Japan 2024/06/23 THE SURF NEWS Editorial Department
An aerial competition hosted by foreign media outlet Stab kicked off at Shizunami Surf Stadium on June 22nd.
In addition to the Pro class, the event will have three other divisions: Ladybirds for girls under 15 years old, sponsored by YETI, and Bottle Rockets for boys under 15 years old. The best air throughout the event will receive a special prize from sponsor Monster Energy.
Since “Stab High Japan” is an event entirely funded by foreign capital, many of the people involved, including the athletes and judges, are foreigners.
The inbound crowd was made up mostly of foreign visitors, and the first day, the 22nd, was blessed with sunny weather, giving Shizunami Surf Stadium a California-like atmosphere.
“Stab High” began in 2018 and Noah Dean was the first champion.
Chippa Wilson, Ian Crane, Matt Meola, Rasta Robb.
The Ladybirds had some impressive members who won, including Sierra Carr, Kaitlyn Simmers, and Erin Brooks.
This year, the best members have gathered from the US, Hawaii, Australia and other countries, including former CT player Dane Reynolds and Mason Ho, who is popular for his unique character.
Kaito Ohashi, Shusei Ohno, and Shun Murakami also participated from Japan. 13-year-old Yuzuki Inami participated from the Ladybirds, and Ren Okano participated from the Bottle Rockets.
Malibu resident Raiji Masuda, competing in Bottle Rockets, wowed the crowd with his incredibly high airs.
The MC booth was also impressive, featuring Shane Dorian, Dane Reynolds, and Stace Galbraith, who is active in the WSL and is well-known for his coaching.
The judges were Nathan Fletcher, Kolohe Andino, Dion Agius, Lee Wilson, Wade Goodall and Osamu Ohno, and were rotated by Surfing World editor Vaughn Blakey.
Dane Reynolds joins in at short notice
The standout on the first day of Stab High Japan was Rasta Rob from Florida, who successfully completed a full rotation on an angled grab rail.
Luke Swanson completed a backflip.
Each of the five judges has 10 points, with a perfect score being 50 points.
Rasta Rob scored 35 points, but Dane Reynolds, who had a complaint about the air reverse, suddenly joined in.
He showed off classic airs with a physique that was more imposing than when he was active.
Leon Glatzer, the half German and half Costa Rica player who also competed in the Tokyo Olympics, also scored 33 points with a big air reverse.
Albie Layer tried the shove-it technique, which involves spinning the board while jumping, but got stuck in the soup and talked about the difficulty of the waves being different between Shizunami Surf Stadium and those in Waco, Texas.
In addition, there is a rule in “Stab High” that you cannot use the same type of air twice.
Hawaii’s Luke Swanson received a high score after landing a backflip on the first day, but some commented that he should have waited until the final to do it.
If Luke doesn’t win, there’s still a good chance he’ll receive a special prize from Monster Energy.
Top is Mason Ho’s Judo Air
The top score on the first day, with 46 points, was achieved by Mason, who performed a unique air that looked like he was doing judo.
It received the highest praise from “Stab High,” which recognizes originality.
Day 1 leaderboard
(Kukai)
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2024-06-23 02:47:31
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