Quiksilver Pro France 2002
and
Roxy pro France 2002

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)
World Championship Tour (WCT), Event #8 of 12
Hossegor/Capbreton/Seignosse/St Jean de Luz, France
26 September - 8 October 2002

Preview of Quiksilver Pro France 2002 & Roxy Pro France 2002

France??s only WCT Pro surfing event will bring together the world??s best male and female surfers for a world class competition to be held on the best possible waves that the south west coast has to offer.

The top 46 men and 17 women on the ASP world tour will be present for the Quiksilver Pro France and the Roxy Pro France. Amongst them will be current world champions CJ Hobgood and Layne Beachley, as well as the highly awaited six time world champion Kelly Slater, who has returned to the tour after 3 years of absence.

On the local side, support will be going out to Miky Picon, the French surfer from Capbreton, who currently holds top ranking in the World Qualifying Tour and a wild card for the event.

In order to guarantee that the contests are held on the best possible waves that the south west coast of France has to offer, the Quiksilver Pro France and the Roxy Pro France are both mobile competitions, disposing of no less than four different possible contest sites dotted up the Atlantic coast.

The main site for the Quiksilver Pro France will be established on the beach at Hossegor, with annex sites in Seignosse and Capbreton. In case of large swell the bay of Lafitenia in St Jean de Luz will serve as host site. Each day the contest director will be able to move the contest towards the best wave depending on swell size and conditions.

The Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Pro France take place at the end of September and beginning of October, which is the best time of year to reunite swell, sun and east winds?ñ ideal surfing conditions in this part of Europe. At this time of year, the strong swells generate in the North Atlantic bringing some of the world??s best waves to the Basque and Landes coasts.

Also in Europe this year, is the Quiksilver Crossing. The brightly decorated Indies Trader will be arriving in the area specially for the contest, at the end of a tour that will have taken it throughout the continent on a voyage of Eco-education and awareness building, led by Surfers, Marine Biologists and Scientists.



Danny Wills : photo Tostee/ASP Worldtour.com

THE QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE

The Quiksilver Pro France is the 8th stop on a world tour comprised of 12 events. The best 46 male surfers on the planet battle it out round by round to increase their ratings in the championship race, as well as having a chance at winning their share of the $250 000 USD pool of prize money with $30,000 going to the winner.

The 2001 season was cut short by the events of September 11th which in turn led to the cancellation of the European leg of the WCT last year, including the Quiksilver Pro France. However, the Tour is back on the road this year, and three contests are scheduled in Europe, one in each of Portugal, France and Spain.

The title, which was narrowly won last year by 23 year old American CJ Hobgood, seems to open to a good many of the top ranked competitors this season. At the time of writing, it is Hawaii??s Andy Irons who leads the charge after 4 events. Nevertheless, the gap separating him from his closest rivals Cory and Shea Lopez, Luke Egan, and CJ Hobgood remains thin, and the title remains very much open.

This 2002 season also marks the return of quasi-mythical six time world surfing super hero Kelly Slater to the tour. After three years of absence, Kelly is back and has a 7th world title firmly in his sights. The surfer from Cocoa Beach, Florida, is warming up progressively, and currently holds 19th place in the ratings, after missing the event in Bell??s Beach due to the death of his father. Kelly won??t be holding back in France, and the year is far from over?ñ

Even if Slater??s return is highly awaited by French public, they also conserve strong support for their home grown boy, Miky Picon, who has a wild card to the event and is prominently placed to be the first from his country to break onto the top 44. He is currently (July 14th) ranked n?í1 on the ASP World Qualifying Series (a first for a Frenchmen). No doubt the fact that the contest is being held in his raising ground will inspire him to leave his mark on the minds of spectators and judges alike. The second wild card is awarded to Australian Troy Brooks.



Megan Abubo : Photo Tostee/ASP Worldtour.com

THE ROXY PRO FRANCE

The festivities would not be complete, especially in France, if there were not also a competition for the ladies. The women??s World Championship Tour will also be stopping in the land of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, for the Roxy Pro France.

The top 17 women surfers from the ASP WCT tour will be present on the Basque and Landes coasts to dispute the penultimate stage of the tour and have a chance at winning some of the $60,000 prize money pool with $10,000 for first place.

At the halfway point, after Tahiti, four time world champion Australia??s Layne Beachley is in third place behind her fellow country-women Melanie Redman and Lynette Mackenzie. A noteworthy performance also from Roxy girl Kate Skaratt who is currently rated 4th, after having placed 12th in 2001.

As for the charismatic and talented Lisa Andersen, the four time world champion is back on the pro tour after giving birth to her second child, Mason, and currently holds an impressive 5th place.

The Wild Card for the Roxy Pro France will be decided on by qualifier contest held before the main event. 4 young girls will have to compete against one another in order to decide who gets the magic ticket to enter the pond of the big fish. The surfers in question are Peru??s Sofia Mulanovich, Adelina Taylor from the Canaries, Marie-Pierre Abgrall and Caroline Sarran, both French surfers. This qualifier heart will be scheduled into the preliminary rounds of the women??s qualifiers.



Mikey Picon : photo Dimulle/ASP Europe

THE CONTEST SITES

The Quiksilver Pro France is the most important event in the French surfing calendar, and as such an event format worthy of this status has been devised by Quiksilver. In order for the world??s best surfers to compete in the best possible waves that the south west coast has to offer, the event will be mobile over four different sites.

HOSSEGOR will be the main contest site for the Quiksilver Pro France, and is a French surf city ?¨par excellence?Æ. This sea side town is nestled in the sand dunes of the Landes, and boasts more than it??s fair share of famous spots: La Nord, La Graviere, Les Culs Nus?ñ It will be in front of the best of the aforementioned waves in Hossegor that the competition site for the Quiksilver Pro France will be erected.

If conditions are judged better elsewhere, the organisers will also have the possibility to ?¨go mobile?Æ and move the contest to either Capbreton or Seignosse, which flank Hossegor to the North and South.

To the North, SEIGNOSSE harbours several gem-like surf spots, including Les Estagnots, Les Bourdaines, Le Penon, L??Agreou and Les Casernes, just to name a few. Less well known than it??s bigger neighbour, Seignosse has absolutely nothing to envy it??s sister as far as quality and diversity of surf spots goes.

To the South, CAPBRETON, also a hive of famous surf spots, including le VVF, La Piste, Santosha, and others. Many current top 46 surfers (including Danny Wills, Taj Burrow, Shane Dorian, and Jake Patterson) made their professional debuts at Capbreton during the Pro Junior, recently renamed as the Quiksilver Grommets Trophy.

Finally, should the swell prove too big for the Landes, the organisers of the Quiksilver Pro could decide to move the contest to the perfect point break bay of Lafitenia, in St Jean de Luz.