John John Florence wins Volcom Pipe Pro

Posted on January 28th, 2011 by JZ

In case you missed it, Pipeline was absolutely firing yesterday. The Volcom Pipe Pro had near perfect conditions to wrap up the final day of competition and announce a new winner. At the ripe age of 18, the North Shore’s own has won two contests in as many weeks.

With a final heat including last year’s winner Jamie O’Brien, well known Pipe surfer Chris Ward, and local Hawaiian Aamion Goodwin, John John had quite the battle to end up the winner. In the first 10 minutes of the 30 minute heat, John John got back to back scores of 7.67 and 8.43 then went on to almost get a perfect 10 with a score of 9.93. Jamie O’Brien almost gave Florence a run but couldn’t find a wave worth 9.80 which he needed to take the lead. Not only did John John win $16,000 but he gained 1,000 points in the ASP ratings and a guaranteed wildcard spot to the big show next year, the Billabong Pipe Masters.

Keep an eye out for John John on the world tour because he is close to qualifying. I think it’s safe to say that John is going to be a name we’ll be associating with competitive surfing for the years to come.

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