The Florida Pro/Am brought out a field of 12 professional men and 3 professional women to Vilano Beach this past weekend. As stop five for the men’s division and stop three for the women’s division, this event acted as a pivotal contest in both title races with valuable points on the line for the men and women. Conditions were very challenging throughout the weekend. The slope at Vilano was unseasonably flat and an incoming storm brought some strong northeast winds for most of the weekend, making it especially difficult to perform. Nevertheless, the contest saw a barrage of exceptionally competitive heats, all filled with tech tricks and combos that left spectators in awe.
Day One
In round one of the professional men, number one ranked Lucas Fink was matched up with Mexico’s Gerardo Valencia and Florida’s Ryan McFarland. Valencia and Fink were each able to find a few of the rare open-face turns of the weekend, each wrapping with big spray and coming back to the beach. They both came out on top in that heat over McFarland. Max Smetts found a few of the bigger waves of the weekend in his heat, and Zack Carter brought a few stylish backside airs. Smetts and Carter both advanced over Cole Hutchingson. Yahir Valencia and Florida’s Lance Richardson brought a mix of tech that helped them take first and second respectively in their heat over David Haefele. Brazil’s Bruno Sa brought out his signature backside tail release turns along with a few big spins that gave him first in his heat, advancing along with Florida’s Mason Broussard over Daniel Bodenhame.
The quarter-finals saw man-on-man heats that ran in the afternoon of day one. Fink stuck to linking up combinations of tech tricks to take the win over Max Smetts. Bruno Sa had a very tight heat with Lance Richardson, but Bruno was able to link together a few combinations of his own to take the win. Mason Broussard showed off his tech skills and took down Yahir Valencia. Then the closest heat of the quarter finals saw Gerardo Valencia go head to head with Zack Carter. Valencia threw a few frontside airs. Zack was able to link a few micro lines with some tech including a backside air and on another ride he finished with a bigger spin. Nevertheless, Valencia came out on top by less than 2 points.
Day Two
Day two started with smaller swell and stronger winds that made it difficult to run toward the north side of the beach. This meant the conditions strongly favored regular footers who were able to bank backside off small waves and carry that speed into their more difficult maneuvers. The first quarterfinal heat saw both Brazilians match up. Fink stuck to his strategy of backside combos, linking tricks like a 360 shuvit out to a 540 shuvit back in. Sa also stuck to his backhand, but going into the wind as a goofy foot proved difficult. He threw a few backside 360 airs, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to overtake Fink. Gerardo Valencia and Broussard then had their semi final heat. Valencia took a similar strategy to Fink, linking lots of backside shuvits together with backside turns. Broussard opted to run with the wind as a goofy footer and hit most of his waves frontside. He threw together combos other riders were not attempting, including tricks like a 360 shuvit to 360 spin before the wave to a 180 air. Broussard’s unique approach gave him an edge in the heat and he came out on top.
The women’s final ran just after the men’s quarter final, and the three-person heat saw Christina Llamas, Sophia Nguyen, and Casey Kiernan match up in the tough conditions. All three riders were regular footers, and all three of them stuck to their backside approach, running with the wind and banking off the smaller waves. Llamas threw a few shuvits before the hitting the whitewash with her backhand. Kiernan had a mix of moves including a few strong backside hacks and a 360 before her backside turn. Nguyen managed to throw a few tricks after her waves including one small turn to 360 shuvit. Nguyen finished in first, followed by Kiernan and then Llamas.
The final for the men was set against the current points leader Lucas Fink and Florida’s Mason Broussard. The rides in this heat were incredibly technical, with each of the riders linking together sometimes three tricks in their short rides. Fink again hit a bunch of combos. He started his heat slowly with rides like a 360 shuv out to big spin back in, and he worked up toward more technical moves like a 360 shuvit to big spin on the way out to shuvit back in. Broussard hit a mix of frontside and backside waves, opting for a few different tricks, like late shuvits and backside 180 airs. Many of Broussard’s rides looked very technical, but a few of his tricks were landed out the back of the wave. Fink’s focus on completion seemed to give him an edge in the very close final, and Fink ultimately came out on top.
Big thanks go out to Steve Pullara and all the volunteers and organizers of the event.
Professional Men
- Lucas Fink
- Mason Broussard
- Bruno Sa
- Gerardo Valencia
Professional Women
- Sophia Nguyen
- Casey Kiernan
- Christina Llamas
UST Title Race
On the women’s side, this contest gave Sophia Nguyen her second win of the UST season, pushing her into first on the standings going into Newport Beach, CA. With Nguyen, Casey Kiernan, and Amber Torrealba all within 200 points, the race is very tight going into the final contest of the year.
For the men, Fink’s won his fourth contest of the season in Vilano, and this win clinched his points lead in the 2019 UST title race. By clinching his title, Fink became the first non-American rider to win the United Skim Tour at just 21 years of age. Having only lost one heat all year, Fink’s dominance this year has been truly awe inspiring.
The final contest of the year for both the men and women will take place in Newport Beach, CA on September 21st and 22nd.