by Will Watson
SB Boardriders club
The South Bay Boardriders Club (SBBC) team travelled South to San Clemente over the May 13 weekend to compete against 12 of the country’s top teams in the West Coast Boardriders Wheat Cup, and the U.S. Board Riders National Championships.
Their third place finish in the Wheat Cup, and equal fifth finish in National Championships qualified the club, for the second straight year, for the World Club Championship at Snapper Rocks, Australia next February.
“The goal was to get to Australia and we did that,” coach Matt Walls said. “We don’t have star power like some other clubs, but the surf was amazing and we didn’t make many mistakes.”
Walls, who both coached and competed, said of the contests held at Lower Trestles, “It was four days in the pressure cooker, but we avoided negativity and stayed super positive.”
The USBR National Championship follows a seven-surfer, tag team format, with one surfer per division in the following order: age 15-19; 14/under; 50/up; women’s (any age); 40-49; 30-39; and 20-30. Heats are 80 minutes, and each team member can ride up to three waves with their best wave score counting toward the team’s point total. Also included is a “Double Whammy” that doubles a single wave score when it is claimed by a surfer.
Coaches decide if their surfers in the water come in after a good scoring wave or stay in the water in hopes of a better scoring wave.
Surf conditions at Lower Trestles were near perfect, with head high to double overhead rights and lefts and few lulls between sets.
Representing SBBC in the the seven divisions were:
- Open Women’s: Bruna Zaun, Lisa Boos, and Eva Mota
- Boys’ 14 & under: Duncan Burge and Lucien De Saint-Aignan
- Boys’ 15-19: Johnny Herrouin and Kai Kushner
- Men’s 20-29 Parker Browning and Shane Frontino
- Men’s 30 – 39: Dane Zaun, Matt Pagan, and Eddie Lester
- Men’s 40 – 49: Max Hoshino and Shaun Burrell
- Men 50+: Warren Kushner, Tom Seth, and Matt Walls
SBBC’s Hoshino (Men’s 40-49) rode the wave of the contest, scoring a perfect 10-point in the 1st round to edge out former WSL Championship Tour competitor Brent Simpson, of Huntington Beach.
Kai Kushner (Boy’s 15-19) also came up big with a 9.33 in the third round. Shane Fontino (Men’s 20-29) and Warren Kushner (Men 50+) also had high scores.
Other USBR clubs competing at the championship were from the North Shore of Hawaii, Maui, Cape May, New Jersey, Wrightsville North Carolina, and St. Augustine, and Florida. WCBR clubs were from Santa Cruz, Ventura, Northern LA, Central Coast, Encinitas, Huntington Beach, and San Clemente.
San Clemente placed first in the USBR finals.
Wave scores and video highlights can be seen on Flowstate.zone.
For more information about SBBC visit SouthBayBoardriders.org. ER
