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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Sunday, August 22, 2004

Tudor, Makalena rule Waikiki surf

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

A soon-to-be father and a mother of three took top honors at the Converse Hawaiian Open longboard surfing contest at Waikiki.

Joel Tudor unleashed several tricky maneuvers to win the men's division of the Converse Hawaiian Open longboard event.

Bernie Baker • Special to The Honolulu Advertiser

The finals for the three-day event were completed yesterday in 1- to 2-foot waves at Queens off of Kuhio Beach.

Joel Tudor of San Diego proved his worth as the 2004 world longboard champion by winning the men's division.

Pinoi Makalena, who grew up surfing at Waikiki, relied on her experience to win the women's division.

Tudor and Makalena each received $4,000. The event offered a $26,000 purse, making it one of the richest longboard contests in the world.

"I'm having a kid in another month and a half, so all the things that have happened in the last year can't even compare," said Tudor, who won the world championship last month in France.

With fatherhood upcoming, Tudor said his surfing has been "on autopilot" recently. Yesterday, it was more than enough to beat two former world champions in the final.

Tudor unleashed a variety of tricky maneuvers throughout the day. Sometimes, he rode the waves while facing backwards; other times, he rode on one foot.

In the final, his top two waves received scores of 8.90 and 8.83 for a total of 17.73.

Hale'iwa's Bonga Perkins, the 1996 world champ, placed second with a score of 14.93. California's Colin McPhillips, a three-time former world champ, was third with 14.77. Maui's Noah Shimabukuro placed fourth.

"The guy is an unreal surfer," Perkins said of Tudor. "Hanging his heels (off the board), kicking around, that's pretty hard to do."

Tudor won an additional $1,000 for clocking the longest nose-rides. "It's extra diaper money," said Tudor, 28.

Makalena said she has been surfing at Waikiki since she was in diapers.

"Basically, when it's small, you have to sit on the reef on the inside," she said. "It's a tricky thing ... I used to sit in there as a little kid."

Makalena is now 43 and a mother of three daughters.

In an all-Hawai'i final, Joy Magelssen placed second, followed by Desiré DeSoto and Amy Lawson. Magelssen and Lawson are teenagers, prompting Makalena to say proudly, "I'm double their age."

Julie Whitegon of Encinitas, Calif., won $1,000 for the longest nose-rides among the women.

The contest was the third of four on the United States Professional Longboard Surfing Championships. The final event is scheduled to run next weekend at Malibu, Calif.



Final results

Men's open

1, Joel Tudor (Calif.), $4,000. 2, Bonga Perkins (Hawai'i), $2,000. 3, Colin McPhillips (Calif.), $1,500. 4, Noah Shimabukuro (Hawai'i), $1,000. 5 (tie), Keegan Edwards (Hawai'i) and Kai Sallas (Hawai'i), $500. 7 (tie), Tanner Beckett (Calif.) and Ned Snow (Hawai'i), $250.

Men's nose-riding

1, Joel Tudor (Calif.), $1,000. 2, Rusty Keaulana (Hawai'i), $750. 3, Josh Baxter (Calif.), $500. 4, Ben Kealoha (Hawai'i), $250.

Women's open

1, Pinoi Makalena (Hawai'i), $4,000. 2, Joy Magelssen (Hawai'i), $2,000. 3, Desiré DeSoto (Hawai'i), $1,500. 4, Amy Lawson (Hawai'i), $1,000. 5 (tie), Jenni Flannigan (Florida) and Mary Bagalso (Calif.), $500. 7 (tie), Leah Dawson (Florida) and Marissa Barry (Calif.), $250.

Women's nose-riding

1, Julie Whitegon (Calif.), $1,000. 2, Summer Romero (Calif.), $750. 3, Crystal Dzigas (Hawai'i), $500. 4, Geodee Clark (Hawai'i), $250.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.