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OXBOW PRO LONGBOARD TOUR - NEW ZEALAND 2003
THE FINALS
15/11/2003
Australian Beau Young won the Oxbow Pro Longboard
championships and by doing so clinched his second ASP world title.
Beau Young vince l'Oxbow Longboard Tour in Nuova Zelanda e diventa Per la seconda
CAMPIONE DEL MONDO DI LONGBOARD/ASP.
November 15, 2003 (Manu Bay, Raglan, New Zealand) Australian Beau Young today won the Oxbow Pro Longboard championships and by doing so clinched his second ASP world title. The US$50,000 tournament commenced this morning with semifinals, before an Expression Session took place and then the event climax unfolded.
Good 4-5 ft (1.5m) surf was on offer, though onshore winds created bumpy wave faces.
Against Californian Joel Tudor in the 40-minute decider, the 2000 world champ displayed a committed attack and executed some major backhand re-entries. With their best three rides counting, the 29-year-old was able to post a great 8.5 score, together with another 7.6 and 5.5 to seal victory and achieve the ultimate goal before announcing his retirement from competitive longboarding.
"It's bewildering," began Young, surrounded by Aussie mates afterward. "Such a great moment and I seriously can't believe it. Joel's such a great surfer and I was expecting a nine out of him at any point. I thought I gave my best on that 8.5 though. It was hard with all the bumps out there, but who cares (laughs)... I'm tripping right now.
"I guess nothing else came for him, and that always makes it tough," he continued. "We both had to scramble to find three good waves, but I'm so stoked. This is pretty much it for me - the best way to top of my career,no doubt. Father and four-time world titleholder Nat Young then offer the following words: "As a proud father I'm just delighted. What a great result. There was a period when Joel was just like a son to me too, so I wish it could have been more blow-by-blow during the final, but Beau got those two bombs and won it. He's in the history books as world champion times two. I'm immensely proud, as is the entire family. He's put a lot of time into it and desserves the rewards."
Tudor - the 1998 world champ - had earlier posted the best scores of the 2003 event, but wasn't able to find similar waves when it counted most. The 27-year-old earned two good rides near the start of the final, but never secured the additional 8.11 he was waited patiently for. Despite having beaten Young in '89, today's result marks the second time the placings have been reversed.
"It was cool to surf against Beau and too see him win in front of his dad was great," said Tudor. "I'm stoked my brother was here, but just wish the ratings reflected all the events this year more so than just who wins the last one. You can't cry over spilt milk though. I got second and that's that. One person had sync and I didn't, while Beau had the rhythm.
"The judging was spot on and Beau deserved to win," he continued. "I'd catch the smaller ones and then a bigger one would come right to him. These things happen as you can't control Mother Nature."
Finishing equal third today in the Oxbow Pro Longboard championships were Mathew Moir (SAfr) and three-time (1999, 2001 & '02) winner Colin McPhillips (CA, USA). Moir was stopped by a determined Tudor in the first semifinal, and despite surfing well, required another near-perfect ride worth 9.75 points. The South African still achieved his best ever result in the Oxbow championships however, finishing the season rated sixth overall.
"I just caught the wrong waves," reasoned Moir. "I knew I needed to catch the better, cleaner ones to beat him, but they didn't come through. I'm really happy to have made it so far in the event, as I've been trying since St. Leu (Reunion Is.) in '95. It's good to be up there now."
McPhillips' hopes of clinching a record equaling fourth world title were squashed when Tudor reached the final, and then Young put an end to his event campaign the following semi. The Californian played catch-up throughout their clash, but after his opponent posted a final 8.25 ride, McPhillips ultimately needed another worth 8.4 points. He finished the year rated third.
"Some days you do good and others you do badly," said a disappointed McPhillips. "Congratulations to Beau though. I was all fired up paddling out for the match, as it looked really good, but every time I went to turn I hit a bump. I felt super wobbly out there, but I guess you just had to be more selective. I'll take third though."
