Starboard’s Zane Schweitzer Wins Sprint Race at Turtle Bay
By: Au
Dedicated and Determined Waterman, Zane Schweitzer overcomes a foot injury suffered at the BOP to win the Sprint Division of the Stand Up World Tour, Turtle Bay event. Having a set back in the long distance to the foot injury, Zane was determined to continue and to all out go for the win in the sprints, winning every one of his heats!
We received a full recap from Zane below… Congratulations Zane!
Turtle Bay Final 2014
It has been such an amazing year on tour with not only the entire Stand Up World Tour but as well the whole Stand Up World Series! We have been to over 8 different countries following the tour and it’s amazing that we are concluding this insane and busy year here at Turtle Bay this weekend already, time has flown by so quickly this year yet I have only been home for less than 3 months!! I’m grateful for every moment of it!
After my bummer result at the battle of the paddle last weekend and as well my unfortunate luck tearing my ligament and spraining my joint in my right foot, I was nervous coming into this event, especially since all I have worked for all year is on the line at this final event where points from this event are almost doubled!! I have held top 4 the whole year and I am super upset that I came into this final event not in top shape..
Conditions this weekend for the race was insane, with overhead high surf all weekend and the worlds best competing in some very challenging seas! The downwinder for the event was up first, from Turtle bay down to Haleiwa. Everyone was most nervous about the start since we had to charge it out through pretty much closing out double over head waves at turtle bay before shooting it left down the coast.. I had a great start then Kai and I broke away from the pack heading south early, shooting for the point, but there were sets approaching quick and we had to make a move.. Kai turned 45 degrees back towards the channel north and I turned almost 45 degrees south towards the pony trying to run escape the impact zone of the sets coming! I came so close to making through and if I would have the strategy would have put me In a great position, but that wasn’t the case.. A double over head wave broke in front of me and I prepared for it charging straight at it and getting ready to eject the board up and over.. Luckily my leash didn’t break and I didn’t loose my Maui Jim’s!! I had 2 more on the head them had a bit of a gap to make up for unfortunately.. I fought to catch back up with the front crew but couldn’t get back up there my foot was really starting to bother me halfway into the long and difficult offshore paddle race.. I ended up finishing in a position I wasn’t proud of and my worst placing of the year..
I kept my head on for the sprints in and out through the surf the following day because I know the surf is where I excel, and I love this surf race course at Turtle bay. I have won this event at Turtle Bay before and feel like I have a great connection with the conditions and arena here.. My foot was super sore when I woke up after the distance race but I taped it up and put my game head on and got ready for battle, until the buoy line got sucked into the jet ski engine and the only safety ski washed up onto the reef…. Classic!… A 12:30 start turned into 3pm start, because they had to rescue the ski, set the last buoy buy hand and then wait for another skies to come for safety.. I took that time to zen out in the bush and nap..
When the surf sprints finally came underway the action was ON!!! I was feeling great and confident winning every single one of my heats through to the final! Kai was for sure my biggest threat for this event and sure enough we battled together the entire final. I had a pretty good lead after the first inside buoy turn and tried to are advantage of that gap to get a early buoy turn and catch a wave in by myself, but Kai caught back up to me on the last run in and we had a killer drop into a set together, battling stoke for stroke all the way through the finish line for a photo finish! I knew I had it as I saw my nose creep in front of his as we passed the line but I was so relieved to hear them confirm it on the Mic!!!
So grateful to finish of a great year with a bang and my last World Series race of 2014 with a win!!
Aloha and Mahalo!! See you on the water!!
Zane Kekoa Schweitzer
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