EIGHTH-ANNUAL AWARDS NIGHT GALA SET FOR APRIL 11, 2008 IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA

EIGHTH-ANNUAL AWARDS NIGHT GALA SET FOR APRIL 11, 2008 IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA


NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- (February 21, 2008) -- New entries are flooding in from Europe, Hawaii and California, and with less than a month remaining in the annual cycle for the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards presented by Monster Energy, few are doubting that a number of records are going to be shattered. The last eleven months have proven among the most extraordinary in the history of big wave surfing, with an unprecedented 420+ entry images from all around the planet providing visual evidence of the mammoth surf on the event website at BillabongXXL.com.

New video clips and still photos continue to arrive week after week in all key categories of the event including the Billabong XXL Ride of the Year Award, Billabong XXL Biggest Wave Award powered by Honda, Monster Tube Award and Monster Paddle Award. Also featured are the Surfline Best Overall Performance Award and the Billabong Girl's Performance Award. In total, over $120,000 in prize money will be awarded in the eighth annual edition of big wave surfing's top event. The competition is open to all qualified, invited surfers at any surf break around the world over the course of a full year and is based on the photographic evidence.

Although there is still plenty of time for more shocking swell events to occur before the event period concludes with the Vernal (Spring) Equinox on March 19, 2008 the world's big wave elite are already making plans to attend the gala Billabong XXL Awards ceremony this April 11 at the Grove Theater in Anaheim, California. While the 2000 seats at the Grove are invitation only, the entire evening's activities from Red Carpet arrivals to the final award will be broadcast during a live webcast at www.BillabongXXL.com and televised at a later date.

A truly global event, a number of European surfers have surged to new levels of XXL respect in recent months, with entries from France and Ireland offering their credentials as potential contenders. The legendary Belharra Reef off southern France has reared its head once again, with an epic ride by Vincent Lartizen (Hossegor, France) reminding all of that break's leap onto the world stage in 2003. Likewise, the British Isles have made their first real push to prominence with performances by Duncan Scott (Newquay, Cornwall, England) and Alistair Mennie (Portrush, Northern Ireland) at Mullaghmore Head in Donegal and beneath the imposing Cliffs of Moher in County Claire.

The Monster Paddle Award has likewise become intensely competitive with extremely fresh entries from Maverick's in Northern California and Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu. Hawaii's Kalani Chapman and female phenom Maya Gaberia of Brazil both weighed in with some Valentine's Day bombs last Thursday at Waimea. As the same swell made its way to the west coast the following day, it was 18-Year-old Nick Lamb (Santa Cruz) who scratched into the wave of the session at Mavericks.

These new entries join some formidable company with amazing rides so far registered in such diverse locales as Chile, Tahiti, Western Australia, South Africa, Mexico, Tasmania and Spain. In addition to all the latest entries in each category, full event details including formats, rules and archives of past XXL years can be seen at the event website at www.BillabongXXL.com.

The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards are presented by Monster Energy Drinks. Verizon Wireless is the official communications provider, Surfline.com is the official surf forecast and Honda the official watercraft of the XXL. Additional support for the event comes from Hawaiian Airlines and Surfing Magazine.

2007/08 BILLABONG XXL GLOBAL BIG WAVE AWARDS
CATEGORY SUMMARY

Billabong XXL Ride of the Year Award
(Greatest big wave performance on a single wave as captured on video and voted by large judging academy)
Surfer Prize: $50,000
Second Place: $5,000
Third, Fourth and Fifth Place: $1,500
Videographer Prize: $5,000

Billabong XXL Biggest Wave Award
(Biggest tow-in wave ridden based on available still or video images showing maximum face height)
Surfer Prize: $15,000 plus a new Honda Aquatrax Personal Watercraft
Photo/video prize: $4,000

Monster Paddle Award
(Biggest paddle-in wave ridden based on available still or video images showing maximum face height)
Surfer Prize: $15,000
Photo/video prize: $4,000

Monster Tube Award
(Best big-wave tube still photograph based on votes of large judging academy)
Surfer Prize: $5,000
Photo Prize: $2,000

Surfline Men's Best Overall Performance Award
(Best yearlong big wave performance at a variety of spots as voted by large judging academy)
Surfer Prize: $5,000

Billabong Girl's Best Overall Performance Award
(Best yearlong big wave performance at a variety of spots as voted by large judging academy)
Surfer Prize: $5,000

Toyota AMA Arenacross Series Interview: Kelly Smith

Kelly Smith

February 21, 2008

Live Nation news

Monster/Babbitt’s/Kawasaki’s Kelly Smith has enjoyed a rock-solid first full season on the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series tour. So much so he was and, the way things go in arenacross you can pretty much say “still is,” in the overall title battle with Bad Boy/TUF/Honda’s Chad Johnson.

