Surfing's triple crown takes weather beating

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing opened yesterday at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach.

So did the heavens.

On a day when a downpour of rain never ceased, the Vans Hawaiian Pro — the first of three contests in the Triple Crown of Surfing — commenced with its opening heats.

"Hale'iwa is a tricky wave to begin with," said Kaua'i's Kaipo Jaquias, a former Hawaiian Pro champ who advanced through his first-round heat yesterday. "On a day like this, it's not about who you're surfing against because you're surfing against the conditions."

Wave faces got up to eight feet yesterday, but the rain, shifty winds and a strong current made for challenging conditions.

"It's pretty much a nightmare," said Kaua'i's Bruce Irons. "The goal is pretty much do what you have to do to get out of your heat."

Irons did just that to advance through two heats yesterday.

The entire first round and five heats of the second round were completed yesterday. At least three more days of competition are needed to determine a champion.

Last year's Hawaiian Pro champion, Andy Irons, is seeded into the third round and did not compete yesterday. Andy, Bruce's older brother, is the No. 1-ranked surfer in the world.

All the top-ranked surfers have byes into either the second or third round.

Myles Padaca, the defending Triple Crown of Surfing champion, did not receive one of those top seeds. He had to compete in the first round yesterday, and barely made it through to the second round.

"It's a really bad seed," said Padaca, who is from O'ahu's North Shore. "But for me, it's a good chance to warm up. I haven't been in too many contests this year, so I need all the warm up I can get."

Padaca still has three screws in his left leg after breaking his tibia and fibula during a surfing accident in January.

As if the pressure of coming back from an injury and defending the Triple Crown championship were not enough, Padaca is also participating this month in a reality-TV show for the WB network.

A film crew followed his every move yesterday, in the water and on the beach.

"I'm used to it now," Padaca said. "It's been a week so far. At first, it was a little distracting, but you get used to it over time."

Pancho Sullivan of O'ahu's North Shore turned in the best performance of the day, receiving a two-wave score of 16.6 (out of 20).

Other Hawai'i surfers advancing were: Roy Powers, Conan Hayes, Mikala Jones, Jason Shibata, Joel Centeio, Kekoa Bacalso, Sean Yano and Spencer Suitt.

The women's Roxy Pro did not run any heats yesterday.

Either — or both — the men's and women's divisions could run today, waves permitting. For status of the contest, call 596-7873.