The action continued at the 19thSiargao National Surfing Cup as 20 heats of the first round of the Men’s Open division were run throughout the day in consistent 1 to 2 foot surf.
It was a battle of home break supremacy as Siargao locals Mark Canon and Glenn Figuron went head to head in a very entertaining match up to the delight of the Sunday afternoon crowd gathered in the tower, exchanging powerful snaps and cutbacks and the lead several times during the heat, with Canon coming away with the heat win and both surfers advancing to Round 2.
Juramz Ariate from Lanuza, Surigao Del Sur was also one of the day’s top performers as he made it in and out of one of the few barrel opportunities offered up on the day during his heat against Siargao local surfers Timothy Febra, Mondy Delamide and William Saavedra. The judges rewarded Ariate with a 6.50 score, which earned him a spot in Round 2. “I’m happy because I got a good wave. I thank God for giving me that wave.” said Juramz Ariate.
Miguel Paez, as the only representative from Cagayan De Oro City, put on an impressive performance, given that the nearest surf spot from CDO is 3 hours drive away. Paez, who only needs a 1.1 score to advance, was lucky enough to catch a wave in the dying seconds and completed a powerful snap before the buzzer, snatching the second place spot from Elven Antipasado.
“I thought I was losing the heat. Good thing I saw a lefthander coming. I told my self, ‘This is it. Maybe I can get this wave and can move to Round 2.’ Thank you God! Thanks also to PSCT and to all those who sponsored me to join this contest. It feels so good!”, says Paez.
The remaining 12 heats of Round 1 will be run this morning and move on to Round 2 this afternoon. “We’re racing the clock in these early rounds, so we hope that the wave conditions allow us to finish the heats we have planned for today,” said PSCT President Luke Landrigan.
“Our goal is to elevate the standards of Philippine surfing so that’s why we invested in computerised scoring equipment to help us generate scores faster and allow the surfers to know where they are at in the heat. It takes some time to get everybody used to a new system, but that’s what we need to do to prepare them for getting up the next level,” Landrigan added.
With a swell forecast of 1 to 2 feet for the second day, PSCT officials will commence with the remaining heats of Round 1 at 6:00 am the next day.
Cloud 9 Shows Her Perfection during the day 3 of the 19th Siargao National Surfing Cup
Day 3 of the 19th Siargao National Surfing Cup got under way last September 18 at 6:30 am, as dawn revealed an increase in swell size and some of the perfectly shaped glassy barrels that Cloud 9 is famous for rolling in over the reef, allowing the remaining heats of Round 1 to be completed and 10 heats of Round 2 to get done and dusted by late afternoon.
The highest total heat score of Round 1 came from Cloud 9 local Eduardo “Tata” Alciso, who racked up an amazing 16.75 score for his impressive combination of maneuvers that started out with a deep barrel ride which he exited cleanly then carving a deep cutback, setting up for a launch towards a frontside 360 aerial and landing it perfectly. Cheers erupted in the Cloud 9 tower and then again when the judges rewarded him with a 9.0 score (out of a possible 10 points), the best wave of the contest so far.
The next highlight was Peter Paul Alipayo’s showstopper, where he surprised everyone by executing a critical backside 360 on the inside during the dying seconds of his heat, landing it so smoothly; many failed to realize what had happened. The judges gave him a 7.75, which got him into first place and advancing on to Round 3.
Former grommet big wave charger from Catanduanes Island, Johnny King, put up an impressive performance during Heat 28, unleashing a series of powerful snaps to earn an 8.75, the second highest single wave score of the day, which gave him a ticket to advance into the next round.
“This is my first time in Cloud 9 and I was really excited to compete here. I saw some beautiful barrels and maneuvers before my heat and I thought I could do that, too. I was able to complete some maneuvers and some I didn’t, but that’s okay.” explained Johnny King.
Meanwhile, local favorite Mike Canon posted a 12.75 total heat score by consistently delivering powerful snaps and roundhouse cutbacks on each wave he took. Canon took the lead in the dying minutes of Heat 28 against Johnny King, who came in at second place.
John Louie Farinas, the pride of the town of San Antonio in Zambales, also advanced to Round 3. “I’m happy because the waves were good. I like the new priority system as it helps you strategize. I hope PSCT would be here for long.” he said.
The 19th Siargao National Surfing Cup, a PSCT Grade 2 Sanctioned event is brought to you by the following sponsors and media partners: The Municipality of General Luna, Province of Surigao Del Norte, Department of Tourism, SkyJet Air (Official Airline Partner), Solar Sports (Official TV Partner), Reef, Oakley, Kermit Surf Resort, Gwapitos, Fluidsurf, BackBurn, Greenhouse, Kudo Surf, Inquirer.net, INQPop, The Manila Bulletin, Edge Davao, Going Places Magazine, Blunt Magazine and My Life on Board.
The Philippine Surfing Championship Tour (PSCT) is the country’s first-ever and only professional surfing tournament. Patterned after the Word Surf League, surfers from all over the Philippines tour around different surf spots to battle for the top spot in the national rankings.
PSCT’s vision is to be the venue for professional surfing in the Philippines that follows International Surfing Association (ISA) standards of competition, preparing Filipino athletes for the international stage while promoting camaraderie and unity of the surfing community.
Visit www.psctour.com for more info.
