John Florence, blowing the tail the tail out at last year's event. Photo: ASP/ Kirstin
No Parko; No Slater; Bets on Florence at 2013 Hurley Pro
Tetsuhiko Endo
Brother’s Gonna Work it Out
Chris Coté
John John’s Taking Lowers
Jed SmithTrestles is my favorite event, simply because the wave on offer is so damn buttery. The more demanding waves on tour may offer death defying thrills, but only decent to firing Trestles produces that wonderful fission of excitement as the surfer pops to his feet knowing that he can do absolutely anything with the wall that is setting up in front of him. Before I get to my pick, I’m going to count a few guys out.
First is Joel Parkinson. The era in which Trestles can be won by a surfer who doesn’t do airs on big sections in competition is over. Mick Fanning has to join him for similar reasons. The very foundations that make both men’s surfing classically great fail to offer the wow factor that the kiddies crave in SoCal, no matter how much the old aussies grumble. I want Jordy Smith to win this – and a world title – but the weak walls of San Clemente aren’t the most suited for a sasquatch, even one who is incredibly light on his feet. Nat Young and Gabriel Medina are both handicapped by being predominantly on their backsides, unless the lefts are really working. Young hasn’t won a tour event yet, and Trestles feels too stacked to be his breakthrough. Medina is sorting his head out. This could be his triumphant return to form, but I doubt it. Slater is closing in on that title, which makes him mentally a bit more vulnerable, but he’s also at Trestles, which makes him historically somewhat invincible. If he can draw Taj Burrow in the finals, he’s got it; this also means that Burrow doesn’t have a chance as long as Slater is around. Hard to make a call on Slater, given the year he’s had, but it would be a bit boring to go with an eleven time world champ, so we’ll leave him out, too.
My pick is John Florence. It’s a long shot, but given his level of surfing this year, it seems he is due to break through with a competition win outside of his native Hawaii. It’s not that he is simply a good surfer, he has dazzled in the early and middle rounds of every competition he has competed in this year. This means the only thing separating him from a win is maintaining that same form for just another round or two. In other words, the form is there, it just needs a little more focus. Florence has proven that he is a stone cold master of Trestles on more than one occasion. My only hope is that he doesn’t pull the trick of the comp too early, then lose interest.
