News
2012 World Tour roster
And that's a wrap folks. The 2011 season has come and gone, now that the dust has settled, and the ASP has done the math correctly, lets have a look at our 2012 World Tour competitors, shall we?
A couple of things to point out:
1) No Dane Reynolds. My already short attention span is really worried about this.
2) What is Kelly Slater going to do next year? He mentioned in a post heat interview during pipe that if Snapper, the first event on the season, wasn't a Quik event, he probably would have a few less world titles, as that event has springboarded him into a world title hunt in years when he wasn't planning on competing at all.
3) Kolohe and Yadin are the only 2 fresh faces on tour. You can bet Kolohe is studying what Gabe Medina did in his debut a couple months back. Kolohe is no stranger to the podium, but Yadin needs to shake those nerves before he gets into another final. Perhaps you recall his final this summer against Slater, he ran away from that US Open trophy like it had herpes.
4) Holy shit the roster is pretty stacked for next season.
2012 ASP TOP 34:
1. Kelly Slater (USA)
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
3. Taj Burrow (AUS)
4. Gabriel Medina (BRA)
5. Owen Wright (AUS)
6. Adriano de Souza (BRA)
7. Julian Wilson (AUS)
8. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
9. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
10. Michel Bourez (PYF)
11. Josh Kerr (AUS)
12. Damien Hobgood (USA)
13. John John Florence (HAW)
14. Mick Fanning (AUS)
15. Jeremy Flores (FRA)
16. Heitor Alves (BRA)
17. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
18. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
19. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
20. Bede Durbidge (AUS)
21. Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
22. Brett Simpson (USA)
23. Adam Melling (AUS)
24. Kolohe Andino (USA)
25. C.J. Hobgood (USA)
26. Tiago Pires (PRT)
27. Jadson Andre (BRA)
28. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
29. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
30. Dusty Payne (HAW)
31. Travis Logie (ZAF)
32. Taylor Knox (USA)
33. Kai Otton (AUS) *surfer wildcard (next on the ASP World Rankings)
34. Yadin Nicol (AUS) *surfer wildcard (injury)
1st Alternate: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
2nd Alternate: Willian Cardoso (BRA)
3rd Alternate: Chris Davidson (AUS)
4th Alternate: Thiago Camarao (BRA)
And here's the 2012 tour schedule so far..
Kieren Perrow is your 2011 Pipeline Master
What a day of drama. Pipeline wasn't pretty, but she definitely made things damn interesting today.
First John John gets Slater-ed by Slater, then Slater gets Slater-ed by Parko in the semis, then Parko runs out of magic in the final, submitting victory to last year's runner-up Kieren Perrow. Last second comebacks. Heartbreaking close calls. Michel Bourez came within one heat of stealing the Triple Crown from John John.
Florence would hold on to take his first of many Triple Crown Titles.
The waves and wind played a big part in the unfolding drama today. A fading swell and a wicked North wind putting giant ribs in the faces meant a lot of potential scores pinching shut.
The dropping swell meant curtains for the 3 remaining Hawaiians in the draw. As has happened in the past, including the last 2 years, the Hawaiian contingent came out guns-blazing when the swell was peaking, then dropped like flies once the juice was turned down.
Kieren Perrow went into this event needing a quarterfinal finish to qualify for next season, and with wife and some youngsters running around, you can bet the pressure was squarely on his shoulders, especially this late in his career as a touring pro. Kieren was a standout all event, posting huge scores and horrific wipeouts. A truly deserving Pipeline Master. Talk about a sweet first victory.
FINAL
1 - Kieren Perrow 13.17
2 - Joel Parkinson 7.00
Epic swell and clash of eras make 40th Pipe Masters an instant classic
The 40th anniversary of the Billabong Pipe Masters is already being called one of the best surfing contests ever, and for good reason. The best Masters' swell in decades was pounding the North Shore of Oahu all week, making for an incredible climax to the 2011 ASP season.
The most anticipated match of the event was between 39-year-old Kelly Slater, the 11 time world champion, and his 19-year-old protege, John John Florence of Hawaii.
Florence, an ASP rookie, was born the same year Slater won the first of his six Pipe Masters crowns back in 1992. The famous wave breaks roughly 100 yards from John John's bedroom, and he started braving the ferocious conditions when he was 8. By the time he was 12 he was appearing on the cover of Surfer Magazine. Slater, meanwhile, has spent a good portion of his career surfing in Florence's backyard, and has played a big-brother role for years. 
