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Billabong XXL Wipeout Of The Year Nominees
Author: Transworld Surf
New Verizon Wipeout Of The Year Video Filled With Shock And Awe
NEWPORT BEACH, CA - (April 21, 2011) - With just a week remaining before the 2011 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards presented by Monster Energy take place in Anaheim, California, attention is turning to one of the most popular parts of the annual surfing tradition - the Verizon Wipeout of the Year.
Video of the five Verizon Wipeout of the Year nominees has just been released and the footage is enough to make even the most veteran waterman cringe.
The finalists in the wipeout category include Brazilian Tiago Candelot's journey over the falls while encased in the lip after falling mid-face at Maui's notorious Jaws, and Australian Mark Mathews' inescapable entrapment in a collapsing tunnel of water at the ruthlessly shallow break of Shipstern Bluff, on Tasmania's southern tip.
Also nominated at that locale is Brazilian Pato Teixeira for his own version of the mid-face-flop followed by an involuntary ride up and over with the lip - directly into Shipstern's dreaded "impact zone."
Likewise in contention is Aussie Laurie Towner for his noble attempt to paddle into a huge tubing wave at Fiji's Cloudbreak - only to find air beneath his board rather than water. Rounding out the top five is another Australian, Ben Wilkinson, who came unglued after a bumpy late-drop attempt at California">Northern California's famed cold-water big wave mecca of Maverick's
A perennial crowd-favorite, the Verizon Wipeout Award is light-hearted nod to the most spectacular unsuccessful ride of the last year as captured on video. Winners will be decided by the votes of a large "academy" of surfers and photographers involved in the event. None of the surfers depicted suffered any lasting harm from their big wave mishap.
The Verizon Wipeout is just one of seven categories which will honor the greatest achievements in the big wave surfing realm over the last 12 months. Other hotly-contested divisions include the Monster Paddle, Monster Tube, XXL Biggest Wave, Surfline Best Performance, Billabong Girls Best Performance and the top-line Ride of the Year Award where the winner will leave with a check for $50,000 and the keys to a new Toyota Tacoma truck. In all, over $130,000 in prize money will be given out at the11th-annual Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards, widely regarded as the Oscars of surfing.
The invitation-only Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards take place next Friday, April 29 at the Grove Theater in Anaheim, California. All event details, including video and still photos of all the nominees in all the categories of this year's competition can be seen on the event website at www.BillabongXXL.com