Theology & Geometry II

Modern Planing Hulls by Daniel Thomson. Photographed by Ryan Field in the Hydrodynamica studio, March 2012.

Heat 3 Round of 24 US Open 8/2/2012

Heat 3 Round of 24

US Open of Surfing

Thursday August 2^nd 2012

1^st Jesse Mendez

2^nd Stu Kennedy

3^rd Dane Reynolds

Fuelie:

2012 Nike US open…and Rob Machado, welcome back…

Rob:

Thank you, good to be back…Miguel Pupo surfed amazing in that last heat…

(Mendez starts heat with throw tail reverse right off the bat…)

Fuelie:

…Stuey Kennedy, 90^th in world rankings, Dane Reynolds 94^th..

Rob: He’s that high? Wow.

Fuelie:

Dane Reynolds has been one of the form surfers as well…this is gonna be a tough one….

Rob:

I would venture to say that in a heat like this we would see Dane letting loose…but he’s been letting loose the whole event…

(Stu gets his first wave, a left…)

Dino:

“This kid right here, Stuey Kennedy, he’s been the giant killer. Flying on this board.

Rob:

Riding a different type of equipment. Still a thruster, I believe. Kind of a double-ender type of surfboard. I believe it was made by Daniel Thomson.

Dino:

I think its epoxy, as well, as you can see its got that little bit of extra squirt…

Fuelie:

Lets have another look at that wave and that board here for Stu Kennedy. He’s only got one score on the board here, a 5.43.

Rob

Well, having that type of surfboard, very parallel rails with a wider nose and a wider tail, I’m guessing that its gonna create a lot of speed and some looseness, as we see him throwing the fins out…that first backside turn you could see he kinda spun that tail around…but very interesting type of surfboard. I’m a fan. I like to see alternative equipment being brought into the main stage, if its working and guys are able to keep up with the level of surfing that is needed on tour…

Dino:

(talks about epoxy being lively) …that board looks really quick under his feet. That first bottom turn top turn combination was really good for Stuart.

Fuelie:

This is his first ride, and this gives you an idea of how fast it goes (Stu does a sweeping roundhouse)

Rob:

Wow that was some neat projection, you can see it wrapping around …you can see on that bank off the foam there the tail getting a little squirrelly, its got a wide tail …he comes through the inside, blows the tail out and spins it around…I’m sure with a wide tail like that you have to be careful, I’ve noticed this with boards when I’ve had wider tails, in heats you have a little more adrenaline and you want get up into the lip, and you almost have to tone yourself down a little bit…cause you have a tendency to get a little squirrelly so you could almost blow it out on bottom turns…but you can see how he’s really working that board to his advantage.

Fuelie:

But he’s stuck to his guns…he rode this board also at the Nike Lowers Pro a couple of months ago at Trestles, and just the other day in his last heat he was in 4^th spot and in the dying seconds of the heat he was able to hold it together and get the score that he needed. So he’s been able to handle things under pressure and he’s sticking by his equipment. But you’re a man who likes to ride a lot of different craft, would you take a go on this board?

Rob:

Oh, most definitely. Actually, I know Daniel, I’m good friends with Daniel, I surf with him a lot. He lives down in San Diego, we spent some time in the water together and I haven’t had a chance to get my hands on one yet but we always talk about it, I’d like to definitely get out the on one…as we see Stuey making the connection through, as you said Dino, on the epoxy, blowing the fins out…

Dino:

Great control there to cram that last maneuver into that tight little pocket.

Rob:

For sure.

(Mendez gets  a good ride rips it, they talk about Mendez, who is leading the heat)

Dino:

Look at Dane Reynolds you guys…13 minutes into the heat and he hasn’t stood up yet.

(Dane has been waiting for a wave, but heat has very few. No sets.  Stu & Mendez grabbed all that was available on the inside.)

Dino:

Stuart Kennedy, on the other hand, he’s real serious. He’s trying to get a 6.9

(Tide has completely killed surf, no waves at all. 23 minutes in and Dane has not had a chance, literally, to catch a wave)

Stu gets a right

Fuelie:

Heres Stuey Kennedy, he needs a 6.93…

Rob:

The wave’s hitting that deep spot, flattening out, but look at that board, look at that thing… his board speed…just flying down the line looking squirrelly and skatey…boom! Huge rotation…aw his foot slipped of the tail…

Dino

His foot came off the back of the board there…he didn’t grab, I wonder if he would have grabbed if he might have been able to pull that maneuver off. That would have been the score, I think, that was a pretty high air..

Rob:

Real high…I like this little snapping cutback right there, keeps the board speed, the board  moving, weaving it through…finds this little power pocket right here and flies down the line right here… Dino you see him…boom! Nice rotation…maybe if he would have compressed a little more in the air…

Dino:

Yeah, great effort there from Stuart Kennedy…

(Stu gets another wave)

…heres Stuey Kennedy on some modern equipment, didn’t really get anything going on the outside lets see what he can pull off on the inside…aw…nice air there for Stuart.

