Tofino surf competition set
Many of the competitors will be coming to Tofino for the first time and experiencing the invigorating Pacific Ocean off Canada's coast for the first time.The Joel Tudor Duct Tape Invitational (JTDTI) will be held in Tofino this weekend, May 7-8 and the local "wildcard" competitor has been announced.
Tofino’s own Asia Dryden is one of two Canadians who has been invited to the contest. This is the first Duct Tape Invitational to the west coast of Canada and there is a lot excitement about the unique event which has strict guidelines which include the use of traditional, single-fin logs without modern attachments and no interference allowed. In an online interview with SBC Surf Magazine, Asia was asked about any strategies he may have going into the competition:
| "I think the Duct tape is going to be totally different than most comps, I think they really put an emphasis on style and technique. |
| Asia dryden |
"I think the Duct tape is going to be totally different than most comps, I think they really put an emphasis on style and technique. I definitely have had issues with the judging at long board comps in the past. I think it should be a combination of moves. cross steps and noserides are an integral part of longboarding as well as turns. I remember one of the Queen of the Peak comps where the judges gave a girl an 8 for a closeout floater while another girl was noseriding and cross stepping and only got a 4 or something. It was a great floater but the judges were all short boarders and weren’t really paying attention to the finer details of real longboarding. But also having been a judge I know it’s hard to see the details when you are watching from the beach, sometimes the surfers are hundreds of metres away and you can barely see what going on."
The competition have seven heats featuring 16 international male surfers and Asia, the one local ‘wildcard’ participant.
Many of the competitors will be coming to Tofino for the first time and experiencing the invigorating temperature of the Pacific Ocean off Canada's coast for the first time.
Included in this number are Kevin Cortez and Jackson Obando, two up and coming Nicaraguan surfers who will be featured in a a 40-minute surf film about the personal transcendence of these two avid, prodigy surfers and include their experiences in Tofino. Below is a teaser trailer for the film.
JTDTI is a popular event which has been around for 11 years and is sponsored by Vans and organized by the Vans Surf Team. The 16 competitors are selected by two-time world champion Joel Tudor and are billed as being some of the top international long boarders. Open to the public, event location (depending on conditions), will be Cox Bay and/or Chesterman Beach.