An Expression Session gave the strong Raglan crowd more to enjoy, with 12 of the world's best longboarders hitting the lineup. Jeremias da Silva (Brz) won the best nose ride; Jye Byrnes (Aus) the best manoeuvre; Jason Ribbink (SAfr) picked up the overall award, while Grant Thomas (Aus) was deemed the most entertaining for his nude ride down the line. All earned an additional US$500 for their efforts.
Oxbow Pro Longboard Final Results
1st Beau Young (Aus) 21.6 - US$7,000
2nd Joel Tudor (USA) 18.0 - US$ 3,500
Semifinals (1st>Final; 2nd=3rd receives US$1,750)
SF1: Joel Tudor (USA) 17.5 def. Mathew Moir (SAfr) 14.4
SF2: Beau Young (Aus) 15.4 def. Colin McPhillips (USA) 12.9
Final 2003 ASP Longboard Ratings
1. Beau Young (Aus) 2,455
2. Joel Tudor (USA) 2,400
3. Bonga Perkins (Haw) 1,923
4. Colin McPhillips (USA) 1,905
5. Taylor Jensen (USA) 1,860
6. Mathew Moir (SAfr) 1,770
7. Alex Salazar (Brz) 1,643
8. Paulo Kid (Brz) 1,540
9. Marcelo Freitas (Brz) 1,525
10. Jye Byrnes (Aus) 1,518
11. Amaro Matos (Brz) 1,500
=12. Grant Thomas (Aus); Jamie Viudes (Brz) 1,485
14. Phil Rajzman (Brz) 1,470
COMPETITION POSTPONED DUE TO SMALL SURF
November 11, 2003 (Manu Bay, Raglan, New Zealand) The Oxbow Pro Longboard was postponed today due to small surf. Remaining third round heats of the 12th annual US$50,000 tournament will meet again tomorrow morning at 7am (local time).
Small 1-2 ft (0.5m) waves are on offer at Raglan today. A new swell is predicted for later in the week, but organizers will evaluate conditions each morning in the hopes of finishing the third round and then only havint one day left in which to complete the prestigious event in great waves.
Remaining Round Three Heats
H8: Bonga Perkins (Haw) Justin Redman (Aus)
H9: Colin McPhillips (USA) vs. Sam Bleakley (GB)
H10: Sebastein Wilson (Aus) vs. Lucas Proudfoot (Aus)
H11: Amaro Matos (Brz) vs. Olimpio Batista (Brz)
H12: Alex Salazar (Brz) vs. Elliot Dudley (GB)
H13: Beau Young (Aus) vs. Augusto Suldanha (Brz)
H14: Phil Rajzman (Brz) vs. Grant Thomas (Aus)
H15: Jason Ribbink (SAfr) vs. Lee Ryan (GB)
H16: Kekoa Uemura (Haw) vs. Jamie Viudes (Brz)
Round Two Heats (1st>Rnd3; 2nd=33rd receives US$600)
H5: Kekoa Uemura (Haw) 15.25 def. Anri Nabeshima (Jpn) 7.75
H6: Jonathan Larcher (Fra) 12.75 def. Luis Bento (Port) 9.4
H7: Sebastein Wilson (Aus) 13.75 def. Diego Rosa (Brz) 12.25
H8: Paulo Kid (Brz) 15.25 def. Dwayne Paenga (NZ) 12.4
H9: Lucas Proudfoot (Aus) 13.8 def. Antoine Cardonnet (Fra) 12.4
H10: Jamie Viudes (Brz) 13.45 def. Antoine Delpero (Fra) 13.2
H11: Elliot Dudley (GB) 11.35 def. Ben Skinner (GB) 11.25
H12: Sam Bleakly (GB) 13.35 def. Zack Howard (USA) 12.0
H13: Jeremias da Silva (Brz) 14.35 def. Timothee Creignout (Fra) 9.8
H14: Augusto Suldanha (Brz) 14.75 def. Bart Wilson (Aus) 11.65
H15: Olimpio Batista (Brz) 12.75 def. Darren Ledingham (USA) 12.25
H16: Lee Ryan (GB) 12.0 def. Thibaut Dussarat (Fra) 11.65
Round Three (1st>Rnd4; 2nd=17th receives US$800)
H2: Joel Tudor (USA) 16.25 def. Josh Constable (Aus) 14.55
H1: Taylor Jensen (USA) 13.9 def. Eduardo Bage (Brz) 12.15
