Surfer Matt Pagan is back on top
Matt Pagan at Adventure Surf Tour’s (AST’s) La Barra Surf Camp at Puerto Sandino, Nicaragua. Photo by Bryce Lowe White (www.astadventures.com)
Three months later Pagan, 22, was back in the water, winning contests.
“Thanks to a quick rehabilitation at Beach Cities Chiropractic and consistent work outs at Level 10 Fitness, I am stronger and more determined than ever,” Pagan said.
In April, Pagan won the Surf Concept/South Bay Boardriders Series (SBBS) contest.
“We were really stoked to see Matt get back in the water after his injury in Hawaii and win in his own backyard,” said Body Glove team manager Matt Chernega, one of his sponsors. Other sponsors include Zico, Jacks, Sanuk, Roberts Surfboards, Smith Sunglasses, X-Trak, and Neff.
In May, Pagan won the sixth and final event of the SBBS, presented by Spyder Surfboards at the Manhattan Beach Pier. The stacked final heat included fellow pro Dane Zaun, former pro Sean Burrell, future pro Kelly Zaun, Jamie Meistrell, and Dimitri Papapoint.
Matt Pagan at Adventure Surf Tour’s (AST’s) La Barra Surf Camp at Puerto Sandino, Nicaragua. Photo by Bryce Lowe White (www.astadventures.com)
“Getting a chance to compete in the last two SBBS events was amazing. What the South Bay Boardriders Club has been able to do for surfing in the South Bay is incredible and I’m really happy to be a part of it,” Pagan said.
A few weeks later, not far up the coast, Pagan competed in the Freedom Artists Surf Contest, put on by Pascal Stansfield. The Freedom Artist contest, like the SBSS, has multiple events over the course of several months. The first contest was May 5 at Westward Beach. After a long day of ripping, Pagan successfully defended his title from the year before, taking out Killian Garland in the final.
“Matt is one of the best talents to come out of the surf series in the five years we have been doing it,” said Freedom of Artists co-founder Pascal Stansfield. “Besides being the most humble surfer here, he shows up early, wins the events, and helps break down afterwards. He takes his profession seriously and is a role model for all young athletes.”
With three straight wins under his belt, Pagan entered the Oakley Surf Shop Challenge in Newport Beach. The event consists of seven regional contests. The winner from each region gets an all expense paid trip to Bali, Indonesia to compete in the National Oakley Surf Shop Challenge. Surfers compete on shop teams. Pagan, along with Chris Waring, Vance Smith, and Bobby Okvist formed Team Jacks Surfboards. After advancing to the finals against 11 other Orange County and Los Angeles surf shop teams, Jacks held off Team Katin, winning by only four tenths of a point. In early October, Pagan and his Team Jack teammates will travel to Indonesia to compete against the top shop teams from the six other regions.
Matt Pagan at Adventure Surf Tour’s (AST’s) La Barra Surf Camp at Puerto Sandino, Nicaragua. Photo by Dave Hall (www.astadventures.com)
On the day following the Oakley Challenge victory, Pagan drove back up north for the second Freedom Artists contest at Zuma Tower 6. Now coming off four straight first place finishes, he was hoping for a full hand, and came close. He placed second.
(The next Freedom Artists surf contest is July 13 at Leo Carrillo. Participants can sign up online, or at the beach the morning of.)
At the end of June, Pagan was invited to participate in the Fishbowl Pro, put on by fellow Body Glove rider Nate Yeomans at San Clemente. Pagan was the only Los Angeles surfer invited. The other invitees were from San Clemente or Hawaii.
Matt Pagan at Adventure Surf Tour’s (AST’s) La Barra Surf Camp at Puerto Sandino, Nicaragua. Photo by Bryce Lowe White (www.astadventures.com)
Each surfer dropped $20 in a fishbowl. At the end of the day, the winning surfer took home the fishbowl. Despite his outsider status, Pagan made it to the finals. Though he didn’t win, the level of competition made his advancement noteworthy.
This month, Pagan flew to Dave Hall’s Adventure Surf Tour camp in to Punta Roca, El Salvador to compete in a 3 star ASP World Qualifying Series event. Later this summer he will travel to Europe to compete in several more ASP contests.
Pagan and his brother plan to record his experiences in video webisodes. Between the European and tropical destinations and his spectacular surfing, there is bound to be lots of exciting content. You can follow him on bodyglove.com.