Travis Beckmann Leads Americans at ASP 5 Star Relentless Boardmasters in England
































































HUNTINGTON BEACH, California (Sunday, August 09, 2009) - After passing the halfway mark of the 2009 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) season, several campaigners on The Grind picked up their bags and headed over to Europe for the Relentless Boardmasters in association with Vans for the ASP 5-Star contest in Newquay, England. Travis Beckmann (Vero Beach, FL), 21, was the top American representative with a solid 17th place finish amongst the talented international field.

Surfers competing on the ASP WQS are out to gain points towards qualification for the ASP World Tour, with each surfer looking to claim one of 15 slots available for the elite series, allowing them to strive for the title of ASP World Champion against the top 45 competitive surfers on the globe each following year.

Beckmann launched out of the gates in strong form with a new board under his feet, earning some of the top scores in the early rounds en route to his career best finish on The Grind. The East Coast talent bested former ASP European Champion Spencer Hargraves (Newquay, GBR) and Portuguese talent Ruben Gonzalez (PRT) while advancing through to the latter rounds.

"I felt good competing out there and I just got a fantastic board ten days ago," Beckmann said. "I feel like I have glue on my feet on this board and it definitely helped a lot to score those two eight pointers during my heat. I am super stoked to start this way."

Beckmann, who represented America at last year's Billabong ASP World Junior Championships after a fourth place finish on the ASP North America Pro Junior Series, is slowly acclimating himself in to ASP WQS competition, and the 17th place result at the Relentless Boardmasters will help the young Floridian's quest for a solid seed on The Grind.

"This year is like a cool relaxed year for me, just doing the events I really want to go to" Beckmann said. "I am more focused on me and on what I really want to do for the year which is more about getting back to what surfing really is. I will be off to Mexico to get barreled as soon as I am done here."

Beckmann's campaign will continue at this week's ASP 3-Star Quiksilver Pro Puerto Escondido, which runs from August 12-19, 2009.

To check out the Quiksilver Pro Puerto Escondido log on to www.quiksilver.com/puerto

For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org

American Gold!
Pictured: The USA Team that made it into the History books. Pic: Watts/ISA

Team USA wins the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games in Costa Rica for the first time in 13 Years

Billabong ISA World Surfing Games
Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica
August 8, 2009


It was a fitting end to an event steeped in a mix of camaraderie and
tough competition as Team USA took the overall gold medal today over
Team France at the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games presented by
Monster Energy in Costa Rica. It was the first time that the Americans
have won an overall gold medal in since the 1996 World Surfing Games in
Huntington Beach, California.

From the opening heats of the
Games at Playa Hermosa that began eight days ago, Team USA appeared
committed and focused, as they competed against 34 other teams for a
spot on the podium. With the final day of competition looming overhead,
Team USA stood firm and was able to place five or their eight team
members into the three finals, hence becoming the team to beat.


The team was led by Ian Cairns who assumed the position as Coach less
than one month ago. "We had good surfers and what we did was to stay
very concentrated," said a low-key Cairns. "This is a long event and it
was very important to preserve your energy."

"I am really
very happy" said Cairns of the first American title in more than a
decade. "My goal was to come here and win. But also I wanted to
establish a different personality for American surfing. I didn't want
to make a lot of noise until things were happening. We built the
support, the calmness and we focused on being together and
concentrating on doing things well. Later, at the final, we went to the
beach to wave the flag."

ISA President, Fernando Aguerre,
said about the amazing Billabong ISA World Surfing Games: "This was a
great event. The new team format (4 open men, 2 open women and 2
longboarders) proved to be the right decision. The inaugural Billabong
ISA World Surfing Games will go down as a historical moment for
surfing, with record number of competitors and national teams in
attendance. Congratulations to all the nations and see you next year!"


Hot on the USA's heels was the French team, led by ASP World Tour
surfer Jeremy Flores. He looked in stellar form throughout the entire
contest. France managed to put a one athlete in each of the Open,
Women's, and Longboard divisions.

