BILLABONG RIO PRO 2014 - May 7th -Wednesday -" The first day "

MAY 07TH, 2014 - WEDNESDAY - THE FIRST DAY -BILLABONG RIO PRO 2014


I WOKE UP AT 5:00 AM, TOOK MY BACKBAG THAT WAS READY, AND WENT TO THE CENTRAL STATION , FROM WHERE DEPARTS THE 309 BUS LINE TO BARRA DA TIJUCA. I ARRIVED AT STATION, DRANK A COFFEE 'PURE' AS THEY SAY, AND A "JOELHO" A KIND OF CHEESE AND HAM SANDWICH SOMETHING LIKE THAT, VERY GOOD, I USED TO EAT THIS SNACK IN RIO. I HAD NEVER SEEN THIS SANDWICH IN RS.
THIS 309 BUS LINE GOES TO BARRA, BY FLAMENGO BEACH, BOTAFOGO, JARDIM BOTÂNICO, SÃO CONRADO AND ROCINHA. THE LINE 4 UNDERGROUND PUBLIC WORKS THAT WILL LINK BARRA DA TIJUCA AT THE DOWNTOWN UNDEERGROUND NET ARE IN THIS AREA. THESE PUBLIC WORKS ARE PLANNED TO BE READY TO 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES IN RIO DE JANEIRO. I ARRIVED AT BARRA, AT 7:40 AM, AND WENT TO THE EVENT. ARRIVED THERE 7:51 SHARPLY. AFTER TO LEAVE MY TOWN ON MONDAY LATE AFTERNOON, AND A LONG TRIP. IT WAS EARLY WEDNESDAY, BARRA DA TIJUCA, RIO DE JANEIRO, READY TO START 2014 BILLABONG RIO PRO PHOTOS AND FILM SESSION. THIS YEAR SAMSUNG GALAXY WAS SPONSOR OF THE ASP EVENT. I LOVE THIS SPORT AND WORK, THAT I DID SINCE MARCH 2008, WHEN I STARTED TO COVER PETROBRAS- SUPERSURF TRIALS-IN PRAIA DO ROSA, SANTA CATARINA, ON WHICH MESSIAS FELIX WON. AND IN OCTOBER I WENT TO MY FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR IN IMBITUBA WHERE BEDE DURBIDGE WAS THE CHAMPION. FOR ME IT IS SO PROUND TO DO MY WORK WITH SURF, AND WAKE UP AT 5:00 AM OR EARLIER.
EVERYTHING I DO ON BLOG/SITE RELATED TO SURF, I DO WITH JOY AND HAPPYNESS BY TO BE CONNECTED WITH THE SURF WORLD, CHAMPIONS, BEACHES, COUNTRIES, EVERYBODY THAT PARTICIPATE IN SURF EVENTS IN BRAZIL AND OVERSEAS. I KEEP AWAITING THE AUTUMN ,THE WCT, ALL YEAR AROUND.

WHEN I ARRIVED AT SHORE, I LIKE TO STAY CLOSE THE GUARD RAILS WHERE THE SURFERS GO E RETURN THE HEAT. THE EVENT WAS IN 2ND HEAT. THE BILLABONG RIO PRO 2014 HAD A COLORFUL BIG STRUCTURE, WITH THE NEW ASP LOGO, AND THE MAIN SPONSOR SAMSUNG GALAXY. THE SEA HAD GOOD CONDICTIONS, WITH WAVES 3-4 FOOT , WITH GOOD FORMATION, LIGHT WIND ON A SUNNY DAY. IT HAS JUST FINISHED THE 1ST HEAT, WON BY TIAGO PIRES(POR)WHAT TOOK HIM DIRECTLY TO ROUND 3, SENDING ADRIANO DE SOUZA(BRA) AND SEBASTIAN ZIETZ(HAW) TO ROUND 2-. I ENJOY THE SURF EVENTS IN BARRA DA TIJUCA, THE BEAUTIFUL GREEN COLORNESS WAVES. I COULD NOT FORGET THE SURF MUSIC, AS THE AUSTRALIAN 'MIDNIGHT OIL', AND SO... PLAYING DIRECT AT THE EVENT.


