O'Neill Cold Water Classic Preview - Santa Cruz returns to the World Tour

Jordy Smith needs a win and a change of fortune. He has won at Steamer lane before, could this be his moment? (Photo:Miller)

The penultimate event of the World Tour and we welcome back that cold water haven, Santa Cruz. Steamer Lane has produced some legends over the years, specifically in the new school air movement and one of its leaders, Ratboy Collins has a wild card. The other wildcard was won by Nat Young on his backhand and this is a good time to mention that this is one right hand point where the Goofy Footers often trump the naturals!

The last 3 contests were won by two Goofy Footers, Miguel Pupo and Matt Wilko as well as our very own power house, Jordy Smith. The wave has a big shoulder and runs through a couple of Bowl Sections that suit surfers on their backhand. While the natural footers really have to force their turns and keep super tight to the pocket, the Goofys can drive off of the bottom and go vertical into the narrow window for snaps. This is really going to suit surfers like Pupo, Wilko and Travis Logie. Hell, if the surf stays below 5ft, Travis could just cane this contest, the wave is built for his backhand. Gabriel Medina , on his current form, is going to open a can of whoop ass on the wave at Steamer Lane!

In the World title hunt Joel Parkinson needs to win. If Mick, Kelly and John  John don't make semis and Joel wins, the title is done. John John, like Jordy, knows the wave well after coming here for years as an O'Neill team rider. Mick and Joel should have few problems at the Lane, but Kelly, it should be noted, has only ever surfed one event here and got knocked out in the first round. Makes for interesting choices on Fantasy Surfer...

