I'll be upfront about it, I've got money down on Jamie O'brien. He killed the trials and his cocky arrogant style of surfing is what this wave demands in order to perform. He's also super cheap right now, freeing up some extra cash to make a purchase for a certain surfer that seems to be on fire. El Slay-tor! But, it all depends on if the surf provides. If it was like last year, we could see Jeremy Flores win which would be a bit of a disappointment in my opinion. No offense to Flores but when I think of Champs for this event, his name is no where near the radar screen. I may eat my words here but I wouldn't put money down on Bede. He's surfing great but his backhand attack is lacking in sizable surf. He's a tall bloke which increases his chance to get smacked by the lip there. As for Fanning, we will see. He had a great result last year but this year his motivation doesn't seem as intense. It's as if Slater just took the wind out of his sails after the final at the Quik Pro. The big question is, will AI step up finally and surf like he should be surfing. The two quarters he had with Slater this year were just disappointing. All the media guys have been making excuses or glancing over his losses, saying "oh, the waves were crap for that heat and he lost motivation." That's BS mate! If you are in a heat with Slater, especially him, that should be motivation enough. He hasn't had a real good result at Chopes in a long time. His name used to be synonymous with the place. Now, he's just another competitor who has been waxed by Dean Morrison a handful of times in recent pasts at this spot. Dingo is the the dark horse to keep an eye on. He thrives on big hollow lefts! A definite for your teams. And how about the Hobgoods. Always a good bet to take the whole thing. Even Damo who busted his shoulder a few weeks ago. That guy is either extremely motivated, crazy or just plain stupid. We will see this coming week. A High is now dominating the region and it is looking like there will not be any big waves for the beginning of the event. Hopefully it doesn't end up like last year or worse... A french Flag being flown with Flores being handed a Hinano in the channel... Good luck to everyone and if you are in the area, Sundown will be watching the event Live at the shop. So come down if you have some time to kill and want to watch the comp with others and talk s--t. 2726 Hempstead Turnpike, just east of the Wantaugh Parkway. Cheers,  Tyler Breuer Sundown Ski and Surf  516-796-1565  www.sundownsurf.blogspot.com  www.sundownsurf.com

JC's have arrived and I'm not talking about the carpenter!

I'm not going to lie, I never used to like JC's. It was something to do with  his outline that I was never really into. My conversion started this winter at one of the surf trade shows. It was the El Quatro model that caught my eye. The nose was a bit fuller but not fish/funboard wide, just a bit more beef for added floatation and paddling. What stoked me out on this board is the double bump wings that start at just a quarter of the way up from the tail. Then it ends with a nice Diamond tail, perfect for letting you round out your turns a bit more. And I'm on a quad kick lately. So, you've got this perfect summer board that you can utilize the rails fully but still apply pressure to the tail and make a nice tight turn. Quads can be great for rounding out your turns but sometimes it can make tighter tuns a little harder to come by. Obviously depending on the board shape but this thing is going to fly and snap perfectly in the pocket. Check out some of the latest JC's we just got in below. The SD3 (Shane Dorian Model) is looking pretty filthy! It's going to go insane in some decent waves!  Come and get em while their hot...

Also, We got Quiet Flights on their way! Those boards are going to so sick! 

Cheers,

-China Ty

 

Sundown Fantasy Surfer Group: De Ja Vu: Slater makes it 2 in a row! Repeats 06'