Many viewed this week's battle between them as the possible passing of the Pipeline torch, and perhaps more. Florence won back-to-back events at Pipeline earlier this year, and clinched the first of what many believe will be many Vans Triple Crown of Surfing titles Saturday, becoming the youngest surfer to ever win the prestigious Hawaiian crown.
On Friday Florence drew first blood on Slater in a Round Four match-up that pitted him against Kelly and CJ Hobgood. He beat them both handily thanks to a perfect 10-point ride.
But during Saturday's sudden-death quarterfinal heat, Slater came from 10 points behind in the final five minutes to slip past Florence in the final seconds. It was a remarkable comeback that seemingly only Slater could pull.
[Is Slater's 20-year reign worthy of a Sports Illustrated cover?]
"I'm just trying to hold John John at bay a little longe
r," Slater said afterward. "This kid is going to dominate here for the next 20 years. He'll have plenty of Pipe titles before he's done." Indeed, it was easy to see that defeating Florence at his home break meant a lot to Slater. Years from now Slater's last-minute heroics in 2011 are sure to be remembered as one of the finest in his remarkable 20-year career.
Pipeline is the planet's most celebrated wave thanks to both its beauty and fury. When massive swells finish their journey across the North Pacific uninterrupted, they hit the shallow coral reef sitting just 50 yards from shore and jump to the size of four-story buildings before heaving, twisting and detonating with enough force to shake the sand under the feet of fans and the gallery of photographers on the beach.
Meanwhile, brave surfers are vying for the ride of their lives, risking life and limb while trying desperately to avoid Pipeline's ferocious guillotine of glassy water.
"It's really heavy out there but this is as good as Pipeline gets," Slater said Friday.
While Slater and Florence stole most of the early headlines, the Pipe Masters is a career-maker-or-breaker for 
several others, but none more than veteran Kieren Perrow, who needed to make the quarterfinal this year just to remain on the ASP world tour. That was a tall order to be sure, but possible considering Perrow finished runner-up at Pipeline last year. His painful loss still haunts him, as he let the lead slip away in the final seconds.
Perrow managed to keep his career alive with a 10 point ride that got him to the quarterfinals on Friday. On Saturday he set out to right last year's wrong.
Wrapping his many battle wounds in Duct Tape, Perrow worked his way back to the final against fellow Aussie Joel Parkinson (who defeated Slater in the semifinals). This time Perrow didn't let his finals' lead slip. He nabbed the title that eluded him in 2010, finally got his first tour win, and took home what Slater calls "The best trophy in surfing."
[Video: amazing human feats of 2011]
Former Hawaiian State Senator Fred Hemmings, the 1968 world champion and founder of the Pipe Masters, was among those taking in the show. In 1971 he helped launch the sport of surfing with a card table and a bull horn. "We dreamed of surfing going global like this, but this has surpassed our wildest imagination. This is just an incredible show." 
Above: Gabriel Medina threads the tube at Pipeline during his run to the quarterfinals of the Pipe Masters. Click photo for full Surfer Magazine photo gallery. Photo: Todd GlaserResults of 2011 Billabong Pipeline Masters
1. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
3. Kelly Slater (USA), Michel Bourez (PYF)
5. John John Florence (HAW), Jamie O'Brien (HAW), Evan Valiere (HAW), Gabriel Medina (BRA)
Winner of Vans Triple Crown of Surfing
John John Florence (HAW)
PHOTOS: The Banzai Pipeline on Oahu's North Shore (top) is the world's most photographed wave for good reason. 19-year-old John John Florence (middle) has come of age under the microscope at Pipeline, where he grew up. These days the ASP rookie is the biggest threat to Slater; Last week Kieren Perrow (below) was pondering life after pro surfing, Saturday, after an emotional victory, his career is going strong. Photos: ASP/Kirstin/Cestari
Taj Burrow wins Reef Hawaiian Pro
Taj Burrow has claimed the Reef Hawaiian Pro over Adam Melling, Adriano De Souza, and Nat Young.
Ross Williams also celebrated a victory today, the legends expression session over Shane Dorian, Kalani Robb and Robert Machado.
Taj's win puts him in the pole position for the Triple Crown, and gives the aussie a fair bit of momentum going into Sunset and Pipeline.