H3: Danilo Rodrigo (Brz) 13.5 def. Jonathan Larcher (Fra) 12.85
H4: Duane DeSoto (Haw) 14.0 def. Jye Byrnes (Aus) 14.0
H5: Mathew Moir (SAfr) 15.5 def. Keegan Edwards (Haw) 14.15
H6: Jeremias da Silva (Brz) 9.25 def. Ian Bell (Aus) 6.65
H7: Paulo Kid (Brz) 14.5 def. Marcelo Freitas (Brz) 11.1
Remaining Round Three Heats (1st>Rnd4; 2nd=17th receives US$800)
H8: Bonga Perkins (Haw) Justin Redman (Aus)
H9: Colin McPhillips (USA) vs. Sam Bleakley (GB)
H10: Sebastein Wilson (Aus) vs. Lucas Proudfoot (Aus)
H11: Amaro Matos (Brz) vs. Olimpio Batista (Brz)
H12: Alex Salazar (Brz) vs. Elliot Dudley (GB)
H13: Beau Young (Aus) vs. Augusto Suldanha (Brz)
H14: Phil Rajzman (Brz) vs. Grant Thomas (Aus)
H15: Jason Ribbink (SAfr) vs. Lee Ryan (GB)
H16: Kekoa Uemura (Haw) vs. Jamie Viudes (Brz)
OXBOW PRO LONGBOARD TOUR - NEW ZEALAND 2003
In the shadow of the All Blacks
Although the sporting spotlight is currently on the Rugby World Cup in the southern hemisphere, with the expected victories of the celebrated All Blacks, let us not forget that surfing also ranks amongst New Zealand's favourite sports.
Less than two weeks from now, the Oxbow Pro Longboard, scene of the world championship final, will take place in Maori territory, south of Auckland.
Following the four qualifying competitions in Brazil, Portugal, Spain and finally in France in July, 12 of the 48 participants can still hope to take home gold.
Among the possible winners, the Americans and Hawaiians, true masters of the sport, are still the front runners, with 9 world titles over the last 10 years.
The Californians are the hot favourites, with three of their finest representatives currently ranked 1st, 2nd and 4th, namely newcomer Taylor Jensen, followed by longboard prodigy and 1998 world champion Joel Tudor and defending champion Colin McPhillips, 3-time winner in 1999, 2001 and 2002.
Contrary to previous editions, Hawaii is represented by a single surfer in the top 12, with a great challenge for Bonga Perkins, currently ranked 5th, 2002 runner-up and world champion in 1996. This situation is rare enough to attract attention, given that the strength of the Hawaiians often lies in their undeniable solidarity and team spirit, which have allowed them to win 5 world titles.
Perkins, who recently won the Converse Hawaiian Open, is particularly fond of "left-handers"*, and Raglan offers a wave he is itching to ride.
South Africa's impressive Jason Ribbink is in remarkable shape with his 3rd-place ranking, despite waves which were not entirely to his advantage during the qualifying rounds in Europe. He was a worthy runner-up to the always unshakeable Colin McPhillips in 1999, and fully intends to make the most of his current position to get his own back.
The Australians, who are almost on their home turf this year, have four surfers who can still hope to win. Their leader, 2000 world champion Beau Young, is currently ranked 6th. His immaculate style could really make the difference on the long Raglan wave, and his countrymen Jye Byrnes, the up-and-coming marvel on the world tour, David Simons and Josh Constable will undoubtedly do Australia proud.
