Just a short bike ride from the home where Malibu's Dillon Perillo grew up sits the fabled lines of First Point Malibu. Reared along this treasured point, Perillo cut his teeth to become one of the most notable upstarts from the area in some time. He may not have all of the swagger of Dora, but Dillion Perillo's steez in the lineup is unquestionable. And it was here at Fiist Point recently that the teenage Perillo began to monopolize on his backyard knowledge when he won the the Fourth Annual Malibu Invitational presented by Primo Beer.

Held as an event to bring some of the most talented and diverse surfers from LA and the Orange Curtain together under one of surfing's most famous waves, the Malibu Invitational also raises money for the TheraSurf Organization, a group of surfers who make it their mission to introduce surfing to kids with disabilities and autism.

At the event, Perillo put on an absolutely blistering performance, netting four 9-point rides and a 10 to secure the win and a $2,000 paycheck. Ever the ambassador of goodwill, Perillo immediately handed the check over to the crew at TheraSurf.

"I am just stoked someone from Malibu finally won the thing," said Perillo. "I haven't won a comp this year so it feels really good. I want to thank everyone involved and I am handing the winners check over to Jimmy Gamboa and TheraSurf. Those guys are killing it right now."

Rip Curl has a new webisode series all revolving around a season-long boat trip journey through relatively uncharted areas of Indonesia. Instead of telling you more about it, why dont you just watch the videos, there are a bunch of em and they will explain everything...

Boardwear giant, Rip Curl, has won the battle for 19 year-old Dillon Perillo. He will now join Mick Fanning and Owen Wright as one of the key members of the men's surf roster. Perillo has been on a tear for the past few years both competitively and coverage wise, and the surf industry has taken notice. Translation; more than one of "The Big Guns" wanted to ink him. Perillo had previously been with Hurley, and there's no shortage of money over there, so you know he walked away with some coin, which the Malibu kid will need if he ever wants to buy a place in his hometown.

"I am super fired up to be a part of Rip Curl and everything they are about," Perillo said, right before he left for the South Pacific to join a Surfing Magazine trip. "Rip Curl is what I want to be representing and be associated with. I can't wait for what is to come."

How does Rip Curl feel about all this? "It's rare to come across a young surfer with a combination of competitive drive, effortless style, and vibe on land like what Dillon Perillo has going on," said Rip Curl USA marketing director, Dylan Slater. "I look forward to seeing him become one of the leading faces for Rip Curl, while being pushed by guys like Fanning and Owen."

There you have it, another big contract is signed in pro surfing sponsorship land, which are becoming increasingly hard to come by these days. The one good thing about this recession is it may boost the level of surfing; since there's less money to go around that is. You know, the guys who have the major deals are plenty aware of all the guys who want them. It's like that old saying of why Communism never worked. "If everyone is getting paid the same amount to make chairs, what's the incentive to make a quality chair."

Compact Hawaiian powerhouse Keanu Asing, the 16-year old from Ewa Beach, Oahu, continued his impressive West Coast swing by winning the Nike 6.0 Pier Pressure Pro, a Grade-4 Junior event, which wrapped Monday at the Huntington Beach Pier. The Grade-4 event was the largest of the season on the North American circuit, and the extra points Asing secured will play a huge role in securing a spot representing the Hawaiians at the World Junior Championships in January.

Asing skillfully blended his powerful lip jabs with some light-footed weaving across Huntington's famous flat sections to overtake Malibu's Dillon Perillo for the win. Conditions were less than optimal for much of the event with a fierce wind tearing through the small, shoulder-high surf. Yet Asing and his fellow finalist made it look far better than it was.

"I'm really impressed with how well these guys dealt with these conditions," said former ASP tour star Pat O'Connell. "The level of surfing was pretty amazing considering what they had to work with."

For Asing, the win was sweet redemption after he failed to make a final in the NSSA Nationals on Saturday, despite being an obvious contender to everyone in attendance. Upon his arrival to California, Asing finished runner up to Nat Young at the Arnette All Day Antics Pro Junior in Newport Beach, a Grade-3 event. With this victory, he's certainly made the most of his trip the the mainland, putting himself in a great position to represent Hawaii in the World Junior Championships in January. While well known and respected in Hawaii, the soft-spoken Asing was so low on the industry radar that he failed to even show up on Surfer Magazine's Hot 100 list this year. Now he's become one of the most talked about surfers of the young summer season. "I'm really happy with my results this year," he said afterward. "I'm getting on a roll and I just want to keep it going."



Perillo did his best to keep pace with Asing in the Final, electing to sit with him on the righthander that bends off of the pier. But after a strong opening ride Dillon couldn't find the backup wave he needed to close the door on Asing, who was busy tearing apart any remnants he could find, weaving seamlessly across the nefarious Huntington flat spot before bashing the shorepound to victory. Perillo's second place finish was still a very helpful one in his mission to qualify for the World Junior Championships. "This result will help me because I finished above everyone that was
ahead of me on the ratings,' Perillo explained. What's more, he's made the final of every Pro Junior event he's entered this year, which bodes well as he heads into the U.S. Open.

Florida's Evan Thompson kept his own little roll going by finishing in 3rd place. His appearance in the Final came right on the heals of his runner up finish to Kolohe Andino at the NSSA Nationals on Saturday. Thompson looked extremely comfortable in the windy conditions that, he said, reminded him of home. "It's small and mushy and it's really a dogfight for waves out there. But I guess I'm pretty used to it."

