Adriano de Souza arrives early to events; it’s a studious approach that he has employed throughout his career. He draws confidence in understanding the nuances of a lineup while falling into the rhythm of a destination.
Determined to manufacture that winning feeling in the lead up to the Pipe Masters, de Souza came into Hawaii having entered all of the Vans Triple Crown events. His CT seed saw him leapfrog rounds one and two to land straight into the third round where he would face QS competitors fighting for a spot on the world tour. It was always a plan that could go either way. Perform well and he’d feel bullet proof heading into Pipe. Lose against lesser-ranked opponents and his Mojo might plummet.
De Souza has failed to make one heat so far in Hawaii. He was eliminated in his first heat of the Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa against Ryan Callinan and Tanner Gudauskas and suffered the same fate at the Vans World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach with a loss to Ian Walsh and Stu Kennedy.
“This contest for me is now over. I wished so much to make at least one heat at Haleiwa or Sunset,” Adriano told Tracks, looking forlorn following his defeat at Sunset.
“My approach is always like that. When you’re in a good rhythm it’s hard to fall. Now I’m fighting to get my rhythm back.”
He acknowledges that how he rediscovers that rhythm in the next week is entirely up to him.
“There’s nothing I can really do… surfing, training and just waiting for the big days.”
While de Souza is left searching for any kind of momentum to prepare for the biggest event of his life – the Billabong Pipe Masters – Mick Fanning continues to move through the draw at Sunset. No doubt de Souza will be watching on, hoping that Mick stumbles and doesn’t find the unstoppable rhythm he himself was looking for.
The little battler from Brazil certainly won’t go down without a fight. Throughout his career he has managed to produce his best results with his back against the wall. Maybe by default he has put himself in exactly the right frame of mind to perform at his peak. After losing yesterday Adriano went straight to Backdoor to practise for the Pipeline Masters. Expect the man they call ‘Mineiro’ to be found stalking the lineup at Pipeline as he prepares for the biggest event in his life.
