GRINDTV NEWSWIRE via Ocean Promotion: HONOLULU - Tuesday, June 22, 2010 -- Make no mistake: Jason Shibata isn't ready to pass the competitive torch just yet. Just when the 29-year-old starts talking about a life after pro surfing life, he turns in the biggest result of his career, in front of a home crowd, to take first place in the $25,000 Sponsor Me Hawaii. Shibata's win of this 2-star rated Association of Surfing Professionals event earned him $5,000 and a long-awaited turn on the victory dais.

Shibata couldn't have written the script any better for himself: Perfect five-foot surf at his childhood stomping ground of Ala Moana Bowls with all of his peers there to enjoy it with him. He rarely surfs the place these days, opting for something a little less crowded and intense. But the opportunity to dominate the coveted South Shore lineup with just three others out was one he couldn't help but put to good use. His backhand attack was vertical, critical and lightning fast. His tube-riding, which earned him an 8.6 and ultimately clinched the final, was deep and committed.

"I was tripping because I wasn't really in the spot (for the tube)," said Shibata. "I was really deep and it swung wide. I just paddled... got in, it started off really tight and almondy and I'm going for it. But it let me out and from then on I had a huge smile on my face and thought, maybe today is the day, and I just went with it."

Along with his fellow finalists Kai Barger (Haiku, Maui, 2nd), Pancho Sullivan (Haleiwa, 3rd), and Casey Brown (Kona, Hawaii), Shibata surfed through five rounds over 11 hours today. It was a grueling day that was well worth the effort.

Barger gave Shibata the best run for his money, putting it all on the line to the final horn where he popped a reverse air 360, but couldn't steal the win.

"The final was sick!" said Barger. "We had a pretty good pulse of waves for half an hour so everybody was relaxed and knew that we could all get at least two good chances to bang 'um and Shibats just got us."

Equal fifth overall, losing out in the semi-finals, were Dustin Cuizon and Kalani Robb. Equal seventh, also bowing out in the semi's, were Solomon Ortiz and Makuakai Rothman.

Worthy of a special mention today was downtown Honolulu civil engineer Gregg Nakamura, who took a day off work and took down former world champion Sunny Garcia in his opening heat of the morning. Before his run ended in the quarters, Nakamura had also posted heat wins over both Shibata and Barger. He's now considering a trip to Las Vegas to test his lucky streak; while he was in the water taking out heats, his wife won a Sponsor Me lucky draw surfboard, closely followed by his cousin from out of town who was also drawn at random to win a board.

On his heat with Garcia, Granger Larsen and Kai Barger in the round of 64: "That was the gnarliest heat I've ever been in in my life!" said Nakamura. "It was the most anticipated heat of the round. Just seeing Sunny, Kai and Granger out there, usually I'm behind the computer watching these guys on the live webcast. I can't even believe it."

Results:
1st. Jason Shibata (Waipahu, Oahu 29) - 17.5 out of 20 - $5,000
2nd. Kai Barger (Haiku, Maui, 20) - 15.6 - $2,500
3rd. Pancho Sullivan (Haleiwa, Oahu 36) - 11.25 - $2,000
4th. Casey Brown (Kona, Hawaii, 22) - 9.2 - $1,500

The Southern California grom circuit kicked into high gear last week as the western regional of Rip Curl's grom search went down in Huntington Beach. The hottest young surfers on the west coast and Hawaii lit up the shifty peaks of 9th Street in HB, which was firing thanks to an early season combo swell. As reported earlier, Taylor Thorne, Colin Moran, Kanoa Igarashi and Lakey Peterson took top honors after some hard fought battles.

Rip Curl's Grom Search does live up to its billing. It's by far one of the best events to seek and find the surfers of the future. Last weeks winners were but a sliver of the talent on hand which we're all likely to be hearing about in the near future. Each division is stacked, but what's most surprising these days is just how much talent resides in the 12 and under division, which, frankly, the Hawaiians have a major grip on right now, as proven in Huntington as three of the four finaalists call paradise home. Kanoa Igarashi, Kalani David and Landon McNamara were all gunning for the win over the lone Californian, Jacob Davis.




Of course the 16 and 14 and under divisions were pretty damn impressive as well, with the move of the event belonging to Malibu's Andrew Jacobson, who pulled a ridiculous aerial reverse. The move earned him the "H20 Overdrive Maneuver of the Event" which was good for an extra $100 cash. This week, they're all heading down to Lower Trestles for the NSSA Nationals, which got underway Tuesday in glassy 3-foot conditions. The fireworks show will be going all week.

Nationals will be followed up next week with the Nike 6.0 Pier Presssure Pro Junior. The 4-grade event is the biggest Pro Junior event of the season in North America, and will feature the likes of Kai Barger, Dillon Perillo, Nat Young, Kolohe Andino and Andrew Doheny to name a few. Naturally, the scouts will be out in force taking notes.

The average age in the lineup dropped significantly over the weekend as Summer officially got underway. The serious bout of June gloom and southerly winds affecting Southern California's latest swell did nothing to slow the invasion of high profile grommets from grabbing a foothold on some high-profile surf spots in preparation for a slew of important title events.

The first event actually took place on the 13th and 14th of June, Rip Curl's Grom Search at 9th Street in Huntington Beach. The west coast regional event of Rip Curl's prestigious series actually scored perfect waves and weather on the weekend of the 13th and 14th. Newport's Taylor Thorne took the top spot in the Boys 16/under, while Colin Moran double-finaled in the Boys 16 and 14/under, winning the U-14 Final. Meanwhile, Kanoa Igarashi, one of several incredible Hawaiian surfers on hand, claimed the top spot in the hotly contested boys division over Jacob Davis, Kalani David and Landon McNamara.

Thorne, Moran, Igarashi and Girls winner Lakey Peterson will be trying to back their Grom Search wins up this week during the NSSA Nationals at Lower Trestles, which gets underway on Tuesday. The Nations top surfers will be battling for the high profile championships in what looks like decent surf, according to the latest forecast.

Of course, hot on the heals of the NSSA Nationals, which end on Saturday, will be the Nike's Pier Pressure Pro, which takes place on the 28th and 29th at the Huntington Beach landmark. The Pier Pressure Pro Junior is a Grade 4 event, with $20,000 in prizes that will feature the likes of World Pro Junior Champion Kai Barger and west coast powerhouse Nat Young, as well as a stacked field of the best up and coming talent in the world. It's a must-see event for hardcore surf fans.