  When they surf expressed!
by Nilma Dole
 The Coolum-born 21 year-old
Australian endured many a wave and stride to come out clean with a good
score of 14.33 that saw him win over 19 year-old American Nat Young in
the Sri Lankan Pro Surf Tournament 2010 held in Arugam Bay.
Hailing from a family where surfing runs through their veins, Julian
is a down-to-earth surfer with a wave of a charisma that shows that you
don’t need a big surfboard to win big. He said, “Sri Lankan surfers do
have the potential to make it big because the Arugam Bay waves are
first-class and are great to practice on.”
Winning Sri Lanka’s first ever 6 star rated Association of Surfing
Professionals (ASP) SriLankan Airlines Pro tournament in awesome style,
the surf went up 4 to 6 feet surf on the day of the finals.
Wilson came into this event courtesy of a wild-card from the sponsor
and he displayed his skill and will on the waves posting up the best
scores of every surf day. Julian, who is back and over his injuries,
said that he is looking at this event as a stepping stone to the
highly-anticipated US Open in California.
Nearly 100 participants from Sri Lanka and around the world vied for
the title and it was more than surf action but eye-candy where surf
hunks from France, Spain, Portugal, South America, UK and many from
Australia graced the waves of Arugambay to display with 6 and 12 pack
abdominal muscles.
Speaking at the event was Manoj Gunawardena who said, “SriLankan
organised the first international event in Arugam Bay in 2004, at the
time when Arugam Bay was a well-guarded secret for die-hard surfers.
Even after the tsunami devastated the area, we supported Arugam Bay by
hosting another event just six months later. We are pleased to see that
our multiple stakeholders and the firm participation of firm sponsors
and famous branding like Billabong will put this event firmly in the
calendars of surf legends everywhere,” he said. Asanka won the Sri
Lankan surf category in major style.
The event was outstanding overall and the massive crowd that thronged
this place agreed that another magnificent venue had been added to the
ASP surfing tour with many more to join next year. Dane Jordan of the
ASP said that not just men but women who are capable of surfing even
though it is looked at a boy’s sport.
He said, “My mate and women’s world chamption Stephanie Gilmore is a
fitting example to women who think that surfing is too tough for them.
Provided we have a good number, we hope to have a female event too with
the hope that many women will join the bandwagon.”
Gorgeous Swede Minna, a lady surfer who is married to a Sri Lanka,
has lived in Arugam Bay for 6 years and said that she is in love with
the waves. “I teach young girls to swim and surf showing that it’s not
too bad once you get the hang of it and this has been my contribution in
Sri Lankan surfing,” she said.
 The SriLankan Airlines Pro was webcast live with international media
like the BBC covering the event to put Arugambay on the surf map. Thanks
to national carrier SriLankan Airlines, Lanka Sportreizen and many
others, the show was a superb one!
Finals
1. Julian Wilson (AUS/Qld/Coolum) 14.33
2. Nat Young (USA/Cal/SantaCruz) 8.83
Semi finals
1.Nat Young 16.20 D Jayke Sharpe 14.27 (AUS)
2. Julian Wilson 15.10 D Drew Courtney 14.30
(AUS)
Quarter finals
1. Nat Young D Hodei Collazo (SPAIN)
2. Jayke Sharpe D Austin Ware (USA)
3. Julian Wilson D Rhys Bombacci (AUS)
4. Drew Courtney D Davey Cathels (AUS)
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