Ross's win reminds us how absolutely incredible Kelly Slater is. I mean the guy's best friends are in the legends heat, and he just clinched his reigning eleventh worltd title. Easily. That's absurd.
Taj was on fire all day, threading tubes and scalping come-from behind wins in the windy conditions. Haleiwa wasn't an easy woman to handle today, making many a surfer look awfully foolish at times. By day's end there was quite the highlight reel of toilet bowl-wipeouts being looped on the webcast.
With this being the last day of the waiting period, the second jewel of the Triple Crown at Sunset Beach commences Friday. With a large swell forecasted, look for that to get underway very soon.
FINALS
Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.90pts ; Adam Melling (AUS) 12.12.60pts ; Adriano De Souza (BRA) 12.50 pts ; Nat Young (USA) 6.10 pts
SEMIFINALS
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.84pts ; Nat Young (USA) 12.70pts ; John John Florence (HAW) 11.50pts ; Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 10.67pts
Heat 2: Adriano De Souza (BRA) 13.54pts ; Adam Melling (AUS) 13.16pts ; Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.30pts ; Roy Powers (HAW) 4.57pts
QUATERFINALS
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.10pts ; Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 15.60pts ; Evan Geiselman (USA) 15.00pts ; Kolohe Andino (HAW) 6.90pts
Heat 2: Nat Young (USA) 17.77pts ; John John Florence (HAW) 14.27pts ; Kieren Perrow (AUS) 5.50pts ; Glen Hall (IRL) 5.20pts
Heat 3: Michel Bourez (PYF) 13.50pts ; Adriano De Souza (BRA) 12.30pts ; Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 12.20 pts ; Jesse Mendes (BRA) 9.17pts
Heat 4: Roy Powers (HAW) 15.00pts ; Adam Melling (AUS) 9.90pts ; Brett Simpson (USA) 7.33pts ; Granger Larsen (HAW) 6.83pts
Round of 32
Heat 1: Evan Geiselman (USA)11.33pts ; Kieren Perrow (AUS)10.73pts ; Hodei Collazo (EUK) 6.84pts ; Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 2.90pts
Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (HAW) 11.84pts ; Nat Young (USA) 9.70pts ; Adrien Toyon (REU)9.27pts ; Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 9.13pts
Heat 3: Glenn Hall (IRL) 15.43pts ; Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 14.37pts ; Sebastien Zietz (HAW) 10.34pts ; Leonardo Neves (BRA)10.00pts
Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW) 16.27pts ; Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.26pts ; Thiago Camarao 7.77pts (BRA) ; Daniel Ross (AUS) 7.70pts
Heat 5: Adriano De Souza (BRA) 12.67pts ; Brett Simpson (USA) 12.34pts ; Dusty Payne (HAW) 9.60pts ; Adrian Buchan (AUS) 9.30pts
Heat 6: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 11.19pts ; Adam Melling (AUS) 10.73pts ; Dion Atkinson (AUS) 8.83pts ; Adam Robertson (AUS) 8.50pts
Heat 7: Roy Powers (HAW) 9.94pts ; Michel Bourez (PYF) 9.50pts ; Jadson Andre (BRA) 8.57pts ; Marc Lacomare (FRA) 5.83pts
Heat 8: Granger Larsen (HAW) 14.60pts ; Jesse Mendes (BRA) 12.60pts ; Nathaniel Curran (USA) 10.84pts ; Aritz Aramburu (EUK) 7.93pts
CLASH of the LEGENDS
Heat 2 : Ross Williams (HAW) 14.50pts ; Shane Dorian (HAW) 14.44 pts ; Rob Machado (USA) 10.83pts ; Kalani Robb (HAW) 8.27pts
The real ASP ratings post Reef Hawaiian Pro
It was hardly pretty, but the Reef Hawaiian Pro did manage to produce some solid surfing on Wednesday as the 
waves finally became contestable. While Taj Burrow stole the headlines with his win, the battle for 2012 qualification was the major subplot to this week's story, and there was indeed some movement.
Nat Young cracked the Top 50 of the "real rankings" with his appearance in the Final, while Adam Melling salvaged his shot at requalifying with a strong second place finish, which netted him a gain of 3450 points, enough to take him from 33 to 26.
The other nice gainers included John Florence, Tanner Gudauskas, Kolohe Andino and Jesse Mendez, all of whom are enjoying net gains of more than 1000 points. Here's a look at the real qualifying picture, based on points that each surfer has secured through the next cutoff (the only points that matter at this point).
