Silva wins bragging rights, kids win hearts at SBBC contest
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Dayton Silva, currently the top ranked NSSA college surfer, and the only surfer to have won the South Bay High School Surf League short board, long board and body boarding titles (last year, at Mira Costa) can now claim bragging rights to the title of best South Bay Surfer. On Saturday, Silva won the talent heavy, men’s open division in the South Bay Boardriders Club’s inaugural series contest at 26th Street in Manhattan Beach. The bragging rights came with a custom surfboard by Lost shaper Matt Biolos.
Silva’s aerial attack in the waist to head-high, mostly walled up surf gave him the edge in the final, which included fellow NSSA competitor Eddie Lester, who finished second and Brent Bowen, Silva’s teammate on Mira Costa High’s 2009 U.S. High School Red Bull Championship team. The Zaun brothers, Dane and Kelly, who filled out the 2009 Costa team, also competed.
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The contest’s 36 heats included a multi-generation pantheon of the South Bay’s top surfers, including former WSA surfer Derek Levy, 51, former PSSA pro and Pipeline Masters finalist Chris Frohoff, 45, former ASP surfer Chris Wells, current pro Dane Zaun, 20, and Manhattan Beach Middle School stand-out Noah Collins, 13.
Frohoff said he was competing for the first time in years to show respect for ET Surf, the contest’s sponsor. “Eddie Talbot started supporting when I was 13 and his manager Daniel Del Castillo has continued that support.”
The board shaper said the contest also provided him an opportunity to talk about board design with other shapers. In the second round of the men’s open, Frohoff rode a Black Sheep model from Lost, which brought demo boards to the contest. (The Black Sheep logo is a copy of the South Bay Punk band Black Flag’s famous four bar logo by Raymond Pettibone, the most successful artist to have emerged from the South Bay.)
In the first round of the men’s open division Frohoff upset Dane Zaun with a series of long, driving rides, and a 360, seemingly thrown in just to prove he could do the newer maneuvers if he cared to. Though eliminated before the open finals, Frohoff won the 40-49 division.
Frohoff’s early win wasn’t the only first round upset. Favorite Chris Wells, winner of the SBBC’s December club contest, placed second to Pat Murphy, a Rip Curl and Channel Islands rep, who would go on to finish third overall. Wells finished fourth overall. Silva was upset in his first round heat by Derek Brewer, who worked the lefts on the south end of the contest area while Silva worked the weaker rights on the north end. Fortunately, for Silva, as the tide went out through the day, the rights improved and the lefts weakened.
Brewer’s twin brother Keith also won his opening round heat, with Redondo Breakwall standout Tracie Meistrell finishing second.
In the final opening round heat, Bowen finished in a tie for first with Redondo Breakwall goofyfooter Chris Rodriquez. Bowen would advance to the finals and finish sixth.
“This could be a Bud Pro tour finals,” surf photographer Mike Balzer said in admiration for the level of surfing during an early men’s open heat.
But despite the high level of surfing, the crowd pleaser of the day was the micro grom heat for kids nine and under.
Dads were allowed to push their sons into the white whiter, but it was up to the kids to get to their feet and ride the reforming waves to the beach.
After the micro grommet heat Cooper McEwan’s and Luke Kerin’s dads were already making plans for their sons next surf session. SBBC members make no secret of their motivation to make the club an alternative to Indian Guides and other non surfing family activities.
In addition to McEwan and Kerin, the micro grommet division competitors included Jett Shahriary, Shane Moseley, Kieran Walls and Colin McEwan.
The women’s open division also saw a strong turnout. Natalie Anzivino, who competed in the men’s division, while surfing for Peninsula High four years ago, won the women’s division with her characteristically fearless take-offs on unmakeable, overhead waves. Becca Rosen, and Diana Mausser, longtime standard bearers for South Bay women surfers, finished second and sixth, respectively. Mira Costa Freshman Jordan Wible put her elders on notice with a fifth place finish and a style reminiscent of Anzivino’s high school performances.
Beach marshal Wright Adaza and his assistant Doug Somers kept heats, seeded by Matt Walls and Shaun Burrell, running on time. Judges Scott Whitmer, Greg Browning, Chris Broman and Mark Theodore and statistician Scott Valor dodged controversy and Mother Nature did her part, as well. When the final heat entered the water at 4:30, the water was still glassy, the waves clean, the wind offshore and the air temperatures balmy.
Saturday’s contest was the first of a five contest series presented by the SBBC. The top point earners in the men’s open and junior’s divisions will win Adventure Sports Tours trips to either Nicaragua or El Salvador.
The next contest on Feb. 19 at 45th Street will be sponsored by Dive N’ Surf. Subsequent contests are March 12 at the Hermosa pier, sponsored by Pier Surf; April 16 at 45th Street, sponsored by Surf Concepts; and May 21 at the Manhattan Pier, sponsored by Pier Surf.
For more information visit SouthBayBoardriders.com.
Results
Open Men’s: 1. Dayton Silva, 2. Eddie Lester, 3. Pat Murphy, 4. Chris Wells, 5. Austin Hall, 6. Brent Bowen
Open Women’s: 1. Natalie Anzivino, 2. Becca Rosen, 3. Rachel Tominaga, 4. Lucine Aarsen, 5. Jordan Wible, 6. Diana Mausser.
Juniors (18 & under): 1. Dave Slay, 2. Noah Collins, 3. Angelo Luhrsen, 4. Kelly Zaun, 5. Steve Honzowetz, 6. Tim Laney.
Boys (14 & under): 1. Noah Collins, 2. Cody Stamis, 3. Sam Dunbar, 4. Marcus Heim, 5. Kyle Brown, 6. Peter Neal
Open Longboard: 1. Brent Bland, 2. Peter Venardos, 3. Dave Schaefer, 4. Andre Anorga, 5. Gus McConnel, 6.l Stefan Neumann.
Groms (12 & under): 1. Jack Rowan, 2. Ron Sannes, 3. Dylan Hyman, 4. Clay Norian, 5. Andrew Neal, 6.l Jack Raney.
Masters (40 – 49): 1. Chris Frohoff, 2. Scott Johnson, 3. Jefff Jones, 4. Ty Cukr, 5. Steve Howe, 6. Ross Takano.
Micro-Groms (9 & under): 1. Shane Moseley, 2. Kieren Walls, 3. Cooper McEwan, 4. Luke Kerin, 5. Collin McEwan, 6. Jett Shahriary
Legends (50 +): 1. Derek Levy, 2. Don Kodowaki, 3. Bruce Huff, 4. Otts Akamine, 5. Bruce Large, 6. Kevin Cody, 7. Tom Horton. ER