photo gallery by Mike Balzer
Groms, weather, slip and slide add to the stoke of South Bay Boardrider contest
After a few postponements due to nasty weather and nastier waves, this year’s South Bay Boardriders Surf Club contest season has been turning around. With a healthy south in the water, last Saturday’s contest, event #3 presented by Becker Surf, went off with waves in the three to five foot range and in beautiful summer-like weather.
“You couldn’t ask for better weather,” said Becker shaper and store manager James Wheatley. “I enjoy these contests because it brings the community together. I love the turnout. I love how parents are involved. I love how stoked it makes the groms.”
The SBBC contest series allocates numerous divisions to the youth. This is very unique as most contests have only a general under 18 divisions. The one division that stands out is the assisted Micro-Grom. In these heats, the pint size surfer is assisted by a surf coach.
“It is very fun, challenging, and exciting,” said Micro Grom winner Griffin Fields, age 8, of Grand View Elementary. “I am really happy and like to thank my friends Kai, Stone, and my surf coach Jamie Meistrell.”
Right in the middle of the contest area, Becker Surf dug out and placed a 50 foot slip and slide running down the berm into a pool of water. Groms were lined up all contest..
“The slipping slide was so fun,” said Fields. “I went on it all day between surfing.”
Besides providing a fun atmosphere, the contest series creates a learning experience.
“With a lot of my students in the event, It’s super enjoyable to work with the kids and teach them the basics,” said surf coach and 2nd place open mens finisher, Jamie Meistrell. “With winning and losing, this experience teaches not to dwell on losing but to benefit and learn insight to take into the next contest.”
One of Meistrell’s students, Nathaniel Harris, has been a solid competitor and no stranger to the finalist circle the last couple of years. Right before his under 14 boys final, Meistrell talked strategy and gave Harris a healthy dose of encouragement. After the final when the placing was announced down the line from sixth to second, Harris’ name was the only one not mentioned. Knowing he had won (his first contest), young Harris could barely contain himself shaking with stoke. After being announced the winner, Meistrell was the first to give him a giant high five.
“I am so proud of Nathaniel,” said Meistrell. “I’m just as stoked as my students.”
photo gallery
It takes a lot of effort from volunteers to run a smooth contest. Besides winning the Open Longboard division with two of the biggest set lefts off the day and placing second in the Masters division, Dave Schaefer won the “Spirit of Aloha Award.” .
“Schaefer is here at dark setting up all the way to sunset to closing down.” said league director Mike Balzer. “He’s a rare person. If there’s a problem at the event, Schaefer fixes it. I like to call him MacGyver. Generators broken, a beam is broken on a canopy, a fifty foot slip n’ slide needs to be built, Schaefer is on it.”
In the junior and open womens division, no one could touch a red hot Rachel Tominaga. Mira Costa valedictorian 2015, Sara Kohrogi, gave her a run for her money. Kohrogi powered a lot of punch in her five foot frame milking every wave to the beach, finishing runner-up in the juniors and third in the open. Natalie Anzivino is due for a win anytime soon. She placed 2nd in the open with her big moves on the set waves. Tominaga won both divisions with gouging cutbacks and solid hacks to the beach.
Cody Purcell, sporting a cleaned-up new short hairdo, buzzed towards victory throughout the contest. In the first round of the junior mens, he scored the highest wave of the contest with a 9.9. He’d win the division with picking up a solid right with a strong snap on the inside.
The competition in the opens men division is fierce. Any one of the finalist is a potential winner. Meistrell surfed the lefts with his trademark backside fins free drifts placing second. It was the energetic Colin Weinberg froth that carried him to the top of the podium. Weinberg surfed mental on the rights with huge finishing maneuvers for first place.
RESULTS:
Open Men: 1. Colin Weinberg, 2, Jamie Meistrell, 3. Kyle Brown, 4. Luke Meyers, 5. Codee Stamis, 6. Sean Saldamando
Open Women: 1. Rachel Tominaga, 2. Natalie Anzivino, 3. Sara Kohrogi, 4. Kyra Williams, 5. Megan Seth, 6. Jessie Armstrong
Junior Girls (18 & Under): 1. Rachel Tominaga, 2. Sara Kohrogi, 3. Lauren Friedrich, 4. Kierra Fedio, 5. Megan Seth, 6. Kyra Williams
Juniors Men (18 & Under): 1. Cody Purcell, 2. Chad Parks, 3. Codee Stamis, 4. S J Murphy, 5. Noah Hale, 6. Trevor LaSure
Open Longboard (All ages):1. Dave Schaefer, 2. Kris Hall, 3. Johnny Hjorth, 4. West Adler, 5. Ed Solt, 6. Fernando Guzman
Masters (40-49): 1. Warren Kushner, 2. Dave Schaefer, 3. Alex Gorodetzki, 4. Bob Sievers, 5. Troy Campbell, 6. Greg McEwan
Legends (50+): 1. Rod Williams, 2. Troy Campbell, 3. Mike Purpus, 4. Atsumi Akamine, 5. Tom Horton, 6. Mark Silva
Boys (14 & Under): 1 Nathaniel Harris 2 Jake Rosenberg 3 Carson Dohan 4 Kolby Clark 5 Shane Frontino 6 Beck Adler
Groms (12 & Under): 1. Beck Adler, 2. Joey Samuelian, 3. Billy Atkinson, 4. Jake Rosenberg, 5. Jake Chandler, 6. Kieran Walls
Micro-Groms (9 & Under): 1. Karsten Wanke, 2. Jake Chandler, 3. Finn Bertino, 4. Magnus Frandsen, 5. Stone Seligson, 6. Cory Bergmann
Assisted Micro-Groms: 1. Griffin Fields, 2. Jonny Herrouin, 3. Max Gorodetzki, 4. Miles Venegas, 5. Tavian Talbert, 6. Quincy Fredriksz