[Above: John Florence earned crucial points by making the semifinals in the Reef Hawaiian Pro. Photo: ASP/Cestari.]18. Miguel Pupo has secured 30055. He needs 1200 plus to move the needle.
19. Brett Simpson has secured 25650. He needs 1750 plus to move the needle.
20. Kolohe Andino has secured 25245. He needs 2080 plus to move the needle.
21. Tiago Pires has secured 24450. He needs 700 plus to move the needle.
22. Jadson Andre has secured 23640. He needs 1750 plus to move the needle.
23. John Florence has secured 23405. He needs 1200 plus to move the needle.
24. Raoni Montero has secured 23400. He needs 700 plus to move the needle.
25. Patrick Gudauskas has secured 23020. He needs 1750 plus to move the needle.
26. Adam Melling has secured 22925. He needs 1750 plus to move the needle.
27. Taylor Knox has secured 22429. He needs 650 plus to move the needle.
28. Matt Wilkinson has secured 22100. He needs 700 plus to move the needle.
29. Kai Otton has secured 21650. He needs 1750 plus to move the needle.
30. Freddy Patacchia has secured 21164. He needs 1200 plus to move the needle.
31. Travis Logie has secured 20275. He needs 700 plus to move the needle.
32. CJ Hobgood has secured 20000. He needs 650 plus to move the needle.
33. Willian Cardoso has secured 19790. He needs 675 plus to move the needle.
34. Dusty Payne has secured 19475. He needs 1200 plus to move the needle.
35. Jesse Mendes has secured 19342. He needs 1200 plus to move the needle.
36. Kieren Perrow has secured 19300. He needs 1750 plus to move the needle.
37. Thiago Camarao has secured 18810. He needs 1200 plus to move the needle.
38. Chris Davidson has secured 18701. He needs 650 plus to move the needle.
39. Yadin Nicol has secured 18200. He needs 380 plus to move the needle.
40. Tanner Gudauskas has secured 17660. He needs 700 plus to move the needle.
41. Jay Quinn has secured 15875. He needs 650 plus to move the needle.
42. Dan Ross has secured 15700. He needs 650 plus to move the needle.
43. Richard Christie has secured 15585. He needs 1200 plus to move the needle.
44. Tom Whitaker has secured 14500. He needs 700 plus to move the needle.
45. Junior Faria has secured 14210. He needs 400 plus to move the needle.
46. Dion Atkinson has secured 13465. He needs 650 plus to move the needle.
47. Bettero Hizunome has secured 13355. He needs 675 plus to move the needle.
48. Cory Lopez has secured 12650. He needs 700 plus to move the needle.
49. Nate Yeomans has secured 12370. He needs 650 plus to move the needle.
50. Nat Young has secured 11770. He needs 650 plus to move the needle.
Fina11y
Kelly has won title number eleven for the second time. In stormy onshore peaks at Ocean Beach, Slater was able to out-surf the Brazilian duo of Medina and Pupo to claim his round 4 heat, book a spot in the quarterfinals, and mathematically clinch his unheard-of 11th world surfing title.
The young goofyfoots put up quite a fight in the puntable conditions. Neither of them was able to land anything huge though, which is what it's going to take down the champ, especially when the ASP owes him a world title because they made an unbelievably amateur error the other day..
The day would also hold a couple more bits of drama. Patrick Gudauskas, sitting at 34 in the ranking, absolutely needs a result in this event in order to secure a spot on tour next year, much like last year when he was facing elimination after the tahiti event. Much like last year, he was able to throw down a flip in order to win his heat, except this time he may have fractured his ankle in the process. This flip was a much loftier version of the trick, and his back foot was compressed on the landing, causing him to ride out in agonizing pain. Ex-rays will show if he has any chance of competing in his round 5 heat, which will most likely be run on Tuesday. Jordy Smith, who is no stranger to heat injuries, was unable to get the heat win despite ten minutes in the lineup by himself.
Josh Kerr boooked himself a quarterfinal slot in dramatic fashion, pulling out an enormous alley-oop in the dying seconds for a 9.53 to vault himself past Parko. In his attempts leading up to his final waves, he came within a hair of pulling a massive 540 alley-oop. Check it on the live replay for the sickest 1.67 you'll ever see.
Competition will look to resume tomorrow, and the forecast for Tuesday is shaping up very nicely.
