by Laura Garber
Cash Hoover, and Teagan Meza, two of the top, young female surfers in the country, were the top finishers in the second annual Queen of the Bay contest, hosted by the South Bay Boardriders Club on Saturday, May 31, in El Porto.
Hoover, 15, won the Girls Squad Longboard, 15- to 25-year-old division. Over the preceding Memorial Day weekend, the Hawaii resident won her first World Surf League QS title at a North American Longboard Qualifying contest in Virginia Beach. Hoover finished fourth in the Queen of the Bay shortboard division
Meza won the Girls Shortboard division, avenging a loss to Hoover last year when the Oahu based surfer won both the longboard and shortboard divisions. Meza has been winning SBBC contests since her dad, Carlos, began pushing her into overhead waves when she was a microgromette.
Meza, 15, is on the USA developmental surf team, and two weeks ago won the West Coast Regional Championships in the 14 and under division at Huntington.
Lisa Boos, another SBBC and Mira Costa High product, placed second in both the longboard and shortboard divisions. Her mother, Britta, won the Lady Legends shortboard division.
But the presence of nationally ranked surfers didn’t deter novices, who were given their own divisions. The contest drew over 200 competitors, from ages 7 to 78. The contest was held in friendly, three-foot surf.
SBBC board member Stephanie Rudy proposed the idea of an all female contest to fellow boardmembers three years ago when she noticed how few girls were competing in her son’s high school contests.
“Sometimes it doesn’t feel like a safe space for girls when there’s a lot of boys involved,” she said.
Cai Berry, 9, was the youngest division winner. She placed first in the under 9, gromette assist division.
Rudy worked with board members Lenie Ramos and Beth Campbell to create the annual event.
Ana Cordero, 51, and Eva Mota, 17, were one of the many mother and daughter duos.
Coredro has watched her daughter compete in scholastic surf competitions since her freshman year at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, “I finally get to see how it feels to compete,” Cordero said, “Usually, El Porto is full of guys. Girls can barely catch a wave and now it’s our beach for the day.”
“I’m super proud of my mom for competing. I always try to get her to compete,” Mota said.
Codero and Mota finished second and fifth in their respective shortboard divisions.
First time Queen of the Bay competitor Kat Traina, 78, was the oldest. She finished third in the Legends Longboard division, won by Ginny Horstman, owner of Stoked Chocolate in Hermosa Beach.
Horstman’s daughter Millie, a freshman on the Mira Costa surf team, placed first in the under 14 division.
Traina resumed surfing at age 61, with a lesson from ET Surfboards, after having quit the sport in her youth.
Her favorite spot is The Cove, in Palos Verdes, where initially, she said, she was, “more afraid of the boys than the waves.”
She earned her spot in the lineup by sitting outside and taking off on large sets.
“I don’t like crowds, so events like this are great,” she said
Women-owned businesses have stepped up as sponsors. Jus’ Poke co-owner Stephanie Honda hosted a lei making station. Top finishers received the leis.
Trips to Hawaii and Cabo and a board shaped by Emily Bark, of Bark Surfboards, were among the raffle prizes.
Kassia Meador, a pro surfer ranked 2nd on the WSL Women’s Longboard Tour in 2011, moderated the contest. “We have so many generations of woman surfers. It’s great to celebrate the ocean, the community and the ladies of the water,” she said. ER
Partial results: For complete results visit SouthBayBoardriders.org.
Stoked Sistas 19+ novices: Jasmine Escalante 1st, Natalie Finngean 2nd
Stoked Sistas 18 under novices: Reagan Reynolds 1st, LilyClaire Gammill 2nd
Gromette Shortboard 10-14: Shea Reilly 1st, Athena Staros 2nd
Gromette Longboard 10-14: Milly Horstman 1st, Zephyra De Lagarde 2nd
Girl Squad Shortboard 15-25: Teagan Meza 1st, Lisa Boos 2nd
Girl Squad Longboard 15-25: Cash Hoover 1st, Lisa Boos 2nd
Shredding Betties Shortboard 26-40: Jessica Rodger 1st, Jaclyn Ogata 2nd
Shredding Betties Longboard 26-40: Nika Ramirez 1st, Esther Sasaki 2nd
Lady Legends Shortboard 41+: Britta Boos 1st, Ana Cordero 2nd
Lady Legends Longboard 41+: Ginny Hostman 1st, Britta Boos 2nd
Micro Gromettes 9 under: Cai Berry 1st, Fiona McCartney 2nd
Micro Gromettes Assist 9 under: Cai Berry 1st, Fiona McCartney 2nd
For complete results, and more about the South Bay Boardriders Club visit SouthBayBoardriders.org.
