THE 2011 BONAIRE PWA WORLD CUP

THE 2011 BONAIRE PWA WORLD CUP

Event Preview: The cool calm coast of the Caribbean is set to light up as the cream of the PWA’s male and female contortionists head over to Bonaire for a five-day freestyle frenzy.
The breath-taking Sorobon beach will play host to the world’s most talented freestylers as they embark on a five day battle to decide who will claim the islands king and queen freestyle crowns. This event will mark the opening of the female freestyle world tour and take the men into round three.

Lac Bay, Bonaire provides the perfect playground for many of the world’s best to learn the latest moves in between contests. Crystal clear waters and consistent trade winds alongside the relaxed Caribbean lifestyle make it a glorious spot for windsurfers of all abilities to hone their skills.
What to expect?
An explosion of combined aerial and sliding manoeuvres, the freestylers will spin their way through man-on-man heats where only the most outrageous and elaborate moves will allow them to make it into the next round. The most stylish, technically difficult and diverse moves will decide whether they have out-performed their opponent. Expect to see emotions running high as the sailors fly, spin or cry their way through the competition.
What’s the deal?
Five days of fast-paced action will see the 48 entrants fight their way through single and double elimination ladders for a taste of the €45,000 prize purse. Along side the prize money crucial points towards the overall tour rankings will be decided depending on each sailor’s position in this competition.
Dates
Sunday 12thJune – Thursday 16th June.
Competition is scheduled to commence at 12:30 on 12th June (UTC -4)
The Low Down
Male Fleet
Having put in an outstanding performance this season Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra) is sitting at the top of the overall rankings. As the competition moves over to his home spot he is likely to be entering round three with a serious advantage, the action is set to be incredible as he will certainly be making use of his local knowledge in order to maintain his position at the top.
Hot on his heels, four times world champion Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North) is unlikely to sit complacently in second place. Having suffered slightly due to Podersdorf’s cold water, he will be looking to return to the Caribbean leg of the competition with a vengeance, and assert himself back at the top of the pack.
Lac Bay has seen freestyle wizards, Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic) and Tonky Frans (Tabou / Gaastra) blossom from beginners to international superstars; these two know this spot like the back of their hands. They are going to be extremely hungry to entertain the crowds and take the podium spots for themselves on their home turf.
Having broken the mould in Podersdorf, Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra) and Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra) have proved they own the ability to take down the worlds best. With the taste of victory still fresh in their mouths, they will be looking to continue their rampage at the top of the ranks and take home some more trophies.
Also in the mix freestyle a-listers Philip Soltysiak (Starboard / Dakine), Max Rowe (Fanatic / North), Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard/ Severne) and Yegor Popretinskiy (JP / NeilPryde) will be continuing to work their way to the sacred podiums steps.
Female Fleet
Three times world freestyle champion and slalom racer extraordinaire Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra) will be putting down her race watch and picking up her freestyle fin, in order to compete in Bonaire and make her mark on the 2011 freestyle tour. Famous for her explosive style, she is likely to put on a spectacular show in order to defend her title for the fourth year.
2010’s freestyle runner up Yoli de Brendt (Fanatic / North) will return to the tour more fired up than ever before, after a winters training she will want to claim this year as her own. However it’s not going be an easy battle with experienced competitor Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North) hot on her tail. Treboux has consistently secured places within the top three throughout her freestyle windsurfing career.
Arrianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer) made her opening performance on the freestyle tour in 2010. Having spent the winter working hard in both Brazil and Bonaire, she is likely to be stronger than ever on the water, and she certainly won’t be afraid use her time training in Bonaire to her advantage.
2011 sees a number of fresh faces entering the female freestyle fleet. Mio Anayama (NeilPryde) and Maxime van Gent are ready to bust their moves and represent their countries on the world tour. Maxime will make her debut as the youngest girl on tour at only 15!
As the competition clock counts down to zero the pressure is sure to be mounting on the island of Bonaire. Make sure you stay tuned from 12th June, as the sailors astonish the judges with their mind-blowing repertoires and wow the crowds with their gravity defying stunts. The forecast is looking like its ready to rock, standby for unforgettable action with a Caribbean twist.