Rob:

Nice grab there…chanced his approach, maybe he was listening (laughs)

Fuelie:

And Dane, 27 minutes in…still no wave..he’s scratching his head he’s going “Where are my waves? I just want ONE…”

( Dane is having nightmare heat. Nothing coming to him at all. Dane finally gets a wave at 29 minutes in. Surfs it really well but no opportunity to do anything spectacular))

Rob:

As we see Stu Kennedy…got a nice little runner, down the beach…huge spinner…gets a little squirelly…

Dino:

Yeah that board has so much squirt its really hard to control in the air…

Fuelie:

So Jesse Mendez wins it and we’re gonna be seeing Dane Reynolds and Stuey Kennedy in the round of 24…

(Stu draws Kelly Slater in his next heat…the first round of man on man heats)

Theology & Geometry

 

“The ironic thing about that program is that it is supposed to be an exemplum to the youth of our nation. I would very much like to know what the Founding Fathers would say if they could see these children being debauched to further the cause of Clearasil. However, I always suspected that democracy would come to this. A firm rule must be imposed upon our nation before it destroys itself. The United States needs some theology and geometry, some taste and decency. I suspect we are teetering on the edge of the abyss.”

-       Ignatius J. Reilly

-       A Confederacy of Dunces

-       John Kennedy Toole, 1963

 

July 31st, 2012, continued...

Heat 6, Round of 48, Nike U.S. Open of Surfing

July 31^st, 2012

Kelly Slater

Michel Bourez

Stu Kennedy

Sebastien Zietz

Fuelie:

Here’s Kelly…he’s coming up against Stuey Kennedy. We saw a good performance by him yesterday.

(Slater puts on red jersey, walks through competitors area, ready to paddle out for the heat. Cut to close up of Kelly’s board)

Dino:

He’s riding a 4-fin with a little trailer fin. Probably not a bad choice for these conditions.

Fuelie:

Well, he has been at the forefront of experimentation with boards and fins…

Stu Kennedy is shown putting on white jersey. Stu picks up his Daniel Thomson modern planing hull and prepares to paddle out for the heat.)

Fuelie:

What about this board, Dino? Check out Stuey Kennedy’s board.

Dino:

He’s going out on a limb, isn’t he? That boards a little different than anything I’ve seen.

But aww, y’know…

Fuelie:

He surfed well yesterday…

Dino

It’ll probably go well today, really fast I imagine…

Fuelie

We saw him win his heat yesterday with this…just really fast full rotation air 360…it definitely looks a lot more like a wakeboard than a surfboard…but its been working for him.

Dino:

If I’m not mistaken I think that board was made by Daniel Thomson, who is a guy that grew up in Lennox Head. His father is a famous surfer from the area. Daniel is really a brilliant surfer himself…Daniel’s from the same area as Stu…and he rides those boards in all types of conditions. It’ll be interesting to see how he (Stu) performs on that type of design.

Fuelie:

Well he surfed really well yesterday, and he’s going to need to surf really well today, because he’s up against Kelly Slater….

(Dino & Fuelie discuss the inconsistent, small waves and how it may effect the competitors and equipment choices…)

Fuelie

Yesterday we did see that Stu’s board went through the flat sections like it had a motor on it. It just kept planing right through those flat sections, and he was able to link up to the inside almost every time. So this is going to be a very exciting last heat…

Fuelie:

Kelly Slater is red…Stu Kennedy in white…this should be a great heat. Barton Lynch, welcome back.

(Fuelie and Barton talk about Slater’s genius and sense of pageantry & showmanship)

Dino:

This is Kelly right here, starting his account…wow looks like he’s on a really fast board.

Barton:

He’s got a quad but he’s got that little keel trailer back there that he likes to put in the middle for stability. There’s Seabass…oh no, I mean that’s Stuey Kennedy, on that unusual looking board…aw, its strange looking…but lots of speed. (Stu flies across the flat spot rail to rail and throws a clean reverse on a tiny wave) He throws it there, pulls off an air reverse, little one on the inside, and uh this heat is off and racing. Interesting to watch Kelly on that wave. How loose and fluid he is through the upper body, there is no tension involved…

(Seabass rips a good left but can’t connect the reform)

(Barton & Dino discuss Slater’s fluidity & general super-human surfing ability, competitive prowess etc. Slater gets a wave, falls on 2^nd turn)

(Seabass gets a wave falls on 3^rd turn then gets a right, nice air reverse, surfing very well)

(Dino and Barton discuss why Michel Bourez got a 7, the high score of the heat, on a somewhat average ride.)

(Stu gets a left, blows tail on a vertical snap then connects the reform and goes right, gaining speed the whole time)

Barton:

Stuey Kennedy…geez, that board is so responsive, isn’t it?

Dino: Do you think that board, the way looks, could hinder the scores with the judges?