Kick-starting the final day
of the contest was the ISA Aloha Cup, run as a tag-team event with five
surfers from each team taking turns competing in the hour-long final.
The unique format brought the national pride and overall
competitiveness that had been simmering to a roaring boil.


Historically, one of the strongest teams in the event and last year's
overall event winner, Team Australia, took the lead in the Aloha Cup at
the outset of the heat and managed to hold on to it despite a strong
rally from the French Team. It was a bittersweet moment for the Aussies
as the team was not able to secure the ISA Team World Championship gold
medal as it's done many times in the past. The Aloha Cup was the only
gold medal for the Australians.

Following the Aloha Cup, the
Longboard finalists took to the tepid 4 to 5 foot Costa Rican lineup
and put on a tremendous show. The final, that included an American, a
Frenchman, an Australian, and a British surfer, brought the thousands
of fans that swarmed the beach to their feet, blending old-world
noserides and iconic style with modern high-speed turns and speed
floats. In the end, France's Antoine Delpero came out on top as he
narrowly edged out Aussie surfer Harley Ingleby with a two-wave
combined score of 15.50 points.

"I feel unreal I'm so happy I
can't say a word," said a beaming and visibly shaken Delpero following
his win. "This is so cool for me and Team France."

In the
Women's final, 16-year-old American Courtney Conlogue was surfing on a
higher plane as she dismantled her competition with a determined
backhand attack on the lefts that earned her a slew of 8- and 7-point
rides along with a gold medal.

Heading into the Billabong ISA
World Surfing Games, Conlogue was coming off monumental performances
this year, including silver medal at the ISA World Junior Championship
in Ecuador, and a victory at the US Open of Surfing in Huntington
Beach, CA. Judging from her recent competitive dominance, Conlogue has
proven that she will be a formidable figure in the sport for years to
come.

With her face partially shaded behind a pair of aviator
sunglasses, Conlogue remained poised following her gold medal win. "To
be surfing in front of all these people is amazing. It's been such a
great event. To be in the final I had to put it all on the line," she
said. "The conditions were really good out there it's just really been
such a fun journey so far."

Highlighting the final day's
action was the Open final. Comprised of two Americans--Floridian Cory
Lopez and North Carolina native Ben Bourgeois--a Peruvian and a
Frenchmen, the level of surfing in the Men's final showcased just how
technically advanced surfing has become throughout the world.


Opening up the heat with a barrage of mind-numbing turns was American
Cory Lopez. Throughout the Games, Lopez looked extremely relaxed and
confident--a dangerous mix in the game of competitive surfing. Despite
Lopez's stellar rail work and progressive turns, France's Jeremy Flores
was the man to beat. Surfing like a man possessed, Flores seemed
untouchable, putting his trademark low center of gravity style and
lightning fast turns to good work in the final. That surfing earned him
a pair of 8-point rides that the other competitors couldn't touch as
Flores went on to win the gold medal.

Following his win,
Flores appeared proud and confident as he reflected on the impact of
bringing home a gold medal. "I haven't won too many contests, I've
always done well, but I hardly ever seem to win. For me this is huge.
This was more than a victory for me. I never win anything I can't
believe I just won. Wining the gold medal for my country, is the best
feeling I ever had in my surfing career."

Then the Medals and
Closing Ceremony took place. The nations anthems were played honoring
the gold medalists with the crowd applauding each one of them. The
event was d officially closed by ISA Vice-President, Alan Atkins, who
said: "The global surfing family has come together again and has
tightened more than ever. I want to thank, in the name of the ISA to
all those who were involved in the contest, the sponsors, the local
Federation and all the volunteers that worked hard during this week. I
am now declaring officially closed the Billabong ISA World Surfing
Games."

Another edition of one of the biggest and important
surfing events in the world came to an end. It will come again in 2010.
The next ISA event will be the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing
Championship to be held in New Zeland in January. For more information
log on www.isasurf.org.

