Friday, October 29, 1999

Star-Bulletin
Derek Ho, who has dropped off the world Tour,
will be back in action at the Xcel Pro.

Xcel Pro starts
winter surf season

The event gives young surfers a
chance to test their moves
against the top pros

By Greg Ambrose
Special to the Star-Bulletin

The arrival of the 16th Rusty Xcel Pro at Sunset Beach is the official start to Hawaii's winter surf contest season, and local surfers are poised to step up onto an international stage to prove their seaworthiness.

Each year, Xcel Hawaii owner Ed D'Ascoli helps the world surfing media shine its intense spotlight on Hawaii's unheralded young surfers, many of whom lack money or sponsors to compete outside of Hawaii.

With the world's top professional surfers gathering on the North Shore for the year-ending Triple Crown of surfing, local youngsters like Fred Pattachia Jr., Jason Shibata, Bruce Irons, Kai Henry and Nainoa Suratt are eager to test their mettle against six-time world champion Kelly Slater and his ilk, and serve notice that they are ready to replace them on the elite World Championship Tour.

Defending Xcel Pro champion Pancho Sullivan has no such professional aspirations. He is pleased to serve his sponsors as a soul surfer who displays his surfing prowess on exotic surf adventures, captured on video and sold worldwide. But Sullivan is pleased to have the Rusty Xcel Pro to further his career.

"The Xcel Pro is momentum for the Triple Crown of Surfing," Sullivan said. "It helps my sponsors to know that I can also do it in competition and not just in free-surfing."

The Rusty Xcel Pro serves double duty, earning surfers points on the world tour as a World Qualifying Series event, and garnering local surfers points on the Hawaiian Pro-Am Circuit, which helps them gain entry into the Triple Crown.

This year, Southern California surfboard and surf apparel manufacturer Rusty has joined as a sponsor to double the prize money to $20,000.

Pupukea surfer Derek Ho's place in surfing history is secure, and he is at peace with his decision to leave the world tour last season. Yet the former world champion is keen to show his former foes and the new crop of potential stars that he can kick their okoles all over the lineup at Sunset Beach, and into the Triple Crown.

"Any event in Hawaii that starts off the winter is good for the locals and international guys who are coming," said Ho. "It's a great warm-up for the winter to come. The Xcel always gets some big surf."

RUSTY XCEL PRO Who: 128 top international and local professional and amateur surfers Where: Sunset Beach, Oahu When: Best three days, Oct. 29-Nov. 10 Waves: 6- to 12-foot-plus surf Why: $20,000 in prize money, WQS points, HPAC points Information: phone 808-637-6239; fax 808-637-9233; contest news will be broadcast on local radio stations.