Copyright 2011 IBA World Tour

Event 3 of 8, Mens Grand Slam Series

El Gringo, Arica, Chile

May 18 – 27, 2012

ibaworldtour.com

Arica, Chile – Wednesday May 16, 2012 – A varied field of over 100 international competitors are expected to check in for the IBA 2012 Stealth Arica Chilean Challenge on the 17th of May between 12 noon and 3pm at the Restaurant Tuto Beach (next to Pan American Hotel). The official event Press Conference will be held at the same location, starting at 6pm. The Trials will most likely start on Friday the 18th of May at 7:30 am and are expected to run for a duration of 3-4 days. The GSS Stealth Arica Chilean Challenge event is set to go as soon the the trials have run to completion and the top six riders have been decided. Check into the (IBA) International Bodyboarding Association website for all the updated info as it unfolds.

A riders meeting will be held at the event site at 7am daily to make the call and allow all riders to review the judging criteria. Event organizers are expecting a flurry of massive swells throughout the waiting period, providing the worlds best bodyboarders with some of the heaviest and challenging waves on the planet. Be sure to catch the live broadcast of the action on the IBA website.

Copyright 2011 IBA World Tour

PLC: It was pretty amazing, I definitely felt a lot of pride bringing the trophy to France. I’d dreamt about winning the trophy and arriving at the airport and having all my friends there so… It was definitely a memorable experience.

S: Did you get many looks from people carrying the big trophy through the airport?

PLC: Yeah a lot of people asked me what I won. The trophy was big, so everyone knew I’d won something big, so it was pretty cool explaining to people but it was pretty hard putting it into the plane. It was really funny.

S: You arrived in France and there were big signs congratulating you on your victory, who’d written the signs?

PLC: Some from the fans, some from my family, most of them from my friends.

S: Who all met you when you got back to France?

PLC: When I got back to France I had all my family, I had a lot of friends who I grew up with, that have always been supporting me, some of my best friends. Some of my sponsors too, a lot of fans actually that I’d never met before, they were just so happy to be there and see me, and a crew from the TV that was there.

S: Oh really.

PLC: Yeah, me and one of my friends organised it, he called one of the biggest channels in France, and so they were at the airport when I arrived.

S: So then did you do some interviews on television after that too?

PLC: Yeah that was one of the responsibilities of winning the world title. The world title came with a lot of responsibilities and it was my job to add more media to this. I have a friend who is a bodyboarder who works in the French television, who’s been helping me a lot and has been doing a very amazing job. I was invited onto a sports show in France on one of the biggest channels. It was the first time I was on a TV set, which was pretty amazing. I was on the news during prime time on one of the biggest TV channels in France, which was pretty good too. Media-wise it was very positive, but there was a lot of work that went behind it too. The IBA helped me too. Seamus Makin sent me all the footage for them. That was just the beginning; this year they are going to follow me around on all the tour. So every competition, there is going to be news going to France about my results or who I lost to, so that’s pretty good.

S: When the proper IBA trophy arrived, what were you thoughts?

PLC: Well I had a lot of expectations about that trophy, to be honest. I thought it was going to be bigger. It is actually very heavy. It’s pretty amazing, I gave that trophy away to my family, that’s a pretty good memory.

S: What did people think when you explained the significance of the trophy?

PLC: Yeah it’s not very obvious, so I had to explain it to everyone, it’s a pretty good concept and a pretty good trophy. I’m happy to have it.

S: So the trophy now sits in your family’s house?

PLC: Yeah, it’s there forever.

S : What kind of party did you throw? Did you have a double party, one in France and one in Portugal?

PLC: Yeah I partied a lot, I partied everywhere, more in Portugal though. When I went to France it was more of a celebration with my family because I’d already been celebrating in the Canaries with my friends from France. A lot of my French family were in the Canaries, pretty much all of them, so I partied a lot with them. And then when I went to Portugal, I always had an excuse to go party. This was the end of the season and we had two months off, so I definitely made the most of it.

S: How does it feel, five months on to be the world champion?

PLC: Well it’s different from before the year has already started. Before the year started, I felt like I was the world champion. Now it all starts from zero again. It still feels amazing, to realise that I achieved something that can take an eternity, something that can easily never happen, I just realised this and makes me really happy and really relaxed towards this year because I’ve already achieved what I wanted to do in competition, so… I feel pretty relaxed at the moment, more than I’ve ever been on the tour but I still want to win and do well.

S: I remember you telling me straight after you won the world title in Fronton, you’d achieved one of your dreams and dreams do come true, what are your future dreams?

PLC: In competition, I’d like to win Pipe. I think that’s a comp that I really want to win, or any other comp in pumping big waves. It’s always a big satisfaction when you do something like that, I have other goals. Life is not just bodyboarding. I have a couple projects now that are going to probably going to take awhile, we’ll speak about this later.

S: What was the reason behind bringing your sister to Fronton with you?

PLC: My sister has been my biggest supporter and fan since day one and she’d never seen me competing on any world tour event before. It was a present for her to invite her to the canaries to see what a contest is like and it couldn’t be better to be honest. Obviously her being there for me helped me and it was pretty amazing so, it must have been pretty amazing for her too.

S: Great, thanks Pierre. See you in Arica.

PLC: Bye Shaggy.