Das war Tag 1:

Zitat von PWA

2011 Bonaire PWA World Cup
Day 1: Bonaire is blessed with outstanding conditions for the opening day of competition seeing Kiri Thode and Sarah-Quita Offringa fly their way into first place.
Consistent cross-shore winds and blazing sun allowed the competitors to explode into action from the word go. Competition continued throughout the afternoon and the world best freestylers wowed the Caribbean crowds all the way through the first single elimination.
Once the formalities of registration were out the way and the skippers meeting completed, head judge Duncan Coombes wasted no time in getting the 39 men and 8 women onto the water and the heats underway.
Kicking off the day it was down to many of the un-seeded local sailors to make their debut performance on the PWA world tour. Choco Frans (F2), Amado Vrieswijk (Starboard / Hot Sails) and Hendryck Balentien (JP) took down their opponents and made it through to the second round, displaying a whole array of new school moves and proving that living in paradise does wonders for your windsurfing.
The big drama of the day came from heat 9 between Philip Soltysiak (Starboard / Dakine) and Caesar Finies (Starboard / NeilPryde). The sailors put up a fair fight each pulling big Culos and Konos ensuring the points were going to be tight. When the results were revealed it was announced that Soltysiak had not made it through to the top 16. Unhappy with his performance Soltysiak confronted the judges for answers, and discovered that it was not his sailing that had been at fault but a miss calculation on the score sheets. Soltysiak continued his rampage all the way to the top 8
The action really picked up as the heats went on seeing Andy ‘Bubble’ Chambers (JP / NeilPryde) put in a consistent performance against Andraz Zan (F2 / HotS ails). Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra) stole the show against Julien Mas (Patrik / Hot Sails), and Max Rowe (Fanatic / North) fought hard for first place against Ian Mouro Lemos (JP / NeilPryde), sealing the deal with a perfect Bob.
Special mention has to go to Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne). In round three he sailed like it was his last time, and managed to clock up a huge variety of moves in his heat against Scheffers, granting his passage into the top eight.
As the semi-finals approached the regular big names featured in the top four. Having breezed through their earlier heats it was time to take things seriously. Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra) took on the mighty Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra), both sailors worked hard as the wind dropped off slightly. Van Broeckhoven pumped his way into a Culo, only motivating Thode further, forcing him to bring out a perfect Burner 900. Estredo racked up his points but it wasn’t enough against Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails, Mystic) on his home turf.
Men’s Winners Final
It came down to two local sailors Thode (Starboard / Gaastra) and Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic) to fight it out in front of their fans, both comfortable on their playground and not wanting to disappoint the home crowds it was time to turn their sailing up a notch and bring out the big guns. In an attempt to outdo each other the moves got more and more daring, Thode opened with a Culo, followed by a double e-slider from Taty. The game of one up man ship went on until Thode claimed the move of the day with a huge Kabikuchi securing his place as best in Bonaire.
Women’s
The female fleet made up of 8 sailors got off to a flying start. Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North) looked dialed into the conditions from the very beginning steaming her way through her first and second heats taking down Mio Anayama (NeilPryde) and Yoli de Brendt (Fanatic / North) with her fully planning spock 540’s and Grubbys.
New girl to the world tour Maxime van Gent put up a great performance but it wasn’t quite enough to work her way past 3 times world champion Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic).
Arrianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer / Dakine) displayed a stunning array of slidey maneuvers securing herself a 4th place finish, behind experienced competitor De Brendt.
Women’s Final
Treboux and Offringa made their way to the winner’s final, having posted consistent performances throughout the competition. Treboux reeled out her moves like clockwork whilst Offringa went for the high-risk power moves. Crashing hard Offringa allowed Treboux to open the gap early on, and take the lead with her consistent spocks and switch stance maneuvers. However the high risk strategy came together when she bagged herself a perfect Kono and Bob in the closing seconds, squeezing her way through to seal the victory.
Competition continues into the double elimination tomorrow with another perfect forecast promised. Be sure to tune back in tomorrow for more radical freestyle action from 9:00am onwards (skippers meeting / first live ticker update @ 8:30am).

Results

Men’s Elimination 1

1st Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra)
2nd Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic)
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra)
4th Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North)

Women’s Elimination 1

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic)
2nd Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North)
3rd Yoli De Brendt (Fanatic / North)
4th Arrianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer / Dakine)

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Der 2. Tag ist um:

Zitat von PWA

2011 Bonaire PWA World Cup
Day 2: Sarah-Quita Offringa and Kiri Thode seal the deal in the second day of competition from Sorobon beach, Bonaire.
Bonaire continues to deliver perfect conditions in paradise for the second day in a row. Winds blowing 15-20 knots allowed the double elimination to be complete for both the men and women’s fleets. An action-packed day saw emotions running high, as the sailors fought their way through each round or buckled under the pressures of the world tour.
The double elimination can allow the sailors to work their way to a higher position on the scoreboard or if the heat goes against them fall down the ranks. Not one of them is safe in the position they worked so hard for in the previous day’s single elimination. With this in the back of their minds the sailors took to the water ready for war in the second day of competition.
The tension on the beach could be cut with a knife as the heats got underway. Julien Mas (Patrik / Hot Sails) started the day on form destroying Rich Cicilia and Quincy Offringa (Starboard). As did Ian Mouro Lemos (JP / NeilPryde), he managed to work his way past Victor Wenderfoor t and Oliver Stauffacher (Naish / MFC).
Choco Frans (F2) flew though his heats quickly climbing from 17th to 7th, wowing the crowds with his perfect Ponchs in front of the Judges tower, proving that there is no end to the Frans family talent as all three brother sit within the top 10.
The world renowned ‘sailor of the day award’ was well deserved by Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra), who managed to raise his position from 9th to 5th sailing expertly though 8 heats. Scheffers worked his way through the double elimination ladder taking down each sailor one by one, including the previous days nemesis Dieter Van Der Eyken (Starboard / Severne). It came down to 4 times world champion Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North) to draw an end to Scheffers path of destruction.
More blazing heats continued as Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra) maintained his third place position, keeping Estredo at bay in fourth. Broeckhoven brought the ‘Barracuda’ in his heat and back to the world tour, a move made famous by Cheo Diaz in the 1990’s.
Men’s Winners Final
The previous days duo took to the water to do battle once again, Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra) and Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic) unleashed everything they had in an attempt to outdo each other. This heat was certainly the most exciting of the day, as each sailor pushed the boundaries of freestyle further and further. As the sailors matched each other move for move it was up to Thode to separate the two, bringing out Grubbys into Ponchs and a prefect Spock Culo; it was just enough to seal the deal and stamp his authority down on Lac Bay once again.
The PWA caught up with the current event winner Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra) to find out his thoughts on the competition.
“It’s really though to sail against these guys, but Bonaire is my home spot and I am really working hard to do my best on the water. I know the spot really well and that gives me an advantage so I can hit the chop and go higher. It has been a great competition so far.”
Women’s Fleet
Xenia Kessler (JP / MauiSails) started the day on a high sailing her way through two heats defeating Daniela Simal and Mio Anayama (NeilPryde) with her superfast Spock 540’s and flawless Flakas. It came down the Arrianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer) to put an end to her reign of glory, Aukes worked her way through the heat displaying a whole variety of maneuvers from funnel’s to clew first Spocks, this provided her with slightly higher diversity points ensuring this heat was hers for the taking.
Women’s Winners Final
The same story came from the women’s final as the previous day’s one and two fought their way for first place. Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North) looked to want the number one spot more than ever making sure her moves had that extra element of style. Treboux pulled out perfect planning Grubby Diablos and one handed e-sliders, but Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic) managed to steal the show once again sailing just behind Treboux and raising the game just slightly with each move.
Results
Men’s Elimination 1
1st Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra)
2nd Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic)
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra)
4TH Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North)
5TH Davy Scheffers (Gaastra / Tabou)
Women’s Elimination 1
1st Sarah-Quite Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic)
2nd Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North)
3rd Yoli De Brendt (Fanatic / North)
4TH Arrianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer / Dakine)
5th Xenia Kessler (JP / MauiSails)
The third day of competition will continue tomorrow, the skippers’ meeting is planned for 8:30 am with a first possible start at 9am. See you then!

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Tag 3:

Zitat von PWA

2011 Bonaire PWA World Cup
Day 3: Steven Van Broeckhoven finally breaks Kiri Thode’s stronghold on his home waters, while Offringa continues to dominate.
The third day of competition saw Bonaire’s winds take a turn for the worse from consistent cross shore to frustrating fluctuations, putting the sailors on and off standby throughout the second single elimination.
Lighter winds meant that pleas to cancel heats were high, and the sailors had to work extra hard in order to make the moves that would put them ahead of their contenders.
Alongside lighter breezes, a lower than usual tide meant the competition area was really shallow playing havoc with the day’s opening heats. Yegor Popretinskiy (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) was first to fall victim to Bonaire’s change in conditions losing out to Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra). Close behind Andy Chambers (JP / NeilPryde) suffered as his fin caught the sea floor numerous times during his heat, opening the gates for Deivis Paternina Teran (Fanatic / North) to move into the next round.
Paternina Teran went on to challenge fellow Venezuelan and team-mate Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North). However Estredo didn’t go easy on his travel partner, quickly taking the upper hand using this heat to show he meant business after a 4th place finish in yesterday’s double elimination.
Heat 21 saw brothers Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic) and Tonky Frans (Tabou / Gaastra) fight it out for a place in the semi-finals. The Bonaire boys put on a show like no other trying to outdo each other on the style front as well as the complexity of their maneuvers. Taty managed to sail his way through the heat without dropping a single move whereas Tonky failed to match his brother’s consistency and dropped several vital moves.
The action really picked up in the semi-finals as the sailors decided it was time to raise their level. Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra) pumped his way to victory ahead of Taty Frans with an outstanding display of aerial maneuvers. On the other side of the draw, Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra) disposed of the reigning world champion Gollito Estredo using his home knowledge to drive home his advantage.
Men’s winners final
The second single elimination saw a changing of the guard as Van Broeckhoven stepped up to the table to challenge Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra). The lighter winds had minimal effect on both parties as they both pumped their way into massive maneuvers. The sailors both chose to open the heat with perfect Culos shortly followed by a succession of double moves. Van Broeckhoven pushed the level higher with a Spock Culo but was quickly matched by Thode’s enormous air bob. The heat was incredibly close; Van Broeckhoven managed to snatch the victory by just half a point.
The PWA caught up with Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra) to find out about his momentous day.
“Today was super light winds; my first few heats were on the edge of the wind line. I was against Taty Frans (Starboard /MauiSails / Mystic) in the semi-finals, he was planing the whole time and I wasn’t, but I sailed my best. We then had to re-sail the heat due to the changing winds, I had nothing to lose so I went 100%. In the final I made my three moves on each side then I tried to perform to the highest level, a few of my maneuvers were not really clean but the judges chose me and I am really happy.”
Women’s second elimination
A difficult day for the ladies saw their heats being re-run several times as the wind refused to play ball. Mio Anayama (NeilPryde) delivered a seriously impressive display of powerful moves, from fully planning Grubbys to smooth spock 540’s but it wasn’t enough to defeat the all mighty Venezuelan Yoli De Brendt (Fanatic / North). De Brendt sealed the deal ensuring every move was completed with as much style as possible, often one handed.
In the semi-finals Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North) and De Brendt blitzed through their heat making the best use of every gust. Treboux displayed perfect one-handed e-sliders and floaty flakas providing her with the advantage and enough points to make it into the winners final.
Women’s winners final
For the third consecutive day it came down to arch rivals Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic) and Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North) to out-style each other first place. With lighter winds a new set of tactics were needed, Treboux chose to work her way down the whole competition area quickly in order to maintain speed and rack up her moves, whereas Offringa played it more cautiously. She maintained her ground upwind and performed her moves directly in front of the judge’s tower. Despite Treboux’s spectacular performance Offringa’s diverse range of maneuvers proved, once again to be too much to contend with.
Results
Men’s Single Elimination 2
1st Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra)
2nd Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra)
3rd Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic)
4th Jose ‘ Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North)

Women’s Single Elimination 2
1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic)
2nd Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North)
3rd Yoli De Brendt (Fanatic / North)
4th Arrianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer / Dakine)

Tune in tomorrow for more action starting with the skippers meeting at 8:00am with a first possible start to competition at 8:30, See you then!

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Kein Wind an Tag 4:

Zitat von PWA

2011 Bonaire PWA World Cup
Day 4: Tension mounts on the penultimate day as light winds and soaring temperatures halt proceedings here at the PWA freestyle world cup in beautiful Lac Bay.
With the forecast set to drop competition stormed into action at 8.15. However despite all efforts only two heats of the second double elimination were completed before the conditions dropped below the necessary level, leaving the sailors nervously on standby for the remainder of the day.
Heat 37 saw a major battle between Max Rowe (Fanatic / North) and Remko De Zeeuw (F2 / Gaastra), both sailors put in a consistent performance with Rowe concentrating on switch moves and De Zeeuw focusing on upwind maneuvers. The judge’s decision boiled down to the diversity of the tricks to separate the pair, with Rowe narrowly squeezing through into the next round. On the other side of the heat ‘Capoeira king’ Danilo Da Silva (RRD / RRD) fell to the hands of local hot shot Endro Finies (RRD). Finies pumped his way around an impressive display of maneuvers and claimed another impressive victory on his home spot.
With the wind fading fast, all four sailors worked really hard to stay on the plane throughout heat 38. Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails) put an end to Yarden Meir’s (Fanatic / Simmer) progress through the double elimination with an amazing culo and clean burner despite the marginal conditions. Meir replied with an e-slider and a clinical lollipop but it wasn’t enough to see him advance. Meanwhile, French freestyle wizard, Anthony Ruenes (Tabou / Simmer) managed to edge ahead of Andraz Zan (F2 / Hot Sails), pumping his way into a spectacular no handed flaka in the final moments of the heat.
Heat 39 was cancelled due to insufficient winds, leaving the sailors on standby for the remainder of the day.
The PWA took advantage of the down time to catch up with the world’s finest freestylers to find out which moves they find the hardest to complete under the pressure of competition in Bonaire.
Phil Soltysiak (Starboard / Dakine)
“In Bonaire and in the light winds I find the ponch really difficult, because you need a lot of speed and a little bit of chop to give you the extra pop.”
Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra)
“This is a difficult question everyone is different. The last move I learnt, the barracuda is really tough because it is very risky. The new moves like the flaka shaka and the kabicutchi are also really hard to complete in your heat as you need perfect conditions to complete them”
Andy ‘Bubble’ Chamber (JP / NeilPryde)
“The burner, once I duck the sail I struggle to keep my speed for the sail throw, it is really annoying me.”
Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North)
“I don’t know there are so many moves; so far I have found the switch kono impossible because I don’t have enough power. Usually I can do them pretty good; if it picks up a bit more I will do one in my heat.”
Dieter Van Der Eyken (Starboard / Severne)
“It is a tricky question, I think the Kabicutchi is one of the top moves and it is really hard to go high on it. If you see Kiri going high it is purely technique and not because the wind is really strong. You have to have perfect technique to duck the sail.”
Yegor Popretinskiy (JP / NeilPryde / MFC)
“I don’t know, for me all the moves are hard here, I haven’t been trying the crazy moves in my heats. I like the regular chachoo, for me it is one of the easiest moves but for the other guys they find it difficult. I don’t like to do culos here because the water is so shallow and I care about my board.”
Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra)
“The hardest move here is the push loop, or the flaka ponch, the wind needs to be really strong for these moves. But because it is so flat I find every move easy here compared to other spots on the tour.”
Max Rowe (Fanatic / North)
“I found the shaka the hardest move here, I always struggle in the light winds and the small chop. I have had to train them really hard to be able to do them in the light flat conditions.”
Andraz Zan (F2 / Hot Sails)
“I think the kono is really challenging when the wind is really light because the rig duck has to be perfect and you have to jump really hard to achieve any height”
Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails)
“All the moves are quite tricky and take a while to learn, all the sailors are performing really well at the moment, so the heats are really difficult”.
Choco Frans (F2)
“I am not so sure, my favorite move is the culo but I think the hardest is the air chachoo. I have seen Taty do it on the flat water and Gollito in Fuerteventura, It looks awesome and I would love to be able to do it!”
Steven Max (Starboard / Hot Sails)
“I am not doing the really big moves yet but my favorite move is the shaka, I really like the way you float when you do the move”.
Paul Zeper (Patrik / Hot Sails / Dakine)
“I think the hardest move really depends on the person; I can now do burners easier than punetas. I find the puneta really testing and it is not a move I like doing. I think most people struggle with the normal stance duck because it has to be perfect especially for the kono”.
With just two heats completed results remain untouched for today. The forecast is looking promising so it looks like the battle for victory here in Bonaire will go right down to the wire! Skippers meeting will take place at 8:00 am tomorrow morning with a first possible start at 8:30 am. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the final day of action from the 2011 Bonaire world cup.
Results
Current Overall Men’s
1st Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra)
2nd Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic)
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra)
4th Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North)
5th Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra)
Current Overall Women’s
1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic)
2nd Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North)
3rd Yolanda de Brendt (Fanatic / North)
4th Arrianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer)
5th Xenia Kessler (JP / NeilPryde)

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Das war Tag 5:

