FCS team riders Kelly Slater and Sally Fitzgibbons have proved yet again they’re at the forefront of modern surfing with respective victories at the Nike US Open Of Surfing at Huntington Beach in Southern California this week.
Pushing the boundaries of experimentation and evolution, Kelly opted to switch between a thruster and quad set up throughout the week. Looking youthful and acrobatic, Slater executed dynamic manoeuvrers in critical sections, and performed some of the most state-of-the-art aerials ever seen at the famed city beach.
“I used my K-3 thruster template when the waves came up a bit, there wasn’t a lot of open face so you had to get your moves done really quickly, having that center fin also gives you little more control”, said Kelly when asked about his choice of equipment.
In the final, and with smaller waves on offer, Kelly jumped back on his K2.1 quad set up. The move showing that it’s possible to have a diverse and successful approach, even in competition.
“When it gets smaller and the tide fills in Huntington gets pretty fat. You can draw out your turns, get more acceleration and also cover more ground with a quad set up”, was Kelly’s other modus operandi for creating his winning approach.
Sally Fitzgibbons also showed she’s a legitimate chance at securing a World Title in the coming years, the win moving her into the runner up position on the Women’s World Title ratings.
Sally again rode her favorite PC-3’s and looked fast and loose as she hammered some big moves on the outside section of the break. The PC-3’s have been Sally’s preferred choice of fin during what has been a year filled with some impressive tour victories.
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