Kick-off Classic, Jimmy Miller kick off fall surf contest season
Mira Costa’s Kyra Williams and Alex Fry with their first place women’s and men’s shortboard division Kick-Off Classic trophies. Williams also won the women’s longboard division. Photo by Steve Gaffney
The fall surf season kicked off with two signature contests last weekend at 42nd Street in Manhattan Beach. On Saturday nearly 300 surfers from 12 area high schools (Santa Monica to San Pedro) competed in the annual South Bay Scholastic Surf Association (SBSSA) Kick-Off Classic.
On Sunday, nearly 200 surfers competed in the annual Jimmy Miller Surf Fiesta.
The SBSSA Kick-off offers high school coaches an opportunity to see how their surfers match up against surfers from other schools, according to contest director Dickie O’Reilly of Spyder Surf.
Mira Costa surfers took full advantage of Saturday’s head-high, walled-up waves at their home break to dominate the men’s and women’s shortboard divisions. Costa filled four of the six positions in the shortboard finals, with Alex Fry winning and Daniel Boos, Jake Rosenberg, and Leo Schleyer placing fourth, fifth and sixth. Parker Browning of South Torrance and Briggs Peus of Palos Verdes placed second and third.
Costa’s Kyra Williams won both the women’s short and long board divisions. Costa’s Megan Seth, Ashley Weaver, and Ava Miller took the next three spots in the shortboard division. In the longboard division, Weaver was second and Seth third.
Palos Verdes’ Trevor Kahn and Rodney Buck took first and third in the longboard. Redondo’s Ryan Hughes and Kevin Elliott placed second and sixth in the longboard division. Colin Macleod of Peninsula and Luke Pond of South placed fourth and fifth.
Mens Shortboard: 1. Alex Fry – Mira Costa, 2. Parker Browning – South, 3. Briggs Peus – PV. 4. Daniel Boos – Mira Costa, 5. Jake Rosenberg – Mira Costa, 6. Leo Schleyer – Mira Costa
Womens Shortboard: 1. Kyra Williams – Mira Costa, 2. Megan Seth – Mira Costa, 3. Ashley Weaver – Mira Costa, 4. Ava Miller – Mira Costa, 5. Charlotte Edler – Peninsula, 6. Savannah Scriven – PV
Mens Longboard: 1. Trevor Kahn – PV, 2. Ryan Hughes – Redondo High, 3. Rodney Buck – PV, 4. Colin Macleod – Peninsula, 5. Luke Pond – South, 6. Kevin Elliot – Redondo High
Womens Longboard: 1. Kyra Williams -Mira Costa, 2. Ashley Weaver – Mira Costa, 3. Megan Seth – Mira Costa, 4. Savannah Scriven – PV, 5. Sophia Caravello – El Segundo, 6. Emily Eddins – MCHS
Photos by Steve Gaffney
Jimmy Miller Surf Fiesta
Sunday’s annual Jimmy Miller Surf Fiesta presented by Fresh Brothers was a fundraiser for Jimmy Miller Foundation ocean therapy programs, including work at Camp Pendleton with the Wounded Warriors Battalion. Competitors are ranked and assigned by ability to four-member teams. Each team member must catch at least one wave.
“It’s the surf contest for surfers who don’t usually do surf contests,” said event director Jeff Miller, who noted that over 30 of the competitors were groms. Which didn’t mean there were no contest surfers.
Pro surfer Alex Gray’s Surf Therapy Squad won the contest and a team led by former NSSA surfer Matt Muir was second.
Alex Gray Surf Therapy Squad: Alex Gray, Jake Schoenfeld, Madeleine Gumbrecht, Callaway Hinkley, Brianna Strange. Subs: Trey Mahan, Reid Inskeep, Blake Gurney, Robby Brickell.
2nd place: Matt Muir, Ed Quinn, Paul Towers, Clyde Bush, Justin Thomas. Subs: SPhillip Barnett.
Special Awards:
Spy Optics Best Wave: Ed Quinn for a legit barrel and came out on a kneeboard.
Sector 9 Best Performance by Boy Grom: Karsten Wonkey, who ripped all day.
BeCandyLicious Best Performance by a Girl Grom: Blake Gurney led her team to the final
Trilogy Best Performance by a Female: Alison Atkinson, who ripped every wave, gave up her spot to her kid’s friends and then judged heats in the brutal afternoon glare all with a smile
Hippy Tree Best Wipeout: Leo Kiely. Not for a true wipeout but for having the worst timing and getting crushed by the biggest sets of the day.
B2 Insurance Best Performance by a Family: Wixoms- Cooper and Tanner- ripping little kids with great attitude all day.
Spyder Surf Best Maneuver: Alex Gray but he donated it to Clyde Bush because there was some confusion after the final due to the glare over whether the 9 point air was Alex or Clyde.
ET Surf Beach Lounger Award: The Bryn Barry Birthday Crew
JMMF Pure Surfing Award: Steve Gaffney for taking photos all day and the memories he created
Photos by Steve Gaffney