UPCOMING RIP CURL PRO SEARCH SAN FRANCISCO ROUND 5 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 3: Brett Simpson (USA) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Owen Wright (AUS)
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH SAN FRANCISCO ROUND 4 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 10.67, Taylor Knox (USA) 9.94, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 9.43
Heat 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.17, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.33, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 14.83
Heat 3: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 14.60, Brett Simpson (USA) 12.83, Owen Wright (AUS) 9.36
Heat 4: Josh Kerr (AUS) 13.63, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 10.57, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 0.00
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH SAN FRANCISCO ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 11: Josh Kerr (AUS) 16.44 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 9.83
Heat 12: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 13.46 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 10.90
Medina Wins Second Event in Four tries
Gabe Medina has just hoisted the Rip Curl Search San Francisco trophy after defeating a long list on challengers today, including Joel Parkinson, Taylor Knox, and Kelly Slater.
The 17 year old Brazilian is only in his fourth event on the word stage, and this is his second victory. To put that stat into perspective, the oldest surfer on tour, Taylor Knox at 40, has been on tour for 18 years and has never won an event.(*it has been pointed out that Taylor has indeed won an event, in brazil, sometime before the turn of the century. sorry, taylor) Gabe has been on tour for 3 months and has 2 victories.
This new brigade of young Brazilians, that includes Medina along with Miguel Pupo and Alejo Muniz, is looking pretty unstoppable at the moment. Their surfing is obviously on the cutting edge, but their attitudes are far more palatable to the mainstream surfing world, compared to Adriano de Souza and previous South American surf stars. The aggressive claims and the machismo have been removed, along with a bit of the butt-out stance, which are probably the two things that have kept Adriano's fame relegated to Brazil.
This question is not if one of these Brazilians can win the title, but when. Gabe's only been on tour for a quarter of a season, and he already has world champions rattled. Even 11 time ones.
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH SAN FRANCISCO FINALS RESULTS:
1 - Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.50
2 - Joel Parkinson (AUS) 10.90
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH SAN FRANCISCO SEMIFINALS RESULTS:
SF 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 17.33 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 14.27
SF 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14.97 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 14.34
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH SAN FRANCISCO QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Taylor Knox (USA) 14.96 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 12.83
QF 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 14.50 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 11.10
QF 3: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.83 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 11.83
QF 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.76 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 10.93
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH SAN FRANCISCO ROUND 5 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Taylor Knox (USA) 14.67 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.83
Heat 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 13.93 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 13.70
Heat 3: Brett Simpson (USA) adv. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) *Gudauskas withdraws due to injury
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 11.60 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 6.40
CURRENT ASP WORLD TITLE TOP 5 (After Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco):
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 63350 pts
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 48,600 pts
3. Owen Wright (AUS) 47,900 pts
4. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 43,700 pts
5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 42,200 pts
Surly locals greet the Rip Curl Pro Search on Day One
A fair amount of anticipation has surrounded the kickoff to the Rip Curl Pro Search 2011. Another new venue, a big city, and a surf spot that has it's share of personality.
Ocean Beach is renowned for angry locals, rip currents, sharks, and big winter peaks.
Day 1 would see all of those, except maybe the big winter peaks. Fun sized peaky surf and clean conditions started the day off before the wind shifted sideshore as the swell increased, making for lots and lots of paddling.
The morning started with Joel Parkinson having what he described as a potential heat winning wave taken from him by a local who refused to clear the lineup in Heat One. Local surfers are generally happy to have the world's best ripping apart their local beach. Not in Norcal. Locals up North don't seem to care much for ratings points, heat strategies, or your hipster surf blog. Joel went on to say that at that point he was already having a terrible heat so he wasn't going to complain to the contest director or anything like that.
Hawaiian Dusty Payne encountered a different kind of local in Heat Four. Dusty picked off an inside wave with 6 minutes left. He stonds stark upright, making to effort to surf the wave. He instead looks back over the shoulder and motions to the churning water behind him. Going straight in, despite still being behind in the heat, he is met by beach commentator Shmoo, where he steps in front of the camera, still visibly shaken.
"I've seen plenty of dolphins. That wasn't a dolphin. Biggest fin I've ever seen. Coming right at me."
Eek!
Kelly Slater moved within one heat of clinching his eleventh title by winning his Round One heat today. He will now need to win his Round Three heat to clinch. The champagne is on ice.