Meanwhile Newport Beach's Chase Wilson made the Nike Pier Pressure result a personal best by making his first-ever finals appearance at this level. "I made the semifinals at Newport so this will really help my rating," Wilson said. "Hopefully I'm up there now." Regardless of whether he is or not, Wilson can should take some pride in eliminating some big names on his journey to the Finals, including the Pro Junior tour leader Andrew Doheny, new National Champ Kolohe Andino, and 3rd ranked Pro Junior, Nat Young.

San Clemente's own, Mike Losness, became the first non-Huntington resident to win the Vans Pier Classic presented by Jack's. It was a wave starved contest that finished on a cold, windy, and all-around ugly day at southside Huntington Beach Pier.

Losness was able to find two good scoring waves in the difficult conditions and in the process became $5,000 richer. "The waves were not amazing all week, they were kind of small, but still rippable and still fun," he said after his heat. "I came up to this event not expecting too much, I had the goal of making the Quarterfinals and once I did, I figured anything after this is good."

Dillon Perillo, who had already won the Pro Junior of the event, was also in the final. This was the second time I've witnessed Perillo achieve this feat, he did the same thing at the Oakley Pro in Newport Beach a few months ago.

"I'm so stoked to have won the first contest," said Perillo. "Every heat I just tried to stay focused and do the same thing and I had three heats back-to-back. I just had fun and tried to not get too tired."

All and all it was a fun contest because it was Spring Break and there were tons of girls on the beach all week. The waves may have been small, but the chick-o-meter was high, so I had a pretty good time.

Vans Pier Classic presented by Jack's Surfboards Results:

Vans Pier Classic Final:

1. Mike Losness (USA) 16.15
2. Dillon Perillo (USA) 13.10
3. Hank Gaskell (HAW) 12.75
4. Eric Geiselman (USA) 12.75

Vans Pier Classic Semifinals: (1st and 2nd advance)

SF 1: Eric Geiselman (USA) 16.00, Dillon Perillo (USA) 15.00, Andrew Doheny (USA) 9.25, Jason Shibata (HAW) 7.80
SF 2: Hank Gaskell (HAW) 16.75, Mike Losness (USA) 13.50, Dege O' (TM)Connell (HAW) 13.40, Cody Thompson (USA) 6.40

Vans Pier Classic Quarterfinals: (1st and 2nd advance)

QF 1: Jason Shibata (HAW) 13.90, Dillon Perillo (USA) 13.35, Matt King (USA) 10.60, Michael Dunphy (USA) 9.75
QF 2: Andrew Doheny (USA) 14.20, Eric Geiselman (USA) 13.60, Noi Kaulukukui (USA) 13.50, Matt Keenan (USA) 9.15
QF 3: Hank Gaskell (USA) 16.40, Cody Thompson (USA) 13.35, Travis Beckmann (USA) John John Florence (HAW) 8.75
QF 4: Dege O'Connell (HAW) 18.10, Mike Losness (USA) 17.35, Nathan Carrol (HAW) 12.50, Shaun Ward (USA) 11.00

Ezekiel Pro Junior Final:
1. Dillon Perillo (USA) 17.80
2. Andrew Doheny (USA) 14.35
3. Luke Davis (USA) 12.75
4. Spencer Regan (USA) 12.75

Ezekiel Pro Junior Semifinals (1st and 2nd advance)

SF 1: Luke Davis (USA) 16.50, Spencer Regan (USA) 13.10, Brent Reilly (USA) 12.20, Hunter Heverly (USA) 5.25
SF 2: Dillon Perillo (USA) 16.00, Andrew Doheny (USA) 11.25, Chase Brady (USA) 10.50, Michael Dunphy (USA) 7.40

Ezekiel Pro Junior Quarterfinals: (1st and 2nd advance)

QF 1: Luke Davis (USA) 12.75, Brent Reilly (USA) 11.50, Dane Zaun (USA) 9.75, Doug Van Mierlo (USA) 6.10
QF 2: Spencer Regan (USA) 15.10, Hunter Heverly (USA) 13.25, Phillip Goold (USA) 12.65, Christian Saenz (USA) 8.75
QF 3: Chase Brady (USA) 14.25, Andrew Doheny (USA) 13.40, Gabe Garcia (USA) 9.25, Dege O'Connell (HAW) 8.75
QF 4: Dillon Perillo (USA) 15.05, Michael Dunphy (USA) 11.50, Matt Pagan (USA) 11.20, Jared Thorne (USA) 6.55

Ezekiel Pro Junior Round of 32 Results: (1st and 2nd advance)

Heat 5: Andrew Doheny (USA) 16.00, Jared Thorne (USA) 11.25, Levi Gonzales (HAW) 9.25, Rob Kelly (USA)
Heat 6: Gabe Garcia (USA) 14.75, Matt Pagan (USA) 11.00, Trevor Saunders (USA) 9.60, Conrad Carr (USA) 7.55
Heat 7: Dillon Perillo (USA) 17.10, Dege O'Connell (HAW) 10.00, Kekoa Cazimero (HAW) 9.15, Riley Metcalf (USA) 6.40
Heat 8: Michael Dunphy (USA) 14.90, Chase Brady (USA) 10.05, Nick Rupp (USA) 8.45, Matt Meola (HAW) 5.85