SANTA CRUZ, California/USA (Wednesday, October 31, 2012) – The world’s best surfers have arrived in Santa Cruz, California for the penultimate event of the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) season, the O’Neill Coldwater Classic at the iconic Steamer Lane. A staple of the ASP’s qualifying circuit, the O’Neill Coldwater Classic has been sanctioned at the elite level of competition this season, celebrating the brand’s 60th anniversary of operations. The event will play a crucial role in both the 2012 ASP World Title Race and the requalification campaigns of the world’s best surfers and could commence as early as tomorrow.
Mick Fanning (AUS), 31, current No. 3 on the ASP WCT rankings, has two victories under his belt this season, but suffered two relatively early exits over his European campaign. After recharging his batteries at home following the last event Portugal, the polished natural-footer is out to rebound his ASP World Title hopes at the O’Neill Coldwater Classic. “I like to sneak under the radar, but the last couple of events haven’t been the greatest for me,” Fanning said. “It was great to go home and readjust and refocus. I have a new quiver of boards and I’m excited to be here.” Fanning’s appearance at this year’s event marks his first return to Santa Cruz in over a decade and the two-time ASP World Champion (2007, 2009) is excited to take on the challenges brought on by Steamer Lane’s ever-changing conditions. “I think it’s great having this event on the schedule this year,” Fanning said. “The past few years, we’ve had The Search event and you go to new places and it’s great to have a new wave every time and learn the spot as you go through the rounds. This event has been around for a long time, but personally, I haven’t been here since 2000. It’s great to be back and every surfer will be learning, so it’s going to be exciting.” Fanning will face Kieren Perrow (AUS), 35, and Dusty Payne (HAW), 23, in Round 1 of competition.
John John Florence (HAW), 20, current ASP WCT No. 4, has extensive experience in the Steamer Lane lineup despite being one of the youngest competitors in the event. Despite his history with the venue, Florence made it a point to arrive early and reacquaint himself with the break. “To prepare for this contest I arrive a few days early to get used to the cold water,” Florence said. “I’ve been coming here since I was pretty little to surf in the event and Santa Cruz is a cool place. Every year that I come here is a new learning curve for me and that’s why I came here a few days early to get used to it again. To be able to come here and watch everyone adapt to the colder water, and the Lane, it’s not an easy wave to surf, so it’s fun to watch everyone surf it.” Florence has drawn Heitor Alves (BRA), 30, and Patrick Gudauskas (USA), 26, in the opening round of competition.
Miguel Pupo (BRA), 20, winner of last year’s ASP Prime rated O’Neill Coldwater Classic, returns to Steamer Lane as a Sophomore among the world’s best surfers and is ready to defend his title against his fellow ASP WCT competitors. “It’s just great to be back,” Pupo said. “I love this place. Last year was a pretty challenging contest because we had a couple of days at Steamer Lane and a couple of days at Waddell Creek. I’m happy to be back in the water with my booties on.” Pupo admitted that the younger surfers may have more recent experience at Steamer Lane via the ASP Prime rated event of the past, but the top level of competition on the ASP WCT will level the playing field. “I think it’s good because I’ve been coming here the last four years and the young guys have as well because of the Prime,” Pupo said. “We kind of have that advantage, but the veterans have surfed here in the past too. Steamer Lane is a tricky wave and they probably know what to expect. Realistically, it’s the top 34 guys in the world, they surf every wave well, so I think it’s even.” Pupo will face Owen Wright (AUS), 22, and Yadin Nicol (AUS), 26, in Round 1 of competition.
Nat Young (USA), 21, was electric in today’s local trials, stringing together a series of impeccable backhand performances to earn his berth in the main event, marking his first appearance in an ASP WCT. “I knew it was going to be tough in the local trials,” Young said. “We have so many good surfers up here and everyone is capable of doing well and getting big scores. It was a long day and I’m really stoked. I’m against Kelly (Slater), so to be able to surf against my hero at my home break in my first WCT, it’s pretty special.” Young joins Jason Collins (USA), 38, as the two wildcards into the O’Neill Coldwater Classic.
Event organizers will convene tomorrow at 7:15am to assess conditions for a possible 7:45am start. Surfline, official forecasters for the O’Neill Coldwater Classic, have called for: Fun size WNW swell is on track for the first day of the waiting period, Thursday the 1st, although morning wind conditions look problematic before improving over the afternoon. A slightly larger WNW swell is lining up for the afternoon of the 4th through the 6th along with favorable conditions, if the storm behaves as forecast in the next few days.
When competition commences, up first will be Julian Wilson (AUS), 23, Alejo Muniz (BRA), 22, and Taylor Knox (USA), 41, in the opening heat of Round 1.

The O’Neill Coldwater Classic will be webcast LIVE via www.oneill.com/cwc/ 

Beer, glorious beer! Keg King's Open Tap Event

Ok, you all know I love beer more than a Catholic School girl loves Bieber! Hence, I am rather excited about this event from the good men at Keg King. What could be better than draining craft beer, ales and stout with your fellow man till the Kegs are dry? So please do join me on the 31st March at this marvelous event and we can discuss my world over cold, frothing beer!

Keg King’s Open Tap event is taking place on the 31^st of March at the German Club, 6 Roodehek Terrace in Gardens from 18H00 – 00H00.

The idea is a simple one, 10 of the best brewers in SA, each offering one of their finest beers and a cider on tap. Entrance is R200, on entry the guest will get a branded beer mug, they must go around and sample each of the 9 beers and 1 cider on offer first, once they have sampled them it is Open Tap for them for the rest of the evening.

Keg King will have 10 stations around the room, each station will have a Keg King Portable Draught Unit serving one of the 10 beers. There will be staff at the stations as well. The ten beers we will have on tap will be from the following brewers: DARLING, PAULANER, DEVILS PEAK, JACK BLACK, CAMELTHORN, SAB, MITCHELLS, NAPIER, EVERSONS, TRIGGERFISH. Each brewer will be providing a minimum of 100L of their beer, so the beer will be flowing !

Also at the Open Tap, there will be food, cooldrinks, spirits and merchandise on sale as well as entertainment in the form of a DJ spinning some tunes.

There will also be plenty of toilets available for those who are weak of bladder.

