Dirty, dirty France. Le dirty. Photo: Israel Cabelles Gomez
Young Bones and Crazy Energy: Filipe Toledo
Strider Wasilewski
Finding His Groove: Julian Wilson
Shane Beschen
Inimitable Grace: John Florence
Alexander HaroAhhh, France. In the fall, crispy offshore breezes come with hot coffee, warm croissants, red wine, spitting barrels, and beautiful half-naked women littering the beach. There’s so much happening there: le Benne shore break barrels, outer sand bars, a La Graviere for fifteen foot grinding pits. Dane Reynolds and Bruce Irons doing second story pool jumps and late night dinners with Laurent Pujol warming cognac by the flame of candles.
The Quik Pro France – as if the elements weren’t already stacked enough. Waiting for swell, hoping conditions are clean and, of course, the best surfers in the world ripped and shredded for battle. Then how’s about we throw in huge tidal changes and a mobile event site of, let’s just say, the whole f*ckin’ beach! Odds are somewhere on that beach will be a ripping, spitting barrel that the boys and girls can shred the bag out of.
I can see Daz (Quiksilver Europe Marketing Director) and Micky Picon driving up and down the beach trying to find the best sand bars for the forecast of swells and tides. “Over there, look at that wave! Oh we should go out and surf that to make sure its good enough for the event site. Ha!” Epic job.
Trying to pick a winner of an ASP World Tour Event is like walking onto a Las Vegas casino floor. Red or Black? Conditions change so fast in the North Atlantic you just do your best and let Mother Nature run her course.
But after looking at the forecast from about 5,600 miles away, not knowing what the beach is looking like, or how many times red has hit on the roulette table, I’m going to try and make a call.
I have John Florence and either Filipe Toledo or Gabriel Medina in the final. We all know John John has the ability to read the playing field with ease and the talent to close the deal. As for Filipe and Gabriel, I think both these guys have the same traits and are due for a huge result. Young bones with crazy energy is what I think will do it for this event.
Shit, who am I kidding? Slater, Dane, Jeremy Flores, and the rest of the guys all have the same chance at the win. If the forecast changes and the waves do too, so will the whole outcome. But right now, it’s Brazil vs Hawaii; Ehuki Beach Park vs Rio!
It could be amazing if the waves get good in the end of the holding period. Huge airs and a few sick tube rides would make for an insane final day.
A quick disclaimer: the winner of this event will be the athlete who wakes up every day and listens to his energy from within. And the winner is – with 34 to 1 odds – Filipe Toledo.
I’m all for the underdog…Hope I don’t mess with anyone’s Fantasy teams with this one.
Filipe Toledo: young bones, crazy energy. Photo: ASP/Rowland