THE 2ND HEAT WAS IN THE WATER, WITH GABRIEL MEDINA(BRA), RAONI MONTEIRO(BRA), AND ADRIAN BUCHAN(AUS). GABRIEL WON THIS HEAT, TAKING HIM DIRECTLY TO ROUND 3 . I LIKE TO TAKE PICTURES AND FILM SO CLOSE TO THE WATER WITH NOBODY'S IN FRONT, AND WITH THE SPEAKERS NOT SO HIGH, SO I CAN HEAR THE SEA. THE NEXT HEAT : TAJ BURROW(AUS), ADAM MELLING(AUS) AND BRETT SIMPSON(USA). THE HEAT STARTED WITH PRIORITY, SECOND PRIORITY, WHITE, BLUE AND RED JERSEYS. THE SOUND AND LOCUTION WERE EXCELENT, THE SAME OF THE PREVIOUS YEARS.
THE HEAT 4 HAD GLENN HALL(IRE), WHO WAS REPLACING KAI OTTON, THAT DID NOT COME TO BRAZIL, BECAUSE HIS SON WAS JUST BORN IN AUSTRALIA. BESIDES GLENN, JEREMY FLORES(FRA) AND 2012 WORLD CHAMPION, JOEL PARKINSON(AUS).
TAJ BURROW(AUS)THE THREE TIMES WINNER IN BRAZIL, TWICE IN RIO AND ONE IN SANTA CATARINA DEFEATED THE OTHERS SURFERS.
THE JUDGES GIVE GRADE FROM 0-ZERO TO 10-TEN, TO EACH WAVE SURFED COMPLETELY BY THE TOP SURFER. A COMPUTING PROGRAMATION, TAKES OFF THE MINOR AND MAJOR GRADE, AND CALCULATE THE AVERAGE OF THREE MEDIUM GRADES.THIS FINAL AVERAGE IS THE WAVE GRADE.THE TWO BETTER WAVES GRADE OF EACH TOP SURFER ARE CONSIDERED IN EACH HEAT, SO THE HIGHEST GRADE IS 20.00.

JOEL PARKINSON(AUS) WON THE HEAT NR 4.
THE HEAT NR 5. HAD 11 TIMES CHAMPION KELLY SLATER(USA) MITCH CREWS(AUS) AND THE WILD CARD, PETERSON CRISANTO(BRA)
WITH NO DOUBTS ABOUT, THE AMERICAN SURFER FROM COCOA BEACH(FL)IS THE SURFER THAT CALLS MORE ATTENTION FROM THE FUNS, AND EVERYBODY ON THE BEACH. AND IT COULD NOT BE DIFFERENT. HE IS CALM AND SENSIBLE TO THE SEA, TO THE WAVES, TO THE PEOPLE AROUND. HE ALWAYS SURFS VERY WELL, WITH TECHNIQUE , DOING THE BEST MANEUVERS. SINCE THE 2009 WCT IN IMBITUBA, WHERE I SAW HIS VICTORY OVER ADRIANO DE SOUZA, EXACTLY ON MY BIRTHDAY. THAT IS WHY I CALLED UP THIS WCT -"THE GIFT". THE SPEAKERS WERE COMENTING ABOUT HOW MUCH THE SURFER NEED TO TAKE 1ST PLACE IN THE HEAT. ATTENTION SURFER IN BLUE.. OR IF THE SURFER IS "IN COMBINATION" NEEDS TWO WAVES TO GET THE 1ST PLACE.