Tickets are R200 and include a branded beer mug.

We promote responsible drinking by partnering up with 1fortheroad for this event.

This is without doubt a very unique event and definitely the first of it’s kind in SA. Brought to you and dreamed up by the genius Beer Merchants that are Keg King.

Ticket requests : opentap@kegking.co.za

Website : http://www.kegking.co.za/open-tap/

Ultimate X 2012 - Event Wrap Up & Video

Girls & FMX Bikes are always a great combo! (Photo: Ultimate X/Pierre Marqua)

Now that the dust has settled and we have all recovered from the heat wave that was last Saturday, I can finally put to paper my thoughts on the 2012 Ultimate X. I dont need to get that verbose or even write a whole soliloquy - bottom line is, Ultimate X 2012 was bloody marvelous!

The event has grown every year, but this year saw a massive jump. A large part of this had to do with the new Skate and Bmx park. The levels of riding in the park were simply mind blowing. The best skating and Bmx I have seen in a very long time.  (Dont believe me, just take a gander at the video below!) Many of the local riders were a little intimidated by the course, due to the fact that we dont have a park this size in the Cape. This needs to change in order to up the level of riding. Guys like, Greg Illingworth (Bmx Winner), showed that they have been riding overseas in massive parks, with their flow through the course and utilizing different lines on every run.

Big Park meant big tricks! (Photo: Ultimate X/Pierre Marqua)

Instead of having a huge bunch of riders in the FMX, the organizers chose to keep the field tight and had the two best guys in Southern Africa. This was a great decision. Nick de Wit and Alistair Sayers put on an amazing Fmx display that had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands. Multiple backflips, huge extensions and the showmanship only guys who have performed on the World Stage could bring to the event. Ultimate X brought the best and we were all stoked to see it!

The Huge crowd loved the Fmx. (Photo: Ultimate X/Pierre Marqua)

The Wake boys put on a show, but the Jetski is a problem. The wake slows things down and not having a high extended rope certainly limited the size of airs off of the kicker. Rumor has it that their is going to be a cable system for next year. We can but hope, it would be epic. There were no huge problems on the day. We witnessed amazing riding and all in all the event was an incredible success. I am really looking forward to seeing what they come up with for next year. Ultimate X in Jozi? (Who knows what could happen...)

Talk about close to the action! (Photo: Ultimate X/Pierre Marqua)

4th Cape town International Tattoo Convention - win with the Captain

So, it's officially 1 week to go till the 4th Cape Town International Tattoo Convention. The team behind the Convention have been putting in many hours to ensure a fantastic event and some of the best tattoo artists in SA will be there, as well as some international stars. I have not crossed the bridge of ink as yet, but it has been something I wanted to do for ages, so this year's Convention will act as my sounding board and I am pretty sure I will have decided on my first ink by the time it is finished.

If you have any interest in the art of Tattoo, art in general or just like hanging out with interesting and non-sheepish people, this will be an event you don't want to miss! 
The good news is that I have a bunch of prizes to give away and its really easy to win! 

Twitter Competition: R1000 Tattoo voucher to be redeemed at the tattoo convention.
All you have to is send me a picture of the Tattoo you want to get, or tell us about what you want. Tweet myself @KapteinKai and @CapeTattExpo12 with the Hashtag #Tattoo
(I will announce the winner next week, Monday 23rd January, on my radio show - 8-10pm on www.2ov.fm)

Facebook Competition: VIP ticket to the tattoo convention, a Deluxe shave at Barnet Fair, a Bottle of Sailor Jerry Rum and 2 x after party tickets to Assembly. 
All you have to do is post a picture of your favorite Tattoo on our Facebook Page - theGoodLife  
(I will announce the winner next week, Monday 23 January, on my radio show - 8-10pm on www.2ov.fm) 

Southern Ink Xposure - the biggest tattoo event in the southern hemisphere, is only one week away from opening its doors and organisers are promising another world class event celebrating global tattoo culture. Continuing to raise the bar of a world class, week-long event that celebrates all that is good about global tattoo culture in a uniquely South African setting, the fourth Southern Ink Xposure tattoo convention will open its doors to Cape Town on January 24th, 2012.

