Vans Triple Crown kicks off Wednesday
• Surfing's alphabet soup
• Vans Triple Crown of Surfing
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
The preliminaries are over. Now it's time for surfing's main event — the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
The Triple Crown is scheduled to begin Wednesday with the first contest in the series, the Vans Hawaiian Pro. By the time the third contest in the series — the Xbox Gerry Lopez Pipeline Masters — is completed in mid-December, thousands of waves will have been surfed, and one competitor will be crowned world champion.
"This year has been one of the most exciting as far as the world tour," said Randy Rarick, executive director of the Triple Crown. "The world titles are up for grabs, and the guys who are not in the running for the world title are going for the Triple Crown title."
Men
The three surfers with the best shot at winning the world championship also happen to be the three most popular surfers in the world, according to Surfer Magazine.
Florida's Kelly Slater is currently ranked No. 1, and is seeking an unprecedented seventh world championship.
Kaua'i's Andy Irons is the defending world champ and currently ranked No. 2. He is also the defending Triple Crown champion.
Australian Mick Fanning, who is seeking his first world title, is No. 3.
They will have two chances to secure a world title: the Rip Curl Cup at Sunset Beach, Nov. 24 through Dec. 7, and then the Xbox Gerry Lopez Pipeline Masters at the Banzai Pipeline, Dec. 8 through Dec. 20. Those are the final two stops on the World Championship Tour.
"It's pretty neat how it turned out," Rarick said. "Everybody who follows surfing knows Kelly Slater, and of course, Andy Irons is the local favorite. It just adds to the excitement."
The first jewel in the Triple Crown, the Vans Hawaiian Pro, will not count toward the world championship standings, but all the top contenders will enter anyway.
That's because the Hawaiian Pro does count toward the Triple Crown standings, and as Irons declared last year: "After the world (championship), the Triple Crown is the biggest thing you can win in surfing."
Women
The race for the women's world championship could be even more dramatic than the men's.
At least five surfers are still in contention for the world title, and they only get one shot at it. Of the three Triple Crown contests for women, only the Billabong Pro at Ho-nolua Bay, Maui, on Dec. 8 through Dec. 20 will count toward the world championship standings.
Kaua'i's Keala Kennelly is currently ranked No. 1 and is seeking her first world title.
Australia's Layne Beachley, the five-time defending world champ, is currently No. 2.
The three other top contenders are Chelsea Georgeson of Australia, Heather Clark of South Africa, and Sofia Mulanovich of Peru.
Hawai'i surfers Kennelly, Megan Abubo and Rochelle Ballard are also hoping to break through for another title. Since the women's Triple Crown was created in 1997, no surfer from Hawai'i has won the title.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
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Vans Triple Crown of Surfing
Surfers who enter the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing can earn points toward the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and/or the World Championship Tour (WCT). Both the WQS and WCT are sanctioned by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP). Confused? Here's a brief rundown:
Vans Triple Crown of Surfing: A series of three contests at three different beaches on O'ahu's North Shore (Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach, Sunset Beach, Banzai Pipeline). The top overall performer from the three contests is awarded the prestigious Triple Crown championship. NOTE: There is also a Triple Crown of Surfing for women, with the three events held at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach, Sunset Beach and Ho-nolua Bay, Maui.
Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP): The international governing body of professional surfing.
World Championship Tour (WCT): The elite tour of the ASP. Restricted to 44 surfers on the men's tour, and 16 surfers on the women's tour. Events are held around the world throughout the year, with each contest holding equal value. The surfer who compiles the most points at the end of the year is awarded the world championship.
World Qualifying Series (WQS): The qualifying tour for the WCT. Events are held around the world throughout the year. There are six grades of events, with corresponding levels of prize money and rating points. The top rated WQS surfers at the end of the year are awarded spots on the following year's WCT.
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- What: Six professional surfing contests (three for men, three for women)
- Where: O'ahu's North Shore (one women's event will be held on Maui)
- When: Nov. 12-Dec. 20
- Who: The top professional surfers from around the world
- Daily status of events: 596-7873
Vans Triple Crown of Surfing schedule
Men's events
Vans Hawaiian Pro
- Where: Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach
- When: Nov. 12-23
- Status: 6-star World Qualifying Series contest
- At stake: $125,000 purse; final stop on the 2003 WQS
Rip Curl Cup
- Where: Sunset Beach
- When: Nov. 24-Dec. 7
- Status: World Championship Tour contest
- At stake: $250,000 purse; 11th of 12 stops on the 2003 WCT
Xbox Gerry Lopez Pipeline Masters
- Where: Banzai Pipeline
- When: Dec. 8-20
- Status: World Championship Tour contest
- At stake: $250,000 purse; final stop on the 2003 WCT
Women's events
Roxy Pro
- Where: Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach
- When: Nov. 12-23
- Status: 6-star World Qualifying Series contest
- At stake: $30,000 purse; 14th of 15 stops on the 2003 WQS
Turtle Bay Resort Pro
- Where: Turtle Bay
- When: Nov. 24-Dec. 7
- Status: 4-star World Qualifying Series contest
- At stake: $20,000 purse; final stop on the 2003 WQS
Billabong Pro
- Where: Honolua Bay, Maui
- When: Dec. 8-20
- Status: World Championship Tour contest
- At stake: $60,000 purse; final stop on the WCT