Several top seeded aussies fell in the roulette-type conditions at Ocean Beach. Parko, Owen, Mick, Julian, and Kerr all failed to win in Round One. Owen and Joel battled back in Round Two, with the rest yet to surf.
And Dane Reynolds showed up! The Ventura local took a little road trip up North to Frisco for some beers and some duckdives. Dane would finish his first heat one aerial short of victory, and due to deteriorating winds today, he will have to surf the first heat of the day tomorrow. Like most good beer drinkers, Daynolds is typically terrible in early morning heats, so this will be interesting..
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH SAN FRANCISCO ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Adam Melling (AUS) 12.50, Taylor Knox (USA) 10.80, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 10.50
Heat 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.60, Jadson Andre (BRA) 11.43, Dane Reynolds (USA) 9.00
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) 12.67, John John Florence (HAW) 10.67, Daniel Ross (AUS) 7.00
Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.10, Dusty Payne (HAW) 7.87, Tom Whitaker (AUS) N/S
Heat 5: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 14.67, Owen Wright (AUS) 6.10, Dillon Perillo (USA) 4.86
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.03, Kai Otton (AUS) 10.90, Dean Brady (AUS) 9.97
Heat 7: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 15.10, Julian Wilson (AUS) 11.43, Tiago Pires (PRT) 9.33
Heat 8: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 16.53, Michel Bourez (PYF) 16.23, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 9.77
Heat 9: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 14.50, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 11.10, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 9.77
Heat 10: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 16.40, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 16.33, Travis Logie (ZAF) 10.37
Heat 11: Chris Davidson (AUS) 16.10, Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.26, Mick Fanning (AUS) 11.10
Heat 12: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 11.10, Josh Kerr (AUS) 10.77, Brett Simpson (USA) 9.30
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH SAN FRANCISCO ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) 11.16 def. Dean Brady (AUS) 8.07
Heat 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 8.60 def. Dillon Perillo (USA) 6.50
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.57 def. Taylor Clark (USA) 8.76
Heat 4: Daniel Ross (AUS) 14.00 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.00
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH SAN FRANCISCO REMAINING ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Dane Reynolds (USA)
Heat 6: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 7: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 8: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 9: Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. Kai Otton (USA)
Heat 10: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 11: Tiago Pires (PRT) vs. John John Florence (HAW)
Heat 12: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Jadson Andre (BRA)
Kelly Slater clinches his remarkable 11th world title on the anniversary of his fallen rival
When Kelly Slater was closing in on his 10th ASP World Championship in 2010, the nice round number that he was chasing demanded his career accomplishments be compared against all other athletes. 
Sadly, the eventual celebration was tempered because his 10th title came just days after the sport's biggest tragedy: the untimely death of Hawaiian great Andy Irons, Slater's biggest rival, and the only man who managed to truly challenge Kelly during his 20 year reign.
Irons won three straight titles in 2002-2004, but none bigger than his 2003 showdown that saw him get the better of Slater in the final heat of the season.
Wednesday marked the one year anniversary of Irons' passing. After ASP competitors and fans marked the occasion with an early morning tribute at the Rip Curl Pro in Ocean Beach, San Francisco, Slater got busy clinching another world title... his 11th.
"Winning today, on the anniversary of Andy's death, it's really the best way I can honor his memory," Slater said after being carried up the beach. "It reminds me of all those times we battled together."
[Flashback: Slater and Irons, a rivalry for the ages]
For the record, his was the first time the ASP crown has ever been clinched on the U.S. Mainland. And naturally Slater's latest feat has all his fans busting out their scales again.
As they discovered last year at this time the list of athletes with careers that have lasted 20 years is a short one, albeit filled with legendary names. But try making a list of athletes that have completely dominated their sport for two full decades and it gets very tiny indeed, and there's little arguing that Kelly Slater, the surfer, is right there at the top.
The 39-year-old from Florida remains ageless in a sport where the athletes are built like gymnasts, and 25-year-olds are considered dinosaurs -- at least they were when Slater's career began.
His feat is all the more impressive considering he won his first world title in 1992, when Bill Clinton was still a candidate for office, Magic, Larry, and Jordan were playing together on the Olympic Dream Team, and
Jay Leno was enjoying his first season as the Tonight Show Host.