Zitat von PWA

2011 Bonaire PWA World Cup
Day 5: Kiri Thode and Sarah-Quita Offringa stamp down their authority on Lac Bay and claim their crowns as King and Queen of Bonaire!
On the fifth and final day of competition, Bonaire erupted into a freestyle frenzy, as the sailors brought everything they had to the table in an attempt to progress through the double elimination.
With the Bonaire trades blowing around 25 knots Phil Soltysiak (Starboard / Dakine) exploded out of the gates in two consecutive heats, catching Andy ‘Bubble’ Chambers (JP / NeilPryde) and Anthony Ruenes (Tabou / Simmer) off guard with his consistent switch flakas and perfectly polished burners. However Soltysiak’s winning streak came to an end when fell victim to Dutch freestyle whiz kid Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra) in heat 44. Scheffers sailed his routine of super smooth double maneuvers and controlled konos ensuring the judges awarded him the highest marks.
On the other side of the elimination local hotshot Youp Schmit (JP / NeilPryde /Dakine) ploughed through Julien Mas (Hot Sails / Patrik) and Amado Vrieswijk (Starboard / Hot Sails) performing enormous culos and shaka flakas in front of the judges’ tower to secure his place in 11th at this event. Schmit was finally stopped in his tracks in heat 45 against local hero Tonky Frans (Tabou / Gaastra).
Tonky took the day by storm and blew the judges away with his diverse array of tricks and his Caribbean smooth style. Frans appeared to be unstoppable claiming victory in his heats against Jose ‘ Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North) and Scheffers with a 5-0 decision from the judges each time. There was only one man that could put a halt on Tonky’s progress, and that was his brother Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic). Tonky fought hard with a Kabikuchi and a Future, but his efforts were not enough as Taty sailed the perfect heat, granting his pass into the next round.
It took an amazing routine from Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra) to put an abrupt end to Taty’s hopes, blowing him out the water with his trade mark air bob’s and the largest kono of the competition.
Men’s Final
The men’s final boiled down to two mind blowing two heats between local favorite Thode and Belgium contender Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra). Having won the single elimination Van Broeckhoven held the advantage over Thode and had to be beaten twice to lose the second double. Thode was hungry for a final victory and sailed the first final like a true champion pulling a series of mind-boggling combination moves. Van Broeckhoven replied with his trade mark style throwing huge culos and a flaka ponch, however a crash on the reef left him on the back foot, leaving Thode with the advantage to take the first blood.
Motivated by his home fans and with event title already secured, Thode went on to earn his crown as King of the Lac Bay pulling a gravity defying Kabicutchi and an unbelievable Grubby Ponch. Van Broeckhoven fought tooth and nail to hold his ground, but with his homes fans’ cheering his every move Thode was on an unstoppable roll and finished the event with an undisputed victory.
Winners Quote
Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra)
“I am ecstatic to have won on my home spot, it was an amazing event and the wind was perfect. A lot of the others competitors can do all the moves here, I was really pushing myself to show everyone what I can do and I am extremely happy with my sailing. I am really excited for the next event in Aruba.”
Women’s Fleet
Heat 46 in the women’s double elimination saw Xenia Kessler (JP / MauiSails) and Mio Anayama (NeilPryde) work their way past Maxime Van Gent and Daniela Simal with a series of spock variations and an inspired clean flaka from Kessler.
Next up was Anayama versus Kessler; Anayama opened the heat with a spock 540 but then failed to land a number of critical moves. Kessler took the advantage with her forward loop securing her place in the next heat to challenge Arrianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer / Dakine).
Kessler put up a great fight and attempted to match Aukes for every move; however Aukes played her consistent card and barely dropped a trick throughout the heat, earning her pass into the next round to face Yoli De Brendt (Fanatic / North).
De Brendt disposed of Aukes with her more varied repertoire of switch maneuvers and a double flaka to seal the deal, and then went onto face Swiss freestyle specialist Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North).
Treboux was on fire in the heat and left the water steaming. She garnished every maneuver with an extra element of style, nailing her moves one handed or fully planning. The judges recognized her efforts and rewarded her with a place in the final.
Women’s Final
Bonaire witnessed one of the finest women’s finals of all time. Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic) and Treboux took to the water for the fourth time this week. With one more opportunity to break Offringa’s stronghold on Lac Bay and the top spot, Treboux pulled out all the stops. On recognizing Treboux’s effort Offringa decided it was time to reveal her big moves. The end result was a spectacular show and a final to remember as both women pulled out all the stops for the cheering crowds. Despite Treboux’s fighting every inch of the way, Offringa squeezed past Treboux with her incredible moves and took her fourth final win at this event and the title of event winner.
Winner’s Quote
Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic)
“I was quite nervous for this event and on the first day I didn’t sail as well as I wanted but I still managed to win. Slowly it got better even though the wind was light. Today was the cherry on top of the cake because the wind was really strong. In the final I was powered up on my 5.2 sailing against Laure; usually we have a really good time when we are sailing. I think it was my best heat ever I landed a double spock, a kono, an air funnel and a funnel diablo. I was really happy, I saw that Laure was sailing really well and that motivated me even more so, I think this was one of the best women’s finals ever. I am really excited for Aruba, the forecast looks great.”
Super Session
Having completed the official competition and the wind still blowing a gale the judges took the opportunity to run a super session for the crowds on the beaches. The sailors were allowed thirty minutes to try performing their most outrageous and impressive moves. Alongside some big crashes huge culos, konos and burner’s went down. The victory was claimed by Anthony Ruenes with his super high and stylish no-handed flaka.
Results
Men’s Fleet
1st Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra) 2100 pts
2nd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra) 2067 pts
3rd Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic) 2034 pts
4th Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North) 2001 pts
5th Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra) 2328 pts
6th Dieter Van Der Eyken (Starboard / Severne) 1935 pts
7th Tonky Frans (Tabou / Gaastra) 1902 pts
8th Choco Frans (F2) 1836 pts
8th Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails) 1836 pts
8th Philip Soltysiak (Starboard / Dakine) 1836 pts
Women’s Fleet
1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra/ Mystic) 2100 pts
2nd Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North) 2067 pts
3rd Yolanda Freites De Brendt (Fanatic / North) 2034 pts
4th Arianna Aukes (RRD / Simmer / Dakine) 2001 pts
5th Xenia Kessler (JP / MauiSails) 1968 pts
6th Mio Anayama (NeilPryde) 1935 pts
7th Daniela Simal 1886 pts
8th Maxime Van Gent 1886 pts
Back on the Road
The PWA crew will now make the short trip over to the dazzling island of Aruba for round four of the freestyle and slalom world cup taking place on 19th-26th June.

