The 2010 PWA Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria Grand Prix

The 2010 PWA Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria Grand Prix - Event Preview

The contagious vibe of excitement spiraling out of control through the windsurfing world can only be explained by one thing - the world’s elite wave sailors are about to go head to head in Pozo!

This year the highly anticipated showdown in Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria marks the opening of the PWA wave world tour. The most impressive male and female windsurfers from around the globe will battle it out from the 6th to the 9th of July in the relentless winds and waves for their share of the €45,000 prize purse, as well as gaining precious points towards their overall world ranking.

The full 48-man fleet, and list of thirteen women reads like a who’s who of professional wave sailing, with a plethora of world and event champions from across the three PWA disciplines, all eyeing up the ultimate Canarian prize.

Wind and Waves
The awesome conditions found at this highly regarded destination allow the sailors to perform the most extreme and radical maneuvers known to windsurfing. Expect insane action, and top competition from the world's best riders in howling 40-knot winds and steep waves. The local effects in Pozo Izquierdo mean that even the slightest of breezes is quickly enhanced creating the ultimate wave sailors playground. It’s not unheard of for the biggest guys to be reaching for their 65L boards and 3.7s or even 3.3s at this event.

High Flyers
Men
With the distinct conditions found in Pozo Izquierdo, and the entourage of local hot shots, this event can often cause some major upsets to the PWA wave tour regulars. In previous years the event has been dominated by port tack specialists, which included last years teenage champion, and Pozo resident, Philip Köster (Starboard, NeilPryde, Dakine) who exploded onto the scene with his impressive jumping style. Many of the competitors have wised up to this, and now spend months training in town beforehand.

Regulars
Spanish hotshot, Victor Fernandez (Fanatic, North, MFC) has won the wave title three times here in Pozo, but had to settle for second last year due to newcomer kid Köster. Fernandez has been training hard all winter in plenty of port tack locations including Chile and South Africa, and will be keen to claim back his crown.

Another tour regular hungry for success at Pozo will be Brazilian sensation, and former wave world champion, Kauli Seadi (JP, NeilPryde, MFC). Known for his radical riding in the pocket surf style, he’s also more than capable of boosting huge port tack jumps, and smacking onshore lips. In the past his superior natural ability has seen him compete with the most hardcore of locals, and has even resulted in a few podium finishes. Seadi will be looking to play a consistent game in Pozo with his eye firmly fixed on the ultimate prize of winning back his overall world title rather than simply the Gran Canarian bragging rights, but a win here would see him well on his way.

Other tour sailors to watch include the port tack terminator from Tenerife, Dany Bruch (Patrik, Severne) who found himself on the podium in 2008. The consistent Brit Robby Swift (JP, NeilPryde) who launched himself into 3rd place in the overall world rankings last year. 2009 Sylt wave champion Alex Mussolini (Tabou, Vandal) who trains in the Canaries year round. Former freestyle world champion turned triple loop daredevil, Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC). Port tack class act, and last year’s Sylt runner up, Klaas Voget (Fanatic, Simmer, MFC). And, former freestyle world champion turned full time wave title hunter, Marcilio ‘Brawzinho’ Browne (Fanatic, North, MFC).

Locals
The tour regulars may have the global kudos, and the backing from their sponsors, but in Pozo you can never rule out the locals who have the spot dialed, and can perform every trick in the book right on cue in front of their home crowds. Big names to watch out for are Pozo rippers, Dario Ojeda (Simmer, Dakine, MFC), and Jonas Ceballos who have consistently performed well at previous events in Gran Canaria. Our local spy has also informed us that the main contenders will be 15 year old Alessio Stillrich (Fanatic, North), Omar Sanchez (RRD), Jose Romero (JP, NeilPryde), 14 year old Moritz Mauch, and of course last years Pozo world cup champion Philip Köster. Romero, Köster, Ojeda, Ceballos, and Sanchez have a spot in the main competition already, but the others will be battling it out in the trials today.

Women
The Moreno twins have dominated the event in Pozo for the past century. Eight times PWA wave world title holder Daida (Starboard, Severne) has claimed first place every single year in Pozo since 1999, and former wave world champion Iballa (Starboard, Severne) has finished second countless times too. Daida’s jumping is so strong at her home spot that she’d give most of the guys a run for their money, and her sister Iballa is also more than capable of throwing down some seriously high stunts. Daida is without a doubt the favorite to win the event for a record eleventh time.

However, if the conditions favor riding, which is pretty unusual in Pozo, then it’s worth keeping an eye on another local, Nayra Alonso (Fanatic, Severne). She’s beaten the Moreno’s before in Sylt, but never on their home turf – it could happen this time though if the conditions favor her. It’s also worth watching the fearless former world champion, Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne). She’s probably the most successful female windsurfer ever, and still has what it takes to compete against the best of them in waves.