Kicking off the week-long celebration of the ancient art of tattooing, the Loft Studios in Bree Street will launch the fourth Cape Town International Tattoo Convention event with the opening of three art exhibitions.
Body Of Work – a mixed-media exhibition that explores and reinterprets the tattoo (and in particular, traditional tattoo motifs) as a contemporary art form.
Helmets – some of the country’s best tattoo artists have added their art to some custom-designed motorcycle helmets. These one-of-a-kind artworks will be auctioned after the convention with all proceeds going to a chosen charity.
Tattoo-themed Putt-Putt course – an art installation that has taken the concept of the traditional miniature golf course and turned it on its head. Each uniquely conceived and constructed hole on this functional Putt-Putt course carries its own “old school” tattoo theme. Themes such as “True Love”, “Mexican Skull”, “Man’s Ruin”, sailor tattoos and others will feature.

For the remainder of the weekend, the Cape Town International Tattoo Convention will again give thousands of South Africans and travellers from abroad the opportunity to get inked by some of the world’s most in-demand tattoo artists, at a hygienic, safe, friendly and entertainment-filled event. 70 booths, 20 vendors, floor shows featuring Burlesque dancing, acrobatic displays, sword-swallowing, live music and more, the Putt-Putt course, and a few more special surprises besides, will keep the curious and the tattoo-hungry completely entertained while the artists get down to work.

Making this event the biggest international tattoo convention on the continent, tattoo artists from some fifteen different countries this year, among them the USA, Spain, , the UK, France, Belgium, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Argentina, Kenya, Canada, with a strong showing of our own South African talent, will be in attendance amounting to almost 100 artists in total! Attendees can look forward to thrilling in the artworks of big-name tattoo legends such as Robert Hernandez (Sp), La Astrid (Nor), Benjamin Moss (US), , Manuela Gray (SA), Jay Jay (SWE), Rev. Simon White (SA), Joe Johns (USA), Tyler Murphy (SA), Milo Marcer (SA), Derek Baker (SA), Gordon Claus (Ger), (SA), Laura Juan (SP), , Thomas Alvarado (US) and Tom Yak (US).

Being more than “just a tattoo convention”, S.I.X 2012 aims to again paint the town in multi-chromatic hues with art exhibitions and live music events storming different and diverse venues across the city. Johannesburg rock kings the Shadowclub will be holding stage at The Assembly (Saturday 28th) in a bid for “Death Or Glory”, playing alongside aKING, Dead Lucky and The Pits. One lucky party goer will take home a Fender guitar courtesy of Paul Bothner Music. On Friday night, bands The Great Apes, Wolftown, and rockabilly rousers Them Tornados will further add to the soundtrack of what promises to be an unforgettable weekend of good music, and awesome tattoos at the Hold Fast party staged at the Harley-Davidson clubhouse in Zonnebloem.

Tickets are available for either the full weekend (R250 p/p) or on a single day pass (R100 P/P), available from Computicket outlets and at the following tattoo parlours in Cape Town: Wildfire Tattoos (Long Street & Canal Walk); Metal Machine (city); Sins of Style (city); Mob Inc Tattoo Bistro (Sea Point); Body Architects (Claremont)! The events’ Twitter and Facebook groups and pages will be keeping fans up to date with the latest developments and additions in the lead up to, and during, the convention opening. The convention’s website www.capetattooconvention.co.za also contains a wealth of information for those looking to book their next tattoo, or merely find out who, where, what and why.

The convention opening hours will be: 
Friday 27 January: 5pm –11pm.
Saturday 28 January: 11am – 10pm.
Sunday 29 January: 12pm – 8pm.