FINAL Team Results:
?GOLD - United States - 14910 points
?SILVER - France - 13280 points
?BRONZE - Australia - 10996 points
?COPPER - Hawaii - 10856 points ??

INDIVIDUAL FINAL RESULTS ?
Open Men
?Gold: Jeremy Flores (FRA)
?Silver: Cory Lopez (USA)
?Bronze: Gabriel VIllar n (PER)
?Copper: Ben Bourgeois (USA)
??
Open Women
?Gold: Courtney Conlogue (USA)
?Silver: Rosanne Hodge (RSA)
?Copper: Sage Erickson (USA)
?Bronze: Pauline Ado (FRA)
??
Longboard ?
Gold: Antoine Delpero (FRA)
?Silver: Harley Ingleby (AUS)
?Copper: Ben Skinner (GBR)
?Bronze: Tony Silvagni (USA)

Aloha Cup
Gold: Australia
Silver: Francia
Bronze: Peru
Copper: Tahiti

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1 - USA - 14910 points
2 - France - 13280 points
3 - Australia - 10996 points
4 - Hawaii - 10856 points
5 - South Africa - 10666 points
6 - Peru - 10180 points
7 - Costa Rica - 9650 points
8 - Venezuela - 9040 points
9 - Brazil - 9000 points
10 - Puerto Rico - 8820 points
11 - New Zealand - 8100 points
12 - Argentina - 7160 points
13 - Tahiti - 6688 points
14 - Ecuador - 6170 points
15 - Panama - 5952 points
16 - Italy - 5670 points
17 - Mexico - 5560 points
18 - Japan - 5324 points
19 - Chile - 5208 points
20 - El Salvador - 4784 points
21 - Ireland - 4568 points
22 - Austria - 4320 points
23 - Barbados - 4128 points
24 - Germany - 4024 points
25 - UK- 3810 points
26 - Guatemala - 3696 points
27 - Switzerland - 3440 points
28 - Jamaica - 2912 points
29 - Canada - 2784 points
30 - Nicaragua - 2656 points
31 - Colombia 2544 points
32 - Trinidad & Tobago - 2240 points
33 - Bahamas 2240 points
34 - Rep. Dominican - 1680 points
35 - Aruba- 384 points

Mailbu International Film Festival



Sea Of Darkness

(90m, U S A)

dir. by Michael Oblowitz




Time: 1970's. Place: the Indonesian coast. For a small group of
thrill-seekers, surfing was an addiction, an attitude, and way of life
-- one that sometimes was seen through the lens of psychedelics. In SEA
OF DARKNESS, a group of ragtag surfers coast from high tide to high
risk led by man shrouded in mystery of near-mythical proportions. As
they balance their thirst for the perfect pipeline with the dangerous
risk/reward of smuggling illegal drugs and other illicit items across
the South Pacific. Though it's a tale almost too wild for fiction, SEA
OF DARKNESS recaptures the life and attitude of this wild '70s surfing
culture. Bolstered by interviews with those who got their thrills and
lived to tell the tale, director Michael Oblowitz recaptures how
passion gave way to persecution and how romance was ultimately defeated
by reality. The nearly inconceivable story of these young surfers will
connect with the adventurer in us all, but it also makes us reflect
upon how much people will truly risk to hang on to what they love.




Screening tonight@

Special Presentation

Sea Of Darkness


Ocean Avenue Screen Room

1401 Ocean Avenue

Santa Monica, CA 90401

(8:00PM)

[$15]

Via GrindTV.com

Making the Grade? Time to Judge Our Pre-Season ASP Predictions
With all the talk of a
pro surfing overhaul heating up there's never been more pressure on the
world's best surfers to beef up their ranking. With what we know of the
major deals in discussion anyone outside of the Top 10 stands a good
chance of being sent back to the minor leagues. Coincidentally, with
the 2009 ASP World Tour already half baked it's judgment time for all
involved, pundits like me included--time to see how the Top 45 surfers
are doing vs. my pre-season predictions (which comprised Surfer
Magazine's Top 45 Review). So in this, the first of a series, I'll be
reviewing ten of my calls (in order of how they finished last year),
grading their accuracy, and updating my predictions with what I've
absorbed over the past six months. Here's hoping you can put the info
to good use. Enjoy...