Among the five nations represented in the top 12, Brazil undeniably boasts the most homogeneous trio, after that of the Americans. Alex Salazar, 3-time runner-up in the world championship, Phil Rajzman, the winner of this year's opening competition and Marcelo Freitas, the winner of the third leg in San Sebastian and 1999 runner-up, are ranked 7th, 8th and 9th, and are determined to ward off the ill fortune which has up to now deprived them of a world title.
On the French front, there have never been as many surfers qualified for a final, with six competitors on their way to New Zealand. The young generation, with Timothée Creignout and Antoine Delpero, show great promise.
Although this season's podium is now out of reach, French captain Jonathan Larcher, 5th in last year's world rankings and current European leader, and his runner-up Antoine Cardonnet, will lead the French delegation to pressure-free surfing. In such circumstances, they could put up a fine performance and have an impact on the rankings among the favourites.
The two guest surfers from New Zealand, Kelly Ryan, national champion, and Mike Thomson, as the best representative from the surf club hosting the event, will definitely go all out for the final. The opportunity of a world championship final at home will undoubtedly allow New Zealand surfing to soar to new heights on the international scene.
The suspense for the last two slots among the 48 qualified surfers will continue until November 7th, when the final qualification round will take place in Raglan for the remaining surfers, as provided for by the regulations. Two Brazilians, Luis Juquinha and young André Luis, renowned for their determination, will take on England's Sam Beakley, Italy's Leo Ranzoni.and Australian’s Justin Redman.
An eagerly-awaited opening event, which will get the ball rolling in style for the final of the 2003 world championship.
*wave breaking from right to left when viewed by the surfer looking towards the shore.
Results of the qualifying events for the final of the 2003 world longboard championship
1- Oxbow Pro Longboard - Maresias – Brazil
1/ Phil Rajzman-Brz 2/ Jason Ribbink-RSA 3/ Amaro Matos-Brz 4/ Jye Byrnes-Aus
2- Caparica Longboard Pro – Portugal
1/ Joel Tudor-Usa 2/ Paulo Kid-Port 3/ Bonga Perkins-Haw 4/ Thomas Grant-Aus
3- Longboard Classic San Sebastian – Spain
1/ Marcelo Freitas-Brz 2/ Beau Young-Aus 3/ David Simons-Aus 4/ Danilo Rodrigo-Brz
4 Biarritz Surf Festival – France
1/ Taylor Jensen-Usa 2/ Josh Constable-Aus 3/ Bonga Perkins-Haw /4 Beau Young-Aus
List and provisional rankings for the world championship
Ranking Name Country Points Ranking Name Country Points
1 Jensen Taylor USA 1310 25 Zack Howard USA 610
2 Joel Tudor USA 1110 26 Eduardo Bage BRZ 570
3 Jason Ribbink RSA 1055 27 Jonathan Larcher FRA 570
4 Colin McPhillips USA 1010 28 Jeremias da Silva BRZ 570
5 Bonga Perkins HAW 1008 29 Lee Ryan GB 570
6 Beau Young AUS 955 30 Ryan Hakman FRA 545
7 Phil Rajzman BRZ 950 31 Dwayne Paenga AUS 520
8 Alex Salazar BRZ 928 32 Diego Rosa BRZ 520
9 Marcelo Freitas BRZ 925 33 Keegan Edwards HAW 505
10 David Simons AUS 920 34 Olimpio Batista BRZ 480
11 Jye Byrnes AUS 918 35 Thibaut Dussarat FRA 480
12 Josh Constable AUS 855 36 Ben Skinner GB 400
13 Paulo Kid BRZ 790 37 Steve Newton USA 400
14 Danilo Rodrigo BRZ 790 38 Antoine Delpero FRA 400
15 Ian Bell AUS 755 39 Anri Nabeshima JPN 374
16 Elliott Dudley GB 753 40 Timothee Creignout FRA 370
17 Amaro Matos BRZ 750 41 Darren Ledingham USA 360
18 Grant Thomas AUS 735 42 Luis Bento PORT 360
19 Jamie Viudes BRZ 690 43 Antoine Cardonnet FRA 360
20 Kekoa Uemura HAW 675 44 HAW 160
21 Sebastein Wilson AUS 675 45 Kelly Ryan NZ
22 Mathew Moir RSA 675 46 Mike Thomson NZ
23 Bart Wilson AUS 650 47 Wild card 3
