Waimea Bay, O`ahu, HAWAI`I - (Friday, January 12, 2001) -- Fourteen years of trying to master the huge waves of Hawaii's Waimea
Bay paid big dividends for Australian Ross Clarke-Jones today, as he surfed his way to first place and a $50,000 paycheck in "The Quiksilver" in Memory of Eddie Aikau competition.
Clarke-Jones was the clear leader of the event with a total of 319 points by the end of his two-round performance, finishing in first place ahead of top five finishers Shane Dorian (Hawaii) - 292 points, Paul Paterson (Australia) - 283 points, Ross Williams (Hawaii) - 280 points, and Kelly Slater (Florida, USA) - 270 points. Charging his way into the biggest waves, committing himself to elevator-drop take-offs and surviving the crashing tons of white-water, Clarke-Jones had the two highest wave scores of the day - 92 and 91 points. His third and fourth scores were both 68 points. "My devotion to this event has been total for the past 12 years," said an ecstatic Clarke-Jones, 34. "I've wanted it so hard and for so long that I think I've put too much pressure on myself and my past performances have been a bit disappointing. "To win has been a dream for so long that I had almost given up on it. It's not even the money. I've spent 10 times that amount just staying here every winter waiting for the event to happen. It's purely the prestige. To be able to say you've won The Eddie. "Unfortunately I never got to meet Eddie. But I've looked up to him. His style, and what he did. I've always felt a natural affinity with him. I remember hearing about how he paddled away from the canoe to get help and I thought to myself that that was something I would do."
Aikau's younger brother Clyde was the oldest invitee in the event today. At 51, Clyde's surfing ability speaks for itself, having won "The Quiksilver" back in 1986. Today he was back in excellent form, placing 10th overall. "I had a super first round today but was a little out of sync in the second," said Aikau. "But it's a pleasure to surf in this event. For Hawaiians, it's always special to have a family day at the beach. Especially at Waimea Bay. There's a lot of spirit to this place.
While the use of jetskis have enabled surfers to find their way into larger waves than Waimea delivered today, overcoming the barrier of single-handedly stroking into waves by being towed in, riding Waimea on big days like today is a respected pursuit. As a testament to the power of the Waimea lineup, one of Hawaii's greatest watermen and lifeguards, Brian Keaulana (Makaha), incurred the only serious injury today. Keaulana ruptured his eardrum after a nasty wipeout in the last heat of the day. He was brought to shore by the lifeguard jetski. In 15 years of the event, it has only been run a total of four times when waves have reached sufficient height within the allotted winter waiting period. Today, Ross Clarke-Jones became the first non-Hawaiian to win. It was an honor that was worth the wait. For further information: Jodi Young, in Hawaii (808) 989-4634 or (808) 337-2323.
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Last Modified:
Saturday - 20010113.11:58 EST
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