Torrance South defends its local surf spot against El Segundo
South’s Parker Browning stylish slices off the top.
Photos and story by Ed Solt
The South Bay Scholastic Surfing Association presented by Subaru Pacific resumed after the Thanksgiving break with South High taking on El Segundo High at Torrance Beach December 9. After losing to Mira Costa in a landslide two weeks prior, South claimed the pride of their local beach and beat El Segundo in three to five foot surf with oily glassy and offshore conditions.
“After a week or so of pumping surf, we had just the right amount of swell for good rights and lefts,” said surf judge Mark Cole. “The sandbars really opened up.”
Things got a little dicey in the first heat of the day in the boy’s shortboard division. The red hot Chris Stimpfl of South High took off in front of El Segundo’s Shane Frontino on the very first wave of the contest. Stimpfl’s action caused alarm in the judges’ quarters — it potentially could be deemed an interference. If an interference was called, Stimpfl would only be judged on one of his waves instead of the two wave criteria.
“Interferences are very tricky,” said head judge Chris Broman. “After discussing with the other judges and observing that Simpfl did not impede with Frontino’s wave — he gave him enough room before kicking out to not affect Frontino’s wave — an interference wasn’t called.”
South’s Ron Sannes won both the longboard division and his heat in the boy’s shortboard division in South’s victory.
Stimpfl won the heat with a solid of the tops and a chop hop right out of a mid 90s surf movie. Frontino followed him in second with a couple gouges all the way to the beach. Stimpfl’s teammate Luke Humphrey placed second with a roundhouse cutback.
South was fast out of the gate with El Segundo only fielding one surfer in the heat.
“When a surfer doesn’t catch a wave in a heat, he or she doesn’t get a score,” said Broman. “With El Segundo not filling out the heat, they missed out on major points.”
In the second heat of the shortboard division, El Segundo struck back with Noah Hale storming to win the heat. Hale took off on a right and completed the wave with a solid hit off the lip to win. South’s Parker Browning, in a style emulating his dad, pro surfer Greg Browning’s best from his youth during the “Momentum” days of the early 90s, placed second with a solid off the top.
“Parker’s got a real silky smooth style,” said Cole. “He’s going to be the one to watch.”
El Segundo’s Victor Knopp landed in third with a solid snap in the pocket.
El Segundo’s case of missing surfers continued in the women’s shortboard heat. El Segundo’s Taylor Stone was the lone soldier and placed fourth in a close heat.
Sannes
“As always, it seems the women’s shortboard heat takes the brunt of the incoming tide,” said Cole. “The girls dealt with the bigger sets of the day.”
Hunter Richardsville placed third with an inside right while second place finisher Jessie Gaudet edged her with just a bit longer wave. Sacha Recht won the heat by taking off on some bombs. South ran up the score 38 to 19.
With the rising tide, the right began to open, allowing for hotdogger trickery in the longboard division. Hale continuing his storm but really taking it to South’s Ron Sannes and Will Hayward. All three surfers excel on any equipment. Hale placed second with a cheater five on his Donald Takayama shaped Hap Jacobs board from the mid-60s. Hayward was drawing radical turns, especially one specific rail-burying bottom turn, to earn third. Sannes was on a noseriding tangent sticking toes on the nose in the critical sections through the foam to win the heat.
South’s Justis Brown
The final blow was layed on El Segundo by a combination of the team’s contest woes, lack of surfers and the top three places won by South. Bram Sprokkereef in the second of his three divisions placed 3rd. Stimpfl landed in second with a solid el rollo. Justis Brown won the heat by connecting a right with a couple of cutbacks and an el rollo in the shorebreak. Score at this point: South 76, El Segundo 40. The only chance for El Segundo to come back was sweeping two of the last three heats.
The El Segundo girl’s longboarders took the water with the hopes of gaining much lost ground. Taylor Stone, alone in the girl’s shortboarder heat, came back with reinforcements. Powered by her “Flower Surfboard,” pig shape, she styled on the rights with a little bit of jive for second. Her teammate Darcie Hill placed third with a long left. Gaudet won the heat with fitting footwork and a hanging of five on her Brog Surfboard noserider.
In heat seven, boy’s shortboard, the fridge was closed by again South taking the top three spots. Jesse Menendez had a couple of slashes on the inside reforming right for third place. Anders Sprokkereef followed suit with a rollercoaster in the impound zone to place second. Sannes won his second division riding a bit longer shortboard elongating his turns.
“Sannes rode in a Tom Curran-esque style on a Channel Islands ‘Black Beauty’ model,” said Cole.
In the last heat of the day, South’s Bram Sprokkereef placed 3rd with a solid hit of the lip. His teammate, Dylan Hyman connected to the inside with figure eights to earn second. El Segundo’s Drake Vasquez stood out with a floater for the heat victory.
Final score: El Segundo 53, South 99