With a minute left in the finals of the Volcom Pipe Pro, Monster Energy’s John John hugged Jamie O’Brien and congratulated him on what was to be Jamie’s second win in a two-out of-three battle for Pipe Pro victories (Jamie won two years ago, John John won last year). Jamie knew he was going to win, sitting on a 19.43, John John would need a 9.44 to beat him. Plus, John John had only a few minutes earlier gotten his 10 and back-to-back big scores like that just don’t come around all that often. But as the announcers began putting the bow on an extraordinary week of competition, a peak formed on the horizon and John John saw it first. He paddled. Sprinted. Towards the wave with Jamie in close pursuit. He had his eyes set on backdooring the left but as he stroked into it he saw that he was too deep and made a last moment, near costly change in direction. In a race between him and the lip John John leaned onto his toes and snuck under the cascading wave with inches to spare. Under the lip and into a gaping Backdoor cavern. The buzzer sounded. The wave spit. John John emerged and raised his arms in triumph. That wave meant a 9.93. It meant a rubber match win over his Pipeline throne predecessor. It meant his second consecutive Volcom Pipe Pro win and $20k. It meant history. Could the wave have been a 10? Sure. But he’s gotta save something for next year.