24 Lucas Proudfoot AUS 610 48 Wild card 4
1991–2002 World Champions
1991 Marty Mc Millan (AUS) France, Biarritz
1992 Joey Hawkins (USA) France, Biarritz
1993 Rusty Keaulana (HAW) Hawaii, Haleiwa
1994 Rusty Keaulana (HAW) California, Malibu
1995 Rusty Keaulana (HAW) Réunion, St Leu
1996 Bonga Perkins (HAW) France, Guéthary 1997 Dino Miranda (HAW) Hawaii, Makaha
1998 Joel Tudor (USA) Canary Islands, Fuerteventura
1999 Colin McPhilips (USA) Australia, One Mile Point
2000 Beau Young (AUS) Brazil, Praia do Rosa
2001 Colin McPhilips (USA) South Africa, Jeffreys Bay
2002 Colin McPhilips (USA) Mexico, Cabo San Lucas
Twelve surfers for a world title
As from the official announcement made last spring, the choice of Raglan, in New Zealand, as the setting for the final of the 2003 World Longboard Championship, was greeted with unanimous approval by the worldÕs best in the sport.
This superb, immensely long wave which comes rolling in to the beach on the other side of the world is to be found at Manu Bay, near the peaceful little village of Raglan, just two hoursÕ drive from Auckland.
TheyÕve all seen it, talked about it É dreamed of it, but very few have actually surfed it.
The news therefore delighted the contestants of the 2003 World Championship. It even stimulated the unexpected comeback of the circuitÕs wunderkind, the Californian Joel Tudor, who did not take part in the 2002 Championship.
Whilst the results of the four events out of five on the 2003 World circuit have lined up the forty five finalists of the Oxbow Pro Longboard, no-one is making any firm bets on who takes the prize this coming November.
None of the favourites in fact has a sufficient head start in points to relieve the pressure before going into the final in the home of the Maoris. Each of them slipped up at least once in the course of the four previous contests, which means they are running neck and neck in the top twelve, all with an equal chance of winning the world title.
There was no lack of surprises, however, starting by the current leader of the 2003 World Championship, the Californian Taylor Jensen. He came 17th in 2002, but made a hesitant start in the opening event in Brazil, being knocked out in the third round. In Caparica in Portugal, however, he reached the semi-finals, and was in the quarter finals at Saint Sebastian in Spain, before scoring a brilliant victory in Biarritz in July. He is without doubt the one in really great shape at the moment, as confirmed by his recent win in the US Open in Huntington, California.
Joel Tudor is still his most dangerous opponent for the final. After his absence in Brazil, he made a stunning comeback in Portugal, winning hands down in flawless style. He went out in the quarter finals in Spain and France, however. Joel has clearly stated that he wants to win at Raglan and take a second world title following his victory in 1998. He has returned to the scene with that as his only goal.
Jason Ribbink, the impressive South-African, knew that the summer circuit in Europe would be difficult with the small waves, especially given his size. All things considered, he made the best of a tough job and his second place in Brazil in May, in conditions more suited to his style, means he is now running a close third. He has never been better placed to have another crack at the title, that he missed by a whisker in the final on his home ground at Jeffreys Bay in 2001.
The trio of Colin Mc Phillips, Bonga Perkins and Beau Young, who have been up with the leaders for years now, total no less than 5 world titles between them to date. There are only 50 points between them in the provisional ranking, where, after various upsets, they stand in the 4th, 5th and 6th position respectively.
