Shaun Burrell once again showed the difference between a pro surfer, even a recently retired one, and just really good local surfers during Saturday’s ET Surf/South Bay Boardriders contest at 26th Street in Manhattan Beach.
While others were complaining about the head-high close-out conditions, Burrell was using the fast breaking, low tide waves to fly from one end of the contest zone to the other, throwing in half a dozen lip smacks along the way.
He did it frontside and backside. Jamie Meistrell, who finished second in the Open Men’s, put on an impressive display of power surfing, but couldn’t match Burrell’s power surfing and speed. PV High surfer Will Reid, who just turned 14, finished third in the men’s open. Reid finished fifth in the Juniors (18 and under) division, which gives an indication of how strong that division has become,
Mira Costa’s Codee Stamis staked his claim at the top high school surfer by winning the Juniors division. Redondo’s Kyle Beatty was second and Will Reichell third.
Natalie Anzivino continued her dominance of the open women’s division, with Gracey George finishing second. Former top ranked pro Wendy Gilley, whose last contest was 10 years ago in Malibu, demonstrated her comeback potential with a solid third place finish.
Another young surfer, 14-year-old Hudson Ritchie, took over the longboard division with old-school nose rides. Dave Schaefer, despite being nearly three times Ritchie’s age, took a new school approach to finish second. That same style on a short board earned Schaefer first place in the Masters (40 to 49) division, Former South African pro Warren Kushner was second and Jack’s Surf Shop’s new manager Matt Walls was third.
Mike Purpus was another former pro who had a good day. He won the Legend’s division and enjoyed the satisfaction of pushing his former protege Derek Levy down to second and his driver Kevin Holmes into third.
The top three spots in the Junior Girls (18 and under) went to visiting surfers Bethany Zelasko of Dana Point, who finished first and Maddie LoMonaco and Kyralai Duppel, both of Santa Monica, who finished second and third.
The next South Bay Boardriders contest is January 18 in El Porto, sponsored by Body Glove. For more information visit SouthBayBoardriders.com
