all clothing ripcurl 2011: Marlon Gerber Wins Oakley Pro 11 at Canggu in High Scoring Shoot Out Against Pepen Hendrik

10 April 2011, Canggu-Bali: In an exciting 30 minute final today at Canggu Beach in Bali, Marlon Gerber bested Pepen Hendrik in a high scoring shootout to win the Oakley Pro 11, the first stop on the 2011 Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Championship Tour.

In the exciting finale to six days of competition where the wave and weather conditions ran the gamut from small 2 foot windy and rainy to today’s 5-6 foot and sunny, Marlon Gerber put on an amazing display of surfing to take victory over veteran competitor and boyhood friend Pepen Hendrik. During the final, Gerber also posted the contest’s highest wave score of 9.5 (out of a possible 10 points), winning him the Coca-Cola ISC’s Highest Score Award of 1 million rupiah in addition to his 15 million rupiah first place prize money and 3,000 ISC Championship points.

Gerber jumped out in front early, taking an inside wave to score a 4.5 before adding a 5.75, then a 7.75 and finally a 7.1 for a solid two-wave score of 14. 85. Meanwhile Hendrik seemed a bit out of rhythm on his first two waves until he found a short barrel ride that scored him a 6.75 and got him back in the mix. Then with priority in his favor Hendrik nabbed yet another barrel, which he narrowly exited and then blasted two more big turns to score a whopping 9.25. But not to be outdone Gerber was on the very next wave and went to work, methodically taking it apart it to post an incredible 9.5, leaving Hendrik needing an 8.1 wave score to take the lead. But the ocean went strangely quiet after that exchange, handing Gerber a well-deserved victory.

Back on the beach Gerber said, “I knew that wave of Pepen’s was going to be a good one, and he had priority so I had to just watch him take it. I didn’t know the score until later, because I saw the next one coming and just took off. I felt really good on that wave, it was just perfect for my style of surfing, but I was still surprised when heard my score. But in the end I was lucky because after that there weren’t any really good waves coming in, so Pepen didn’t a chance for another high score. It was such a great final and I’m so happy to have won it.”

Gerber won his first ever ISC tour event last October at the Rip Curl Surf and Music Festival on Kuta Beach, the final event of the 2010 season. When asked how he felt about getting his second win so soon he answered, “It’s a great feeling for sure. Finishing last year with my first win really got me motivated to compete this year. I came into this event wanting to win and I did, and with the number of great event locations on the ISC tour this year I plan adding a few more wins and end the year as the 2011 ISC champion. That’s my goal.”

Another winner today was Ketut “Tawan” Wirtawan, who took out the Masters (35 years old and over) Division final. The only goofyfooter in the four-man final, Tawan was very selective when choosing his waves, conserving his energy and consistently posting excellent scores. Of his four waves, his lowest scores were two 5.25’s and his two highest a 6.85 and a 7.0 (totaling 13.85) to best runner up Made Artha, whose best two waves scored 5.75 and 6.65 for a total of 12.40. But it was lots of work out there for the older guys. “I think I must have had to duckdive 200 times out there” said Artha back on the beach. “I can barely move my arms! But it was good fun, and that’s what it’s all about for us old guys anyways,” he added. Last year’s Oakley Pro Master’s winner Wayan Budayasa finished third and Tawan’s cousin Ketut Menda came in fourth.

The last of the winners called up to the podium was Lee Wilson, who was presented with 1 million rupiah and a pair of Oakley sunglasses for the big aerial he boosted and landed during yesterday’s Oakley-Lines Airshow. “This was such a great event…with possibly the best final ever. I’m stoked to have won the airshow, and really happy for Marlon too,” said Wilson. “Thanks to Oakley, the ISC, the Canggu locals, the sponsors, thanks to God and everyone else involved for making this happen.”

At the end of the day Oakley’s Brad Cunningham was very pleased with the how the event finished up saying, “I think that was the best final we could have ever wished for, with two of the best surfers battling it out here at Canggu in great but challenging conditions, giving the spectators and the crew a real good ending to a super event. We started on a weekend and now we’re ending on the weekend, so it all worked out just perfectly.”

In addition to the surfing competition and consistent with Oakley and the Coca-Cola ISC’s commitment to the environment, there was Beach Cleanup today organized by the R.O.L.E. Foundation and the Canggu Rotary Club that saw Canggu Beach picked clean of trash and looking its best ever….leaving only footprints. Great job guys!

For complete details and information on the Oakley Pro 2011 including heat draws, photos, videos and more check www.isctour.com/events/oakleypro11, and get ready for the next event on the Coca-Cola ISC tour, the Rusty Rumble in Da Jungle at Sanur Reef, that will kick off later this month on April 18th.

Video highlights of the final day can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aag3oJI-X0

The Oakley Pro 2011 is sponsored by Life, Extreme Toys, Firewire Surfboards, Skull Candy, San Miguel Light Beer, Lines Magazine, and SurfTime Magazine, supported by GUS, and the R.O.L.E Foundation, and sanctioned by the Coca Cola ISC Tour and the Asian Surfing Championship Tour.

Oakley Pro 2011 Results