SBBC King of the South Bay 2015 Presented by Spyder: Power turns prevail for Dane Zaun

photo gallery by Steve Gaffney

After a season starting with the most postponements due to enormous waves, rain,  and/or gale force onshore winds in the five year history of the club, the SBBC wrapped up the 2015 season with the last couple of contests in favorable conditions making the year truly special. On Saturday, May 2nd, the league concluded with the “King of the South Bay” contest at Manhattan Beach Pier.

The morning of the contest the weather flirted with the idea of onshore wind. The conditions were indecisive and went back and forth between the unfavorable wind pattern and the favorable offshore breeze.

“With what swell we had on tap, we got blessed with waves we could run the entire contest on,” said Head Beach Marshall, Wright Adaza, who’s been key to the contest running smoothly with  SBBC President Mike Balzer (as well as the entire list of volunteers and judges).photo gallery by Mike Balzer

Besides organizing competitors, Adaza manned the mic and kept the records spinning the entire season. He catered to the diverse taste of the competitors. On the preference of one young girl in the junior women’s division, Adaza played John Mayer. When Adaza was spotted singing Mayer’s lyrics, competitors questioned who really picked the tune.

After ended his selection of 70s pop hits, he stepped up to more contemporary top 40 jams before the finals. Groms and grommettes rejoiced on the sand in front of the Beach Marshall tent and erupted into a dance party.

“I don’t know if it was because it was the last contest of the season, but it seemed more like a Beach Blanket Party,” said 3rd place Legends division winner Mike Purpus. “It didn’t feel like a surf contest. Everybody was happy but a little sad that it was the last event of the year.”

Spyder Surf did another fantastic job with organizing a sweet contest area with a South of the Border themed contest area equipped with pinatas and plenty of swag for the groms. Spyder as well as Hurley, Spy Optic,  Globe, Nixon, Creatures of Leisure, Reef, Sun Bum, Futures, Subaru and Beach Cities Orthopedics added to the atmosphere with booths on the beach. As going on for the entire season, Waterman’s provided the  lunchtime grinds.photo gallery

Purpus had his hands full in his division. At the age of 67 going on the age of 15, he’s almost two decades older than his fellow competitors. Purpus on a longboard can still bash the lip with the best of them, but couldn’t put a stop to lifeguard and big waverider Roddy Williams all season. Williams won the contest as well as won every event except one with an aggressive surfing style that would be a threat in the younger division.

With Drop Zone LA spreading the news of the SBBC all over LA County this season, more surfers from outside the South Bay began showing up. Sean Johnson, “Mr. Yew,” and Becker teamrider, would show up in his Pruis locked and loaded with groms from the Malibu region as he’s the #1 surf coach up there.

From Venice, brothers Wes and Beck Adler immediately became a presence on the surf scene. The 14-year-old Wes is a styling goofyfooter on his Scott Anderson-shaped Josh Farberow model was a plague to the other competitors, some old enough to be his grandfather. Beck dominated the grom division and was virtually unbeatable all season. He won the Grom Division (12 and under) and surfed in the Boys Division (14 and under) with fellow young competitor Joey Samuelian. Beck stepped up his game and won the older division giving him two “King of the South Bay” trophies while Samuelian followed him in third. Fellow ubergrom Chad Parks placed second with a radical front hand attack.

LA County Lifeguard Captain Tom Seth is one proud papa. Seth, who’s been out of competition all year with an injury after being a threat in the longboard, masters, and open divisions since the club’s beginnings, is stoked to have two daughters Emily (who’s a star on the Mira Costa surf team) and Megan (who’s about to become a star on the Mira Costa surf team) blowing up in the local contest scene.photo gallery by Tim Tindall

“The competition in the Junior Women’s with three semi’s is very competitive and brings out the best local talent,” Seth said. “Any of these young surfers has the ability to win.”

For the final, the Seth sisters used their local knowledge of the Manhattan Beach pier with the younger Megan winning and Emily following her closely in second.

Two of the biggest stories of the season is the emergence of two divisions Junior Men’s and Open Longboard, as the most impacted divisions with the most competitors.