Kelly Slater
Current Rank: 8th January Prediction: 1st or retired Accuracy Grade: C
Then: "Slater turned the clock back with his wiser equipment
choices
to the years of his utter domination. He'll remain in this time warp
should he decide to keep riding his new special blends..." Now:
Um, yeah, Kelly got a little carried away with his boards, which I
should have seen coming. Taking things to their logical extreme is a
vital part of the experimentation process. That said, he proved me
right in Brazil where he resorted to last year's model, leading to his
only win yet. Oh, and he might still retire if the shit really hits the
fan with this new tour thing.

Bede Durbidge
Current Rank: 11th January Prediction: 5-8 Accuracy Grade: B
Then: "Durbidge will be the leading dream crusher of any would-be contenders. This is likely as high as he goes though." Now:
So it wasn't a bold call to say he'd drop. The only question back then
was how far. To date it's further than I thought but I still feel good
about ol' Bede's chances to raise my GPA in the back half.

Taj Burrow
Current Rank: 4th January Prediction: 4-8 Accuracy Grade: A
Then:
"Taj's title hopes are dimming...if he can't figure out a way to beat the
big guys consistently there's only one way to go from here." Now: Though he's beat Dane Reynolds twice (once in an elimination round)
his losses are to Kelly, Bobby, Sean Holmes and Adriano, proving my
thesis. Taj is doing a great job picking on lesser talents, but
nothing's changed. I'm sticking to my guns.

Joel Parkinson
Current Rank: 1st January Prediction: 1-4 Accuracy Grade: A
Then:
"Parko seems the most determined to get reacquainted with the winner's
circle, which he must do if he's to get where people think he
belongs...at the top. His seven Round One wins, and 94% win rate vs. wild
cards and the bottom half of the board point to a breakout." Now: Can I get an Amen? Man, I should have doubled down on this one. Parko will not melt down this year.

C.J. Hobgood
Current Rank: 2nd January Prediction: 5-10 Accuracy Grade: B+
Then: "While many have overlooked him for the flashier new arrivals,
and will continue to do so, his familiarity with how to win makes him a
viable dark horse for the title." Now:
I haven't bragged about a "B" since my school days, but this one is
totally feeding my ego since nobody else thought Ceej would have an
outside shot at this point.
Granted, he's a long way from catching Parko, but his number two
ranking certainly puts him in the "viable dark horse" zone. He exceeded
my expectations so much I need him to pull back just to improve my GPA.


Ace Buchan
Current Rank: 23rd; Injured January Prediction: 5-10 Accuracy: D
Then:
"If you want to nutshell this guy, think of him as Australia's answer
to Bobby Martinez, with a feisty competitive streak. He's that good." Now: Injuries suck. Ace's setback came right as he was making a good push, so this one hurts.

Adriano De Souza
Current Rank: 3rd January Prediction: 7-12 Accuracy: B
Then:
"Adriano lacks the progressive repertoire of his young peers, but makes
up for it in sheer determination. He'll be the most dangerous Brazilian
surfer on tour for years to come." Now: Adriano may
need not be worried about being excluded from any new rebel tour. His
rank should protect him, and as Brazil's best and brightest he'll
likely be a selling point in "international distribution" of TV rights.


Mick Fanning
Current Rank: 7th January Prediction: 1-4 Accuracy: B
Then:
"Lower media glare means he can get back to the business of winning,
which he knows well. His surfing remains perfect, yet perfectly
predictable. He'll be looking to change that." Now:
While the results don't show it yet, Mick is looking incredibly sharp.
He's been mixing in some big aerials, too. A return to the winners
circle is coming. Patience.

