 

Heitor Alves Shove It - Trestles 2011

Sure enough, Wednesday produced some decent 4-foot waves.  In Heat 1 of the Semi-Finals, Kelly Slater and Heitor Alves battled it out. Needless to say, Kelly Slater won his semi-final heat.  In Heat 2 of the Semi-Finals, Owen Wright took out Aerialist Julian Wilson in a low scoring and somewhat controversial heat. Kelly Slater and Owen Wright emerged as the Finalists.

Kelly Slater had won the Trestles event 4-times prior to 2011.  Kelly Slater was also going into the final heat having won two other World Tour Event this year.  Owen Wright was going into the Trestles 2011 final heat after defeating one of the most feared aerialists, Julian Wilson. Owen Wright had also won the previous World Tour Event in New York.

Kelly Slater Ripping @ Trestles 2011

More Photos: Trestles 2011

- Kelly Slater Spray

- Kelly Slater Bottom Turn

- Bede Durbidge Big Spray

- Dusty Payne Interview

- CJ Hobgood Air

- CJ and Jadson Exchange

- Trestles 2010 Crowds

- Water Photographer Getting Out

The horn sounded and the Final heat of the event started.  Kelly Slater came out of the gates charging. Slater and Wright racked up wave scores.  The final was a battle to the end.  When the horn sounded to mark the end of the event, it was Kelly Slater with his hands in the air. Kelly Slater Won the 2011 World Tour Event at Trestles and claimed a sizeable prize purse, US $105,000.00!

Professional Surfers compete at world-class breaks like Trestles.  Extreme maneuvers dominate the day.  The Association of Surfing Professionals and Kelly Slater proved that point once again at The World Tour Event at Trestles 2011.

Media Gear - Trestles 2011