MITCH CREWS(AUS)WON THE HEAT AND SENT KELLY AND PETERSON TO THE ROUND 2.
THE HEAT 6, HAD KOLOHE ANDINO(USA), THREE TIMES WORLD CHAMPION MICK FANNING(AUS)AND THE 2013 SURF BRAZILIAN CHAMPION DAVI DO CARMO. I STILL TOOK SOME PICTURES OF KELLY LEAVING THE WATER., O JOSH KERR GOING TO THE HEAT NR 7, AND MICK FANNING LEAVING THE WATER. I STAYED WHERE I LIKE MORE...BAREFOOT ON THE SHORE, CLOSE THE SURFER GUARDRAILS, WATCHING ATTENTIVELY THE SURFERS, DETAILS, SO ON. GENERALLY THEY WARM UP AT THE RESERVED AREA. SOME LISTEN MUSIC WITH HEADPHONES, BUT NOT EVERYBODY...
AFTER ON, THEY TAKE THE JERSEY, THE COLOR GIVE BY BEACH MARSHAL, IN CHARGE FOR DELIVERING THE JERSEY TO THE SURFERS, SUBORDINATED TO HEAD JUDGE. AND SO FIVE MINUTES BEFORE STARTING THE HEAT, THE SPEAKER GAVE THE AUTORIZATION FOR SURFERS ENTER THE WATER. AFTER THE COUNT-DOWNAND AND THE AIR HORN THE HEAT IS ON. SOME SURFERS GO TO THE WATER RIGHT AFTER THE AUTORIZATION, SOME TAKE A LONG TIME WITH CONCENTRATION,SO JUST ENTER THE WATER A MINUTE OR TWO BEFORE STARTING THE HEAT. MAYBE I KIND OF GOOD LUCKY RITUAL, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, EACH TOP SURFER IS SO DIFERENT.SOME OF THEM I OBSERVE SINCE 2008.
AFTER 30 MINUTES, THE HEAT IS OVER, THE SPEAKER ALWAYS SAYS: 10 MINUTES REMAINING, 5 MINUTES, 2 MINUTES, AND THE LAST LAP OF THE CLOCK POINTER. THERE ARE PRIORITIES, INTERFERENCES, BROKEN SURFBOARDS, EACH HEAT IS DIFFERENT, THE SEA IS DIFERENT, THE SWELL, THE WIND AND SO ON...FORTUNATELLY IN THESE SEVEN WCTS IN BRAZIL I HAD NEVER SEEN SOME DISCUSSION, FIGHT, OR STRESS...

WHEN I WAS ON THE BEACH I NOTED SOME PEOPLE WITH A BIG POSTER OF THE EVENT, THAN I WENT BEHIND A COUPLE OF POSTERS TO BLOG/SITE. I COULD NOT FIND ANYMORE. I WENT TO RECEPTION DESK, WHERE THERE WERE RIO DE JANEIRO SIGHTS BANNERS. I ASKED THE RECEPTION GIRL, AND SHE SAID THE POSTERS ARE OVER FOR TODAY, BUT I COULD GET GUIDES, MAPS OF THE EVENT, AND THE CITY. I ALWAYS TAKE SOME WCTS POSTERS, FOLDERS, AND SO. I KEEP THEM SO CAREFULLY AND I MAKE SOME EVENT POSTERS.
IN FACT, I ALREADY DID MANY OF THE 6 WCTS, THAT I HAD GONE. I THANKED THE NICE RECEPTION GIRL AND FOLLOW MY WAY. AND SOON I MET MR. TECO REZENDE, FROM CABO FRIO A FRIEND OF MINE, SINCE 2012 WCT IN POSTINHO.. THAT WCT HAD A STORMY, THE SEA WAS NEVER SO HIGH FOR ME, I WILL NEVER FORGET. MR. REZENDE TOOK ME AGAIN TO RECEPTION DESK TO GET SOME DONAVAN FRANKEITER, SURF MUSIC SHOW. HE KNOWS THAT I LIKE TAKE EVENTS STUFF TO TAKE TO PORTO ALEGRE. HE SAID TO THE NICE GIRL TO KEEP SOME POSTERS FOR ME TO TAKE TO PORTO ALEGRE. SO I BECAME COOL, THE POSTERS WERE NOT OVER, THE NICE GIRL WILL KEEP SOME FOR ME, EVERYTHING WOULD BE ALL RIGHT ...

AS MY CELL BATERY WAS OVER, I KEPT WATCHING TILL MEN'S ROUND 1, AND AFTER THERE WOULD BE THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION. I SHOULD HAD BOUGHT AN EXTRA BATTERY TO THE EVENT, BUT NEVER THOUGHT THIS. I ALMOST DO NOT USE THIS CELL .I SAID "HI" TO MR. SEBASTIAN ROJAS, A NICE SURFING PHOTOGRAFER OF SANTOS,SP, HE WAS SO BUSY IN THIS EVENT. I REMIND HIM FROM PRAIA DO ROSA, AT MY FIRST EVENT, IN MARCH 2008.