Well, It looks like Slater's easy going non-chalant attitude is paying off. It seems like everyone is copying Mick's strategy of hard training and psyching up, except Slater and it seems to be working. I believe the optimum proverb would be "effortless effort". Slater is just cruising through heats and just having a ball. The other form surfer of the event was Dane Reynolds who seems to almost adopt Slater's technique of not worrying and just going out and ripping! His easrly round heats were mind blowing! Look for everyone to next year have a more apathetic aproach to the tour. Everyone on th tour next year will be saying " I don't know if I'm going to the next comp? Maybe I will, maybe I won't?" Dane's surfing was pure and radical. It was a shame his luck ran out against Taj. Taj is serious about winning a title but it's like he's trying too hard. He never really caught form the whole event. He seemed to force his way past heats but never had the magic. The waves seemed to crap out towards the end of the comp and he just happened to get the better waves than Dane. The biggest suprise was Bede. It really shouldn't be anymore! He's on fire! He's so calm and cool. You never see him show any emotions. He's also one of the few surfers to rattle Slater. But look for him to slow his pace over the next leg. Chopes and Tavarua seem to be his achilles heal. This is the leg that the regular foots need to step up! Fanning needs a good result in Tahiti to have any chance at a repeat title. Parko, has never really been a standout at these events as well and if he doesn't produce anything here, consider the rest of the year a wash out. This is normally when Slater can really distance himself from his competitors. Andy used to be one of the few to challenge Slater at these locations but it seems like his fire has gone out. Two quaterfinal losses to Slater in a row! Something is up! His heat against Slater was just a shocker! I keep reading about how fired up he is and how he's been training but he has yet to deliver. Also, he hasn't had a real result at Chopes in ages! Gone are the days of his psycho late drops and domination of the break? We shall see... Perhaps the most overlooked and least talked about heat was Bobby Martinez's quaterfinal against Fanning! The dude took out Fanning in difficult Bells conditions on his backhand!!! I think Tahiti could be a good event for Bobby! He will definitely be a favorite pick for the upcoming Pacific events! As far as the Sundown Fantasy Surfer Group is concerned we have a new group leader and an event winner! Swampfox2 took the event with a strong team: Taj, Bobby, Parko, Tommy Whits, Dayan, Perrow, Jordy and Dane! 4 of them finished a quater or higher and two of them made the semis! Swampfox2 needs to email sundownskisurf@gmail.com to collect. The New Group leader is Catchafire! Catchafire has a slight lead over your truly Sundown. Don't worry, I'm not collecting any prizes or trying to steal anyone's thunder. Catchafire had a killer team for this event. The only problem is their team was one team member short and alas, they were not able to collect the full points possible. But shoots, they damn well nearly did it! Look at this team: Slater, Parko, Reyes, Durbidge, Otten, Smith, Reynolds!!! I reckon if Smith pulled his head out of his arse, Catchafire would have won the event as well! It was a good showing for this event. Chopes is next!!! Start researching your teams! Wait and see who the wildcards are and good luck! For those of you competing in Sundown Fantasy Surfer Group Comp get ready for Teahupoo and if you haven't emailed me your info, please email me at sundownskisurf@gmail.com so you can collect your prizes if you win! Cheers, Tyler Breuer Sundown Ski and Surf 516-796-1565 www.sundownsurf.com sundownskisurf@gmail.com

Current Sundown Fantasy Group Rankings after Bells:
342 1 catchafire
370 2 Sundown
499 3 Swamp Fox2
893 4 LIsurfer
1505 5 jetty19
1565 6 Da Bulldogz
1963 7 Team RedDoor
2031 8 Always Right 2
2052 9 firesurf
2245 10 Bonebratz
2968 11 joshtafari
3050 12 solspot
5454 13 NYBARNICLES
6147 14 NYrippa
8001 15 jojo's mojo
8692 16 gnarlfoot
11114 17 WeezyFbaby
11248 18 Limahuli Dreamteam
12203 19 Coastal Conviction
12354 20 ibisurf
12544 21 FRESHSESH!

On the way...

The winter skin is shedding...

Snowboard boots are piled in the corner, laces unraveled, and stock is low. Random sizes like 13 and men's 8's sit looking to be picked up, boxed and lay piled on the shelves for the summer.
A trickle of Surf Tec's arrived the other day. One 6'1" T&C Glen Pang Quad sticks out on the rack, sitting between two Rusty's. The Shop is slowly gaining back it's surf wax smell and everyone in the shop is looking and hoping summer is on the way. ..

Why "The Late Arvo Sesh"?

Arvo: (Arvo, an Australian slang term for Afternoon)
Sesh: (Sesh, An abbriviation of the word session, may relate to drinking, surfing, excessive computer gaming or anything else that lasts a prolonged period of time.)

A few of us sat on the beach. We had just got in from a late afternoon/early evening surf. The sun was now setting and a mate of mine from Oz handed me a bottle of Pilsen Trujillo Cerveza. I sat next to him on the beach and watched the sun setting over the pacific. We were in Peru. The waves were 4-6. Winds were light and variable. It was a good moment to reflect on the day, the waves ridden, the people we met, and just savor the dying seconds of the day. My Aussie mate turned to me and said "Good late arvo sesh, eh? "
I sat there, mind surfed an empty wave and then turned to him, nodded and raised my bottle to the setting sun.