Jeremy Flores
Prediction 7-12 Currently: 16th Accuracy: B
Then:
"Jeremy proved us dead wrong during his rookie year when I said he'd
struggle to hang on...He will have a tough time climbing without adding
more authority and punctuation to his moves, which will take time, but
don't be surprised if he wins an event this year." Now:
If a win is going to come it'll likely be during the European leg. If
he gets remotely close my prediction should come through. Holding here.


Bobby Martinez
Current Rank: 6th January Prediction: 3-8 Accuracy: A+
Then:
"After suffering an off-season sponsor meltdown Martinez has good
reason to find tour religion again. If he channels his frustration,
look out. If he pulls a Rod Tidwell and remains too caught up in what
isn't there, look out below..." Now: Bobby's business blunders
slapped him with some real-world lessons in maturity. He gets it now.
And he's responding. Oh, and by the way he was THE best surfer in
J-Bay.


Let the comments Fly!!

Ross Wins Relentless Boardmasters, Consolidates ASP WQS Ratings' Lead

FISTRAL BEACH, Newquay (Friday, August 7, 2009) -
Daniel Ross (New South Wales, AUS), 26, has clinched the ASP World
Qualifying Series (WQS) 5-Star Relentless Boardmasters in association
with Vans today at Newquay in England, after besting fellow finalist
and underdog Txaber Trojaola (Bakio, EUK), 2,3 in an exciting
thirty-minute decider. Ross, who finished atop the 96-man field of
international competitors after posting several of the event's best
scores throughout the four-day competition, grabs valuable 2000
ratings' points to virtually seal the deal and qualify for the 2010 ASP
World Tour with a record 14 975 points after his win.

Ross, who surfed his way through two heats today to reach the final
of England's biggest professional surfing event, was unstoppable in the
final encounter of the 2009 edition, the Australian native taking
control of proceedings with a combination of 14.17 points halfway
through the heat leaving outsider Trojaola in the chase of a desperate
come-back for more than fifteen minutes.

"It's a pretty incredible feeling right now," Ross said. "It's such
a good year already and it's got even better today so I guess that by
putting everything together and doing the things I do, it's paid off
and it's great. I am not sure what I am doing next, I haven't been home
at all this year and that result will make me think about my schedule."

Ross, who won his second title of the year today after the
prestigious ASP WQS 6-Star Prime at Margaret River in March, dominated
the event with a series of consistent scores including an impressive
17.83 point heat score on Day 3 of competition. Ross's run in the
British event confirmed again it was his year, giving him great
confidence before the event in France starting August 17, 2009.

"I was pretty confident for my heats but stressed out a little
against Wiggoly (Dantas)," Ross said. "I work with him and have been
giving him a lot of the few things that work for me. The waves were
smaller today and I had to adapt to the conditions and it went on
perfectly."

Ross's leadership over the Grind this year has pushed the level as
high as it can get and the 26-year-old surfer will confidently be
heading towards a maiden ASP WQS champion title if things remain
similar in the upcoming events.

"That would be amazing but it's really early to think about any of
this stuff now," Ross said. "I don't want to put too much emphasis on
this all and will take things as they come. And if it comes down to
this, it will be perfect. I've spent a few years on the Grind and I
think I have paid my dues."

Event underdog and former ASP European Junior top surfer Txaber
Trojaola (Bakio, EUK) achieved his best result ever since he started
touring on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS). Trojaola, who
surprised all his opponents throughout the last day of competition with
smart wave choice and heat tactics, ousted former ASP Top 45 surfer
Travis Logie (ZAF), local favorite Alan Stokes (GBR) and ratings' No.
20 Glenn Hall (IRL) en route to his career best.

