When the South Bay Boardriders Club was planning its first contest series last year, club president Mike Balzer asked member Derek Brewer if he thought pros should be allowed to enter the contests. Like many of the club’s members, Brewer and his twin brother Keith are exceptional surfers, but have never competed at the pro level.
“Derek told me, ‘Of course. They’ll make me raise the level of my surfing,’” Balzer recalled Saturday afternoon, after watching Brewer defeat three former pros and one pro prospect in the finals of the Body Glove SBBC men’s open at 26th Street in Manhattan Beach.
The surf was big and bumpy for the late afternoon finals. Sean Burrell, who recently retired from pro surfing, scored first with a set left that he nursed to the beach. Brewer followed seconds later with a wave that followed a nearly identical trajectory, but the wave was faster, enabling Brewer to complete multiple lip smacks.
Midway through the heat, Burrell and Brewer scored two more long rides while former pro Ted Robinson and pro prospect Kelly Zaun struggled to find waves. Warren Kushner, a former pro from South Africa, now living in Manhattan Beach, caught the biggest wave of the finals, and then a still bigger wave that might have given him the lead. But the horn sounded before he got to his feet, leaving him in third place. Contestants are scored on their two best waves.
Earlier in the day, Kushner won the masters (40 to 49) division. Robinson finished second in the masters and Chris Wells finished third.
In the women’s open, Natalie Anzivino continued her domination of the SBBC series with an attack deserving of a slot in the men’s open finals. Her comfort with the rough conditions may have been bolstered by her fourth place finish three weeks ago in the SeaHawaii’s Women’s Pro at Pipeline, held in the aftermath of a week-long monsoon.
Invasion of the Huntington groms
The SBBC’s open entry policy has not only raised the bar for the open divisions.
With Mira Costa’s surf team on a trip to El Salvador, the door was open Saturday to a group of hard charging Huntington Beach surfers.
Highly touted Ben Seaberry, 11, of Huntington Beach, won both the groms (12 and under) division and the boys (14 and under) by skipping across the inside like he was kite boarding.
The junior boys and junior women (18 and under) divisions were was also won by Huntington Beach surfers when Aryn Farris edged out Mira Costa alum Kelly Zaun and Meah Collins edged out Palos Verdes High’s Jessie Rowan. Collins’ win was a birthday present for her dad, former pro Richie Collins, who turned 43 on Saturday.
Among the Huntington Beach surfers was South Bay native and Manhattan Beach Middle School surf class instructor Susan Steinmetz. She and her husband Kurt and son Noah began surfing in the series last year. On Saturday she finished fifth in the open women’s division and her son Noah finished second in the micro groms (9 and under) division.
The micro division was won by Hermosa Valley student Shane Moseley, who also won last month’s contest. Kelly Murphy, 9, a Grand View student, was third.
In the long board division, Dave Schaefer, of Hermosa Beach, scored his second consecutive finals victory.
In the legends (50 and over) division, Scott Daley earned his third first place finish of the current series, followed by Mark Theodore and Nick Christensen.
The Maneuver of the Day award went to Redondo High freshman Trevor Lashure who landed a big, frontside air. The maneuver earned him hoots from the beach and $100 and a pair of new sunglasses from Jani Lange of Electric.
In keeping with the SBBC’s goal of celebrating the South Bay’s surf history, Surfing Hall of Fame and Diving Hall of Fame member Bob Meistrell was invited to present the awards. Meistrell and his brother Bill are credited with inventing the modern wetsuit in 1953, after having surfed winters wearing wool sweaters for warmth.
Upcoming ocean events:
This Friday: South Bay Board Riders Big Wave Challenge Awards and the 7th Annual Hermosa Beach Historical Society Surf Festival, 6 p.m., Hermosa Beach Playhouse Theater.
This Saturday:Hermosa Beach Surfers Walk of Fame Inductions, 11 a.m. at the Hermosa Beach pier. Following the Walk of Fame inductions, the 2012 South Bay High School Surf League Waterman’s All Star Award will be presented at Waterman’s. Also on Saturday, beginning at 7:30 the Mira Costa versus Redondo alumni contest will be held.
Saturday, April 21: Surf Concepts/SBBC contest at El Porto. For more information visit SouthBayBoardriders.com
Sunday May 6: Dig 4 Jimmy Surf N’ Turf surfing and volleyball contest at the Manhattan pier. Proceeds benefit the Jimmy Miller Foundation and Eric Fonoimoana’s Dig For Kids foundation. For more information, visit JimmyMillerFoundation.org or Dig4Kids.org.
Longboard team formation: SBBC’s Dave Schaefer is assembling a long board team to represent the South Bay at long board events up and down the coast. Interested surfer should contact him at lafdmedic@aol.com or phone (310) 938-4938.
