Contests 01/24/2008
Quiksilver Revolution 2.0
Sunway Lagoon, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. 26 January, 2008.
Malaysia’s land-locked city of Kuala Lumpur is about to get a blast of boarding culture with the upcoming Quiksilver Revolution 2.0 bringing an international line-up of surfers and skaters to its chlorinated shores.
At a huge 18,000 square feet (1,672 square metres), the man-made surf pool at Sunway Lagoon resort theme-park in the heart of city, is the largest in the world and the perfectly shaped waves it produces has attracted five of the world’s most talented surfers to take part in a surfing display.
On January 26, aerial specialist Ry Craike (Kalbarri, West Australia), top-ranked professionals Troy Brooks (Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia) and Josh Kerr (Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia) will be joined by Peurto Rican hotshot Dylan Graves and Indonesian star Wayan ‘Betet’ Merta (Bali, Indonesia) as they give a futuristic surfing demonstration to an expected 30,000 curious landlocked fans.
With the aid of a 1200cc jet-ski, the surfers will be whipped – water-ski style – from a standing start atop their boards in the pool’s shoreline, past the curious lion statues and colourful tiles that decorate the pool’s walls, before releasing themselves from the rope at full throttle onto the man-made waves where they will perform state-of-the art aerials and other cutting edge surfing manouvres.
“It’s going to be a very cool thing, it’s going to be more like a show than regular surfing [in the ocean],” explains Kerr, who was rated as high as 5th in the world last year on the elite Association of Surfing Professionals Mens Tour and himself is a former World Aerial Champion. “Sunway Lagoon has this amazing atmosphere unlike anywhere else, it’s so weird. To bring surfing to people who aren’t used to seeing it will definitely be an amazing experience,” he added. Australian Kerr is famous for inventing a maneuver of his own, which he named “The Kerrupt Flip, an aerial which has been copied by countless other surfers around the globe. It’s just one trick stunned fans might get to see at Sunway Lagoon.
“Because every wave in the pool is identical we’ll be able to work on different tricks time and time again, but I think with our audience the technical side of it may not be the most impressive. The local people will probably be most impressed if we just go really, really big and go as high as we can into the air!” said Kerr.
“Brooko (Troy Brooks), Dylan (Graves) and Betet, we’ll all be pushing and feeding off each other. Betet’s one of the best surfers ever from Asia. I Iike surfing with Betet, we’ve got a great lineup of surfers. It’s a pretty unique concept and set-up.”
‘Betet’ (Wayan Merta) is renowned as one of Indonesia’s finest surfers, and he marvels at the opportunity to travel and surf with such an incredible troupe, albeit within metres of a shopping centre, ice rink and amusement rides – a stark contrast from the natural beauty of his Bali home. “This place is sooo sick! I can’t believe there is a wave right in the middle of the city – it’s crazy!,” said Betet.
“I am really excited to have the chance to push my surfing against some of the best guys in the world. I have spent a lot of time with all of them in Bali and this year in Hawaii but this will be a new level. While this is not Bali, I am sure I will still feel at home with the support of the Malaysian crowd – the more they cheer, the bigger I’ll go!” he said.
Starring alongside the surfers is an all-international line-up of skateboarding “vert” specialists who will be reaching into their bag of tricks on a half-pipe skateboard ramp.
Two-time German Half-Pipe Champion and world number 13 Sascha Mueller (Münster, Germany), X-Games and World Championship finalist Renton Millar (Melbourne, Australia), European Champions Jocke’ Olsen (Malmő, Sweden) and Jurgen Howarth (Berlin, Germany), and former world number three Trevor Ward (Moama, NSW, Australia) will entertain crowds on a special vert ramp imported from Australia.
The finished ramp will measure 14.5 feet (4.42m) high and 40 feet (12.19m) wide, and a mini ramp constructed by Australian Ramp Design especially for the event will complete the park. “It’s not common to have a skateboarding event in Malaysia so it will be pretty special, I’ve already extended my ticket so that I can hang out after the Quiksilver Revolution and check the place out,” said Olsen.
“Also we’re not often skating alongside surf events which will be fun to watch and I’m hoping we may even get a go in the wave pool! The set-up sounds amazing and we’ve got a credible team of skaters, I’m amped!”
While the athletes will demonstrate the skills that have seen them recognized worldwide, the Quiksilver Revolution 2.0 is totally unique in its participation focus and it will give all in attendance an authentic insight into the boardriding lifestyle.
The Sunway Lagoon venue will also be open for use by the general public to take part in workshops and sessions with the team riders. Live music and other entertainment is planned, so stay tuned for further rider updates and announcements!
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