Bruce Irons Fit, Focused and Ready For The Pipe Masters. Andy Movie in Motion.
According to reliable sources Bruce Irons has been taking good care of himself in the lead up to his wild card appearance in the Billabong Pipe Masters. Last year Bruce openly expressed his disappointment at not receiving a spot in the contest that is named in honour of his brother. “My brother would have wanted me to be in the event,” Bruce told Tracks when he was overlooked last year. This year Bruce will walk straight into the main event of The Billabong Pipe Masters in Honour of Andy Irons. He already has one of the best waves of the season to his name and if he can nail a good result at Pipe it will make for a great a great comeback story. The campaign for Bruce to secure the wildcard spot into the Pipe Masters gained some serious momentum in the lead up to the event. Even members of the WSL inner sanctum were on board. Before Bruce was awarded the spot, WSL commentator Strider Wasilewski made the post below on Instagram. It was subsequently removed. We can only speculate the WSL felt it was unethical for one of its employees to weigh into the issue on such an emotional level.
“Bruce Irons took time to deal with his brother Andy Irons’ passing and is now dealing better than I have ever seen him surf … This post is a call out to the WSL and Billabong to give Bruce Irons into the Pipeline Masters to surf in his brother’s honour.”
While Bruce gets ready to rumble at Pipe, production is well and truly under way on the documentary on his brother Andy’s life. Led by the Jones brothers, Todd and Steve, the crew making the film are now on the North Shore compiling research and doing interviews. The scheduled date of release for the Andy Irons biopic is yet to be determined.
An Andy Irons biopic could be the greatest documentary the sport has ever seen. Photo: Billabong USA/Stacy
Jack Robbo’s Claims on The Billabong Pipe Masters
In addition to Bruce Irons, three other wildcards into the Billabong Pipe Masters will be awarded and the debate over who will receive a call up into the biggest event in surfing is hotting up.
One slot will be determined by the winner of the trials, leaving two more to be awarded by the WSL. Ryan Callinan, Jack Freestone and young Jack Robinson are currently names being tossed around. According to Jack Robinson, it’s still written into his Billabong contract that he should be granted a spot in the main event. After Jack signed with Billabong in 2014 the structure of the Pipe Masters contest changed, making it harder for sponsors to award direct wildcards. Jack has surfed outstandingly throughout the Hawaiian season, making the semi finals of the Vans World Cup at Sunset and securing the award as the Triple Crown Rookie. As it stands he will be contesting the trials in an attempt to earn his spot in the Billabong Pipeline Masters, but he’s no doubt hoping that the alleged fine print in his contract is somehow honoured and he is given a direct entry into the main event.
Jack Robinson will be hoping to land a spot in the main even at Pipeline. Photo: Billabong USA/Stacy
Parko Makes a Swift Exit from The North Shore but will he Retire?
In his campaign for father of the year Joel Parkinson flew home from the North Shore a couple of days ago to take his two daughters, Macy and Evie, to the Taylor Swift concert at Suncorp stadium in Brisbane on Saturday night. “Seriously the best husband evaaaa!!!” exclaimed Parko’s wife, Monica, on Instagram, beneath a photo of Joel and the family at the concert. We can’t confirm whether Joel sung along to Swift’s hit song Wildest Dreams but we do know he jumped straight on a plane and headed back to the North Shore to contest the Billabong Pipe Masters. There is some speculation that Parko may retire after the event, which would mark the end of an incredible competitive career. It would also change the situation for the WQS surfers who are sitting right on the bubble. If Parko (or any other surfer who has requalified through the WCT) were to retire, Stuart Kennedy would automatically receive a spot on next year’s elite tour. If two surfers retire then Dusty Payne is next in line for a bump up. If none of them hang up the leggy, the WQS bubble boys will need both Miguel Pupo and Kolohe Andino to perform well enough at Pipe to qualify through the front door. It’s the stuff Wildest Dreams are made of.
Yago votes for De Souza
Generally speaking the Brazilians are in a good situation with three surfers in the frontline as world title contenders, but it begs the question, Who do they want to win?
Brazilian Yago Dora is considered one of the world’s most stylish freesurfers and assures us he will be doing the WQS whole heartedly next year in an attempt to qualify. Tracks asked Yago who he wants to see win, while he was checking the surf at Rocky Point this morning.
“I would really like to see Mineirinho (de Souza) win. He is the oldest Brazilian surfer and this is his best chance. Then Gabriel is going to win them all. (chuckles)”
Dora’s comments seem to capture the sentiment of a large proportion of the Brazilian fans who feel that Adriano, the perpetual toiler, is the most deserving of the title.
Adriano de Souza is hoping to etch his name on a world title. Photo: Tomislav Moze/Red Bull Content Pool