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Und die Zusammenfassung:

Zitat von PWA

2011 Bonaire PWA World Cup
Event Summary: The picture perfect island of Bonaire delivered incredible conditions for the freestyle world cup, seeing Kiri Thode and Sarah-Quita Offringa triumphant after two eliminations.
Located in the southern Caribbean, Bonaire boasts crystal clear waters, consistent trade winds and a tranquil atmosphere. The PWA’s finest freestylers were welcomed with open arms onto the beautiful island between the 12th- 16th June for the third round of the men’s freestyle world tour, and the opening event in the women’s calendar.
Competition took place in the turquoise waters of Lac Bay, home spot to local legends; Kiri Thode (Starboard /Gaastra), Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic) and style master Tonky Frans (Tabou / Gaastra). Lac Bay didn’t disappoint delivering five days of wind between 15-25 knots and scorching sun, allowing two eliminations to be completed and the new kings and queens of Bonaire to be crowned.
Once the formalities of registration were out the way and the skippers meeting completed, head judge Duncan Coombs wasted no time in releasing the 39 men and 8 women onto the water for a five day freestyle extravaganza.
Men’s elimination one – Thode takes control.
Elimination one exploded into action from the word go, with the Bonaire trades blowing around 20 knots the sailors entered the battle arena on sails around 5.0m, completing the single elimination on the first afternoon of competition.
Lac Bay’s super flat water allowed a whole variety of aerial and sliding maneuvers to be performed and quickly saw event favorites Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra), Thode, Taty Frans and Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo take advantage of the conditions and work their way to the semi-finals.
In the final it came down to two local freestyle wizards Thode and Taty Frans to fight it out in front of their home fans. Both sailors went to town displaying a performance of huge culos, and konos. Thode managed to separate the two score sheets with an enormous Kabicutchi successfully securing his first victory of the competition.
Double elimination
The double elimination took place on the second day of competition. An action packed day saw emotions running high, as the sailors fought their way through each round in an attempt to raise their place on the scoreboard.
Choco Frans (F2) flew though his heats quickly climbing from 17th to 7th, wowing the crowds with his perfect Ponchs in front of the judge’s tower. As did Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra), who managed to raise his position from 9th to 5th sailing expertly though 8 heats.
The final boiled down to a repeat performance of the previous day. Thode and Taty Frans unleashed every trick in their amour an attempt to gain the upper hand. This was the most exciting heat of the elimination as both sailors pushed the boundaries of freestyle further and further. The day ultimately went to Thode, who gained the favor of the judges with the magnitude of his maneuvers and finally sealed the deal with an astonishing spock-culo.
Women’s Elimination one – The rise of Offringa
The female fleet made up of 8 sailors got off to a flying start. Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North) looked dialed into the conditions from the very beginning steaming her way through her first and second heats taking down Mio Anayama (NeilPryde) and Yoli de Brendt (Fanatic / North) with her fully planing spock 540’s and grubby variations.
Treboux continued her reign of glory all the way to the winner’s final where she went on to face three times world freestyle champion Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic). Treboux reeled out her moves like clockwork whilst Offringa went for a high risk, power performance. This Swiss freestyle Queen looked to hold the advantage as Offringa fell frequently, but the high risk strategy came together in the closing seconds when she bagged herself a perfect kono and a bob, ensuring an early victory over Treboux.
Double Elimination
The double elimination final saw Treboux and Offringa take to the waters once again to fight for first place. Treboux looked to want the number one spot more than ever making sure her moves had that extra element of style. She then pulled out a perfect planning grubby diablo and a one handed e-slider, but once again Offringa managed to steal the show as she sailed behind Treboux and raised the game with every move, granting her second victory of the competition.
Men’s elimination two –Van Broeckhoven strikes back!
The second single elimination saw European freestyler Van Broeckhoven break down the barriers the Bonaire boys held over winner’s final and work his way to face Thode.
The final saw lighter winds plague the competition area, but it had minimal effect on both parties as they pumped their way into massive maneuvers. The sailors both chose to open the heat with perfect culos shortly followed by a succession of double moves. Van Broeckhoven pushed the level higher with a spock-culo but was quickly matched by Thode’s enormous air bob. The heat was incredibly close; Van Broeckhoven managed to snatch the victory by just half a point, leaving Thode to work out where he went wrong and a slightly enraged group of fans.
Double Elimination
The final day of competition provided the strongest winds of the week permitting the sailors to bring their biggest moves into the freestyle arena, in a final bid for all important competition places.