Barton:

The aesthetics of that board, for me…it doesn’t do it for me. (Stu connects the reform right after the snap, flies down the line and ends with a clean air-reverse as Barton is talking. Compared to Bourez’ wave, this ride should be an 8. Stu gets a 4.5 for it) I mean…I look at the board and I think gee, it’d be nice if it had a nose on it. With a nose you have that little bit extra with everything that’s going on so, yeah I do think so (the way it looks hinders scoring)

Dino:

Yeah, you notice it more when it goes vertical if it’s got a point to it. But that’s kind of unfair, really, if you think about it.

Barton:

Yeah, if you just watch what he’s doing, it is incredibly responsive and fast and its got this twitchiness to it where he looks like he could just do anything at any time on that board.

(Slater gets a good left but does not connect the reform)

(Stu gets a left and then connects the reform right again…)

Barton:

Great ride for Stuey Kennedy, look at that board…so quick and responsive…comes unstuck on that little 360 attempt at the end, but aw…from a surfing perspective, Stuey Kennedy has got everything going that anyone else in this heat has, and maybe even a little more speed and a little more vibrancy in that short, whippy board that he’s riding…

Fuelie:

Yeah, it’s a very very fast board…but he’s sitting in 4^th, he does have a few scores yet to drop..

(Slater gets a good left, connects reform right, best wave of heat. Nothing too technical, especially for him. He gets a 9.0)

(Stu gets a right, does blistering carve to tail slide followed immediately by another small snap. Wave completely vanishes in the gutter and he can’t connect the reform))

Barton:

Nice work by Stuey Kennedy

Dino

Wow, that was impressive getting that second move in after that big tail-slide…lets see if he can get the reform, nope, but great surfing there by Stuart.

Fuelie:

He doesn’t seem to be getting the scores though. He’s doing some great maneuvers but the scores aren’t reflecting it.

Barton:

Is it aesthetics? I mean, quite honestly its great to see a nose out in front of someone, getting high on the face,…(Seabass does a really nice turn on a right, surfing very well) this is a great little heat here…

Fuelie:

And the crowd is building up on the beach, waiting for Kelly Slater…it doesn’t matter how he finishes, there will be thousands of people waiting for him.

(Stu gets another left, rips two big snaps on the outside and connects the reform and keeps doing turns all the way to the beach)

Dino:

Wow.

Fuelie:

Stuey Kennedy is surfing so well here…he needs a 9 as Kelly Slater has taken the lead.

Dino:

This wave of Stu’s here, if you think about Michel Bourez’ 7 earlier in the heat, I mean this has to be pretty close if not better. I mean two big snaps and reformed it and did two more maneuvers on the inside…he didn’t really have that one maneuver as powerful as what Michel had, but definitely a good score. (Seabass gets another good one)

(Dino and Barton praise Seabass’ technique)

Barton:

These next scores will tell us how the judges feel about Stuey Kennedy’s board…

Fuelie:

I don’t think you can really fault his surfing…

Barton

No, I don’t think so either, its been a great performance.

Fuelie:

But it comes down to the board…sometimes its just timing.

(Some scores come in for Stu. They are low.)

Dino:

Well the judges aren’t buying it Barton, they’re not feeling that board.

Barton:

No, it doesn’t look like it, a 5.37 for Stuey Kennedy…here he is up again…trying to make something happen…

Fuelie:

And with 5 seconds remaining, here comes the king, Kelly Slater…this is gonna be a victory lap. (mob forms on the beach as heat ends)

Fuelie:

Great surfing also by Seabass and Stuey Kennedy…and we’ll be back with the final results:

Results come in.

Fuelie:

Wow.

Stuey Kennedy, on his final waves, he gets the score! He gets a 7 and a 5.57. So the judges in the end, they give it to Stuey Kennedy. Wow, talk about an upset right there, Michel Bourez bundled into 3^rd, Sebastien Zeitz in 4^th.

Dino:

Well, we were kinda wondering when that score was gonna drop, we thought they were gonna write him off due to his equipment…but he deserved a really good score for that performance.

Barton:

Yeah, seemed like they had trapped him there with those low scores but surprise, surprise. They gave him a 7…what a great result for Stuey Kennedy.

Fuelie:

Its great to see that Stuey Kennedy got the reward ..its a big risk when you bring out a new piece of weird equipment.

Barton:

It certainly is…but he stayed active until the end, and there was a desperation in what he was doing, you could see that he wanted it, he was working hard for it, and he got rewarded.

Dino:

The 7-point ride was a great ride. He didn’t have that one big turn like Michel had, but he had multiple turns.

Barton:

Yeah, you had speed and fluidity and action going on all the time with Stuey’s waves…

Fuelie:

But Kelly Slater was the man here who dominated…

July 31st, 2012. 63 years later...to the day. An appropriate date for Stu Kennedy to put Daniel Thomson's modern planing hull to the test. Results: 1st Kelly Slater 2nd Stu Kennedy 3rd Michel Bourez 4th Sebastien Zietz

 July 31st, 1949. Bob Simmons at Malibu. Dual keel, concave planing hull with foam core and plywood veneer laminate.