In it to win it
With a €45,000 prize purse up for grabs (€30,000 for the men’s fleet, and €15,000 for the women), expect the very best sailors in the world to be pushing the limits with insane jumps such as double forwards, and pushloop forwards on the way out, and silky smooth wave riding on the way in.

Keep in the groove

Tja, das ist berechtigt. Bis vorgestern war nicht mal der Kontrakt unterschrieben mit den Geldgebern, habe es woanders schon geschrieben. Theoretisch steht der Worldcup noch längst nicht.
Mit großen Schritten zurück ging es aber auch in den letzten Jahren schon, da gab es dann auch schon kein Zelt mehr in Pozo.

Zitat von Cutre

In this picture taken Monday afternoon, a few hours to the start of the 2010 Gran Canaria PWA Grand Prix at Pozo Izquierdo, you can appreciate how the event organizer (Pozo Compass) took what we know as “event site” to a completely new level.

In case somebody wants to watch closer to appreciate the excellence of the work done on the beach, here you have another picture where you can enjoy better all those small details and greatness of a work done with love, effort and sacrifice which really shows how this people care about the image of windsurfing, the Canary Islands and all the competitors on the tour.

After this, a new standard has been established and will be hard for the organizers at some of other locations, like Podersdorf in Austria or Sylt in Germany to improve what they have been doing to reach this new level.

At the moment, it seems that even the wind has been embarrassed and after a month blowing non stop, has refused to attend the appointment of the trials that should have been disputed this Monday.

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Sauber, daß das noch geklappt hat.

Wir schauen das Spiel bei Sideshore...

Grüße und bis später

Totti

Das war Tag 3, heute folgt die Double Elimination. Hoffentlich reicht der Wind, die Prognosen sind sehr wechselhaft:

Zitat

The 2010 PWA Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria Grand Prix – Day Three
The king and queen reign supreme on day three as three times Pozo champion, Victor Fernandez takes down Philip Köster, and twelve times Pozo champion, Daida Ruano Moreno claims victory ahead of her sister in the single elimination.

A return of the relentless winds in Pozo allowed for a full day of sensational world tour competition with a single elimination completed for both the men’s and women’s fleets, and the first two rounds of the double down for the men. Competitors were maxed on 4.5s early in the morning enabling the competition to start on schedule at 09:30, and run right through to the early evening.

Men
King Of Pozo
Three times Pozo champion, Victor Fernandez (Fanatic, North, MFC) stole the show from local lad, and 2009 Pozo champion, Philip Köster (Starboard, NeilPryde, Dakine) in an epic showdown of world-class talent.

Fernandez flew through his early round heats taking the scalp of many past world champions, including the former overall world champion, Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine) in the third round. Top contender from Tenerife, Dany Bruch (Patrik, Severne) who put up an excellent fight, and was on fire busting out his trademark one handed back loops with copious amounts of style, but couldn’t quite match Fernandez’s double forwards. He then beat fellow team mate, and former freestyle world champion, Marcilio Browne (Fanatic, North), who’s riding was no match for Fernandez, before going on to meet Köster in the final.

Köster’s jumping wowed the crowds throughout the day, with whoops and cheers coming from every angle when he launched into orbit. His stalled doubles were some of the most impressive jumps ever seen in world cup competition, making him without doubt the standout jumper of the day. However, in the final he failed to match the insane jumps that had pulled him through his heats earlier in the day, and Fernandez was almost on a par with huge faultless doubles of his own. Fernandez was also milking waves for all they’re worth, flying round 360s, and adding takas with ease. Köster almost caught up, and could have claimed the final if only he’d nailed some technical turns along with his awesome double taka, allowing Fernandez to claim the crown on the narrowest of victories with a 3-2 decision.

Standouts Of The Single
Aside from Fernandez and Köster, there were plenty of other sailors that showed real promise throughout the early rounds. The first of these was Jonas Ceballos (Mistral, Simmer) who took down the young hotshot Alessio Stillrich (Fanatic, North) by sailing a calculated heat, timing the waves to perfection in order to bust out his best moves in the right conditions. Stillrich had moments of glory, but Ceballos’s experience shone through and won it for him.

Britain’s Ben Proffitt (Simmer) was the next sailor to perform to an exceptional standard. He took down Frenchman Jules Denel (Exocet) after a display of port tack prowess, to go head to head with former wave world champion, Kauli Seadi (JP, NeilPryde, MFC). Many thought that this would be the end of Proffitt’s game in Pozo, but the Brit hit it hard and destroyed the Brazilian sensation. To be fair, Seadi’s day didn’t start off in the best manner, being stopped by the police on the way to the beach. He then failed to perform to his usual high standard, and an on form Proffitt took full advantage. Following that heat, Proffitt almost took down Köster too with a 2-1 decision favoring the Pozo champ. Watch out for Proffitt in the double!