Copyright 2011 IBA World Tour

Colossal crowds lined the shores at La Cupula for the final day of the Antofagasta Bodyboarding Festival as the final 16 riders prepared for battle in the second  6 Star GQS event of the year.

In Q1 2008 IBA World Champ Uri Valadao (Brazil) proved too strong for Joe Clarke (Aust) as he flipped and rolled his way to victory in the glassy 3-5 feet lefts.

Joe could not get into sync with the good sets and was the first of the Australians to fall.

Q2 was a hard-hitting affair with Chilean rider Alan Monoz taking on another former IBA world Champ Damian King (Aust). This was a tight fight to the finish with Munoz getting the nod with ballistic combo’s in the pocket.

Q3 was a all French affair with the Master Amaury Lavernhe & apprentice Pierre Bathelier putting on a show for the now massive crowd. Bathelier was in devastating form leading into the quarters blowing minds with soaring inverts and air reverses, but whatever he did in the heat Amaury had the answers for. In the end the experience of the 2010 World Champion proved too strong and Pierre was relegated to the sidelines.

Q4 saw the last of the Aussies Nick Ormerod knocked out by Hawaiian Dave Hubbard. The waves during this quarter final went inconsistent and not a lot of highlight came for the 30 minute heat apart from a bomb left the Hubbard destroyed all the way to shore.

By this time the sleepy town of Antofagasta had woken up and thousands of locals converged to witness history in the making at their local beach.

IBA World Tour manager Terry McKenna was amazed at the passion of the locals.

“ It was like a World Cup football match” said Mckenna.

“ The local crowd were so stoked to host such an important leg of the IBA World Tour and they showed their appreciation by rocking up in droves” he added.

The festival also included several other sideline events including a skate jam, live music and a clinic for the kids so there was constant action all round .

Into the semi’s and the surf started to surge with some glassy 6 footers providing the perfect canvas for the competitors to get creative and draw some fresh lines into the pitching lips.

Semi 1 – Uri V’s Munoz

This was always going to be a titanic clash of the titans with both in blistering form.

They went wave for wave until the dying seconds when Munoz consolidated with a crazy combo that sent the crowd frantic.

The Chileans were happy that one of their boys had accomplished his mission.

Semi 2 – Hubbard V’s Amaury

Amaury dominated the first 20 minutes of this 30-minute semi with smart wave selection and perfect lines into the lip.

But when Dubb is on the back foot he just goes for it and his fighting spirit kicked in with an 8.23 average for 2 high speed ARS’s on a set.

He searched for the wave he needed till the final second, but Mother Nature would not deliver. Exit Dave Hubbard.

Between the semi’s and final the crowd were treated to the IBA Expression session, a 20 minute expose’ of new school riding.

The French excitement machine Pierre Bathelier took the US$100 prize by busting a huge ARS off the end bowl that left the crowd speechless.

Final – Amaury V’s Munoz

There was a lot of pressure on Alan Munoz leading up to the final. The vocal home crowd lifted to the occasion as he was introduced on the podium and as the hometown hero expectations were high.

Unfortunately things did not go according to plan and Amaury showed why he was the best bodyboarder in the world with unbelievable wave selection and contest savy.

In the end he had Munoz on the ropes and in a combination situation.

Amaury Lavernhe is the 2012 Antofagasta Bodyboard Champion.

This event has set an incredible benchmark in its first year and everyone is sure that a bigger and better festival will return in 2013.

Mucho Gracias to Arturo, Sergio & Billy and all of the hard working team behind the festival.

Next stop, Arica…..woop woop!!!

Copyright 2011 IBA World Tour

Copyright 2011 IBA World Tour

Important to note that there has been some slight alterations to Rounds 2 and 3, as 4 competitors who said they where going to enter have failed to show up.

Copyright 2011 IBA World Tour

Copyright 2011 IBA World Tour

The world’s best riders have descended upon the perfect reefs of the southern Chilean city as each competitor battles for their own respective IBA World tour campaign.

Will the high-flying new guard take down the event or will some of the more seasoned campaigners step up.

This is a 6 Star GQS event with US$40,000 up for grabs and the allure of the cash and tubes has attracted a diverse field of athletes from the 4 corners of the globe.

Leading the pack will be Mitch Rawlins (Australia) who is coming off a win at the GSS event at the BOX in West Australia.

Like many of the traveling Top 24, Mitch is using the event as a warm up for the GSS event in Arica starting May 18^th.

“ Yeh, I though it would be a good way to get into rhythm for the South American leg. I’m really impressed what these guys are doing here, by offering the richest prize purse of the year they have attracted heaps of talent” said Rawlins.

Check in is tomorrow (May 8^th) at the event site between 12 noon & 4pm

All enquiries email Arturo budfinger_@hotmail.com

Or email IBA Tour manager Terry McKenna terry@ibaworldtour.com or text +61401023661

Copyright 2011 IBA World Tour

The 2012 NMD Shark Island Challenge is proudly supported by UPTOWN GROUP, RYDGES HOTEL, EMERALD, JUDIUS, IBA & IINET.

Venue:

Shark Island – Cronulla, Sydney Australia

Copyright 2011 IBA World Tour

The 2012 NMD Shark Island Challenge is proudly supported by UPTOWN GROUP, RYDGES HOTEL, EMERALD, JUDIUS, IBA & IINET.

Venue:

Shark Island – Cronulla, Sydney Australia

Copyright 2011 IBA World Tour