CANADA OPENS EYES AT SURF GAMES
By Reedster | October 17, 2008
West Coast surfer Reid Jackson was the first Canadian in the water at the ISA World Surfing Games on Thursday.
Competing in the third repechage, Jackson, who had to deal with a low tide and mediocre waves, finished third in his heat. Jackson was followed by fellow West Coaster Noah Cohen, who finished second at the recent September Storm Surf Classic in Halifax.
Also competing in the third repechage, Cohen worked hard while dealing with less than stellar waves at the start of his session. Near the end of his heat, the waves began beaking his way enabling the 18-year-old Canadian to finish third.
After a strong showing, Jackson and Cohen have been eliminated from the competition.
Nova Scotia’s Glen MacDuff was supposed to compete in the longboard event on Thursday, but after waiting all day, the judges finally made the call to delay the event until Friday. MacDuff will be the last Canadian surfer to hit the water.
By the end of competition on Thursday, Canada was sitting 20th in the overall point standings. This is the highest ranking Canada has gained since becoming a member of the ISA in 1988.
“Canada has open the eyes of a lot of countries,” said SANS President John Fluke, who is attending the competition.
All heats are webcast live at www.wsg2008.com