Close on their heels comes a gang of three Brazilians, led by the winner of the opening contest of the 2003 circuit, Phil Rajzman, a daring and determined surfer. He is flanked by Alex Salazar, three times world vice-champion, and by Marcelo Freitas, who won the event in San Sebastian.
The Australians David Simons, Jye Byrnes and Josh Constable bring up the rear of the top 12 and also have every chance of winning the title.
Finally, two wild cards have been given to a couple of New Zealand surfers, Kelly Ryan, the national longboard champion, and the formidable Mike Thomson, member of the Raglan surf-club, acting as host to the event. They are both delighted to be invited. Their intimate knowledge of the spot gives them a definite advantage and they could well turn out to be dangerous contenders up against the worldÕs best in the final.
This rapid overview confirms that the emphasis will be on an all-out attack during the Oxbow Pro. " Alea jacta est " but thereÕs every betting that the winner of the contest will also turn out to be the new 2003 World Champion.
Results of the 2003 Longboard World Championship - World Longboard Tour 2003
1- Oxbow Pro Longboard - Maresias – Brazil
1/ Phil Rajzman-Brz 2/ Jason Ribbink-Saf 3/ Amaro Matos-Brz 4/ Jye Byrnes-Aus
2- Caparica Longboard Pro – Portugal
1/ Joel Tudor-Usa 2/ Paulo Kid-Port 3/ Bonga Perkins-Haw 4/ Thomas Grant-Aus
3-Longboard Classic San Sebastian – Spain
1/ Marcelo Freitas-Brz 2/ Beau Young-Aus 3/ David Simons-Aus 4/ Danilo Rodrigo-Brz
4 Biarritz Surf Festival – France
3- 1/ Taylor Jensen-Usa 2/ Josh Constable-Aus 3/ Bonga Perkins-Haw /4 Beau Young-Aus
Technical Data Sheet
Dates : November 7th to 16th
Contest : Oxbow Pro Longboard (Finals of the World Championship)
Venue : Manu Bay – Raglan – District of Waikato – New -Zealand
Wave type : reef break – left hander
Boards: Minimum length of 9 feet (2.74m)
Federation : ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) www.aspworldtour.com
Judging criteria: 50% classic longboard / 50% performance longboard
Prize money : 50 000 USD
Entry list : 44 surfers + 4 wild cards
Position Name Country Points Position Name Country Points
1 Jensen Taylor Usa 1310 25 Zack Howard Usa 610
2 Joel Tudor Usa 1110 26 Eduardo Bage Brz 570
3 Jason Ribbink SAfr 1055 27 Jonathan Larcher Fra 570
4 Colin McPhillips Usa 1010 28 Jeremias da Silva Brz 570
5 Bonga Perkins Haw 1008 29 Lee Ryan GB 570
6 Beau Young Aus 955 30 Ryan Hakman Fra 545
7 Phil Rajzman Brz 950 31 Dwayne Paenga Aus 520
8 Alex Salazar Brz 928 32 Diego Rosa Brz 520
9 Marcelo Freitas Brz 925 33 Keegan Edwards Haw 505
10 David Simons Aus 920 34 Olimpio Batista Brz 480
11 Jye Byrnes Aus 918 35 Thibaut Dussarat Fra 480
12 Josh Constable Aus 855 36 Ben Skinner GB 400
13 Paulo Kid Brz 790 37 Steve Newton Usa 400
14 Danilo Rodrigo Brz 790 38 Antoine Delpero Fra 400
15 Ian Bell Aus 755 39 Anri Nabeshima Jpn 374
16 Elliott Dudley GB 753 40 Timothee Creignout Fra 370
17 Amaro Matos Brz 750 41 Darren Ledingham Usa 360
18 Grant Thomas Aus 735 42 Luis Bento Port 360
19 Jamie Viudes Brz 690 43 Antoine Cardonnet Fra 360
20 Kekoa Uemura Haw 675 44 Augusto Saldanha Brz 340
21 Sebastein Wilson Aus 675 45 Kelly Ryan NZ
22 Mathew Moir SAfr 675 46 Mike Thomson NZ
23 Bart Wilson Aus 650 47 Wild card 3
24 Lucas Proudfoot Aus 610 48 Wild card 4
Contact organisation : Thierry Fouchet tf@orgacom.org cell +33 (0) 610 275 597
Oxbow : Gaëtane De Volder gdevolder@oxbow.fr tel +33 (0)556 13 11 45
Internet: The competition graphics and press file are available on www.oxboweb.com
Pro/Press section - login: owlc - password: raglan
Television networks: "Copyright-free" beta footage is available on request.
