Final Day Highlights - 2009 Oxbow World Longboard Tour
A hot Indian Ocean wind reached deep into blue eyes to keep them wide open as the top eight competitors focused on the quarterfinals today at Pasta Point. Eduardo Bage opened the show on uneven faces, with smooth chords and tinkling runs to the nose. Hawaiian Kai Sallas outfunked the bigger walls with strident high register turns, playing a tactical, patient heat, savouring intense moves, and advancing to the semi finals. When Oxbow’s Ben Skinner met Ned Snow, the Hawaiian opened with two huge scores, displaying clear and eloquent power turns. Ben responded with his trademark total commitment, never holding back, and racing a full hang ten in the sweet spot of the curl, suspending time, then setting loose on a series of rapid-fire hits. But he did not find the second set wave he needed to unleash, and was left with an excellent 5th place finish.
If Harley Ingleby could knock out 2007 Oxbow World Champion Phil Rajzman, he would claim a long-deserved, popular World Title. The two consummate professionals paddled out, focused and calm for a crucial thirty minutes. Harley improvised fluidly across the first wave, with tumbling notes at railroad pace. Then Phil found a thick wall, offering a new vocabulary of driving, piercing carves. The outcome was an 8.0, so Harley wrapped back, running onto the tip, then planting on the tail to score a 7.25. In the dying minutes Phil needed a 6.0, and took off on a smaller set with priority. He did not get the score he needed and all of a sudden, Australian Harley Ingleby was the 2009 Oxbow World Longboard Champion. Harley paddled in beaming like never before. He was handed his flag and carried with pride across the walkway by fellow Australians Josh Constable, Jared Neal and Bryce Young.
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