Nic von Rupp, 27 and peripatetic, is part of Portugal's big-wave talent pool, freesurfing his way through each winter season with a few Qualifying Series contests for good measure. Sunday at the Nazaré Challenge, he did his country proud, leading the pack in his Round One heat and moving on to the Semis. This opening wave earned him a tidy 7.33 -- the highest score of the round -- and a spot in the Semifinals.