Heading into this past weekend – a two-race, stand-alone round in front of a packed house at the Eastern Kentucky Expo Center in Pikeville – Smith had Johnson in the crosshairs. He’d (Smith) passed his teammate, Brock Sellards, in the overall points chase and entered the Pikeville round trailing by a mere nine points (316-307). It was ‘go time’ for the heavyweights.

But what could have been a points lead change or, at the least, another chunk taken out of Chad Johnson’s lead turned into pretty much a disaster for Smith. On Friday he was run off the track and had to fight just to make it back to 4th - with Johnson winning. Then on Saturday the worst-case-scenario happened when he and teammate Sellards took each other out in the first turn of the main event.

A watershed moment for the 2007-’08 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series, Pikeville was a huge disappointment for Smith and the entire Monster/Babbitt’s/Kawasaki team. However, playing in Smith’s favor is the fact that he’s been consistent all year. That 33-point gap (366-333) between he and Chad Johnson could be whittled down to eight points in one of the four main events leading up to the final Saturday night of Toyota AMA Arenacross Series racing in Green Bay, Wis. (March 15).

This weekend Smith and the Monster/Babbitt’s/ Kawasaki team, according to Smith, will head to Sacramento (Calif.) while Johnson’s team owner, Dave Antolak, has already made it clear Johnson will be racing at Greensboro (N.C.). Although the Monster/Babbitt’s/Kawasaki team won’t get another shot at Johnson until Denver (Feb. 29-March 1), they should still see some pretty tight competition as the top Californian racers – many of whom just wrapped up the first stage of the Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites racing (until Seattle, April 26th) – and the Albuquerque, N.M.-based brothers Johnson (Keith and Kevin) will likely contest the Sacramento Toyota AMA Arenacross Series round.

Either way, Smith’s got an uphill battle on his hands. He knows that and is ready to buckle down and chase after all the points he can get leading up to Green Bay.

Arenacross.com: Kelly, talk about your weekend in Pikeville.

Kelly Smith: “It was bad! Things started off well when Brock and I were five seconds faster than Chad’s heat race, but it turned for the worse when, in the main, Corey Green ran me off the track before the catapult. I lost several positions and could only catch up to fourth. Then for Saturday’s heat we were faster again, and during the holeshot in the main, Chad, Brock and I were coming into the first turn together, and Brock ran into Chad, but went down and took me with him. It bent my shifter, so I wasn’t able to shift. I caught up to about 9th and with a few laps to go, my bike went into neutral because of the bent shifter, and it caused me to crash again.”

Arenacross.com: Obviously, the results didn’t turn out the way you’d have liked. What can you pull out of the weekend that’s positive?

Kelly Smith: “I’m alive and healthy.” (laughter)

Arenacross.com: Thirty three points separate you and Chad Johnson. Talk about your strategy this weekend. Greensboro or Sacramento and why?

Kelly Smith: “We’re going to Sacramento for the TV coverage. Att this point, there’s no real strategy except to win races and pray for a miracle!”

Arenacross.com: Anything can happen in the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series. That said, with three races left, talk about your chances of being able to challenge for the title come Green Bay (March 15).

Kelly Smith: “There are five main events, so it’s more like having five rounds… and yeah, anything can happen. Chad failed to qualify in Reno once, and it can happen again.”

Arenacross.com: Overall, sum up your first year racing the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series with the Monster/Babbitt’s/Kawasaki team.

Kelly Smith: “Other than the disappointment last weekend, overall, it’s been a good year as my first year of Arenacross. I’m glad to be a title contender on my first attempt.”