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FINAL RESULTS: DUSTIN CUIZON WINS BODY GLOVE SURFBOUT PRESENTED BY ADIO AND ERIC GEISELMAN TAKES OAKLEY PRO JUNIOR TITLE
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., May 1, 2006 - The waves poured in on Saturday, the sun peaked through and competitive spirit abounded for the final day of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) four-star Body Glove Surfbout Presented by Adio and grade-two Oakley Pro Junior. Dustin Cuizon (HAW) collected $10,000 for his first World Qualifying Series (WQS) win, with World Championship Tour (WCT) surfer Luke Stedman (AUS) in second, 2005 Macy's CA Trifecta Surf Series points winner Asher Nolan (USA) in third, and unofficial event MVP Alex Gray (USA) in fourth. This year's Oakley Pro Junior saw Eric Geiselman (USA) take the win and $2,500, with Dylan Graves (PRI) in second, Alex Gray in third and Alejandro Moreda (PRI). "The Body Glove Surfbout just keeps getting better and better, with the younger competitors showing the talent of the next generation of surfers. It was great to have two of our team riders in the final up against such talent," said a pleased Scott Daly, VP of marketing for Body Glove International. "I want to thank the Lower Trestles community for allowing us to put on this contest. Through the webcast and all of the industry support, we were able to show the world this incredible break while allowing American surfers the opportunity to collect lucrative points on their own turf." The final day of competition commenced with the quarter-finals of the Oakley Pro Junior where the top surfers under 20 were absolutely tearing up the water. Eric Geiselman attacked the waves pulling in his first high score of 8.83. Geiselman had to be patient before earning a high 9.33, the wave that secured his position in the next round. Dylan Graves surfed strong in heat two, with scores of 9.10 and 7.93, giving him a semi-final berth. Alex Gray, riding off the momentum of yesterday's perfect 10.0 score, continued to deliver in heat three and took the win. He was followed by Alejandro Moreda who also advanced. When asked about his approach to competing in both the WQS and Junior events, Gray said, "I'm just enjoying myself. The real fun of this whole thing is getting to surf Lowers with a clear lineup. There's a good vibe on the beach today and I'm trying to take that with me out into the water."
The final of the Oakley Pro Junior got off to a slow start and concluded with a dramatic finish. With minutes remaining, the day's "ironman," Alex Gray was holding onto first until an interference call subtracted crucial points from his score, bumping him to third. Eric Geiselman stepped up with a solid backhand attack for the win and Dylan Graves posted an 8.33 to secure second-place. "The whole day was really fun," said Oakley Pro Junior Champion Eric Geiselman. "The waves were perfect, and it was a great event." The quarter-finals of the Body Glove Surfbout Presented by Adio saw high scores in all four heats. In heat one, Nathan Yeomans and Dustin Cuizon surfed beautiful split peak waves, claiming first and second respectively to advance to the semis. In heat two, looking comfortable after his Junior heats earlier in the day, Alex Gray scored two 8.0's allowing him to take down San Diegan Austin Ware, WCT rookie Jarrad Howse and WCT standout Damien Hobgood. Heat three saw Asher Nolan and Shane Beschen surf aggressively to advance. Heat four yielded the highest scores of the quarter-finals with Luke Stedman, scoring a 9.5 and 8.03, and Kekoa Bacalso, scoring the second perfect 10.0 of the event. Alex Gray held nothing back in heat one of the semi-finals, attaining solid scores to win the heat with Dustin Cuizon in the second advancing slot. Goofy-footer Asher Nolan rode his way into the final in the top slot of heat two. Battling for the last spot in the final, Luke Stedman beat out Shane Beschen with a 4.83 and a 8.83 because Beschen was called with an interference. In the first four minutes of the final, Dustin Cuizon grabbed a good sized wave and posted a strong 9.17, with Asher Nolan and Luke Stedman each throwing up a 7.83. Powering through a back-to-back heat from the Oakley Pro Junior final, Alex Gray was committed to catching one more wave but lost his grab on an aerial, solidifying the lead for Cuizon. "Everyone pushed the level of surfing up today," said 2006 Body Glove Surfbout Champion Cuizon. "I just tried to surf hard the whole time. I'm glad I got to do it for Hawaii." This win puts Cuizon in the lead for the Macy's CA Trifecta Surf Series. The Trifecta was formed in 2005 as part of a three-year plan to strengthen surfing in America by uniting the Body Glove Surfbout presented Adio, the Newport Pro presented by Wavewatch, and the O'Neill Cold Water Classic under one banner. The Trifecta will award Cuizon a $33,333 bonus if he takes first-place in all three events. Should he not take the win in all three events, the Trifecta also awards an overall points-winner bonus of $10,000, a second-place bonus of $3,500 and a third-place bonus of $1,500. The Body Glove Surfbout Presented by Adio would like to thank all of the sponsors that helped make this year's contest one of the best in its history. As a part of the ASP North American tour, the Surfbout is supported by Body Glove, Adio Footwear, Oakley Eyewear, Amp'd Mobile and Macy's West and is pleased to have media support from PRIMEDIA's Action Sports Group (ASG), publisher of SURFER, SURFING and WaveWatch, as well as The San Clemente Times and FUEL TV. FUEL TV will telecast the Body Glove Surfbout on June 12, 2006 at 9:30 p.m. For additional FUEL TV airdates and show times, check www.fuel.tv. Check out the Body Glove Surfbout and all of the Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series surf spots at www.WaveWatch.com. About Body Glove About Adio Footwear: About Macy's West About ASG About the ASP Coast of Australia. ASP North America is committed to the progression of surfing and is dedicated to continuing excellent relationships with its athletes, the media and event sponsors. For more information log onto www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org.
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