Experienced local ripper, Dario Ojeda (Tabou, Simmer, Dakine, MFC) sailed past a whole host of locals with some amazingly consistent wave scores and incredible jumps, before stepping it up a notch further in the quarter-finals to beat the 2009 Sylt Wave Champion, Alex Mussolini (Tabou, Vandal). Ojeda lost to Köster in the semi-finals, but then went on to take the scalp of the Brazilian, Browne in the loser’s final to claim a well-deserved 3rd place.

The next sailor to turn heads on the beach was former freestyle world title holder, and triple loop dare devil, Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC). Within the first 30 seconds of his heat he’d racked up two of the highest jumping scores of the day. You couldn’t start a heat in a more perfect way.

Last Chance Saloon
With plenty of wind, the single in the bag, and a promising forecast for Friday, head judge, Duncan Coombs decided to get straight on with the double elimination, which gives every sailor a chance to make up for their previous mistakes.

Those making amends included three times freestyle world champion, Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North) who finally found himself a wave board, and with it some riding skills to go alongside his already awesome jumps. He’s passed through the first rounds and will now meet Klaas Voget (Fanatic, Simmer, MFC) tomorrow morning.

Another freestyler to break through in the double so far is Lanzarote local, Antxon Otaegui (JP, NeilPryde) whose awesome two scoops have seen him climbing the ranks. Eleazar Alonso (Naish, Naish) also stood out, showing off his excellent riding skills as well as some impressive jumping to advance to the final 16. And, finally Seadi found some form to fight through a few heats and go on to fight another day. If he starts to bust out his trademark push loop forwards, he could go all the way to the top. Only time will tell…

Women
Queen Of Pozo
The undisputed champion of Pozo, Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne) took women’s wave sailing to yet another level today when she hit the water. Huge one handed back loops, and seriously tweaked table top push loops helped her to steal the show from anyone who dared get in the way. The only sailor to really challenge her was twin sister, Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne) who shared the limelight of the single elimination final with her. Iballa had the ability to bust out some awesome back loops, and link together some great backside aerials with frontside smacks, but Daida’s wave selection was far superior, racking up the points early on when the biggest sets came through. If the forecast is correct for tomorrow, and the women get to sail their double, it’ll be interesting to see if Iballa can steal her twin’s crown.

Standouts Of The Single
Steffi Wahl (Gaastra) showed plenty of promise during her heats with some excellent forward loops, and great wave scores to finish 5th equal in the single. Nayra Alonso (Fanatic, Severne) also had some of the most stylish riding of the day, with some outstanding frontside hits that were second to none to claim 4th. And, the fearless competitor, Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne) closed the gap on the Moreno’s with some huge forwards, and push loops to take the final podium position.

Results
Men
1st Victor Fernandez (Fanatic, North, MFC)
2nd Philip Köster (Starboard, NeilPryde, Dakine)
3rd Dario Ojeda (Tabou, Simmer, Dakine, MFC)
4th Marcilio Browne (Fanatic, North, MFC)
5th = Marcos Perez (Exocet, Gun)
5th = Alex Mussolini (Tabou, Vandal)
5th = Dany Bruch (Patrik, Severne)
5th = Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC)

Women
1st Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne)
2nd Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne)
3rd Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne)
4th Nayra Alonso (Fanatic, Severne)

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Gerade ist das 2. Finale durch, es kam zu einem Stechen. Im ersten hatte Philip Köster Victor Fernandez schlagen können, im Stechen allerdings dann nicht mehr. Die Judges entschieden 5:0 zugunsten von Victor. Philip also zweiter, trotzdem eine super Leistung. Es war super wenig Welle, beide sind völlig ausgeglichen gefahren.
Philip hat im ersten Finale noch das Board tauschen müssen, nachdem er beide Finnen von seinem Twinser abgefahren hatte...

Er hat beide verloren, er ist auf einen größeren Stein gefahren im Heat. Da liegt irgendwo ein Betonblock. Ich dachte, er wolle nur das Segel kurz tauschen während des Heats, er kam fast ganz normal an den Strand gefahren. Es sah so aus, als würde der Wind etwas runtergehen. Aber er hatte nur seine Finnen erlegt...

Heute und morgen sind noch die spanischen Meisterschaften...

Ich frage Philip mal, was er gefahren ist...

Also, zu Philip Köster's Material:

Die Segel waren allesamt die neuen Neilpryde Atlas 2011. Die haben die Power, die er sich wünscht und die er braucht.

Zum Board: Secret... Es war aber ein Board mit 72l und in einer Twinser-Version. Serie, kein Custom Made.

Finnen: 16.5 MauiUltraFins Wave