The men’s final boiled down to two mind-blowing heats between local favorite Thode and Van Broeckhoven. Having won the single elimination Van Broeckhoven held the advantage over Thode and had to be beaten twice to lose the second double.
Thode was hungry for a final victory and sailed the first final like a true champion pulling a series of mind-boggling combination moves. Van Broeckhoven replied with his trademark style throwing huge culos and a flaka ponch. However a crash early on in the heat saw him reeling in shock, and unable to focus throughout the remainder of the final, leaving Thode to secure a significant lead and claim an early victory.
Motivated by his home fans and with event title already secured, Thode went on to earn his crown as King of the Lac Bay pulling a gravity defying kabicutchi and an unbelievable grubby ponch. Van Broeckhoven fought tooth and nail to hold his ground, but with his homes fans’ cheering his every move Thode was on an unstoppable roll and finished the event with an undisputed victory.
Men’s Winner’s Quote
Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra)
“I am ecstatic to have won on my home spot, it was an amazing event and the wind was perfect. A lot of the others competitors can do all the moves move here, I was really pushing myself to show everyone what I can do and I am extremely happy with my sailing. I am really excited for the next event in Aruba.”
Women’s elimination two- Offringa’s emerges victorious
A difficult day for the ladies saw their heats being re-run several times as the wind refused to play ball. Anayama delivered a seriously impressive display of powerful moves, from fully planning grubbys to smooth spock 540’s but it wasn’t enough to defeat the all mighty Venezuelan De Brendt.
In the semi-finals Treboux and De Brendt blitzed through their heat making the best use of every gust. Treboux displayed a perfect one-handed e-slider and a flaka, providing her with the advantage and enough points to make it into the winners final.
For the third consecutive day it came down to arch rivals Offringa and Treboux to out-style each other first place. Treboux chose to work her way down the whole competition area quickly in order to maintain speed and rack up her moves, whereas Offringa played it more cautiously. She maintained her ground upwind and performed her moves directly in front of the judge’s tower. Despite Treboux’s spectacular performance Offringa’s diverse range of maneuvers proved, once again to be too much to contend with.
Double elimination
Bonaire witnessed one of the finest women’s finals of all time. Offringa and Treboux took to the water for the fourth time this week. With one more opportunity to break Offringa’s stronghold on Lac Bay and the top spot, Treboux pulled out all the stops. On recognizing Treboux’s effort Offringa decided it was time to reveal her big moves. The end result was a spectacular show and a final to remember as both women unleashed everything they had for the cheering crowds. Despite Treboux’s fighting every inch of the way, Offringa squeezed past Treboux with her incredible moves and took her fourth final win at this event and the title of event winner.
Women’s Winner’s Quote
Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic)
“I was quite nervous for this event and on the first day I didn’t sail as well as I wanted but I still managed to win. Slowly it got better even though the wind was light. Today was the cherry on top of the cake because the wind was really strong. In the final I was powered up on my 5.2 sailing against Laure; usually we have a really good time when we are sailing. I think it was my best heat ever I landed a double spock, a kono, an air funnel and a funnel diablo. I was really happy, I saw that Laure was sailing really well and that motivated me even more so, I think this was one of the best women’s finals ever. I am really excited for Aruba, the forecast looks great.”
Results
Men’s Fleet
1st Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra)
2nd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra)
3rd Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic)
4th Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North)
5th Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra)
6th Dieter Van Der Eyken (Starboard / Severne)
7th Tonky Frans (Tabou / Gaastra)
8th Choco Frans (F2)
8th Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails)
8th Philip Soltysiak (Starboard / Dakine)
Women’s Fleet
1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra/ Mystic)
2nd Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North)
3rd Yolanda De Brendt (Fanatic / North)
4th Arianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer / Dakine)
5th Xenia Kessler (JP / MauiSails)
6th Mio Anayama (NeilPryde)
7th Daniela Simal
8th Maxime Van Gent
Current overall standings
Men (After 3 events)
1st Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra)
2nd Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North)
3rd Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic)
4th Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra)
5th Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra)
6th Tonky Frans (Tabou / Gaastra)
7th Philip Soltysiak (Starboard / Dakine)
8th Dieter Van Der Eyken (Starboard / Severne)
9th Anthony Ruenes (Tabou / Simmer)
10th Nicolas Akgazciyan (Starboard / Gun)
Women (After 1 event)
1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard /Gaastra /Mystic)
2nd Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North)
3rd Yolanda De Brendt (Fanatic / North)
4th Arrianne Aukes (RRD /Simmer)
5th Xenia Kessler (JP /MauiSails)
6th Mio Anayama (NeilPryde)
7th Daniela Simal
8th Maxime Van Gent

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