La Vaca Called for Monday
Friday 14 January 2011 Organisers of the Quiksilver La Vaca Gigante event in Spain have called the event on for Monday, when Jeremy Johnson and Twiggy Baker, the South African invitees, will get a chance to consolidate our rising stature in big wave surfing, and maybe scoop the 10,000 Euros on offer. That's a pile of cash, even with the strong Rand.
Jem told Spike today that the call was confirmed and that eight man-on-man heats would be held to determine the quarter finalists, followed by two semis and a final. The event is held in Santander, which is in the Basque Country in Spain about three hours drive from France. The spot La Vaca means the Cow, and is on the Cantabrian Sea.
The annual event is now in its fourth year, Jem said.
"I stayed at the organisers house the other night, Oscar Gomez, who won the first event. He said that this year Quiksilver wanted more international riders so when he heard that I was in Spain and after seeing my XXL nomination from Ireland I got an invite."
According to the event website (which still hadn't got a list of the competitors up today, more than a day after the call was made to have the event on Monday):
"After nearly two months of waiting, the weather forecast has predicted suitable waves for the invitational, Spain's most important big-wave event.
"The approach of a heavy swell from the Northeast, around three metres high,means that by MONDAY (17th January) La Vaca could reach the mark of 5-METRE WAVES, the minimum height for the event set by the organisers.
"This sets in motion an impressive series of events and media attention, starting with the summoning of the 16 participating surfers and the synchronisation of the whole organisatory machinery of the Cantabrian Surfing Federation and the Tow-in Center, together with the close collaboration of the city of Santander."
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