Oxbow and Longboard
The Oxbow trademark, specialised in the creation of sports gear and accessories, was created in 1985.
Surfing is the essence of our brand culture, and naturally led Oxbow to support and develop longboard ever since its beginnings.
Oxbow has woven a unique relationship with longboard, sharing its authenticity and values.
The brand committed itself with Nat Young. As early as 1991, Oxbow sponsored the only longboard event in Europe, the "Biarritz Oxbow Longboard Memorial Arnaud de Rosnay", later to become the "Biarritz Surf Festival". The following year, Oxbow moved from strength to strength, becoming the sole sponsor of the new World Championship, and creating its own international longboard team.
Summer of 92. On the reputed Côte des Basques beach in Biarritz, they all came through: Mickey Dora, Joey Cabell, Buffallo Keaulana, Donald Takayama, Greg Noll, Mike Doyle, David NuuhiwaÉ Surfing legends in their lifetimes, brought together by Nat Young to contribute to the revival of the Championship, alongside the young generation.
During the ultimate showdown, California's Joey Hawkins, aged 20, won gold in the purest possible style, with his countryman Joel Tudor as runner-up, symbolising the transition between the (now) older surfers and up-and-coming young talents. Longboard took a new turn there and then, a milestone in its history.
Twelve years and as many editions later, the "single" event crowning the world champion has globe-trotted to four continents and surfed some of the best waves the planet has to offer. Only the 2001 season managed to schedule 3 events.
Unperturbed, the sport continued to make progress and the number of participants rose constantly, in particular among younger surfers. With skill levels rising year after year, watermen and spectators alike were treated to increasingly tight competition finishes. Longboard found new landmarks: Rusty Keaulana (93,94,95 champion), Colin Mc Philips (99, 01, 02 champion), Bonga Perkins (96 champion, and runner-up in 2002), Dino Miranda (97 champion), Beau Young (champion in 2000 and runner-up in 98), the worthy son of Nat, as well as incomparable Joel Tudor who took home gold in 1998, and silver in 2000.
With the advent of the surfing fashion, the sport was popularised, and ever-greater numbers of water-sport enthusiasts are now enjoying the "Sport of Kings"(*).
Since the early 90s, Oxbow has been the official sponsor of the World Longboard Championships every year. It is with integrity and pride that the brand has contributed to the development of longboard for more than a decade now, throughout the world.
(*) Sport of Kings: in the Pre-Christian era in Polynesia, surfing was essentially for leaders and chiefs, hence the name.
1991–2002 World Champions
1991 Marty Mc Millan (AUS) France, Biarritz
1992 Joey Hawkins (USA) France, Biarritz
1993 Rusty Keaulana (HAW) Hawaii, Haleiwa
1994 Rusty Keaulana (HAW) California, Malibu
1995 Rusty Keaulana (HAW) Réunion, St Leu
1996 Bonga Perkins (HAW) France, Guéthary 1997 Dino Miranda (HAW) Hawaii, Makaha
1998 Joël Tudor (USA) Canary Islands, Fuerteventura
1999 Colin McPhilips (USA) Australia, One Mile Point
2000 Beau Young (AUS) Brazil, Praia do Rosa
2001 Colin McPhilips (USA) South Africa, Jeffreys Bay
2002 Colin McPhilips (USA) Mexico, Cabo San Lucas
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