Cody Purcell by Steve Gaffney

In Junior Men’s, the final was stacked with Chad Coons, Parks (surfing in the older division), Cody Purcell, Noah Hale, Zach Rosenberg, and Malibu’s Sean Woods. Purcell led off the bat with solid surfing.

“One thing I noticed is Cody’s power game stepping up on a couple mansize hacks,” said surf judge Chris Wells. “While Sean was blasting the fins way out of the back.”

Purcell got the best of Woods by taking off on the bombs to win the division with Woods taking second.

Hudson Ritchie

The only thing noticeably absent from the event was super star David Schaefer who had a last minute work call.

“I think Schaefer got cold feed,” joked Mike Siordia who’s been Schaefer’s nemesis as the two have been switching spots on the top of the podium the last couple of years.

With Schaefer missing in the longboard division, the pendulum swung to the more traditional side of longboarding. Five out of six of the longboard finalist were riding heavy, single, and unattached (no leashes).

The story of the Steves with Steve Wilson and Steve Buchan is another thing of note. Wilson lost 100 pounds in the last year with a life changing commitment to dieting and exercising while Buchan barely touched a surfboard during a decade of youthful indiscretions. In the final, Buchan prevailed with one of the longest noserides in the contest despite the ultimate in sloppy conditions.

“This is one of the most happiest days of my life.” said Buchan (his dad, Rob, was also in attendance making it extra special)

Wilson placed fourth with his patent switch stance bottom turns and stretch fives. And then you have young Hotdogger Hudson Ritchie, a stand out wherever he goes. Ritchie ended up 3rd with his inside critical noserides. Holding on to the progressive side of the coin, a surfer that’s surfed big waves that none of the fellow finalist would ever go near, Greg McEwan placed 6th. Siordia placed second with his nose antics and his lip bashing romantics. He’d score a 9.0 in the first round for the highest score in the event.

A local since the days of biking from Torrance with her surfboard underneath her arm, Natalie Anzivino was the women’s open competitor to beat.

“Natalie is just so powerful,” said Wells. “She knew the right waves to pick off.”

Charlotte Sabrina placed second with quick hits to the beach while Redondo High Surf Team star Emma Waldinger earned second.

Natalie Anzivino. photo by  Steve Gaffney

Dickie O’Reilly is a busy dude. Besides being a big part of Spyder Surf as Dennis Jarvis’ right hand man, organizing the “King of the South Bay,” he’s the league director of the local high school surf team, the South Bay Scholastic Surfing Association. Normally a behind the scenes guy, O’Reilly came out and showed the crowd his Tom Curran-esque style.

“Dickie was one of the highlights of the contest showing us old school power and setting the tone of power turns for the event.” Wells said.

Dickie O’Reilly. photo by Steve Gaffney

In the masters final, O’Reilly faced off against last event Master’s and Open Men’s winner Warren Kushner.

“Kushner has the ability to take any wave, milk it with numerous turns and hits and get the score.” Wells said.

Scott Whitmer blasted a good right off the pier for second place. Kushner got the rights that lined-up to the inside for third. O’Reilly, stayed true to form to win the division.

With O’Reilly and Kushner both making the open men’s finals, Mira Costa High School Surf Teammates Chad Coons and Matt Hodges and professional surfers Jamie Meistrell and Dane Zaun, the Open Men’s division was represented by many different generations. Surfers kept to the fundamentals.

Jamie Meistrell and Warren Kushner. photo by Steve Gaffney

“Power surfing prevailed,” said Wells. “Even Dane Zaun kept out of the air [many times Zaun’s won events on one big crowd  applauding aerial] to focus on gouging power turns.

Coons finished 6th while Hodges took 5th. Kushner earned a fourth place finish while O’Reilly placed 3rd.

“It was neck-to-neck between Zaun and Meistrell,” said Wells. “ Zaun was busting on the lefts while Meistrell hacked out the rights.”
When the horn was blown Zaun took the victory with Meistrell landing in third.

Dane Zaun. photo by Steve Gaffney

Results: