Page 7 - MidWeek West - April 5, 2023

APRIL 5, 2023 7
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In-store SPECIALS!
While Supplies Last.
Some restrictions apply. Limited to stock on hand. See store for details. Not to be combined with any other offer. Exp. 04/30/23.
we are open to serve you! In-store OR curbside PICK-UP
same day delivery, if applicable WE DELIVER TO: Ewa • Kapolei • Waipahu
Self-Service Dog Wash
WE OFFER online ordering! thepetdepothawaii.com
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Ewa Beach Shopping Center, 91-919 Fort Weaver Rd
www.thepetdepothawaii.com Sat-Sun 10am-5pm 808-689-PETS(7387)
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-7pm
Aloha surfers and beachgoers, Welcome to the new month! Hopefully April will outperform March.
BY GARY KEWLEY
Rip Curl Championship Celebrates 60 Years
So far there’s no serious swells on the forecast mod- els. The overall trend is for the northwest swells to de- crease in size and consisten- cy, while South shores start waking up ... occasionally.
wai‘i over the winter, com- peting for up to $50,000. There were five categories — Overall Champ, Best Ride, Best Tow, Break- through Performance and People’s Choice.
Turning to surfing contest news, the fourth event of the World Tour Championship kicks off in the southeast corner of Australia, at Bells Beach in Victoria. This year marks the 60th anniversary of The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.
Alms was the overall win- ner, taking home $20,000 for putting together the best reel of big waves and big perfor- mances.
The holding period is April 4-14. This spot is known for classic rail-to- rail surfing. Two Aussies are No.1 going into this event: Jack Robinson and Molly Picklum. Also participating as a wild card is Austra- lian surfer Owen Wright. At 6-foot-3, he’s the tall- est surfer ever to enter the WTC, and he’s retiring after this event.
“I’m so stoked to come out on top at Red Bull Mag- nitude,” says Alms. “This was one of the best winters in Hawai‘i for performance in big-wave surfing, and it’s an honor to be in the mix among some outstanding competitors.”
Kelly Slater, now 51 years old, is surfing at Bells as well, in heat eight against 25-year-old Jack Robinson. It looks like Slater won’t make the mid-season cut and thus won’t get into the 2024 Olympics.
In other surfing news, congratulations to Maui’s Paige Alms for winning the third annual Red Bull Mag- nitude! The event’s gala took place March 26 at the Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collec- tion Resort, Waikīkī.
Congrats to all these brave and talented women who in- spire us and to all those who help make such an event a success.
Speaking of mid-season cuts, after The Margaret River Pro in Western Austra- lia from April 20 to 30, one- third of the men and women on the World Tour will be eliminated.
GQ, droppin’ in 4 U!
Paige Alms is all smiles at the Red Bull Magnitude Awards Ceremony.
PHOTO COURTESY RED BULL
Skylar Lickle placed sec- ond and Felicity Palmateer came in third. Lickle also won the Best Ride category, while Palmateer was Break- through Performer. Izzi Gó- mez took the win in the Best Tow category and People’s Choice went to Anne Dos Santos.
This unique big-wave competition was a “con- tent-driven contest” open to women big-wave surf- ers from around the world. Twenty-five of the sport’s best rode and documented the largest swells to hit Ha-
See you back here next week.
Mahalo to Red Bull for amazing stoke and passion for big-wave surfing.
Specials! S