AFTER MEN'S ROUND 1, I WAS TIRED AND DECIDED TO GO BACK TO HOTEL IN DOWNTOWN...I TRIED TO FIND A EXTRA BATERY TO MY CELL, BUT I COULD NOT BECAUSE THIS MODEL IS NOT WELL-KNOW,AN IT IS NOT IN THE MARKET ANYMORE.
THE MEN'S ROUND 1 RESULTS:
HEAT 1-T. PIRES(POR)9.70 x A. DE SOUZA(BRA)9.60 x S. ZIETZ(HAW)6.40
HEAT 2-G. MEDINA(BRA)14.53 x R. MONTEIRO(BRA)10.17 x A. BUCHAN(AUS)7.87
HEAT 3-T. BURROW(AUS) 10.10 x B. SIMPSOM(USA)7.83 x A. MELLING(AUS)7.24
HEAT 4-J. PARKINSON(BRA)13.67 x J. FLORES(FRA)12.20 x G. HALL(IRE)8.67
HEAT 5-M. CREWS(AUS)13.07 x K. SLATER(USA)8.90 x P.CRISANTO(BRA)8.53
HEAT 6-K. ANDINO(USA)13.10 x D.DO CARMO(BRA)10.30 x M. FANNING(AUS)10.07
HEAT 7-J. KERR(AUS)14.33 x B. DURBIDGE(AUS)14.20 x D. ATKINSON(AUS)10.76
HEAT 8-J. SMITH(SAF)13.67 x F. PATACCHIA (HAW)12.50 x T. LOGIE(SAF)9.60
HEAT 9-F. TOLEDO(BRA)18.30 x J. WILSON(AUS)13.93 x A. ARAMBURU(SPA)10.47
HEAT 10-N. YOUNG(USA)11.86 x A. MUNIZ(BRA)11.67 x M. PUPO(BRA)9.94
HEAT 11-J. ANDRE(BRA)12.13 x O. WRIGHT(AUS)11.60 x M. BOUREZ(PYF)10.03
HEAT 12-J.J. FLORENCE(HAW)12.16 x CJ HOBGOOD(USA)11.53 x M. WILKINSON(AUS)10.80

WOMEN'S ROUND 1 RESULTS:

HEAT 1- N.VAN DIJK(AUS)14.20x B.BUITENDAG(SAF)13.47x COCO HO(HAW)13.17
HEAT 2- S. FITZGIBBONS(AUS)12.50 x D. STOYLE(AUS)9.47 x J. DEFAY(FRA)9.17
HEAT 3- C. MOORE(HAW)12.77 x P. HAREB(NZL) 12.30 x S. LIMA(BRA)11.77
HEAT 4- T. WRIGHT(AUS)12.60 x P. ADO(FRA)11.87 x T. WESTON-WEBB(HAW)9.27
HEAT 5- L. ENEVER(AUS)11.53 x S. GILMORE(AUS)9.60 x A. BLANCHARD(HAW)6.20
HEAT 6- L. PETERSON(USA)12.67 x M. MANUEL(HAW)10.30 x A. QUIZON(HAW)8.40

I ARRIVED AT HOTEL, I ASKED TO RECEPTIONIST, ABOUT HOW TO GO TO BARRA, BECAUSE THERE WAS A UPCOMING BUS DRIVERS 24 HOURS STRIKE. IT WAS PLANNED TO START AT MIDNIGHT OF WEDNESDAY TO MIDNIGHT OF THURSDAY. TAXIS FROM DOWNTOWN TO BARRA ARE SO EXPENSIVE, THERE WERE NOT VANS ANYMORE. HE TOLD ABOUT THE SUBWAY, THAT WILL BE WORKING, SO I DECIDED TO GO TO THE CENTRAL SO EARLY, GET THE SUBWAY, GET OFF IN THE LAST STOP - IPANEMA AND GO WALKING IN WEST DIRECTION THROUGH VIDIGAL, TO AVOID THE TUNNEL, TILL ARRIVE IN BARRA AFTER LONG WALKING WAY WHAT IS BETTER THAN KEEP WAITING FOR.