Surf Exposure Meter: September 2008

josh hunter

• September 25 2008
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Fanning Holds The Lead, Race For Second Heats Up
January – August 2008 Tally

Consistent scoring performances from the top five surfers in the 2008 Surf Exposure-Meter race are making for some tight monthly tallies. Only 1,500 points separate Jamie O’Brien, Jordy Smith, and Dane Reynolds—who are sitting in second, third, and forth respectively—so the second place spot could go to any of these guys. Fanning seems to have a tight grip at pole position for now, but with the pile-up of pints for the other top five competitors he shouldn’t feel too safe.

Jamie O’Brien scored a healthy mix of advertising and edit points this month, but his 4,900 total points pale in comparison to both Jordy Smith and Dane Reynolds. Smith logged in 7,025 points this month, and Reynolds topped of the trio with 7,825 points overall. If this trend continues next month then both Smith and Reynolds will over take O’Brien in the rankings next month.

Another interesting development is that Kelly Slater moved up within striking distance of the top five by scoring 7,475 points of his own. Slater is always a threat in the Exposure-Meter race, so keep an eye on him in the coming months. It’s almost certain that he’ll clinch his ninth world title within the next couple of WCT events. In fact, according to a poll on transworldbusiness.com, 34 percent (or 101 out of 301 total voters) of those who responded to the poll were right in thinking Slater would clinch the world title at the Trestles event. You can expect to see some high-scoring months out of Slater for the rest of the season

A couple of other movers worth mentioning are Dustin Payne and Dion Agius. By scoring a heap of both editorial points and advertising support from sponsors, Payne moved up from 36 to 19. Agius managed to climb from 27 to 13, mostly in part to three page ads from Super Surfboards. These guys are just a couple of athletes to keep tabs on in years to come; there’s a ton of new talent out there.

That’s all the analysis for now, but check back next month for the latest developments in Surf Exposure-Meter. To see the full Surf Exposure Meter for September, click HERE.