The Philippines Jay-R Esquivel and Japan’s Natsumi Taoka take wins at the inaugural Twinkle Toes Invitational Log Fest with Harrison Roach in Bali, hosted by the Times Beach Warung in Batu Bolong, Canggu.
It was an amazing and highly entertaining two days for competitors and spectators alike, as the Island of the Gods delivered flawless weather and fabulous wave conditions that some of the best loggers in the world took full advantage of as evidenced by the multitude of high scores in the excellent range and even a couple of perfect 10 pointers.
A total of 60 competitors (35 male and 25 female) hailing from Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, France, Finland, Russia, New Zealand, Slovania, Thailand, Ukraine, and the USA joined in the event, with well-known figures such as Twinkle Toes presenter and 2022 World Longboard Champion Harrison Roach, who both competed and MC’d alongside everyone’s favorite surfing personality Jared Mell, Tosh Tudor who needs no introduction, Matt “the Waxhead” Chojnacki, not to mention WSL Longboard Championship Tour competitors Jay-R Esquivel and Natsumi Taoka.
All invitees were logging aficionados, such as the Batu Karas crew from West Java including Mencos, Deni, and Tedi, the Philippine crew of Jay R, Roger, Dandoy, Daisy and her daughter Kaila, China’s Karlie Huang (Hainan), Thailand’s Mink, Korea’s Sooji Kim, the local Batu Bolong loggers Ayok, Sodok, and Gilang, Kuta Beach’s Dhany Widianto, and from the Land of the Rising Sun, Uminoski Oguma, Takahito Sakairi and more, making it a real logging family gathering with fun times for all
The format for the event ensured that all competitors had the opportunity to surf in at least 3 heats, 2 on Day 1 and 1 on Day 2, with the Semifinalists getting 1 and the Finalists 2 additional heats. Day 1 heats were 25 minutes long, with alternating men’s and women’s heats, 6 competitors in each heat, with their two highest scores determining their position in the rankings at the end of the day.
Day 2 started with Round 3 and 30 minute heats, with the top 12 scorers in each division moving through to the Semifinals, and then the top 50% of the Semifinals earning a Finals spot.
Proving his well-earned place on the World Longboard Tour, Jay R Esquivel was impressive in each heat, posting excellent scores (8 points and above out of a possible 10 points) in each heat, and even earning a perfect 10 points for a wave in his 3rd round heat for an event high two wave total of 19.50 (out of a possible 20) points). He had heat totals of 18.40, 19.23, 19.50, 17.43, and 19.24… keeping the judges busy differentiating the high end of the scale.
Coming in behind him in second place was Canggu local Ayok, who won his Round 1, 2 and 3 heats with scores of 15.63, 16.77, and 16.67 to make the final, where he earned a 9.17 and then a 9.43 for an impressive 18.60 combined score, showing both the audience and the judges just how well he knows the nuances of his home break.
On the Women’s side of the draw, winner Natsumi Taoka was a clear standout in each of her heats, being the most experienced of all the women competitors with her years on the World Championship Longboard Tour. With a smile beaming like the sun, sheer joy was evident with each successive wave, and her scores just went up and up accordingly, finally nailing a perfect 10 in her Round 3 heat…and ending with a combined score of 19.60 (out of a possible 20) for an almost perfect heat.
Runner up Dhea Natasya hails from Kuta Beach and is one of the rising stars of Indonesian women’s surfing, skilled in competing in both short and longboard and she is a member of the Indonesian National Surfing team. She found numerous opportunities on her forehand and really made the most of them, earning excellent scores in all of her heats; an 8.0 in the final, an 8.5 in the semis, an 8.67 in Rd 3, an 8,83 in Rd 2, and an 8.67 in Rd 1, certainly deserving of her place on the podium.
Topping the list of many highlights of the weekend was on Saturday in Heat 4, when all six men competitors took off at the same time on the very first wave of the heat…they must have been talking about doing it on the paddle out…but it surprised everyone including the judges! Then everyone realized what was going on, and started clapping and yelling…of course it was Harrison, Matt, Jared, Tosh, Lauchie, and James!
Speaking of judges, the panel was from the Asian Surf Cooperative, who were using Live Heats scoring, and was composed of judges who regularly judge international short and longboard competitions including WSL events, so they were well versed in the nuances of logging criteria, and thus amply rewarded the most nimble footwork, degrees of levitation, deepest fades, smoothest carves and drop knees turns, most balanced and long hang 5’s, cheater 5’s, hang 10’s, heel hangs and everything in between, as well as any innovative interpretations thereof offered by the competitors.
In addition to the surfing, there were many other activities around the event, and staging it at the beachside Times Warung provided the perfect venue for sun, shade, food, drinks, and a dip in the water whenever things got too hot.
Looking forward to this becoming a yearly event, and hopefully with the addition of a live webcast next time around!
See all the scores results at https://www.liveheats.com/events/254972
Jl. Subak Sari Barat, Gg. Sri Kahyangan No.77, Tibubeneng, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361