"I am just over the moon right now and I can't believe I've placed
runner-up," Trojaola said. "I never thought I would make the final,
it's my best result ever and I got through a few tricky heats. The
truth is I had nothing to lose and took heat by heat and did not feel
any pressure being the outsider. I had a gale plan and stuck to it, and
it's taken me to the final. It is pretty amazing."

Trojaola's result rockets him to a career best No. 3 on the ASP
European WQS Series, an unexpected new status for the Basque native who
will march onto Lacanau with solid confidence.

Relentless Boardmasters defending champion Wiggoly Dantas (BRA), 19,
placed equal 3rd today at Fistral Beach, a second consecutive excellent
result for the Brazilian surfer whose outstanding performance
throughout the competition rockets him inside the ASP WQS Top 25, a
promising ranking for his ASP World Tour qualification campaign.
Dantas, who was ousted by fellow team rider Ross in tricky though
consistent conditions

"I am pretty happy with that result but the waves were not very good
for the Semifinals," Dantas said. "Daniel Ross got a few good ones but
he is a friend and a coach in our team so we had a good time out there.
Getting third is still a good result."

Dantas, who will move to Lacanau next week for the second ASP WQS
major event of a series of five consecutive ones, will be looking to
build on his confidence and keep things rolling as the surfing
displayed at Fistral Beach has proven he was able to best any
competitor.

"I don't want to put too much pressure on myself with the
qualification," Dantas said. "I am trying to surf my best and slowly
get back into the race so I will stick to my plan and try and keep the
feeling right. I feel I have improved from last year and I am looking
forward to the next events."

Reaching the Semifinals for his best result ever at Newquay was
Australian-Irish competitor Glenn Hall (IRL), the 27-year-old No. 20
rated surfer securing valuable 1500 ratings' points to keep his ASP Top
45 hopes alive. Hall, who has had a stellar year on the Grind so far
with several big results, was able to get through a few tough battles
including a Quarterfinal bout against inform surfer Matt Wilkinson
(AUS), 20.

"I surfed well in the Quarterfinals and am stoked to reach the
Semis," Hall said. "It's never nice to lose but I definitely will take
that one as a keeper. The overall result is good for the ASP European
WQS ratings' as well as for the international one so it's a good start
to the European leg. I have been working on my boards this year and
trying not to get too excited when I do well!"

Hall's result secures him a good ranking before the next event in
France where he will be much expected after showing his peers he is to
be considered as a threat at any location, especially on his solid
backhand attack that gave him the event's fourth best heat score of
16.50 points.

Visit www.aspeurope.com for results, photos and news of the ASP WQS 5-Star Relentless Boardmasters in association with Vans

RELENTLESS BOARDMASTERS FINAL

1st, Daniel Ross (AUS), 14.17 pts

2nd, Txaber Trojaola (EUK), 9.54 pts

RELENTLESS BOARDMASTERS SEMIFINALS RESULTS

Heat 1: Daniel Ross (AUS) 13.00 pts Def. Wiggoly Dantas (BRA) 10.00 pts

Heat 2: Txaber Trojaola (EUK) 12.10 pts Def. Glenn Hall (IRL) 11.93 pts

RELENTLESS BOARDMASTERS QUARTERFINALS RESULTS

Heat 1: Daniel Ross (AUS) 15.50 pts Def. John John Florence (HAW) 11.76 pts

Heat 2: Woggolly Dantas (BRA) 11.17 pts Def. Joan Duru (FRA) 10.40 pts

Heat 3: Txaber Trojaola (EUK) 12.66 pts Def. Alan Stokes (GBR) 9.56 pts

Heat 4: Glenn Hall (IRL) 16.50 pts Def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 7.00 pts

ASP EUROPEAN SERIES TOP 5 AFTER RELENTLESS BOARDMASTERS

1st, Joan Duru (FRA), 4500 pts

2nd, Eric Rebiere (FRA), 3012 pts

3rd, Txaber Trojaola (EUK), 2910 pts

4th, Christophe Allary (REU), 2569 pts

5th, Romain Cloitre (REU), 2508 pts