[Surfer Magazine photo gallery of Slater from the Rip Curl Pro]
Slater was the youngest world champion then, and he's the oldest today by a spread of nine years. His 11th world championship gives him seven more than Australian Mark Richards, the man with the second most, who racked up four straight from 1979-1982. His achievement surprisingly got a bit of mainstream attention last year, as even the most cynical sports pundits pondered the argument of Slater being quite possible the best athletes ever.
For his part, even though he's bolstered the argument with yet another championship Slater wants nothing to do with 
the conversation. He let's his rabid fans do the debating for him while he cherishes the anonymity that comes driving just a few miles inland.
His trip to San Francisco was his first for an ASP competition, and he did his best to make it a family affair with his brother Stephen and longtime girlfriend, swimwear designer Kalani Miller.
When he realized that he might clinch his 11th world title on the anniversary of Andy's death, Slater took some time to finally open up on the matter. Today the surfing world knows more about the personal struggles Irons faced leading up to his tragic departure than they did a year ago. They've made peace with Irons' issues. But on Wednesday we got a glimpse of how long it really took for Slater to cope. In the days leading into the Rip Curl Pro, he put down some thoughts about his roller-coaster relationship with Andy for The Inertia. While there's great stuff in there about the hottest of hot days in their storied rivalry, his summary is what hits home most.
The story of Andy Irons may likely never feel good to us whether you were his friend and you miss him or you have a strong judgment about his shortcomings and it made you angry. No matter what, it doesn't make sense for someone so gifted and in touch on so many levels to die alone in an airport hotel room nowhere close to anything that mattered to him. But remembering someone can sometimes be about the toughest thing you ever had with them and feeling like your life is better for having experienced that with them. And if that can make you laugh or smile, you're honoring their life and their legacy, I believe.As surfing fans celebrate one of the greatest athletes of all time, on this day they're also remembering the fallen hero who made him better.
I have questioned whether anything in our relationship and battles had any impact on the course of his life or whether I could have made a difference somehow. Maybe that's just my own form of denial, but one thing is clear, I still can't believe that Andy is gone. Hell, I still can't believe that Todd Chesser is gone and Donnie Solomon and Malik Joyeux and a whole bunch of other good friends are gone. An anniversary is best used for remembering the good things and letting it all sink in more so that the sadness fades away and the good memories remain. And if we learn anything from that, let it be that the positive impact of Andy and all our other friends who are gone bring us closer to the ones and the things that we love right here, right now.
Photos of Kelly Slater by Grant Ellis of Surfer Magazine. Fan shirt shot comes courtesy of Kalani Miller.
Kelly Slater writes a tribute to Andy
On the eve of his incredible 11th World Surfing Title, Kelly Slater took the time to sit down an ink an article for theinertia.com, an independent online surf publication, on the life and memory of his only true rival, Andy Irons, who passed away exactly one year ago.
It's an amazing insight into the lives of champions, the super-men that we put on pedestals, and the candid moments that are so undeniably human.
Andy and Kelly had a very simple or very complicated relationship, depending on how you look at it, but hearing Kelly speak so honestly about their love and hate for each other is quite touching.
Here is an excerpt, read the whole article on the Inertia here.
Kelly:
"I've been asked for many opinions and interviews about Andy Irons and the situations and decisions that lead to his early departure from our world. It's not something I take lightly. I have my own opinions about not only Andy's choices and how he ultimately got to the place he did, but also about the way these things are handled from all sides of the story. But what is right? And whose opinions actually matter other than those of his family and closest friends about who they knew and how they feel inside? What is it that each of us hopes to take away from the Andy Irons story? And what is it that we want to give to the story of his life?"
(Kelly also shares a couple anecdotes about his and Andy's battles, physical ones.)
"I'll share a story, but for the sake of brevity, I'll just say this: We got really drunk on a Tavarua trip. We got into a shouting match. I said something about him thinking he's the man for winning a couple of contests. He screamed and laughed at me, "You're going baaaalllldddd, hahahaha." I told him he'd know how I felt when his father passed away, and he started kicking me in the face. (I had earlier punched him in the face in a crazy 10-man wrestling match in a taxi). Then Shane Dorian tackled him and pulled him off me telling him my father had just died a few weeks ago. Andy started crying hysterically and hugging and apologizing to me for the next half hour before he went to bed and then apologized again the next day. In some weird way I think I just wanted him to know that I was hurting because he had a way of just sorta being tough even though he was one of the most sensitive guys in the world. "
Read the full article.
